#1163 Another Regular Participant’s POV

My name’s Ariaros.

It may sound like a big-shot's name, but I’m really nothing more than a common thug.
No fancy education, no highborn family.
By rights, I should’ve spent my whole life scraping by in some back alley, never amounting to much.

But my life took a sudden turn when the war ended.

That was one massive upheaval for the Human Kingdom.
Word spread that the Demon King's Army would swarm in any day now and slaughter everyone—man, woman, old folks, kids.

The first ones to bolt were all those wealthy government officials.

Those parasites, appointed by the crown to rule our city, had been lining their pockets with heavy taxes and bribes for ages. Yet the moment a real crisis hit, they were useless and just up and ran.

Some feudal lords, the ones who’d guarded their lands for generations, tried standing firm to protect their people. But in towns and villages under direct control of the royal family or the Church, well…

Those officials were so deep in their corruption that they’d rotted from the inside.

When news broke that the Demon King’s Army is closing in, those same officials abandoned the people they were supposed to protect and fled without a second thought.
A city without leadership goes straight into chaos.

So, there was only one way for those abandoned people to survive.

They needed to pick a new leader no matter how and unite under that person.

Right after the war ended, a bunch of cities and villages found themselves in that same boat. They each chose a new leader in their own ways, bracing for the disaster on their doorstep.

My hometown was one such place.

The folks in my city, in a fit of desperation or maybe a stroke of madness, decided on me, a punk from the slums, as their new leader.

The thing is, my city had basically turned into one giant slum, thanks to the officials’ half-baked management all that time. And I was the one who’d been running the place.

When everyone begged me for help, I couldn’t just blow ’em off.
Since most of the city was slum territory, expanding my control over the whole place wasn’t too hard.

So, with me at the helm, the city managed to calm down enough to greet the Demon King's Army whenever they finally showed up.
Even so, as “city boss,” all I had at my disposal were a bunch of lowlife goons.
No way a ragtag bunch like us could stand up to a real army.

I basically said, “Well, we’ll do what we can,” half-ready to die in the process.
But to my surprise, when the Demon King's forces rolled in, they recognized our self-rule and even officially named me as the legitimate ruler.

From their perspective, they had a load of new territory and a million problems to deal with. If they could leave local stuff to locals, that was less hassle for them.
Not that they were hands-off with everyone, wherever some violent tyrant had taken control, the Demon King’s Army would swoop in, tear ’em down, and boot them out.

But they left me alone, which must mean they decided I wasn’t such a bad guy after all.

Fine by me. I threw myself into running the city. Before I knew it, time flew right by.

Eventually came the day the Human Kingdom’s sovereignty returned to us.

I’ll admit, I worried for a moment: would the new Human Kingdom let a shady boss like me keep my post? Lucky for me, President Ritheseus, our new leader, turned out to be a young guy who’s pretty reasonable. So, after all the chaos, he left me in charge of my city, same as before.

I heard rumors that folks at the central government wanted to use sovereignty’s return as an excuse to kick out "gray-area leaders” like me and replace us with “proper” elites.
But those bigmouths were mostly the ones who’d fled during the war’s climax, and now that the Demon King's forces were gone, they were itching to reclaim their cushy positions.

But President Ritheseus steamrolled those demands without batting an eye and made sure nobody brought ’em up again. He might be young, but he’s got one heck of a ruthless streak.

I gotta say, his skill and fierceness actually make sense to a guy like me, who’s lived by raw strength.
Central bureaucrats hate that they can’t make him their puppet, but I kinda like the guy.

With a ruler like that, yeah, I’ll proudly follow.

So there I was, feeling more and more fired up about my job, when President Ritheseus gave me a direct order:

— “Mayor Ariaros, there’s a special task I want you to handle.”

“You see, your city, San-Chome, is the closest in the Human Kingdom to the Farm Kingdom. So, when goods from the Farm Kingdom start flowing out to the rest of our nation, they’ll pass right through your city.”

Huh.
Fancy words as always from our young head honcho.

He’s young, but you gotta wonder where he learned to talk like that.

“Ariaros, I want you to start getting everything prepared now. Your city will be the main pipeline connecting the Farm Kingdom and the rest of the Human Kingdom, so set up the infrastructure we’ll need.”

R-Right now…?

“Right now. It’s going to be huge, so the prep alone will take a long time.”

I figured maybe he was exaggerating a little to light a fire under me.

Or so I thought, until he took me to that so-called “trade fair.” That’s when my entire perspective flipped.
And I realized just how clueless I’d been.

Because the people and goods gathered at that fair…

They were all top-notch, from every corner of the globe, in unimaginable variety.

If what President Ritheseus described really comes to pass, all those fantastic items are gonna be shipping out from this new land on a daily basis.

And the first stop on that path through the Human Kingdom is my city, San-Chome.

Well, that sure twists my stomach in knots.
Without even knowing it, I ended up shouldering a major responsibility.

Still, if that’s how it’s gonna be, then bring it on.
I may have started out as a no-good thug, but after years of running the city, I guess I’ve finally grown a sense of duty or something.

If that means my hometown can flourish, I say let’s do this!
I’ll pour all I’ve got into turning it into a mighty, bustling trade hub!

“Hey, Ariaros, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

President Ritheseus called me during the fair, while I was stuffing myself with a mountain of wakame and checking out all the exhibits.

 “It’s the representative of this land, Lord Saint. who’ll eventually become ruler of the Farm Kingdom. But first, there’s another person you should talk to.”

What is it now, boss?
You’re being all mysterious.

“She’s from the Demon Kingdom, named Kimeri. Governor of the city of Rondmelt… maybe you’ve heard of it?”

Rondmelt?
That’s the city on the Demon Kingdom's side that’s closest to the Farm Kingdom, right?
It’s basically the demon version of my city.

So, same situation, same future potential for massive growth.

Could be my rival, in other words.
Fine by me.
I’ll check out this so-called competitor and see if she’s friend or foe.

And that’s how I ended up meeting the Demon Kingdom's city leader.

Huh, a woman, yeah…?

And not just any woman—she’s got this neat, polished look like she came from a good family.
She’s definitely not my type.

“I’m Kimeri, Governor of Rondmelt.”

Pleasure to meet you.
Name’s Ariaros from San-Chome.

But hey, do you actually get what’s happening here?
Do you realize the situation you’re in and the possibilities this place holds?

We—me from the Human Kingdom’s side, you from the Demon Kingdom’s side—are both leading the closest cities to Farm Kingdom.
We’re in different nations, so it’s not like we’re gonna butt heads directly…
But we share a lot of the same conditions. Let’s see who can develop their city more, yeah? That’ll show us who’s the better leader.

“I won’t lose to you…”
“Nor I to you, hohohoho…”

We shake hands politely, but sparks are flying in the air between us.

…
Her hand’s kinda small. And soft, too.

President Ritheseus looks on, perfectly relaxed.

 “All right, Lord Saint himself is busy running the fair, so it’ll be a while before you can see him. Why not hang around here in the meantime? I suggest you two spend some time touring the fair together, maybe build a little rapport.”

Huh?
But I’ve kinda already made the rounds…

Still, maybe going around with this demoness will give me a chance to show off the grit and gravitas I earned surviving all those real-world scrapes.

It might be fun to show her I’m on a whole different level!

All right, Ariaros will be your escort, Miss Governor!
Sorry I’m a roughneck with no fancy schooling, but care to join me?