#1085 A Belated Spring Visit

It’s another peaceful day at my place.

Before I knew it, winter has passed and spring has sprung, so I’m back to cheerfully working on the farm.

With my eldest son, Junior, and now my second son, Norito, both happily running around the yard, the place is livelier than ever.

And my youngest, Shotaro, is growing up fast, contentedly nursing with Platy.

The farm is running smoothly and peacefully as usual.

Since we gave the fields a good rest over the winter, we’ll probably get some great veggies...!

What should I plant this year?

Maybe I’ll try growing jute?

Just as I was pondering that...

“My Lord.”

Lo and behold, orcs and goblins come running over.

What’s up? Do you have some thoughts on what we should plant this year?

“Those who went to scout the development area have returned.”

Scouting?

Development area?

I had completely forgotten about that until they mentioned it, so it took me a while to recall.

Oh, that’s right.

We did have that discussion during the winter.

The Demon King, Arowana, and Ritheseus.

The representatives of humans, demons, and merfolk all came together to visit, so it really stuck in my mind.

Though I’d forgotten what we talked about until just now.

According to them, they were pushing forward with development to handle population growth, and their top candidate site was close to the farm.

Because the farm’s existence is a secret to the general public, they came to check in advance to prevent any potential trouble or accidental exposure.

I remember thinking about how conscientious and considerate the Demon King and the others were for being so thoughtful.

“Since we were aware of that, we decided to conduct regular scouting to ensure the farm wouldn’t come to any harm.”

You guys were doing that all along?

But even though it’s nearby in terms of surroundings, the land planned for development is actually physically far away, isn’t it?

I know better than anyone how vast that distance is. I once trekked it myself, surviving on berries and grass along the way.

“For a normal human, it’s a journey of several months, but with goblin leg strength, it takes less than a day.”

...Oh, that’s right.

The goblins and orcs living on the farm are evolved variants from sudden mutations and have abilities incomparable to their regular counterparts!

But even so, since it’s still a journey of several months on foot for humans, I figured it wouldn’t really affect us.

Even if the development proceeds, it’ll be decades before they reach the area where the farm is. They might even quit the development once they’re satisfied before getting that far.

I thought so, and when the Demon King and his group visited, I laughed and told them, “No worries.”

I appreciate the orcs and goblins looking out for the farm, but overthinking isn’t good for their health.

Stress can really mess with your stomach.

That’s something I learned firsthand back in my corporate drone days.

But ever since I came to this other world, that’s not an issue anymore.

“Our duty is to protect the farm, our comrades, you, My Lord, and your family. We won’t hesitate to go to any lengths for that.”

Guys...!

If you’re thinking of us that much, I can’t just brush you off!

Let’s hear your report!

What did you find out from your scouting?

“There’s a war happening.”

What?!

War?

How?

I thought the war in this world ended ages ago, and since then, everyone agreed to work together and say ‘No more wars’!

And yet you tell me there’s one right now?!

The goblin who came back from scouting explains, “Well, normally, nothing like that happened. The people who came to develop were earnest and hardworking, cutting trees and tilling the soil every day, steadily making the place livable.”

Yep, sounds like they’re living the honest cultivation life.

We also worked hard on similar things in the early days of the farm. Thinking back on those days gets me all sentimental.

“That’s why we were starting to think there wasn’t much to worry about. But suddenly, things took a turn...”

I press the goblin for more details.

When they went to check things out today, the developers were suddenly in the middle of a hostile atmosphere.

Shouts flying, harsh words.

The tense mood was so thick it clung to their skin even from a distance.

The tension didn’t let up; instead, it escalated, almost leading to a fistfight.

But it seems there were still some rational folks on both sides who managed to calm their camps down, and they disbanded for the moment.

But their final words were, ‘Next time we meet, it’s war!’ and ‘We’ll slaughter you all!’

“That’s super hostile.”

It was two or three times more intense than I’d imagined.

Thankfully, no one was hurt or killed yet, but with this mood, it’s only a matter of time.

What on earth caused them to get so riled up?

It was peaceful until just the day before, wasn’t it?

I ask the goblins for more specifics.

“It appeared that the ones fighting were humans and demons...”

Humans and demons?

The Demon King did mention that humans and demons would be jointly working on the development when he visited.

So it’s no surprise both races are there, but why are they fighting?

If they’re supposed to be cooperating, shouldn’t they be working together peacefully?

“Well, from the start, humans and demons weren’t actually cooperating.”

From the goblin’s explanation, it seems humans and demons were each proceeding with their own separate developments.

First off, this undeveloped area where the farm is located is right between the human and demon nations, slightly off to the side, so both humans and demons can get here if they choose.

I guess the reason this fertile land remained untouched was that being close to the border made it risky, as people could get dragged into wars.

Anyway, given these location conditions, it seems humans and demons each took their own routes from their homelands to settle here and started development.

Each doing their own thing.

Hearing that, I was puzzled.

The Demon King said humans and demons would cooperate in the development, so why are they working separately?

Did something go wrong on-site?

“With things going like that, development continued, and the other day their areas finally overlapped. Each side asserted their own sovereignty, couldn’t compromise, and it led to conflict...!”

I see, so that’s what happened.

I understand the events leading up to the trouble thanks to your explanation, but we can’t just leave it at that.

This is a big deal.

Humans and demons are at each other’s throats over development land, tensions ready to explode.

I just remembered that wars often start over territorial disputes.

What to do? We need to stop this immediately!

If things keep going, it could lead to bloodshed, and the fact that it’s humans and demons at odds makes it even worse.

This is like a replay of the Human-Demon War that ended just a few years ago.

Even though the war finally ended and the two races started fresh in friendship, what if this sparks another war?

It’s been less than half a century since the war ended between humans and demons. We can’t say there’s no lingering resentment deep down.

We finally have peace, where many people can laugh, eat their fill, and not have to worry about where they’ll sleep tonight...

I’ve made up my mind.

“Everyone, get ready.”

“But My Lord, that’s...!”

It can’t be helped.

Even if we consult with the Demon King or Ritheseus, it’ll take time.

Meanwhile, the fragile balance could collapse.

We have to move ourselves. Only we can reach the scene quickly.

For the sake of peace, let’s move out!!!