Yuri Empire

Yuri and the others moved to Faranda house, the village chief, and discussed the necessary details of incorporating the High Elf village into the control of the Yuri Empire.

All the children of the Yuri Empire have already been sent back to Yuritania ahead of the others by Yuri's transfer magic. Amaterasu remained next to Yuri as an advisor, so she alone was sufficient to act as a guard.

But Sera, the captain of <Water Lily>, has some things she needs to take care of later, so I'll probably have to call her back.

“I would like to hear about the taxes first.”

“Well, of course.”

Faranda's question was answered by Yuri with a nod of the head.

Whenever a settlement belongs to the state, taxes must be collected there. The taxes collected are used to build armies, develop land, and improve the general public.

“As a general rule, the Yuri Empire collects 30 percent of its income as taxes.

By the way… what are the main products produced in this village?”

“I'm sorry, but we don't have anything in particular. We gather forest products as needed, manage the fields, grow trees, cut down wood to build houses, grow mushrooms, raise livestock, hunt forest animals, and sometimes even hunt demons.

It's all about those things that are close to our lives… There's nothing, in particular, that is produced only in this village.

“Oh, that's enough. The forest products you collect from the forest, the things you grow in the fields, the wood you cut down, the mushrooms you grow, the products you get from livestock, the materials you get from the demons you hunt…

You can pay 30 percent of those harvests to the government as a tax.”

If it were possible, it would be easier if it were done with money. It would be a terrible thing to ask of a community of high elves that had never had any interaction with the outside world before.

“30%……”

“Is it too much of a burden? I'd be happy to discuss it with you, but since we impose a flat tax of 30% on all cities and villages in the country, we can't give special treatment to just this one village.”

“No, it's the other way around. I've heard that they usually charge 50 percent or more. I was surprised that the tax burden was lighter than I had heard.”

I've heard that most other countries collect roughly 50% of the tax. So the impression that Faranda gave is probably normal.

The fact that the government takes half of the harvest is comparable to the Edo period's Five Principles, so people today may feel that it is too much taxation.

In this world, Yuri thinks that the tax burden is rather reasonable. This is because the threat of demons exists in this world, and a nation must have a strong army to fight them.

And an army is a very expensive thing to have. It takes a considerable amount of money just to support a sufficient number of standing soldiers, and the cost of preparing equipment and dispatching and operating the army is also considerable.

A tax burden of about 50 percent would be quite reasonable.

If there is no compulsory labor or conscription, I think the tax burden should be lighter than that.

“It's a payment in full, so I’ll need to transport it to your capital to pay it, right?”

“No, it's fine as long as the tax is paid in the city of Ulysses, which is separate from the capital. I'll have a【 Transfer Gate 】installed in this village, so I can travel to the city of Ulises in an instant. I don't think you'll have much trouble transporting the goods.”

“…What is【 Transfer Gate 】?”

“That's the first thing I need to explain.”

Faranda asked, and Yuri nodded her head.

Then, with Amaterasu sitting next to her, Yuri explained the function of the【 Transfer Gate 】and how it was being used by the Yuri Empire and its allies.

“It's hard to believe, but… If there is such a thing as an instantaneous transfer to a distant city, as Your Majesty Yuri says, I can understand how it could be very useful.”

“I'm sure it's not easy to believe even if it's explained in words. I'll have it installed after this discussion is over, so you can try it out first.”

“I have a question. If we install this【 Transfer Gate 】, does that mean that people from outside will be able to come to this village?”

Wow, Yuri admired inwardly.

Yuri only briefly explained it to her. The words that Melfalude asked were based on a proper understanding of the essentials of the function of the【 Transfer Gate 】.

“No, Melfalude. The gates can be used for any purpose, so in principle, the gates in this village will only be used by the people who live here… Well, we may make an exception for people involved in the national government.

You can rest assured that no outsider will be able to get into this village.”

“Does that mean we'll have unilateral access to the outside city?”

“That's what I'd like you to think.”

Yuri nodded her head. Melfalude shouted happily, “Oh!”

It's very convenient to be able to buy things that can only be purchased in populated cities at any time with zero travel time.

The only cities in the Yuri Empire where you can use the【 Transfer Gate 】are Ulysses, Eureka, and Hourai. If you can't find what you need in these cities, you probably won't be able to find it in any other major city in the world.

“Of course, as long as they pay taxes, the residents of this village will be able to enjoy the services that are provided to the subjects of this country. For example, if you visit a temple in the city you are visiting through the【 Transfer Gate 】, you will be able to receive healing magic from the priest.

As a rule, temples in cities and villages in this country do not charge for healing, so you can use them for free. If you need to be hospitalized, though, you will be charged for lodging and meals, at least as much as if you were using a regular inn.”

“How… is that right? Spirit magic can heal injuries, but it often can't cure any kind of disease. So, I'm very thankful for that.”

Spirit magic is inferior to sacred magic in terms of its healing effects, and it is also more limited in what it can do.

The best choice is to get your treatment from a priest.

They can completely cure the disease on the same day, thus reducing the risk of infecting others as well as the risk of recurrence.

“If you want to expand your farm in this village, you will have to cut through the forest, right? If people want to use the fields, they can apply and we can provide them with land in a city they can travel to via the【 Transfer Gate 】.

You will be asked to return the land when you are no longer using it, but the land rental itself is free. Of course, we'll charge you 30 percent of the harvest as a tax, but that's the same if you build a farm in this village.”

“Hmmm… The number of people living in the village has been increasing, and we are grateful to be able to rent out fields. Do I get to choose what I want to grow?”

“Yes, you can choose what you want to grow. Also, if you wish, we can prepare two types of wards for the rented field: the【 Barrier Ward 】and the【 Temperature Control Ward 】.

The former is a ward that prevents others from entering the field, and with it, your crops won't be ravaged by demons. The latter are wards that allow you to set the temperature environment of the area where the field is located, so that you can, for example, keep the inside of the wards at ‘summer' heat and continue to produce only summer crops, regardless of the actual season.”

We also dispatch spirit magicians up to four times a year to improve the condition of the fields, nourish the soil, and prevent crop damage. I don't have to explain this to you.

High elves are no strangers to spirit magic. They can maintain the soil in the best condition on their own, without the need to ask for help from others.

“With such a generous service, I'm tempted to give farming a try…”

Yuri smiled at the words Melfalude let out.

“If you're interested, I suggest you give it a try. As promised, I'll take Melfalude custody, but I won't take away your freedom.

However, Melphalude is an excellent archer, isn't she? I think you're more interested in the Labyrinth than the field crop.”

“…Labyrinth?”

“I’ll have to explain that one, too…”

As Yuri explained the Yuri Empire to the newcomers, It's easy to see how the Yuri Empire has a different administration from other countries, and how it provides strange and special services to its subjects.

It's been about two years and one month since the founding of the Yuri Empire.

It seemed like a short time, but there were still a lot of things that could be accomplished as a nation in that amount of time.

Every time Yuri explained to Faranda and Melfalude about the charms of the country, she could see the faces of the children of the Yuri Empire who were helping her run the country and the people who were very close to her, and she felt very proud.

It was not a bad feeling for Yuri.

“By the way, I have a question for Faranda.”

“What is it?”

“You're Melfalude's mother, aren't you? And your daughter has turned herself into me… Do you have any particular thoughts about that?”

If Faranda is concerned about her daughter's safety and firmly refuses to hand over Melfalude, Yuri is fine with that.

Yuri is not a big fan of forcing things on people.

“Yes, I don't have any particular thoughts about it.

In the first place, although she may look young to humans… Melfalude is already over 500 years old. It has been a long time since she became completely independent, and she is not old enough to be a mother.

Besides, I already have more than 20 children. I think the truth is that I don't have any special feelings for her just because she is my daughter.”

“Oh, wow… You're a very fertile one…”

“When you live in the forest, there is a lack of entertainment.”

Well, Yuri's feeling is that Melfalude, who looks about 17 or 18, is over 500 years old. Faranda, who looks to be in her late forties, must be at least in the four digits.

If you have lived that many years… having more than 20 children may be a rather normal thing.

In addition, high elves tend not to be attached to any one particular person, and Faranda has had relationships with many of the men who live in this village.

I wonder if the whole tribe has a so-called polyamory mentality.