Isekai Nonbiri Nouka

I visited Girar’s house in the village.

Girar was lying stretched out on the sofa.

Curled up on his stomach was Oru, the orthros.

They had been getting along well for a while, but the distance between them had really shrunk.

Apparently, they became close during the time Guronde was helping the children with their studies.

Well, that is fine.

This is some of the sweets made by Raimeiren and Hiichirou… no, by Guraru.

Yes, I chose the ones Guraru made.

Hiichirou’s share was monopolized by Raimeiren and Guraru.

Raimeiren’s sweets are being eaten by Dors, Hakuren, and Doraim.

The taste is not bad.

Because the oni maids supervised them.

No, compared to the ones made by Dors and Girar, they are inferior, but…

If I say that, I will be disliked, so I will only say they are good.

If a fight breaks out, I will not help.

And you, Oru.

I am beckoning you to come here, yet you are not moving at all.

Do you like Girar that much?

Or is it just too troublesome to move?

Do not answer with only your tail.

-0-

Now, to the main point.

Why did I visit Girar’s house?

Because Girar called for me.

「Sorry about this. At village chief’s residence, there are too many ears listening」

That is true.

Is this a secret conversation?

「No, no, it is nothing that serious. It is just not something to spread around」

Go on.

「It is about the Village Five newspaper」

Is there a problem?

「No, no, there is no problem yet」

Yet?

「Yes, this might be meddling, but… newspapers can become dangerous tools for those in power. I wanted to tell you to be careful」

Ah, the ability to stir people with newspapers.

「If you understand that, then do not let your guard down. If someone with ill intent realizes the power of newspapers, it will be troublesome」

I see.

Thank you.

I will be careful.

-0-

When I returned to the residence, Lalabel, one of the civil servant girls in charge of information gathering in Village Five, came to see me.

「Village Chief. I have something to discuss regarding the newspaper…」

She said that her father had warned her that newspapers were dangerous and told her to be careful.

Specifically, he advised that we should plant our own people inside Delzen Publishing.

I see.

Tell him I appreciate the warning.

If he would like something as a token of thanks, have him choose something suitable from the warehouse.

「Thank you very much. The sake we sent before was well received, so I would like that again」

Hmm?

The one you sent before was meant as a gift for outsiders, was it not?

You can choose something better if you like.

「No, no. That is more than enough」

If you say so…

Well, forcing the issue would not be good either.

All right.

So, you received advice to plant people inside Delzen Publishing. What are we actually going to do?

「Please do not worry. We have already placed several trustworthy people inside Delzen Publishing」

Oh.

「Their role is to act as an alarm if suspicious individuals approach or attempt to slip in, so they cannot really capture anyone」

That is fine.

We will leave dangerous matters to the security forces.

Make sure coordination with Youko is solid.

「Yes」

-0-

After Lalabel left the room, I spent some time thinking.

Hmm, I see.

The wall newspaper is a medium.

It can be used as a tool for stirring people up.

I recall there was a theory that the French Revolution also occurred because the power of the media had grown stronger.

It is not like we are doing anything that would spark a revolution, but…

I have now received warnings from two people, Girar and Lalabel’s father.

I need to be careful.

Still, I do not want to censor articles or illustrations.

It would be troublesome, and it would provoke backlash.

Then what should be done?

Is the problem that Delzen Publishing is the only one issuing newspapers?

Should we create a rival?

No, that would just increase the number of places requiring caution.

Hmm.

The top of Delzen Publishing consists of Versa’s comrades.

……

Well, rather than starting a revolution, they would probably focus on Versa’s hobbies.

Complacency is not acceptable, but for now, it should be fine.

Still, I should at least tell Versa about the dangers of the media.

-0-

When I told Versa, she replied that she already knew.

She also said that they are always on guard against such things, so I can rest easy.

Ah, so that is because any chaos would interfere with her hobbies.

Understood.

I will trust you.

……

All right, all right.

I will tell ancestor-san that we are fortunate to have Versa.

I know.

I will mention it casually, so do not worry.

-0-

By the way.

Loo and Tier had also noticed the dangers of newspapers.

However…

「I assumed that, if it came to it, we would use the newspaper for various purposes」

「The chief thinks the same way and is making preparations」

Ah, so you are talking about using the danger itself.

I understand, but we are not going to use it.

There is no need to prepare either.

But… the angels tends to be very quiet when they are doing things like that.

You could even say they look lively.

……

Tier.

Tell them that preparations are fine, but there are no plans to use them for the time being.

「Understood」