“Well, I’m happy to hear that.”

“Our neighboring countries have also been dealt a heavy blow and recovery will likely require quite some time.”

“I see.”

“To be honest, providing you aid will also be a bit more difficult now, Mr. Iwatani.”

I couldn’t argue with that. If they had been able to continue providing massive amounts of aid even after suffering such heavy damages, I would have been suspicious about where the money was coming from.

“We will provide what aid we can, but compared to what we had initially planned . . .”

“Yeah, I understand. If I need money, I’ll work it out on my own.”

On the contrary, I should probably have been helping gather reconstruction funds. I decided to bring up the plan I had been considering.

“Hey, aid doesn’t have to be money, right?”

“Indeed. In fact, other forms of aid would certainly be preferable considering our current situation.”

This was related to an issue I had noticed while leading the coalition army and something that I had been thinking about for a while.

“In that case, how about you grant me a territory?”

That’s right. Seeing Kizuna and the others made me think about how the waves should be dealt with. At the same time, I figured it was the best I could do to show my thanks to Raphtalia. Assuming the world achieved a state of peace, I wasn’t planning on sticking around like some kind of fool. I’d return to my own world without hesitation. But what about Raphtalia?

For Raphtalia, this world was her home. She had believed in me and stuck with me in both good times and bad, so she deserved a place where she could live out a happy life.

“A territory? That’s not a problem, but may I ask why? Until now, you have been . . . Pardon my rudeness, but you seemed indifferent about such things.”

I figured I should give her the official reason.

“The hero in the other world had trained a group of acquaintances to deal with the waves without the assistance of heroes. After careful consideration, I believe it will be necessary for us to do something similar.”

Ultimately, it had been us that defeated the Spirit Tortoise, but since I was limited to defense, it only made sense that the company I kept would become more and more important.

“I believe I understand your reasoning, Mr. Iwatani.”

“Without the coalition army, we would have lost to the Spirit Tortoise. I want to be clear about that. That said, surviving the coming waves will prove difficult with the coalition army as it is now. To be honest, they’re weak.”

“Ugh . . .”

Being a proud bunch, knights could be difficult to deal with.

“I’m saying the overall military power of the army is weak. Considering the Spirit Tortoise’s connection to the waves, there’s a very high possibility that even more powerful monsters will appear going forward. That’s why I want to build a private army that is prepared to deal with the waves. I’ll need money, too, and a territory would provide a basis for all of this.”