Chapter 72

“Tree’s coming down!”

Wheeeeeee!!

I sawed through the tree with the chainsaw while others swung axes or moved about, clearing the logs.

“I-is it all right to pass?”

“It’s fine. Everyone, keep your distance.”

Shortly after the workers cleared the way, Oitohtan slowly started the steam tractor. As it was a ‘steam’ engine, it took quite a while to get going.

Kukukukukung!

But after a patient wait, the tractor lurched forward with a roar. As it tore through the earth, tangled with a web of tree roots, and completely overturned the soil, the nearby laborers let out a cheer at the magnificent sight before heading off to swing their axes elsewhere.

It was an ordinary evening. I approached Oitohtan, who was struggling to turn the machine, and asked, “How is the performance of the new implement?”

“It’s good. The performance of this plow blade seems to be quite good.”

Excellent. Our second tractor was already out, and its performance wasn’t bad. The process of testing various plows suited to this soil—moldboard plows, disc plows, and the like—was also proceeding smoothly. The disc plow, in particular. Thanks to the introduction of this plow, which shouldn’t have been developed for a long time yet, we were able to clear and reclaim this area, full of tree roots, in a flash. The disc plow was originally suited for reclaiming hard, rough, uncultivated land with many trees and stones, so it was perfect for our situation. Even without a tractor, this type of plow would probably work well enough if pulled by a horse.

At this rate, it seemed we could cover a significant portion of the land cleared by the excavator. I nodded in satisfaction and looked around. It was now July of 1598. The entire settlement had two tractors, one rototiller, and one excavator. Not a bad achievement. I walked toward the excavator, which I had parked for a moment to clear the trees, and happened to glance toward the sea.

The lanterns carried by the people guarding the coast flickered here and there. And beyond them, near the distant horizon, faint lights twinkled as if reflecting the stars. They were the lanterns of fishing boats. A few fishermen who had come over from England seemed to be out catching the local salmon, sea trout, and sheepshead. Thanks to them, our food shortage had been greatly alleviated, but…

‘It’s probably not enough.’ We had an absolute shortage of skilled fishermen to go out to sea. It was fortunate that the fish were teeming, since the natives had lacked the technology for large-scale fishing. If we went out into the deep sea and worked the boats, we could supplement our food supply to some extent.

In any case. Everyone was working hard for the survival of this community. Me, and them. I couldn’t afford to be lazy either.

Vrrrrrrrrrrrm!

Just as I started up the excavator to move the scattered logs…

“A-aaaaaaaargh!”

Suddenly, a scream rang out. …What was that?

***

The Spanish Colonial Empire was living through an age of glory and gold. Its current king was Philip II of the House of Habsburg. His meticulous, clever, and attentive nature had guided the empire through an era of ceaseless prosperity.

Though his Habsburg relatives in Central Europe constantly checked his power, the Netherlands had insolently risen in revolt, a Protestant had converted to Catholicism to claim the French throne, and the Papacy, too, cunningly rode atop these complex diplomatic relations to irritate him… nevertheless, a great ship is not easily swayed by high waves. In the grand power struggles within Europe, King Philip II of Spain was, in fact, achieving quite good results.

During his reign, Spain had defeated the Ottomans and had become the undisputed leader of the Catholic world. The Indian slaves had been freed, and the brilliant culture of the Renaissance had been transplanted. There had been a few bankruptcies, but those were minor issues. The wealth flowing in from the New World was a constant blood transfusion for the empire.

…Of course, treasure is like sweet food, and it tends to attract insects. For example, flies. Or ants. Or England.

Still, he did not allow his attention to be stolen by a careless insect like England. He did not make the mistake of losing sight of the big picture by focusing on small things. His attention was still fixed on Central Europe and Italy, where the Papal States were. As for the war with England, he would occasionally set aside time to handle all the postponed affairs at once. In a manner befitting his meticulous personality: in writing.

“…Hrmm.” He had been looking rather pale lately for some reason… but he trusted it was nothing serious.

Rustle. Swish. Swoosh.

A few letters of command flowed to the Council of the Indies in Seville, and from there they were dispatched to the West Indies colonies, evading the eyes of the English.

“…It is His Majesty’s command that we devote all our efforts to checking the Virginia colony. His Majesty has expressed appropriate satisfaction with our results so far, and has also commanded that we ultimately defeat those savage heretics and lead the Indians to the true faith.”

****

The colonial authorities, having received Philip II’s orders, were lost in thought.

“…To ‘defeat the heretics’.”

“He must mean we are to prevent the expansion of the Virginia colony itself.”

“To stop Virginia, we must grow Florida, so it would be best to continue our current policy…”

“No, no. Did His Majesty not say we must ‘ultimately defeat those savage heretics’? We must devise some sort of active countermeasure!”

“Hrmmm…”

“Isn’t that right? Does anyone here know the exact population of the Virginia colony?”

“…”

“Then, does anyone know the extent of the Indian Emperor’s power?”

“…No one.”

Looking back, an uncanny amount of information about the Virginia colony was veiled in secrecy. A few long-range observations had revealed that at least several thousand Indians and Englishmen resided there. They had also concluded that a direct amphibious assault on that land was impossible, as it was thoroughly armed with hundreds of cannons. But all other information was an unknown. Exactly how many people lived on that land, and how many of them were Indians. What kind of man the Indian Emperor was, how vast his empire was, whether he even existed. What resources their land produced, how large that ‘aluminum’ mine was.

They knew nothing for certain. That’s right. For a colony of that size, they knew absolutely nothing. Considering that Spain had eyes and ears planted all over England… a rather chilling conclusion emerged.

“…Are you saying that England, too, knows nothing about its own colony?”

“Strictly speaking, Virginia is not even an English colony. The treaty between the ‘two nations’ merely recognizes the right of Englishmen to operate freely within the emperor’s territory and to purchase land.”

“But there must be people coming and going. Just think of that man Drake…”

“I hear that Baron Raleigh’s trading company holds a monopoly on all trade between Virginia and England. And no information leaks from there.”

“…”

The more they thought about it, the more unsettling it became. Their heads began to throb. They knew nothing!

“Damn it, whatever we do, we need to gather intelligence first.”

“We’ll have to send an expeditionary team there.”

“…An expedition? If they’re Spanish, they’ll be killed on sight.”

“Then what are you proposing?”

“What if we recruit people of English or other nationalities and send them…”

“…Wait!”

“What is it?”

Someone, as if struck by a groundbreaking idea, looked up and exclaimed. “There is a way! There are people who are Spanish subjects and can freely enter Virginia!”

“Who do you mean?”

“…” 

“…” 

“…” 

“…Slaves.”

Aha. There was a way to catch them off guard.

“I hear that most of the liberated slaves are taken to Virginia. So, we select a few of the freed slaves residing in our territory, those whose loyalty has been verified, and send them.”

“By what means?”

“We must throw them some bait. First, we place our spies in a few colonies and leave those places vulnerable. Then, when the English pirates raid those places…?”

“Then… they will plant our people in Virginia for us!”

“An excellent idea!”

“Let’s draw up a plan at once. How about we place treasure and slaves in a port on the island of Hispaniola?”

“Good. I will spread the rumors. A story so tempting that those greedy pirates, Drake and Raleigh, won’t be able to ignore it.”

“I will select the men. I’ll gather them with devout Catholics as the core.”

The Spanish colonial authorities moved diligently. The officials, handpicked by Philip II, proceeded through the series of steps as smoothly as a well-oiled machine.

“Look, Baron Raleigh! It seems the smell of money… no, the smell of freedom, is already in the air, does it not?”

“…Let’s just get to the raiding, Sir Drake.”

The English had taken the bait beautifully.

***

Twenty-seven-year-old Paulo believed he had lived a decent life. His father and mother had yearned for their homeland their entire lives, but to him, New Spain² was a comfortable home. His master had not been particularly harsh to his slaves, and the opportunity for manumission was not entirely closed off. Even after he had paid his own price to become a free man and entered the military, Paulo had never felt any particular hardship in his life.

But once he had experienced the ‘ascent’ from slave to free man… an ambition he never knew he had began to take shape in his heart. He wanted to be rich. He wanted to be a landowner. He wanted to own a fine mansion and estate, and enjoy a peaceful later life receiving a steady stream of rent.

He had sailed the seas for years, believing that one day… he could achieve that dream. Now, an opportunity had arrived. The high-ranking officials of the Spanish colonial authorities wanted spies with dark skin. They wanted loyal Catholics who would infiltrate a dangerous enemy territory. And Paulo wanted to get ahead.

“Now… what do we do?”

“We’re on an English ship, it’s not like we’ll be discovered now…”

“Shh.”

Before Paulo’s eyes were a dozen or so of his fellow spies. All of them had been waiting on Hispaniola together until they were ‘liberated’ by the English forces. Paulo, being the oldest at twenty-seven and having the longest military career, had somehow become the de facto leader.

“Don’t go snooping around for anything. Just stay put. And don’t forget to gather at the shore at the appointed time later.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

After giving the fledglings some appropriate advice, he waited patiently. He was in the heart of enemy territory, but he felt no tension. The English really did seem to be liberating slaves without demanding anything in return; their treatment on board was decent.

“Sir Drake, here is a towel.”

“Hahaha! Always, my thanks!”

“Not at all. For my savior, this is the least I can do…”

“Savior? Nonsense. I have only done my duty as a Christian! I have always despised slavery from the bottom of my heart…”

What’s more, by being subtly helpful, he had managed to get close to Drake and build a rather friendly relationship.

“Virginia… I have only heard rumors of it. I wonder how many people live there…”

“Who knows? I don’t know either.”

“…”

Of course.

“It is truly a blessing from heaven to have met you, Sir Drake.”

“Thank the Lord. It is thanks to Him that you have escaped from the wicked rule of Spain.”

“Of course. By the way, how merciful must the Indian Emperor be, to embrace slaves like us without reason…”

“Shhhh! D-do not speak so easily of ‘Him’ upon the sea!”

“…Pardon?”

Sir Drake was a more thorough man than he appeared. He seemed to have let his guard down, but he revealed no information about Virginia. ‘He’s a formidable man, indeed…’ In any case, after some time on the ship.

“Land ho! Virginia!”

They had finally arrived at the Virginia they had so longed for.

“Fuck! Finally!”

“It’s aluminum time!”

The sailors, as always, let out shouts of joy at the end of a tiring voyage.

‘…At last!’ Paulo thought, a triumphant smile on his face. Sir Drake was a key figure in the English navy. Now that he had befriended him, he might be able to follow him deep into Virginia, and perhaps even meet the Indian Emperor…

“Alright! All the freed Africans, board here!”

“Sir Drake! You’re going as well!”

“I… I am not. The mysteries of the sea… No, it’s nothing.”

…? What was that? He said he’s not going, and then he mumbled something at the end. Is he planning to come later? For now, Paulo disembarked at the port with his comrades. When he turned back… the ship… was leaving.

“…”

…??!?!!? What is this?

“Alright, everyone follow me! I will guide you to the lodgings where you will all be staying!”

In a daze, they followed an Englishwoman. Right. He was a ‘free man’ here now. Once he got to the lodgings, he could gather information without being controlled by anyone…

“And lastly, your name?”

“…Paulo. Paulo Ramirez.”

“Great. Smile!”

Click.

“…” 

“…” 

“Ah, it’s nothing. Just recording your face, residence, name, age, and various other bits of information! It makes management easier later on!”

…Have I already been discovered?

“Now, you can return to your lodgings! All of you here have decided to live in Virginia instead of taking the ship to Liberia, correct?”

…Or maybe not? In any case. He returned to his quarters. When evening came, he slipped out and headed for the shore. He was just looking for a good place to slip away from, when…

“…” 

“…”

He met the eyes of someone holding a lantern. Judging by the curly hair, he was clearly a Spaniard. The stranger addressed him in Spanish. “…What are you doing here?”

“Uh… no, just taking a walk…”

“Ah! Be careful! You could be suspected of being a Spanish spy if you walk along the coast alone, especially without a lantern!”

“…Pardon?”

“It’s because everyone is trying to protect ‘Him’. Be they Spanish, English, or French, no one can set foot on this shore…”

“Even the English? I-isn’t this English land?” The question slipped out in his surprise. The man, looking slightly flustered himself, soon broke into a grin. “Ah, ahaha. You’re a new one. Right. You probably haven’t seen Him yet… You still know nothing.”

“…”

“No one who enters this settlement can leave again. Not unless their faith has been proven.”

“…”

“You’ll draw suspicion if you’re alone, so since fate has brought us together, let’s walk. My name is Vicente Gonzalez.”

“Uh… Paulo Ramirez.”

“A pleasure.”

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Wheeeeeeeeeeee!! Kukukukukukukung!

“Wh-wh-what was that?”

“Calm yourself. It is nothing.”

“Th-there, a-a tree is falling…”

“It is nothing. This is a daily occurrence here.”

“…”

“Ah, in case you were about to ask, that was ‘Him’ passing by.”

“Pardon? Who is ‘Him’?”

“…”

Suddenly, a strange excitement flickered across Vicente’s face. He spoke as if in a dream. “…The one who is our eternal leader.”

“…”

The focus vanished from Vicente’s eyes.

“…”

Silence. A long, eerie silence followed. It was broken by.

Krrrrrng.

Another roar.

Krrrrrrrrrrng.

Wh-what is that. In the deepening darkness, a strange silhouette was visible in the distance. Something like a giant arm shot up toward the sky. And lifted massive trees.

“L-Lord, good heavens, good heavens what is that…!”

“…Do not be afraid.”

“W-what do you mean, don’t be afraid! Th-there, a giant arm…”

Still with those unfocused eyes, Vicente turned to him and smiled. “‘His’… arm.”

What is this place. I’m scared.