Chapter 48

It was December 1594.

“Again… four or five more tribes have pledged their allegiance.”

Wow, a population growth rate of a whopping 100%! The population growth rate of Goesan County, where I used to live, was in the negative! The population I now command is larger than that of the Goesan county governor! My power overwhelms the Goesan county governor!

And the various problems arising in the settlement have also increased by 100%!

“Good heavens! Shamans are approaching the church and causing a commotion!”

“That’s… not a commotion, that’s them offering a sacrifice.”

“Isn’t that the same thing! Manteo, isn’t there some way to handle this?”

First off, since they all flooded in without having converted, it was becoming a headache for Harriot, who had been diligently evangelizing. Furthermore, as natives who didn’t speak Algonquian-family languages began to flock in, the problems grew even more numerous.

“W-W-We can’t communicate without the angel present!”

“Good heavens… how does he speak so many languages at once…!”

“…Everyone, for now, please gather.”

With the natives who couldn’t communicate well flooding in, the Europeans were the ones with the problem. Unlike the natives, who could generally pick up five or six languages among themselves, the Europeans had just barely learned Algonquian, only to be faced with the need to learn some new, strange language. Still, it was a relief that a simple form of English had spread as a trade language among the natives in this vicinity. If it hadn’t, my work would have multiplied several times over.

…Still, the fact that I was saddled with translation duties I never asked for didn’t change.

The workload is insane! Christmas is coming up, and it looks like I won’t be able to prepare anything this year!

“I have returned! If you tell me to set sail again, I will absolutely…”

“Walter, thank you for coming back. Please, take this tablet first.”

“…Pardon?”

“For now, let’s take a tour of the western inland regions together and check on the newly settled tribes. There are countless Excel files for us to organize together.”

Unfortunately, I had no choice but to put Walter Raleigh to work the moment he returned from his voyage. In a situation where most of the English were illiterate, how could I let a precious resource like a man who knows how to use an Excel file rest?

“Gasp… wheeze… I don’t know how many villages we’ve been to…”

“…Walter.”

“Yes, Sir Nemo, just a moment. This is…”

“…Get in.”

“…”

“I… have to pull an all-nighter today, too.”

And so, we drove around everywhere in the Damas, shedding tears. We moved further southwest from Chesapeake Bay into the interior, leading the excavator, the Damas, and all sorts of equipment. We had to clear new land in that area.

***

—“This? This stick? A gift. The man named Raleigh, a gift.”

—“Com…pass? This object, I do not know its name. But I know. It came from the south.”

—“Raleigh…? It was given by a man of that name. It is a gift… from the Great Chief.”

The further south they went, the more fluent the natives’ English became. And the further south they went, the more specific their stories became. In particular, there were many mentions of the ‘Great Chief,’ ‘Raleigh,’ and a being named ‘Nemo.’

“Nemo… ‘Nobody’? A curious name.”

“So, do we go further south from here?”

“No. From here is the territory of the Ocohanock tribe. It’s only a few dozen kilometers from the Virginia colony. If we go by boat from here, it could be considered an invasion of foreign territory.”

François Gravé Du Pont shook his head and answered Samuel’s question. “So we will moor the boat here and split the party. I and a couple of explorers will approach Raleigh’s Virginia colony from this vicinity, by land or by whatever means. The rest will wait on the moored boat.”

François’s plan was simple. From here, they would take a boat and scour the area around Chesapeake Bay, looking for the sources of aluminum and fur. While doing so, they would confirm the rumors about the ‘Native Emperor’ and their veracity. If they happened to reach the Virginia colony, they would immediately observe it carefully and then leave.

But…

“Everyone, where are you headed?”

“To the land of the Great Chief. Everyone is starving. And there, there is food.”

“C-Could we go with you?”

“…If you can row.”

The work became several times faster. François met with what seemed to be the chief of a tribe, made a deal, and immediately boarded the savages’ canoe with his men. As François jumped up and down with excitement, Samuel asked, “Captain, d-don’t you think the savage emperor might actually exist? Everyone keeps talking about the Great Chief, and now we can even see the crowds moving toward him.”

At his nephew Samuel’s foolish words, François just smiled and retorted. No. Rather, many more things had become certain. “Don’t be a fool, Samuel. We’ve seen no trace of a higher civilization, but the Great Chief’s name is spread far and wide? Doesn’t this seem like the English are playing some kind of nasty trick?”

Yes. That’s it. What had the English said? Hadn’t they boasted that a great savage empire, as advanced as Europe, and in some parts even more so, had become their ally? But far from a great civilization more advanced than Europe, he hadn’t found a single trace of civilization, except for a few ‘gifts.’ Even right at the doorstep of the Virginia colony.

“It’s obvious the English have propped up some local chief and are putting on airs! We’re finally about to get the proof!”

“…Is that so? Then why are hundreds of people moving in that direction?”

“Don’t you get it? They already know! That we have come!”

“…”

When Samuel tilted his head, unconvinced, François said, “They know we’ve come, so they’re hastily gathering the surrounding manpower to put up at least the pretense of a ‘great empire,’ aren’t they? To somehow hide their lack of virtue from the Christian world? Are you afraid of me, François Gravé Du Pont, O England? O Walter Raleigh? Hah? Hahahahaha!”

“…”

“That’s why they’re moving so hastily, isn’t it! That’s right! We’ve got England by the tail now! From now on, if we just find the tribe to trade aluminum and fur with and build a trading post, we too can plant the flag of France in this America!”

“No, but can they really know that we’ve come so quickly? Even if the news was relayed from the north, it’s a journey of several weeks by sea…”

“So, do you trust the English? Or do you trust me?”

“…You, Captain.”

As Samuel nodded his head, seemingly persuaded again, François rowed once more, breathing in the salty sea air of Chesapeake Bay. And so, after breaking through the rough currents, the hundreds of people soon…

“Land!”

“We’ve arrived!”

…reached their destination.

When François lifted his head, he saw dozens of European-style huts lined up along the coast. They were all characterized by their white outer walls and green-painted gable roofs. The people marveled at the neatly arranged scene, and François, too, couldn’t hold back a gasp of admiration this time.

‘This… the English colonial enterprise seems to be more successful than expected.’

“Arrived, we have.” A stiff, foreign English pronunciation came from his side. It was the chief who had guided them here. Just as he said, the hull of the canoe lightly touched the sandy beach, and people began to disembark one by one.

François rubbed his hands together and set foot on the shores of Chesapeake. Now… he would naturally blend in with the crowd, and when the ‘Emperor’ or ‘Great Chief’ appeared, he would strike up a conversation then. Let’s see how long the myth of the ‘native emperor fluent in Latin and English and faithful to Christianity’ can last. Soon, François Gravé Du Pont would see through all of England’s schemes and be able to present his king with a powerful diplomatic weapon.

As he was thinking this and mixing in with the crowd gathered on the shore…

“Hey! Everyone, gather over here!” a woman’s shout was heard.

When he turned his head, a woman who appeared to be in her twenties was gathering the people. At that, the tribe members who had been with him just a moment before swarmed in that direction.

“State your name, age, and family relations simply here before you go!”

“Gather over here! This way!”

The other English people seemed to be guides, standing as if to assist the woman and lining people up. Anyway, the expedition members, who had unwittingly gotten in line following the tribe members, waited for their turn and eventually stood before the woman.

“The name is… huh?” And the woman, seeing François and the other expedition members, blinked her eyes. As if she had no idea what was going on.

To her, François bowed smoothly and opened his mouth. “Greetings. I am…”

“Uh… you’re European, aren’t you? Why are you here? Ah, did you guide the Ocohanock tribe here? Then you all should get to carrying lumber now, right?”

“…Hmph?”

This young woman in front of me suddenly cuts me off?

“My. Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and move!”

“…Ahem. It seems there has been some kind of mistake.”

She’s giving orders? François’s brow twitched for an instant.

“I asked why you’re just standing…”

“It seems there has been some kind of mistake.”

“…Pardon?”

“Who are you? The governor’s wife, perhaps? For now, I desire a place to rest and proper treatment.”

Only then did the woman’s eyes widen upon hearing the unfamiliar accent. At the woman’s reaction, the surrounding English people also gathered, saying, “Mrs. Dare! What is it!”, “Lady Eleanor!”

The woman called Eleanor tilted her head and said, “…I’m not the governor’s wife, and, uh, are you not one of our settlers?”

“I am French, and I desire a place to rest. You do not seem to be of a station that I should respect, so for now, I would like you to bring someone of a proper station.”

“…”

“…”

Suddenly, the atmosphere turned hostile in an instant. But François, already displeased, lightly ignored the slightly unpleasant mood. “What is it? Why is everyone acting like this? Is there no proper person in charge besides this woman?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Captain, I think it would be best to be quiet for a moment.”

“Samuel? What is it? It seems these English people have no manners. Did I not say I was a guest from a foreign country? This rude woman who throws orders at my face, someone else besides her…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…Everyone, why are you like this? Haha! I suppose this woman must be some kind of saint, is she? Why are all your expressions suddenly so grim…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“S-Stop! I am an explorer with a permit from the King of France! If you assault me, it is an insult to the authority of the King of France…!”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“S-Stop! Stop! Stop, you fuckers!”

***

I had really pulled several all-nighters. In the middle of it, the Damas almost flipped over on a poorly maintained road. After all sorts of hardships, Raleigh and I were finally able to return to Chesapeake in the Damas. What a pain…

“Kyaaaaaaah! Stop, everyone! Calm down!”

…Hmm? Sounds like Eleanor’s voice. What’s with the sudden commotion?

Naturally, if a dispute arises in a town of just over 10,000 people, the responsibility all comes back to me. If dozens of people are gathered in a murmuring crowd, shouting and jumping up and down, of course I have to pay attention.

“Walter! Let’s run!”

“Understood!”

We parked the Damas and ran like mad with Walter Raleigh, and soon the people, seeing us, parted to the sides. And there, I saw Eleanor, who had collapsed to the ground screaming, and four men who had been beaten to a bloody pulp.

“Wh-What, is the meaning of…!” Raleigh shouted in bewilderment.

The other people who had been around Eleanor stomped over to us, panting, and reported the situation. “Those bastards dared to be rude to our Saintess! I’m sure that one called our Saintess a rude woman and what not…!”

“They were saying something about being French! So I thought that’s why they were so arrogant and broke their noses for them!”

“Don’t worry! It’s not enough to seriously injure them; we just made sure they couldn’t get their wits about them!”

…What?

As I looked down at them in bewilderment, they were indeed collapsed on the ground, trembling and passing out.

***

Heh… heh heh heh… I’ve seen through it all. O, English. Was it not enough to fool me by giving gifts to the nearby savages and gathering them in one place?

You beat a person up first to gain the upper hand, and then start a conversation. A trick so shallow that it has been completely seen through by my mind. Thinking so, François Gravé Du Pont smiled with satisfaction… ouch. His lip was split.

Anyway, this attempt to hide the settlement’s secrets and regain control of the situation while I am weakened… all seen through…

François passed out with a smile on his face.