The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects (領民0人スタートの辺境領主様)

Please help me! I'm inside this wooden box!

Hang on!

We'll get you out!

Ayhan, these are heavy.

I can't move them alone.

Ready, and...

A-Are you all right?

Thank you so much!

I've been in here for so long! It really was terrible!

I owe the two of you my life!

Hello! My name is Ayhan!

And my name's Senai.

Who are you?

Um...

My name is Aymer Jerrybower, and I'm a big-eared hopping mousekin.

It might not be obvious in my case, but I'm a grown woman.

Those glasses look good on you!

Thanks! I made them myself.

I also made this book for studying purposes!

Wow!

How did you get shut in there, Aymer?

Were you being punished?

I wouldn't put it that way.

It's more like some of my people were trying to do a bad thing to Dias,

and I got dragged into it all.

Are you Dias's friend?

Oh, no. I've never even spoken to him.

I haven't been out of here since I arrived.

Listen, we need to ask you for advice.

It's about a secret that Dias and the others can't find out.

Advice about a secret?

And that's everything.

Did you get all that?

U-Um...

Let me sort this out.

First, you're both from a people called the forestkin?

Yep!

We're forestkin!

And forestkin live in the forest, protect it, and become part of it.

Is that correct?

That's right.

When a forestkin is about to die,

they put their strength and knowledge into a seed.

When a forestkin is on the verge of death,

they entrust that seed to someone close to them.

This person protects and nurtures the seed, thus creating a forest.

When the tree is grown, it's like a gravestone.

Touching it connects you with the feelings of the departed.

It's also like a book, from which you can gain knowledge.

They're really family trees, in more ways than one.

The forestkin protect these trees, giving them their magical power

so they can make plants grow faster

and create barriers to ward off disease and miasma.

You got it.

Well done, well done!

You're so smart, Aymer.

Thank you.

We're not grown-ups yet,

so all we can do is get plants to sprout and make little barriers.

But we're not allowed to tell humans about it.

That was our last promise...

...to our mother and father.

They said not to let anyone see us use our powers.

That humans would misuse them if they found out.

They probably would. Your powers are incredible.

But in that case,

why are you living with Dias and these other humans?

We have to keep our promise, so we thought about running away at first.

But you know...

His hands are so kind.

His voice is, too.

He reminds us of our mother and father.

He's so kind...

But a little sweaty and stinky, too.

It's a bit much.

And then there's everyone else!

They've all been so nice.

That's why we decided to live with them.

Dias is working really hard every day to cultivate a field.

But the earth's power gets sucked away here.

It needs a barrier to keep that from happening.

Even if he found out about our powers, I don't think Dias would misuse them.

But we promised...

So you want to put up this barrier somehow without getting found out,

which is why you need advice?

Why not do it late at night after everyone is asleep?

We can't. We sleep at night, too.

Then I'll wake you up.

I have good night vision, so I can lead you there in the dark.

I'm so glad we talked to her!

Yeah!

Yay! Yay!

Don't get too excited, or you'll get found out.

Let's do our best!

I hope this works.

Yeah, let's!

I feel alive again.

This must be the careless tear the twins told me about.

Dias the Dragon Slayer...

Easy does it, so no one notices me!

That was a close call.

Now I smell what the twins were talking about.

Hello! It's me, Aymer!

Please wake up!

It's farming time!

If you don't get up soon, morning will come!

What's wrong?

It's dark.

And scary.

What do you do when you have to relieve yourself at night?

Dias or Alna goes with us.

This is a problem.

I guess me being here doesn't reassure you.

Father...

Mother...

Let's go.

Yeah!

The seeds you were entrusted with are giving you the push you need.

We need a minute.

Okay.

Deg pala aley shize istan radisen...

Deg pala aley shize istan radisen...

Dooshize istan schooria...

Ifuistaladi mozeare...

Hagoe elsay migoe elsay negoe...

It's... so beautiful!

We made the barrier.

We did.

I'm sleepy.

So tired...

Back to bed.

My job here is done, then.

U-Um...

Could you let go of me?

They're going to find me if you don't.

What?! Are you asleep?!

Let me go!

Please let me go!

THE FRONTIER LORD AND THE TWINS' PRAYER

Hey, did you hear?

Eldan the new lord is going to the royal capital.

I heard, yeah.

They say he's going to present the king with an earth dragon magic stone

he got from the Dragon Slayer.

That'll help his reputation.

He'll probably be officially recognized as the domain lord.

If that happens, things here in Kasdeks will get safer and safer.

I heard a rumor.

Said the Dragon Slayer has a demihuman wife,

and the two of them are so in love, they don't shy away from showing it.

That rumor's true.

My brother is one of Mr. Kamalotz's guards.

Doesn't the Dragon Slayer hail from the east?

Easterners are famous for hating demihumans, so why's he different?

Love at first sight with the first demihuman he ever met.

And now she's his wife.

I even hear she's horned.

She is? You can't mean...

She's a rhino?!

A human fell for a rhinokin? That's wild.

Word is that he's looking for more subjects and he's accepting all peoples.

Just no bad guys or criminals.

The Dragon Slayer's even offering housing and food.

I saw several small-ilk dogkin standing there staring at the sign.

Speaking of small-ilks,

apparently someone manipulated those big-eared hopping mousekin

to pull their little stunt.

Manipulated?

Yeah. They're testifying that somebody claiming to be monkeykin

put them up to it.