C191

It has been more than a year since Shirou ascended to the throne as king. Throughout this time, he has faced numerous challenges and experienced a great deal. One of the toughest trials he faced was a sudden cold wave that descended upon his lands and froze all of his crops. This disaster left him with no choice but to seek help from the people of neighboring territories and borrow food from them.

Thankfully, Lancelot proved to be a valuable asset during this difficult time. He traveled to Europe with tin and copper to barter for food, and he succeeded admirably in his mission. Lancelot was able to procure a significant amount of food from both the Visigothic Kingdom and the Slavs, which provided crucial sustenance for Shirou and his people.

After surviving the cold wave disaster, Shirou believed that their fortunes would turn for the better. Unfortunately, the summer that followed was unusually hot and humid, and a plague broke out.

Recalling the traumatic experience of the cold wave, Shirou took steps to improve the sanitation of the city and the physical fitness of its inhabitants. Fortunately, due to the strength of humans during the end of the Age of the Gods, there were no significant human casualties. However, the plague took a heavy toll on livestock, leading to widespread deaths.

He acted quickly by isolating and burning the infected livestock and alerting other lords and kings to prevent further spread. Despite these efforts, many animals still perished, including almost half of the original 700 horses, making it difficult to form cavalry and cultivate the land.

Realizing the severity of the situation, he made the difficult decision to abandon the idea of using horses for cavalry and instead loaned them to the villages under his jurisdiction for horse plowing. He also focused on raising more livestock and worked to shift the agricultural model to a combination of farming and animal husbandry.

This region was well-suited for agricultural development in Britain due to its temperate maritime climate, which provided ideal conditions for the growth of juicy grass.

However, the extreme cold wave in winter and the abnormally hot and humid summer made he realize that the region was experiencing a little ice age!

The extreme weather patterns experienced during winter and summer were a clear manifestation of the little ice age, and Shirou couldn't help but feel a sense of fear creeping up on him. He was already treading on thin ice with his development plans, and the arrival of this little ice age - an ancient enemy of nations - seemed to be a sign that heaven itself was conspiring against him.

He was consumed with worry and unable to rest. Every time he closed his eyes, terrifying images flooded his mind, jolting him awake. He would spend hours contemplating ways to overcome the crisis, carefully managing the country and taking proactive steps to prevent Camelot from suffering heavy casualties.

He also shared his solutions with other lords to ensure that they too were equipped to handle the challenges brought about by the little ice age.

Shirou's modern perspective and wisdom allowed him to become more skilled at dealing with the numerous issues that arose during the little ice age. As a result, his work efficiency increased significantly. However, the workload was still overwhelming, leaving him exhausted and drained.

The constant strain on his mind and body left him with a fragile spirit, and eventually, he was dragged into the afterlife.

To his surprise, Shirou found himself in the Land of Shadows, and was greeted by his former teacher, Scathach, who had become the gatekeeper of this realm.

In this strange and bewildering world, he unexpectedly encountered an acquaintance whom he had always found reliable. His heart, usually as steady as a rock, was instantly shattered, and he longed to pour out his grievances to his shisho. However, to his dismay, she did not even recognize him.

Feeling lost and alone, he resorted to smearing black mud on her face before hastily making his escape, all the while begrudgingly returning to the mound of paperwork on his desk.

As a first-time king, Shirou had no prior experience dealing with a little ice age. In fact, throughout history, every dynasty or empire that had encountered a little ice age had suffered greatly, with the exception of modern societies with advanced productivity.

He was left with no choice but to come up with countermeasures and implement all the preventive measures he knew of. He placed a strong emphasis on city sanitation and increased efforts to construct greenhouse plantations in order to maintain a stable food supply.

As a result of his efforts, while the bubonic plague broke out on the European continent, his side was able to avoid an outbreak. This was a welcome relief.

Additionally, the effects of the little ice age were not exclusive to his kingdom. Other kings on the island of Britain and the European continent, including his old friend King Ban, were also struggling with food shortages.

However, thanks to Cornwall's self-sufficiency and the innovative use of four-crop rotation and greenhouse plantations, they were able to maintain a surplus of food. Shirou stored a portion of the surplus, while the remaining was sent by Lancelot to King Ban in exchange for horses and cattle.

Despite the pleasing outcome, the immense workload and constant stress caused Shirou to occasionally drift into a state of mental exhaustion, causing him to wander to the afterlife before returning to work.

Eventually, Lucan's group of people were able to catch up with his pace, making his works somewhat easier to manage. With a little bit of breathing room, he shifted his focus to Scathach.

Shirou faced a shortage of war horses, resulting in the formation of an army with fewer cavalry and more infantry. To compensate for this, he provided the infantry with Gae Bolg spears and armor, which were manifested through his projection.

Although he had the necessary equipment, he was in need of a skilled trainer to teach his troops how to use the spears effectively. While Artoria, Gawain, and others were proficient with swords, they lacked expertise in spear combat.

With this in mind, he turned to Scathach as his best option for training his troops.

Prior to his spiritual death, he would always have Merlin use some spells to revitalize his spirit. But after handing over agricultural affairs to Lucan, who was able to keep up with his pace, he intentionally refrained from boosting his body after his sixteenth death. He did this to allow himself to enter the afterlife and provoke Scathach even further, in the hopes of luring her out.

With each passing death, Scathach grew increasingly angry with his deliberate provocation. Finally, on his twenty-eighth death, she could no longer resist and was lured out by him.

Once he finished the paperwork handed over by Agravain, he turned to Merlin and asked, "Where is Scathach?"

"She's currently out at sea and is expected to arrive the day after tomorrow."

"Really? She's quick on the move," he murmured to himself before getting up from his seat.

"Where are you going?" Merlin asked.

"She's finally here, so I need to take action. But before that, I'll go out for a walk and get some exercise."

Agravain rose from his seat and pulled out a notebook, quickly following his lead.

Merlin's displeasure was evident as he questioned Agravain, "And where do you think you're going?"

Agravain straightened his posture, making it clear that he held an important position. "As the king's chief of internal affairs, it's my duty to accompany him at all times," he explained confidently. As he spoke, he proudly displayed the golden medal on his chest that symbolized the honor and prestige of his role.

To prevent the medals from losing their value, Shirou spent considerable time reorganizing the types of medals. He classified them into various categories such as officials, military personnel, magi, and civilians, and then divided them further into four types based on the quality of the material - bronze, silver, gold, and red gold.

The original medal was renamed the Camelot Medal and had the highest gold content. Hence the red gold dragon-shaped medal that Artoria wore on her chest remained the most esteemed honor. This distinction made Morgan extremely envious, even though she had only recently been awarded the magus's red gold medal.

As Shirou walked along the road with Agravain, the people who caught sight of him immediately stopped in their tracks and gazed upon him with admiration.

Addressing his people, he urged them to continue their work with their usual diligence and enthusiasm, saying, "My fellow citizens, please don't let my presence disrupt your work. Let us all continue striving together towards a brighter future!"

Upon hearing their king's words, the people cheered with renewed vigor, calling out to him excitedly, "My king! My king!"

All eyes were staring at Shirou, filled with deep admiration and respect.

Despite the passage of time, the desires of the people remained simple and straightforward.

In modern times, they sought to earn more money and secure a better life for themselves and their families. Similarly, in ancient times, the people desired more food and greater wealth for themselves and their loved ones.

It was evident to him that the pursuit of a better life was a fundamental aspect of human civilization, and he dedicated himself to the cause. It was his relentless efforts in fighting for this cause that earned him the love and adoration of his people.

...

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