Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem

Chapter 638: A Million People!

”A million people!” she repeated.

”Yeah? I heard you the first time around.”

”Ugh! I see you canʼt even comprehend what Iʼm saying,” Kitsara muttered while shaking her head. She was visibly deep in thought, trying to find a way to explain it to me.

After stroking her chin for a bit, her eyes sparkled once again. ”A normal nomadic tribe usually has about a hundred dogkin in them. If we combine a hundred such tribes into one, then we get ten thousand people! We have to do this a hundred times to get to a million! Do you get it? Canisgard could be said to be made up of ten thousand dogkin tribes!” Once Kitsara finished her explanation, a cute ”huff” left her lips while she eyed me, clearly waiting for a strong reaction speaking volumes of my shocked amazement.

Sadly, I had to disappoint. ”You told me a million people are living here already. I understood the implications of that number immediately—this city holds a staggering amount of citizens in them.”

Her proud smile faltered as she asked with furrowed brows, ”Then why are you so nonchalant about it?”

”Because the human capital has over ten million people living in them… Even Thalion, the capital of the Greenvale Duchy houses about three million citizens. I believe Aldoria, the capital city of the Winterwood County has about a million inhabitants.”

The color immediately departed from Kitsaraʼs face as she audibly gulped, struggling to believe my words. ”T-t-t-ten million…?”

”Thatʼs as if a hundred thousand dogkin tribes lived together.”

”I can do the math!” She exclaimed in a rather adorable manner. ”I donʼt believe you. Hmph.”

”Suit yourself,” I shrugged my shoulders and began walking toward a plant I didnʼt recognize, but I was stopped in my tracks. ”W-wait!” Kitsara shouted after me, prompting me to turn around, only to see her fidgeting around with her hands. ”I apologize for my unsightly behavior. B-but tell me! What you said, is it really the truth?”

”I gain nothing from lying to you about the sizes of human settlements.”

Instead of the bratty tantrum I expected this princess to throw upon learning that her peopleʼs grand achievements were overshadowed by the humans, Kitsaraʼs eyes glimmered with sheer amazement.

”Thatʼs incredible!” she shouted before closing the distance between us with a single nimble hop. ”I canʼt help but wonder how they managed to organize so many people into one settlement! Have you been to the capital in person?”

”Yes, I went there on a shopping trip once.”

”What did you buy?”

”A few objects, such as tools for my artificerʼs smithy.”

ʼI also tried buying my mother-in-law, but got outbid by two bitches…ʼ I thought inwardly.

”I see! Were they unique objects only available in the capital?”

”We could put it that way. But you know, they say size isnʼt everything. Canisgard could be a more interesting city.”

Kitsara nodded enthusiastically multiple times.

”Youʼre right! Please, follow me. Iʼll show you that the saying you brought up is most certainly true!”

”Iʼll be in your care.”

With that, our little journey across Canisgard began.

”Canisgard is separated into three layers,” Kitsara said while walking next to me. She leaned closer and whispered, ”Some people call them the Alpha, Beta, and Omega layers, but those are not official names. If you talk with Father, make sure not to mention them, he hates these names.” ℞ΑΝȯβĘṨ

”Thanks for the heads up. Whatʼs the function of the layers?”

”The first layer, which is the innermost section, houses the ruling caste, the elite warriors, and our most skilled hunters. The second layer, the middle section, is all about trade—itʼs filled with markets and craftsman quarters. This is the largest area, and during the day, it gets so busy! I once got separated from my father in the bustling street when I was young…”

Based on her wry expression, it wasnʼt hard to guess what happened. ”You cried?”

”Cried? I wish! I bawled my eyes out like a little baby pup…”

”We all have embarrassing memories from our upbringing. Donʼt worry about it.”

This got Kitsara out of her momentary slump as she turned her head in my direction. Her sparkly eyes were back in full swing. ”Really?! Can you tell me about your childhood? Iʼve always wondered how life is across the border! When I ask Father, all I hear about is war this, war that… So boring.”

The more time I spent with this woman, the stronger my impression of her being full of curiosity became.

As for her request, I had to deny it. I didnʼt grow up in the Vraven Kingdom, after all. ”Maybe another time, I apologize.”

Kitsara accepted my apology with grace and continued with her detailing. ”The final layer, the outer section, is dedicated to young warriors who wish to be trained, military outposts ensuring our defense, and breeding areas for our war mounts.”

”Your district setup is very similar to what can be found in the Vraven Kingdom,” I replied once she finished. ”But the final part of your statement is curious. Iʼd seen dogkin fight in the resistance army, but they were archers using other beastkin as mounts.”

”Those soldiers were trained for aerial combat. The lionkin have suddenly found a way to tame wyverns—theyʼre using them to throw javelins at us from above. We were forced to come up with counters… As Iʼm sure you witnessed firsthand, thereʼs more to be accomplished in that area…” she said with a heavy sigh.

Not wishing to badmouth her people, I elected to steer the conversation. ”I see, the Covenant of Eternity might be behind the sudden ability of the yellow kittens to tame such mighty mounts.”

Kitsara merely nodded. It was not hard to recognize that she was greatly troubled by her peopleʼs suffering at the hands of the lionkin.

Deciding to lighten the mood, I brought up something Iʼd found amusing.

”You know, I canʼt help but wonder what type of dog breed you represent. Iʼm pretty sure my dogkin lover is related to golden retrievers, but I canʼt seem to find a breed to connect to you.”

As soon as the words left my lips, Kitsara stopped where she stood and froze.

”Pffft!”

Then, a hearty laugh burst free from her lungs, so much so she was clutching her chest.