The next architect arrived.

“His name is Antonio. He handles a wide range of architectural projects, but specialises in combining multiple structures to create beautiful landscapes.”
“Ok, Antonio, please have a seat.”
“Yes”

Antonio sat in front of us and, like Filippo, brought out his documents.

“My name is Antonio. I take pride in being the best in Ramslett when it comes to townscape architecture. Please take a look. For example——”

Antonio, like Filippo, goes out of his way to flaunt his accomplishments.

But that’s not what we’re looking for. If we just wanted to build a structure, we could simply hire any architect.

After that, we met with several architects, but they all just talked about their own achievements in a similar way, and not a single one of them spoke to us from the perspective of town development.

Do I have to do it all myself, after all?

Just as I was reaching a state of mind similar to resignation, the last architect arrived. He was short and somewhat scruffy, but his hands were rough enough to be seen even from across the desk. This meant that, unlike the previous architects, this man must have been hard at work on-site.

“It’s Domingo. I’m a wandering architect. I was brought here by royal order, so I don’t know the details, but apparently, you people are going to build a town from scratch, aren’t you?”
“How rude–“
“Stand back!”
“Ugh! I apologise!”

The butler who tried to reprimand Domingo was scolded by Anna and withdrew.

“Domingo, thank you for coming. We——”

Ana quickly summarised the key points and explained the construction of the new town.

“……Building a town centred around a temple? Not bad, but is that temple really necessary? If you just build the temple and no worshippers come, it’ll be a disaster, right?”
“No, the temple exists to respond to the divine oracle. The temple comes first, and the town is built for that purpose.”
“An oracle? I see. So we need to change our approach, then. Does this oracle allow us to rebuild the temple?”
“Once the temple is built, it should not be destroyed.”
“Oh. Then, is it okay to renovate around the temple?”
“It is not prohibited.”
“Then it’s simple. Start by building just enough shrines as required by the divine oracle. Later, as you develop the town, build shrines that incorporate the inner shrines within them. Essentially, create a double-layered structure. That way, the inner shrines will be protected from the elements and last longer, while the outer layer can be expanded or modified as needed.”

I see. So that’s one way to go about it.

“At first, only devout believers will gather, so build just the bare minimum temple. Once the town grows to a certain size, use taxes and donations to construct the outer temple. That way, you won’t waste money up front.”
“That sounds reasonable. So how about the town?”
“Of course, it’s best to grow little by little. There’s no point in suddenly building a big town if there aren’t any people there. Besides, there are more important things.”
“Something more important?”
“Ah. Roads. Whether you’re building a town or a temple, it’s useless if people can’t get around. If it’s near the sea or a river, you’ll need a port too. And roads should be wide enough for carts to pass, ideally with room for them to pass each other. Also, I don’t know where the planned site is, but if it’s a rainy area that gets muddy, you’ll need paved roads.”
“Huh? Isn’t this person the most dependable architect we’ve had so far?”

“Furthermore, it is necessary to ensure the safety of the roads. If there are attacks by monsters or bandits during transportation, it will be a great loss.”

Indeed. We’ll have to hire adventurers to protect the crew and cargo, and even with thorough preparations, we can’t guarantee the worst-case scenario won’t happen.

“Is there anything else I should be careful about?”
“There is. A map. You can’t build roads or towns without knowing the terrain. Conversely, if you have that, all you need is people and money, and you can make it work.”
“All right. Allen, do you have any more questions for this person?”
“Yes. Domingo, when building the town, I want to have a certain level of infrastructure in place from the start, including sanitation.”
“So you want to get the sewer system fully set up?”
“Hmm”
“Ho! I’d heard he was known as a hero, but he actually cares about the common people.”
“Eh?”
“Ah, no, I mean it’s rare because not many people actually care about sewers.”
“Well, whatever. If you’re going to set up something like that, you’d better do it right from the start. You’ll need to figure out the approach based on the terrain, and it’ll cost a pretty penny, you know?”
“But wouldn’t disease run rampant without it?”

The royal capital of Centraren, where I was born and raised, had a fairly well-maintained sewer system, but there were still many unsanitary places, and it’s scary to think what it would have been like without the sewer system.

“That’s right. Exactly.”

As Domingo said this, he looked into the distance.

“Alright! If you ever need my help, just give me a shout. I’ll do everything I can to help build this town.”
“Ah, thank you”

I’m not sure, but it seems Domingo has gotten motivated.

“Allen, any other questions?”
“It’s okay. There’s none left.”
“Understood. Domingo, you can go.”
“Hmm”

And so Domingo left the room.

“Anna, how was it?”
“Yes. I thought Domingo was the best.”
“Really? I thought so too. It seems like he was thinking about how to solve the problems to properly develop the town.”
“Yes. I thought the idea of having a double temple was brilliant.”

“That’s right. Other architects were just trying to show off their strengths, and I didn’t see any real effort to solve the problem.”
“Yes. Well then.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Shall we ask Domingo?”
“Yes”

And so we decided to ask the wandering architect Domingo to help us with town planning.

Author’s Note:-

The fifth volume of the manga version of “Villager A Wants to Save the Villainess” was released today, February 9, 2024. The story finally enters the school arc, where the condemnation story of the otome game is about to start. Be sure to check out Anastasia, Amy, and the others, beautifully drawn by Meguro Sankichi’s exquisite drawing techniques.

There will also be limited-quantity and store-exclusive benefits, so if you’re interested, be sure to pick one up.