Chapter 206
(Kyle Calendar Year 511: Age 18)
The Royal Capital of a Foreign Country
Translator : PolterGlast
It was a journey of
about three days on horseback from the city of Salaam to the Royal Capital of
the Principality of Fearalt. During that time, I was able to talk about various
things with Count Flame, who accompanied us.
In the first place, it
seems there were three candidates for the succession to the throne this time.
The former king passed
away, leaving behind the current king, who was the first prince in his
mid-twenties, and a second prince and a princess who were not yet ten years
old.
The problem stemmed
from the fact that in this country, where mages are prioritized for succession,
the first prince, born of the legal wife, was not a mage, while his younger
brother and sister, born of different concubines, were mages.
Each concubine was the
daughter of a powerful noble, and the nobles backing them formed three factions
that clashed over the succession.
The first prince, not
being a mage, had served as the Commander of the Royal Guard Division from the
beginning and apparently intended to support the next king.
However, with the
country split into three factions and squabbling, and hearing the story of a
non-mage noble in a neighboring country who led mages to great success, he
finally took action and carried out an unusual coronation.
To be told that this
is... my fault puts me in a difficult position.
At this point, the two
opposing factions have merged, and the country is apparently still far from
stable.
For that reason, their
aim seems to be to accept a special envoy from a neighboring country with which
they have had long-standing exchanges, and by receiving recognition, to make
the ascension a fait accompli.
And it seems the
Restorationist faction of Fire has married a daughter into the family of the
second prince's mother, and the Restorationist faction of Water into the family
of the princess's mother.
I see. So for them
too, if the king of a neighboring country becomes a relative, they intend to
use that backing to aim for a restoration of power.
And to them, those
dissatisfied with the current king, my existence appears as a heretic, a
non-mage who has climbed to the rank of high noble...
Ugh, this is a very
troublesome story.
"During your stay
in the Royal Capital, you may experience some unpleasantness. However, please
understand that these are by no means the will of the Principality, but merely
the ravings of disgruntled nobles. I beg your forgiveness. I will take
responsibility for punishing any insolent individuals."
"Understood. I
myself am accustomed to such slander.
However, please be
aware in advance that I will take a firm stance against anyone who harms the
honor of the Kingdom or the honor of those I lead.
I harbor no ill will
toward your country or His Majesty the current King, so please convey that
clearly as well."
Yes, this time I'm
carrying the banner of the Kyle Kingdom, so on that point alone, I will
exercise restraint, but conversely, when I have to act, I must act.
Well, Count Flame
himself is a mage and the head of a count's house, and during his time in the
Royal Guard, he was a subordinate of the current king, so his position may be
complicated in various ways.
However, judging from
his words and actions so far, he has consistently taken a friendly stance, and
I can also glimpse the current king's intentions.
Talking about such
things, we entered Fearl, the Royal Capital of the Principality of Fearalt, on
the afternoon of the third day.
Fearl is built on a
place like a sandbar where rivers intersect, and water transport seems to be
thriving, with numerous boats coming and going on the water.
The city gates and
walls are constructed of solid stone, and the buildings inside seemed closer to
an Arab style, if anything.
Elan was focused on
the countless stone bridges around the Royal Capital, occasionally absorbed in
taking sketches and notes. He must have some thoughts on them.
"We have prepared
accommodations for the Demon Territory Count and his party within the Royal
Palace, but it is not possible for your guards to enter the palace. Therefore,
we have deliberately prepared an inn in the city so that you may stay together.
Would that be acceptable?"
"I am grateful
for Count Flame's consideration. That would be more helpful. After all, coming
from the frontier, I am not good with stiff court etiquette..."
"Thank you. Then
I shall go to report to His Majesty. I will come to pick you up again tomorrow
afternoon, but at that time, only five people besides the Demon Territory Count
will be able to accompany you. Please be aware of this point."
Saying this, Count Flame
left the inn where we were designated to stay.
Looking at this inn
again, it seems quite high-class... And it seems the entire inn has been rented
out, as the 250 accompanying soldiers and the mages are all staying in the same
inn.
The soldiers were
divided into units of 50. Two units were on duty, one unit on standby, and two
units on rest (free time), taking turns to rest and being allowed to sightsee
within the Royal Capital.
Yoltia gathered the
officers of each unit and taught them the commercial customs of this country
again, while Claire gave them a temporary allowance for the soldiers.
We, including the mages,
also decided to go out and see Fearl on this occasion.
Christoph, Elan, Aral,
and Isaac led one unit on duty to inspect escape routes in case of emergency
and key locations within the city.
Rosa, accompanied by
Danke and Walrus at my request, went to pay her respects to the church in this
country's capital that was established with the marriage of royalty in the
past.
Raphael disappeared
into the city alone for intelligence activities.
I set out with the
remaining mages—Claire, Yoltia, Bart, Aura, Shannon, and Leia—and Sigur and
Karla as guards.
Sigur and Karla, who was
acting suspiciously out of nervousness and anxiety when I first took them to
the Royal Capital of the Kyle Kingdom a little over three years ago, are now completely
different.
In three years, their
sword skills have fully blossomed. Karla has grown to the point where she can
put up a good fight against the Commander, even if she can't win, the only one
in the Demon Territory Count's domain to do so, and Sigur is also positioned in
the top ranks within the domain.
These two have
absolutely no tourist mood; they always keep one hand on their swords and keep
watch on their surroundings. In that sense, Shannon is also on alert with sound
magic, and Leia seems ready to unleash a flash of light at any moment.
Watching them, a
thought occurred to me.
Anne was always by my
side, keeping a similar watch. And she did it so naturally, while attending to
me, that I didn't even notice.
Precisely because she
is not here now, I felt her presence all the more strongly.
But, thinking about it
carefully, everyone except me, Bart, and Sigur is a woman, aren't they? I had
refused the request from Count Flame's subordinates, who were guarding outside
the inn, to accompany us. It had become a strange party with a skewed gender
ratio.
Well... it can't be
helped. Ignoring the curious gazes, we just fulfill our own objectives.
※
Fearl, the Royal
Capital of the Principality of Fearalt, is said to have an estimated population
of around 400,000. The markets are lined with many products, showing that it is
a very wealthy country.
Perhaps due to the
developed water transport, fresh foods are lined up in incomparable abundance
compared to Kylar.
"Takuhir-sama, it
smells a bit strange around here. Is it because there are so many fish being
sold?"
"You're right,
Claire. There's a big river, so fish might be abundant... Hmm? They're selling
dried fish too. Is this... seafood? Dried fish isn't normally available in the
Kyle Kingdom."
"You know about
dried fish too, Takuhir-sama? I only learned about it when I went out to trade
on the coast. To transport it from the sea to here... this country's transport
capacity using water transport cannot be underestimated."
"Exactly. When I
first saw the capital of this country, I had my eye on water transport. Water
transport can be used for logistics, and using ships, it's possible to send a
large army to the front lines all at once. It cannot be underestimated."
"Indeed. I
investigated on the way, and it seems that even to the city of Salaam near the
border, it takes one day by ship, and from there, it's a half-day journey by
land."
"In that case,
this country can deploy an army from the capital to our border in two days.
That is a problem."
Yes, in the case of
the Kyle Kingdom, even if it's a small number, it takes at least five days to
dispatch soldiers as an army corps to the border, no matter how fast they
hurry.
Our disadvantage is
clear in both troop deployment and supply lines.
"For now, I want
to ask Bart for two investigations. First, could you look into information on
water transport routes and the status of trade with the northern countries? I
want you to skillfully extract information from the merchants. Second, please
gather rare agricultural products from here, and if possible, seeds and such
that could be used in the pioneer villages."
"Understood."
"Even so, this
country seems to have a lot of wool textiles as well. There are so many vividly
colored rugs that I can't help but be distracted by them all."
"Yeah, Yoltia, I
want you to select a few of those large rugs, carpets. For my bedroom and
living room, and for the guest rooms in the guesthouse."
Yes, for me, who knows
the comfort of taking off shoes and relaxing indoors, there has been one
constant pain. Not being able to take off footwear in the room.
The floors in the Kyle
Kingdom are basically made of wood or stone. It's fine in summer, but very cold
in winter. If we lay down carpets, cleaning will be tough, but we can relax
sufficiently.
"Understood. As
in the Kingdom, prices here are higher than in Salaam. Though the selection is
richer, of course."
"Well, shopping
here can't be helped. Let's just accept it this time, and from now on, we can
buy from trustworthy traders."
"Takuhir-sama,
Count Flame's subordinates are..."
Shannon conveyed in a
small voice. It seems they are following behind us inconspicuously.
"Also, several
people disguised as citizens with sharp eyes are taking turns checking our
purchases."
Well, they're probably
Count Flame's subordinates too. Since I refused the escort...
"It can't be
helped given their duty. Let's turn a blind eye. Continue to be wary of those
disguised as citizens. There's a possibility they're from the enemy camp. We
will proceed with our purchases solemnly while remaining vigilant."
In this way, we went
around the market and gathered things we were interested in within a range that
didn't stand out.
Our shopping at this
time would bring surprising results the next day.
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