Chapter 448
(Kyle Calendar Year 516:
Age 23)
Wedding Ceremony ① New National Border
One day, as the season was shifting from spring to early summer, having
received an invitation to a wedding ceremony to be held in a friendly nation,
we lined up our warhorses and set off on our journey toward the Principality
of Fearalt. As a prelude to this, the ones who visited Kusanagi to
join us were Sieghart, who had received the mission of an 『special envoy』 from the Griffonia
Empire, and the eight hundred cavalry accompanying him; and from the Lute-Vile-Cain
Kingdom, King Crajyu and Queen Alicia, who were invited as
state guests, and the three hundred cavalry accompanying them. However, there
were also soldiers who joined them in Kusanagi. Two hundred cavalry each
who had been dispatched to Aegis to undergo the preliminary training in
the Demon Territory I had specified; including them, the Griffonia Empire
had one thousand cavalry, and the Lute-Vile-Cain Kingdom had five
hundred cavalry. By the way, according to the Commander who directed the
training in the Demon Territory for the soldiers of the two countries...
「Since they were the absolute elites participating carrying the honor of
their homelands, there were no dropouts at all, and it was 『worth the effort to train them hard.』 That said, at first their arrogance was completely broken and they
were dispirited, but in the end, everyone got a good look on their faces.」
I see... everyone must have had a hard time. I almost spontaneously
brought my hands together in prayer. Judging by the happy appearance of the
Ogre (Commander), they were probably trained mercilessly for two months.
When I was 15, I also experienced that hell until I was sick of it for half a
year during the Commander's special training before departing for the
academy, after all. I want to praise them just for the fact that not a single
person dropped out.
Incidentally, as the Demon Territory Dukedom, we mobilized one
thousand cavalry from the elites of the Demon Territory Knights and five
hundred cavalry from the Special Fire Corps for this journey. In
preliminary discussions, it seems two thousand five hundred cavalry guards and
about five hundred non-combatant attendants will accompany from the Kyle
Kingdom; the breakdown being five hundred guards from each legion of the Royal
Capital Knights led by Knight Commander Gouras, and the 『special envoy』, my brother Margrave Hastburg,
leading one thousand cavalry. Since they will head to Feari from Kylar
via Salaam, we will meet up with them on site.
※
Since there was no need for a forced march, we left Kusanagi and
stayed overnight at the western edge of the Demon Territory Dukedom
territory, and the next day we advanced along the highway that had only just
recently been developed. And then... in the early afternoon, we reached the
national border between Empire territory (Count Durul's
territory) and the Principality of Fearalt. For me, this was the third
time tracing this route, though. The first time, I merely passed through during
the expedition to the southern part of the Empire. The second time, to
inspect the construction site of the national border infrastructure. The third
time, this time, I myself am in the position of passing through the national
border.
「Takuhir-sama, I have been waiting for you. We somehow managed to finish the
construction of the facilities where everyone can stay in time. I will guide
you from here.」
The one who welcomed us just before entering the national border saying
so was Elan, who had entered the site receiving a special mission in
preparation for this day and had been directing the rush construction on site.
If it were just me it would be one thing, but this travel, even if incognito,
is accompanied by Emperor and King classes of the Empire and others. If
that's the case, the national border highway needs to be arranged nicely to a
certain extent, and facilities where they can rest and stay overnight must also
be prepared.
「I'm sorry for causing you trouble, Elan. Anyway, I'm glad the
lodgings were finished in time.」
「No, no, I also received interesting ideas, and I was fulfilled every
day being involved in the construction on site, so.」
To Elan who responded with a smile saying so, I bowed my head
anew. Even so, I think it must have been tough, and Elan's cheeks looked
somewhat gaunt.
「Sigur, I'm sorry, but could you run as a
messenger? I want to show off Elan's results to all the concerned
parties too, so please ask them to come to the front row for an explanation.
Could you also call out to Sieghart-dono
and the Guard Captain (Emperor) following behind, King Crajyu,
and Count Durul?」
Since we're here, I want to explain this national border zone to them
along the way from here on. I think that's the best reward for Elan's
hard work. And... once everyone gathered, I first broke the ice.
「Thank you for your hard work traveling from afar, everyone. I will now
guide you to tonight's campsite, but along the way, I would like to explain the
new trade route and the national border gateways our country has contracted to
construct.」
「What, a campsite on the bypass ahead? That is interesting.」
「Fufufu, seeing the management of the construction led by Archduke-heika was also one of my pleasures, you
see. I'm looking forward to it.」
「Yes, we too would definitely like to use it as a reference.」
「To be able to gain new knowledge and experiences even in the middle of
travel, I am very looking forward to it.」
I mean, what are you doing coming to the very front when you are
supposed to be the Guard Captain? Well, it's a welcome story that the Emperor
takes an interest, though. Count Durul, who follows silently from the
very back without uttering a single word, looks much more like a Guard Captain.
And King Crajyu, I don't think it will be much of a reference, you know.
Because the foundation work is the result of pushing forward all at once with a
scale and time that would normally be impossible, by having Mary and Sasha
daringly inject a massive amount of Mages... Just the laborers alone
were up to ten thousand, and we constantly injected five thousand over several
months. In that sense, those two are merciless 『when they do it』 as always.
「We are proceeding with construction with plans to set up national
border gateways on the Empire side and the Principality (Fearalt)
side respectively. Currently, the entrance, the Empire side, is
scheduled to be completed soon, but after completion, we will begin the
finishing construction on the Principality side, which will be the exit.」
The gateways to be set up on both sides, the entrance and exit parts,
are being constructed in places where the cliffs of the great mountain range
loom close and the valley narrows to about two hundred mels. If we do that, we
can utilize the cliffs as a natural stronghold, and the construction parts can
also be considerably omitted.
「Somehow this resembles Rasetsu... no, the gateway of the Demon
Territory Dukedom called Izanami, doesn't it?」
Yeah, Sieghart's words are apt. In terms of the shape and scale
of the gateway, it resembles Rasetsu, and the inside contains elements
of Izanami. Looking at the entire national border zone at the break in
the great mountain range from a bird's-eye view, structurally it closely
resembles the former national border between the Kyle Kingdom and the Empire,
currently Izanami. Because structurally, both take the form of blocking
the exits at both ends of the valley passing through the national border with
gateways. Well, the width of the valley is longer in Izanami, and the
corridor part connecting the gateways at both ends is longer here. During the
preliminary inspection before starting work here, looking at the inorganic
scenery of the wasteland overgrown with shrubs, I somewhat recalled the bustle
of Izanami we passed through before the three-country expedition. In
constructing this national border highway, I reflected those thoughts from that
time into the basic design.
「Exactly as you say, the gateways on both sides diverted the design of
the Rasetsu gateway on the west side of Mount Teigoon, which we
have experience constructing. By doing so, we can also save the trouble of
drawing up blueprints from scratch.」
The Rasetsu gateway is a building with a track record of having
the then Count Gorman hole up inside against the First Prince's
army, and withstanding the fierce attacks of the First Prince's army
which was nearly ten times their size. However, we did not inherit special
defensive functions like the tiger mouths set up inside the Rasetsu
gateway, and furthermore, we daringly created vulnerable points serving as
holes. So that in the unlikely event a hostile force seizes the gateway, we can
attack and recapture it... We plan to inform the Empire of the existence
of the hole on the Empire side, and the Principality of the hole on the
Principality side, but we won't inform either side of the hole in the gateway
on the opposite side. 『Even if you seize it,
the owning side knows the weakness to recapture it.』 It's enough if both sides recognize this fact. It's no problem now,
but there's no guarantee that friendly relations will continue into the next
generation and beyond.
「The bypass that originally extended to the national border was long,
narrow, and winding as if threading through the valleys of the great mountain
range, and the road was poor so carriages could not pass. But now it has been
newly reborn, and in addition, we are trying a slightly interesting
experiment...」
Beyond the gateway on the Empire side, a narrow bypass with a
poor road extended for about a dozen kils. There, I...
·
First, shaved the valley and
expanded the road width all at once.
·
In the expansion stage, arranged
it in a form as close to a straight line as possible.
·
Utilized the shaved rocks and
earth and sand to level out height differences.
·
Trod down the highway portion and
paved it with flat stones.
·
Expanded a slightly open space
that happened to be at the midpoint.
·
Constructed a new city in that
space.
I pulled these off all at once. Of course, it was achieved through
brute force by injecting a massive number of Earth Mages and ten
thousand laborers; normally it's a scale of construction where it's unknown how
many years it would take. Basically, the corridor connecting the gateways was
fleshed out imaging the bustle I saw at the Izanami gateway, but the
town inside is an original idea that should be called the centerpiece this
time.
「The inn where you will stay tonight is a place sandwiched between the
gateways, a city we are newly constructing there.」
「What! A city between the national borders!」
「Hahaha, it's interesting as expected.」
「Good heavens, this is something we could not have thought of.」
「I want to quickly see the city built by Archduke-heika.」
「Well... this is premised on the approval of both Heikas who are
the concerned parties, but if we protect merchants by making this city a 『special zone』 free from taxes from
either country, I believe it will prosper all at once...」
Of course, there is an ulterior motive to this. If we can make this
land a city outside the two countries, not under the control of any country,
anyone can set up a trade base. Of course, us included... And Count Durul's
territory can also develop greatly as the entrance and exit of the 『special zone』. With this, Rosa
will probably no longer feel troubled toward the Count who kicked away a large
territory for her sake. Sieghart, who heard my story, is grinning; did
he see through my ulterior motive?
「Hahaha, if this is completed, the Count (Durul), who threw away
a large profit to fulfill his long-held feelings, might actually end up gaining
the largest profit. A rarely seen lucky person who obtained both a beautiful
wife and a rich territory, huh.」
When the Guard Captain (Emperor) said so and laughed loudly, the
Count Durul in question blushed, but at the same time bowed deeply to
me. Did my feelings get through?
「I am sorry to be presumptuous, but if that happens, would it be
possible for us to set up a trade base as well? If so, we would by all means
like to make a request to both Heikas...」
Queen Alicia seems to have set her eyes on it immediately as
well. She probably considers this too a great opportunity to suppress the
merchants who once controlled the Cain Kingdom.
「Captain (Heika), I would also like to establish a base for the Kempurna
Trading Company immediately! I cannot afford to fall behind Archduke-heika, after all.」
Hahaha, they had seen through it after all. I want to recover the
capital I invested too. It's a visual estimate on the incomplete maps of this
world, but compared to trade via Salaam, passing through the new
national border allows transporting trade goods from Feari in about
one-third to one-fourth of the journey.
「I don't mind, but... the rest depends on King Krugel's approval.
Although he would likely readily consent, saying, 『It is a joyful thing to be able to coexist mutually with friends.』」
Yeah, the new Emperor understands too. Actually, I had already run the
story by Krugel-heika in
secret, and received his ready consent with a reply of similar words. I sounded
him out through Marquis Flame at the New Year's banquet, and received a
reply of consent along with the 『gifts celebrating the
Princesses' birth』 sent later. As
expected, laying the groundwork is important.
While advancing such a conversation, we arrived at the staying place
that would be tonight's inn, the city where construction is still progressing
even now. In the plan, it was supposed to be a double structure with an outer
wall and an inner wall, and an outer wall about twenty mels high surrounded the
city two kils square on the perimeter. From here on, I asked Elan to
guide us. Since I've only seen the layout, I have absolutely no idea what it's
like inside right now.
「Connecting straight to the highway passing through the corridor of the
national border are the South Gate and North Gate of the city. The city is
still under construction, so please forgive us for causing you various
inconveniences. The place where everyone will stay in a hurry has been
prepared, and I will guide you from here on.」
Saying so and passing through the South Gate, a street extended in a
straight line to the other gate, the North Gate, and an inner wall extended as
if partitioning the east side exactly from the central part of the city. I see,
so an inner wall of two kils north-south and one kil east-west surrounds it as
if dividing the two-kil square into halves?
「The 『Outer District』, which is the part sandwiched between the outer wall and inner wall,
is planned to eventually be lined with warehouses and stores of trade
merchants, cheap lodging facilities and eateries, taverns and stalls.」
Well... right now it's only lined with temporarily set up lodging
facilities and dining facilities for the laborers, and simple stores selling
daily necessities, though. Following Elan's guidance, we passed through
the gate set up in the central part of the inner wall. Then, a still empty
space spread out on the right side (south side), and buildings were lined up
only on a part of the left side.
「From here on is the 『Inner District』. The only completed part on the left facing forward, the north side,
is the facility where everyone will stay. Currently, laborers and construction
personnel are prohibited from entering the Inner District, so other than
everyone, there are only those tasked with preparing meals and receiving
guests.」
「What! I was prepared to camp out here, but... you even prepared an inn
and people to work there?」
Fufufu, this is the basics of 『hospitality』, after all. Besides, we couldn't possibly make the Emperor of the Empire
camp out.
「We have also prepared stables and tents for the accompanying soldiers.
Explanations regarding meals and such will be provided by them.」
At the destination Elan pointed to saying so, stood twenty women
who seemed to be reception desk staff, along with soldiers raising the flags of
each country.
「Currently, there are four inns securing a corresponding scale, and two
hundred people including guards can stay there. The rest of the people, please
proceed to the tents they will guide you to.」
When Elan gave the signal, the guides began to move all at once,
but there was something I needed to convey.
「Before dispersing, everyone, this is still an incomplete city.
Therefore, there is nothing in the city yet, and the outside of the inner wall
cannot be fully reached by the eyes of security, so please absolutely do not go
outside. We will depart with the sunrise tomorrow as well, so please take your
time and rest early today.」
Somehow... what I'm saying is like leading a school trip. Although in
this case, the fact that the ones I'm admonishing are heads of state and
heavyweights makes it a strange story. But tomorrow will also be a
long-distance movement, and the city is just a place to sleep; I want them to
leave 『outings』 for after arriving in Feari. However... even though I said
that, it goes without saying that after dinner, the expected members barged
into my lodging place and relentlessly questioned me about the structure and
city layout of this national border, how the water supply was secured, and so
on. Of course, I couldn't answer everything, though.
「By the way, if it becomes a city not ruled by any country, who will
manage the operation, security, and minimum required governance mechanism of
this city?」
「......」
At Queen Alicia's question, I was stuck for an answer. I only
brought up the subject of a Free City and such, and hadn't thought deeply about
that point... I was thinking loosely about things like rotating between two
countries, or taking turns among each country. What should I do? On the
practical side, there seems to likely be a lot of quite troublesome things, such
as adjusting interests between each country, receiving base applications,
adjusting town layouts...
「Of course, it would be the one who thought of such an interesting city.」
「That's right, that is logical. We ask it of you.」
「As expected, isn't it. It's reassuring when consulting as well.」
「W-We ask it of you.」
「Please command me with anything. I will be of your power.」
Huh? Everyone, why are you talking towards me? I didn't say a single
word that I would do such a thing?
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