Here’s the chapter, enjoy~
Chapter 127 – Peace Amidst the Snow
After blowing away the royal capital, we transferred to the school bus, the Torajima, after a few kilometers north. From there, it was a leisurely, easy drive to Casemaian.
We were in no mood to cheer at the sight of our enemies and their last moments, even though we had won the battle unscathed.
After that, nothing happened.
There was no invasion or even contact from any of the surrounding countries. There were no messengers, no secret spies, no documents, no requests for a cease-fire, nothing.
After the kingdom was pacified, Duke Lemore and Marquis Yerkel of the southern nobility sent me only a congratulatory gift for my victory in the holy capital.
I prepared some gifts in return and sent them with my letter.
I couldn’t possibly send them firearms, and there was no way I knew what the nobles would be pleased with. On the advice of Simon, who is used to dealing with celebrities (or at least he claims to be), I sent a mechanical self-winding wristwatch, the finest silk fabrics, and a bottle of fine wine.
“Over here, handicrafts are more expensive than industrial goods, but over there, it’s the other way around, so it’s difficult.”
Silk and alcohol are not so bad, but I doubt they would understand the value of a watch. The time system is different, and the direction of evolution of industrial power is so far apart that they may be perceived as strange magic tools, but that’s about it.
As autumn quietly deepened, the residents of Casemaian continued to stockpile food and clothing and prepare their homes for the winter.
◇ ◇
“””Kyakyakyakya♪”””
Winter has arrived in Casemaian.
The snowfall was more than expected, and although it depended on the direction of the wind, it accumulated to nearly two meters in the blowing puddles on the plains.
It is said that in any country in the world when snow begins to accumulate, people only move about ten miles from their homes to the surrounding areas. Most of the travel is for hunting and fuel procurement, and there is no travel between cities.
There are a few peddlers who come and go, but unless they have something to do, there is no merit in taking unnecessary risks to travel far.
“It was a good thing we finished the maintenance of the residential area in the fall.”
It was difficult to secure enough housing for all the residents, who were increasing at an unexpected pace, to live without any problems. And that was before the snow started falling.
Perhaps it was the dry air or the low temperature, but the snow in this area is fine powder snow, and even within the city walls, houses that are close to ruins are buried deep in the blowing snow, rendering them unusable.
If the first snow had come a little earlier, we would have been living together in a warehouse built for vehicles, just like living in a gymnasium in a disaster area.
“But still, it was a dangerous place. The dwarves have been too busy with their tanks.”
I can’t speak for others, though. With all the work and interest at hand, I was just about ready for the winter.
“””Hyaaaaaaaaa♪”””
“Okay, that way next!”
“Go faster!”
“Oh, here we go!”
“””Hyahhhh♪!”””
What I am doing right now is in the middle of the important task of pulling a large number of sleds filled with beastman and dwarven children around the outer edges of the plains.
I’m riding on a mounted golem that has been rebuilt by Rinko, the imperial engineer (and, according to her, a “saintess of misfortune”). She has no stamina, so she doesn’t have the energy to run around in the snow with her own body.
“Yoshua, how are you feeling?”
“Oh, I’m doing great. It took some getting used to, but it’s easy once you get the hang of it. It’s a lot easier than driving a car.”
“Well, maybe the controls are. But it’s loaded with many actuators for attitude control, so it eats up a lot of magic power. If you do that, I think your magic power level will go up quite a bit, right?”
“That’s good training. Why don’t you try it, Rinko?”
“I hate exercise. I also don’t like the cold.”
She is an indoor saint, as easy to understand as that is to say.
Since moving here from the empire, Rinko has been shuttling between the dwarven workshop and the elven clinic and has completely become an indispensable resource for the Casemaian.
Her aloof and undivided personality has made her popular with people of all races and genders.
Especially children are always fond of her, and it is not unusual for them to be so attached to her that even her limited physical strength is drained from her. Rinko seems to love children, too, though she is not so enthusiastic about it.
“What are you making now, Rinko?”
Myrril, dressed in a fuzzy winter suit and sitting on the head of this composite golem, asked.
The chest hatch remained open, and communication was also available, so only the voice was two-way. This communication network linked to the town, vehicles, and facilities all over the place was also developed and maintained by Rinko in a single hand.
“Well, there are too many to say… because many of them were started in a flurry of excitement with the old dwarves. We’re almost finished with snowmobiles, ropeways, refueling facilities, distillation kettles, and airships.”
You’re making an amazingly diverse and large number of items in a lineup that has no connection or relevance to anything else. Was she a dwarf in a previous life?
“Oh, I’ll have an open-air bath finished today or tomorrow.”
“Oh, amazing!”
Casemaian is definitely making steady progress forward. I’ll have to figure out what I can do before spring, too.
And also how I have to live from spring.
Chapter 128 – When Winter Comes
“Myrril! It’s a disaster!”
In a small house we have secured within the walls of Casemaian. As I ran into it, my small but happy home, the Nojaloli-san looked up from the kitchen and gave me a dubious look. She looked quite cute in her apron.
She was probably preparing dinner, and there was a nice smell of aromatic herbs and wild bird broth.
“What’s the matter, Yoshua? Have the empire attacked us?”
“No, there is no report from the winged tribe’s patrols. Not in that direction, but to the east.”
Incidentally, this house is located on the border between the residential and commercial zones, close to the church, which serves as both a government office and meeting place (and armory).
“East? The kingdom will be no problem. The northern part of the kingdom is unrecoverable. And what about the barren buffer zone to the east?”
“No, beyond that. There’s something called the Republic; have you heard of it?”
“I have heard of it, but I have never been there. It is said that there are hundreds of miles to the border, and in between, there are forests, mountains, and swamps where magic beasts dwell, and dragon species, whether true or false, appear in abundance.”
“What’s so scary about that…? No, I don’t care about that story for now. The Republic has an adventurers’ guild!”
“…Huh?”
◇ ◇
The story goes back a little.
After hearing that Rinko’s airship had been completed at the dwarves’ workshop, I decided to take a test flight to demonstrate its completion.
The problem was the destination.
All of the neighboring countries are enemies, albeit provisionally, while the kingdom’s friendly relations are mainly with the southern nobles’ territories. Even though Duke Lemore’s rebel army, or revolutionary forces, had conquered the northern part of the kingdom, which is relatively close to Casemaian, hostile forces still remained in the area.
“Since it is an airship, the air sacs are filled with highly flammable gas. If it gets hit by an attack spell from an ambush, it will explode.”
“What about raising the altitude? Though, I don’t know what the range of their attack magic is.”
“The maximum range is at least half a mile. The airship’s gondola is not sealed either, so it would freeze at such an altitude. There is no oxygen.”
I would like to take a test flight, but I have to decide where I want to fly.
As we continued to discuss our options, Merel-san, the beastman merchant, offered us a helping hand.
“How about the East?”
He was a fox beastman with a refined noble face and had a wide range of knowledge, experience, and connections, having run a business for a long time in the empire.
“What is there to do in the East?”
“There is nothing. The eastern half is a buffer zone to prevent the outburst of the magic beasts. There are no settlements and no roads.”
“Beyond that is, um… the sea?”
“There are another five hundred miles or so to the coastline. The eastern edge of the continent is a republic called Hagwai.”
I don’t think I had heard of it before.
As far as I could tell, none of the dwarves seemed to have any knowledge of the Republic. Even Heimann-jiisan, who is supposed to be quite knowledgeable, didn’t seem to know much about it.
“There is no trade, and people do not come and go.”
Of course, neither do I. In the first place, I had no idea about the forces that were not hostile to us. Unless there were subhuman brethren running away, I wouldn’t even look into it.
“In this continent, it is the only country that has not been at war with the Demon King’s territory, no?”
“No. If they don’t attack us, we won’t attack them either.”
The problem is that there is no such force outside of the Republic.
“I heard that there is a port town at the northern tip of the continent beyond the Dark Forest.”
In response to Heimann-jiisan’s question, Merel-san drew a simple map on the table with a finger dipped in water.
“It is now part of the empire’s territory, but until about a hundred years ago, it was also part of the republic.”
It is said that the Republic used to be a large, longitudinal country that covered the coast from the northeast to the southeast of the continent. The country had its own culture and boasted unparalleled naval capabilities, but because it was indifferent to the development of land forces and mages, its territory was gradually eroded by the empire.
“The decision-making is done by the national assembly, and the country does not have a standing army. Instead, it hires mercenaries and adventurers when necessary, but when it comes to engaging the regular imperial army, the odds are somewhat against them…”
“Oh, wait a minute!”
I raised my hand to stop Merel-san from speaking.
“Did you just say, adventurers?”
“Yes. There is a system of guilds that coordinate with employers.”
“…That’s it.”
My Dream has Come True!
Why do I get the feeling whatever bubble of Yoshua’s mental image of adventurers will pop soon? XD
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