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TL: ALT
Chapter 53 – Staying in the Royal Capital (Makyo)
After crossing the mountain pass, we traveled for two days and arrived at the capital.
Estragon, the capital of the Kingdom of Estinia, is a city with a castle surrounded by high walls in the center and the mansions of the nobles, known as “special districts,” lined up around it. The outer area is a commoner’s district, divided into four directions, and it is said that merchants and artisans live there together. There is no racial discrimination, but it seems that people of the same race tend to live in groups.
The army barracks are also on the east side, and the escort soldiers showed me around.
Here, I said goodbye to the old coachman.
“Margrave, please call me when you return.”
Then he gave me a piece of paper with the address of a brothel he recommended. I carefully put it in my pocket.
“As planned, the Margrave’s appointment ceremony will take place in two days. I will take you to the castle, so please have everything ready by tomorrow.”
The female soldier, Sasha, explained.
“Even if you say ‘ready,’ I don’t have any clothes and I don’t know the etiquette, will that be okay?”
“Oh, that’s right. The army will provide you with clothes. As for the etiquette, you should go to the king and wait on your knees. If there is anything, I think the minister or the king will speak to you directly. If you don’t do anything rude, the nobles will have no particular reason to be hostile to you.”
“That sounds difficult. I’ll try not to do anything.”
“That’s the best thing to do. Don’t try to show your strength. The Margrave’s power is a bit dangerous.”
“I understand. I don’t mind if they say bad things about me, and I can take violence.”
“No, in that case, we will take care of it, so please report it.”
“That’s reassuring. Thank you very much. That’ll help.”
“Then I will call the tailor who will take your measurements immediately, so please wait in your room.”
I was told to wait in a large room.
The floor and walls were stone. There were no paintings, but there were shields and swords on display. There was also a strange-looking square box. There was also a desk, a chair, and a bed. I was told to use this room for the duration of my stay in the capital.
“I wonder what I should do if I want to go outside?”
Bang!
The door suddenly opened, and a dwarf appeared.
“Hello, I’m the tailor! Please stand still and don’t move!”
“I-I understand.”
I could see that he was in a hurry, so I decided to go with the flow.
As I replied, three more women came into the room and started measuring my body with a tape measure.
“Your muscles are a little too nice.”
One of the women said.
“Is that so?”
“Can you make your biceps bigger? We don’t want your clothes to rip.”
“Okay.”
I rolled up my sleeves as I was told, and when I made my biceps bulge, my magic power naturally concentrated. Even though the window was closed, a breeze blew around me.
“Is that wind magic?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think I have any aptitude for magic.”
“That’s ridiculous…”
The moment the seamstress said that and laughed, Sasha entered the room.
“Seamstress, it would be better for you to forget what you just saw. It would also be better not to talk about it. Even if you are employed by a noble, the army will side with the Margrave.”
“No, we are not spies working for anyone. I apologize. It’s all right, Margrave. We’ve finished measuring. We’ll have your formal wear ready for you in the morning.”
With that, the tailors left the room.
Sasha stood at the door until they were gone.
“Were those tailors spies?”
“I don’t know, but it’s quite possible. The nobles seem to be worried about the Magrave, who has come to own the largest fief of all.”
Outside the window, people disguised as soldiers were being taken away. There was even a girl who didn’t look like a soldier at all.
“Should I stay inside for a while?”
“I think it’s best to stay inside at least until the appointment ceremony is over.”
“But I have nothing to do. Oh, that’s right. Do you have any magic books in the barracks?”
“I don’t know if we have any magic books, but we do have a library.”
“Is it okay to go there?”
“It’s okay in the barracks. Shall I show you the way?”
“Please.”
It seems that Sasha has become my lookout.
It seems that people rarely come to the library in the barracks, and the librarian was dozing off.
“Let her sleep. I’ll look around myself.”
I said to Sasha, who was about to call the librarian and went to the bookshelves.
There are quite a few books, but most of them are history and business books. There also seem to be books on strategy and tactics, but there don’t seem to be any specialized magic books.
There are also some teaching materials for beginner magicians that I exchanged for at the training facility before.
There were some magic circles drawn in a book called “Magic for Intermediate Adventurers,” so I decided to copy them for now. I used the paper and charcoal provided in the library.
“What are you doing?”
Sasha asked.
“What? I’m copying magic circles.”
“Is the Margrave a scholar?”
“No, I’m not a scholar, but… is there something wrong with that? In the demonic land, you have to know a lot of things. To begin with, I don’t even know everything about my own territory, which is too big.”
Is it strange for a soldier to read books?
“I see.”
“Oh, if you’re bored, you can sleep. I’m just doing this by myself.”
“If you need anything, just call me. I’ll be outside.”
Sasha said and left the library.
I spent some time copying the magic circle on the book.
Finally, the librarian woke up.
“Excuse me, I’m using some paper and charcoal.”
“No problem, go ahead.”
That was all the conversation. I’ll ask her later if she has any books on magic circles.
As I copied, forgetting the passage of time, the sun was setting in the library.
“Excuse me.”
A burly man with a beard appeared in the library.
“So you’re here. You’re the new Margrave, right?”
“That’s right.”
The burly man pulled out the chair next to me and sat down with a thud.
“I’m Warren, in charge of the defense of the royal capital.”
“So you’re the head of the army here?”
“That’s right.”
He must be a very important person. Why would someone like that come all the way to see me?
“I heard that you’re the one my brother is in debt to? He’s the captain of a training facility near the demonic land.”
“Oh, you’re the captain’s elder brother? No, no, it’s the other way around. I’m the one who’s always indebted to him. Without him, I wouldn’t be able to eat bread.”
“I see. That younger brother of mine is a rare talent in our family, but he’s not good at socializing and has been hiding in the border areas, so I was wondering what to do about it. I’m glad he’s doing well.”
“He treated me very well.”
“In the letter he wrote, ‘Do whatever the Margrave asks.’ That guy, who never praises people, praised you a lot.”
The captain thought that of me? Maybe I should buy him a souvenir or something.
“We were preparing to welcome the Margrave. I hear you come from a peasant family?”
“Yes, I’m really from a peasant family in the countryside. I was kicked out of the house because I’m the second son.”
“It seems so. When the military came to report, they said, ‘We don’t know anyone like that.'”
“Maybe they thought I was captured in the city. Well, I was wandering around, so I guess they cut their ties with me.”
“It seems that way. Should I tell your family?”
“No, that’s okay. Even if you told them that the useless second son had suddenly become a margrave, they wouldn’t believe you anyway, and I don’t have any lingering feelings about it.”
“I see. That’s good. We gave them ten silver coins and told them not to spread bad rumors.”
He’s a thoughtful person. The captain’s kindness might come from his lineage.
“Thank you. You’ve helped me.”
“No, but more importantly, are the preparations for the appointment ceremony going well?”
“I heard that the clothes will be delivered tomorrow, but I still don’t know anything. I don’t even know what to do.”
“I think so. Well, from the king’s point of view, the appointment ceremony is secondary. All the Margrave has to do is bow your head. You’ll probably be told something more difficult than that.”
“Like what? Like going to a party for nobles?”
Hel threatened me, saying that if I became a noble, I’d have to deal with a lot of stupid parties.
“Don’t worry, we won’t let you get involved in any stupid power struggles. The king will give you the details. So, I hear you’re going to recruit some people to live in the area?”
The subject changes quickly.
“There are only five people living in the demonic land, including me, so it won’t be developed at all.”
“I see. Well, there’s no need to rush. Don’t get too depressed if no one comes.”
“I guess it’s not very popular, is it? The eastern edge of the Kingdom of Estinia is far away.”
“No, it’s rather common for a place like the demonic land to be uninhabited. It must be difficult to gather people there.”
“That is true. It’s full of people who have been banished…”
I thought people would come because we attract attention, but it doesn’t seem to be that easy.
“Anyway, it’s the appointment ceremony. I’ll be there that day, so if anything happens, look at me.”
“Thank you!”
I have no acquaintances at all in the royal capital, so allies are a blessing.
Warren shook my hand and walked away.
I ended up in the library until Sasha called me.
“I’m hungry.”
“I’ll bring it to your room.”
“I’ll eat it in the dining hall.”
“Is that okay?”
“It’s a pain to carry it up and down all the time.”
The meal was quite luxurious, with dishes made from a whole duck and minestrone soup served with soft white bread. I couldn’t eat it all by myself, so I shared some with the soldiers around me, who were happy.
I hope this will somehow induce them to visit the demonic land.
The next day, my clothes were ready, so I tried them on and finished my work. I went back to the library and tried to concentrate on reading some history books, but I couldn’t concentrate because I kept hearing the clanking of metal and shouting.
I went to the training ground and saw Sasha and the soldiers accompanying me, practicing with swords. As I expected, their swordplay was very refined and efficient.
“Would you like to try?”
Sasha noticed me and invited me to try, and it was much harder than it looked. I think it’s because I’m using different muscles or because I’m not used to it, but I get stiff from the tension. But after a few tries, my body seems to have learned how to do it, and my movements have become smoother.
“If you add magic to this, it would be strong, wouldn’t it?”
When I said this, the soldiers didn’t seem to understand very well. I tried it by adding wind magic to a training sword and thrusting it at a wooden doll.
Boff!
The doll shattered, and the tip of the training sword bent.
“I’m sorry. I got carried away.”
I apologized to the squad leader who was supervising the training, but he didn’t seem to react much. I had made a mess of things, so I bowed low and ran.
When I ran into the library, the librarian introduced me to a history book that talked about the demonic land. I ended up spending the whole day reading that history book.
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