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TL: ALT
Chapter 161 – Jennifer’s Scout Caravan Day 5, Daytime
I have arrived in the southern part of the Kingdom of Estinia.
Last night, I left the capital city and slept along the roadside. I caught the bandits who had attacked me and handed them over to the guards in exchange for a reward.
My grandparents came from the southern part of the kingdom. My grandfather told me that he made his fortune as a merchant in the south. He then purchased land in the north, cleared it, and established a small village, thereby becoming a landowner.
However, my grandmother told me, “That’s a lie. He was a failed merchant who fled to the north. You should choose a man for his brains, not his looks or physical strength. This is a promise,” as she rubbed my waist.
Perhaps I was going to be forced to marry a man in his 70s to pay off my grandfather’s debts. I have no intention of returning home, so it doesn’t matter anymore.
As an envoy to the demonic land, I entered the southern region of Onires, admiring the rural scenery as I ran.
Considering its name, Onires, there aren’t many oni clans in the south. It’s said that there are many humans there, and that family names are often given to those who achieved military success in past wars or large merchants who ran family businesses.
I once read that the Volkov family were leather craftsmen who hunted wolves, but I’m not sure if that’s true.
I passed through several lush forests. However, there was almost no sign of monsters. I often saw adventurers, so hunting monsters must be a viable profession. However, there are also many bandits. Adventurers may have a tough life.
The town had more and more brick houses. Every town had shops lining the streets like a small royal capital.
I walked around the shopping district and posted a notice on the bulletin board at the Adventurers’ Guild, advertising the recruitment of settlers for the demonic land. I was also shown the training grounds, but none of the adventurers seemed particularly strange. Or perhaps I should say they seemed like people who would fit in the demonic land.
Thinking it might be quicker to find someone among the bandits, like the captain did, I went to the ruins of a fort where bandits were said to hide. However, they didn’t seem very observant. Some seemed to lower their guard just because they saw a goblin wearing an adventurer’s armor. That makes me a little worried.
Maybe that means it’s peaceful.
I was surprised to see a group of goblins and bandits camping together at the ruins of an old church. I’m not sure whether the distinction between humans and monsters is vague or if the monster tamers are extremely skilled, but I destroyed them just in case.
As the smell of the tide began to waft in, I finally arrived in South End, the southernmost port town.
Seabirds chirped in the harbor, and cheers could be heard from the colosseum.
There seemed to be a large trading company here; there were birdhouses on the rooftops of three-story buildings.
Looking at the job postings on the Adventurers’ Guild bulletin board, I saw that there were many jobs, such as escorting carriages and guarding merchant ships. However, jobs involving defeating sea monsters seemed unpopular; the posters were completely worn out from the sun.
“Are sea monsters difficult to fight?”
“Huh? Where are you from?”
An old man with glasses looked at me suspiciously.
“From the demonic land.”
“Huh. The eastern edge of the country?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll count on you. Try to secure the sea route to the southeast.”
When I asked for more details, he told me that the sea area southeast of South End and southwest of the demonic land is full of reefs, and the monsters there are much stronger than those in the surrounding areas.
“Plus, it’s always covered in white fog, so you can’t see where the monsters are coming from. No matter how many times we make maps, the location of the reefs keeps changing. When the people of this town talk about the demonic land, they’re talking about the demonic waters to the southeast.”
“I see. Maybe there’s someone who can change the terrain.”
“The terrain can’t just change like that!”
I tend to think that there are people who can change the terrain because I’ve been watching Makyo-san, but generally speaking, changes in terrain are major events.
“So, even if we set sail, we can’t go east?”
“That’s right. We can’t go east or south. This port town is the easternmost point that can be reached by ship.”
“I’d like to take a look at the demonic waters…”
“Are you listening?”
I tried to stick around, but apparently, there are no ships heading east.
“There are some things you just have to try to find out.”
If I can find a route between the demonic land and the South End, then trade will be possible.
If there aren’t any goods, though, I wouldn’t worry about it.
There seem to be a lot of sweet shops in the South End. I can’t help but be drawn to the sweet smells wafting through the air.
I bought a dessert called black sugar crepe with the reward money from capturing bandits, and it tasted good enough to keep me going for three days.
The demonic land is a harsh place, so it’s good to have something sweet like this.
There are also many miscellaneous goods, colorful fabrics, and white pottery. Perhaps because of the heavy ship trade, there are barrels, wooden boxes, and glass bottles everywhere. As the general affairs manager of the demonic land, I can’t overlook containers.
The warehouse deep in the caves is where wild herbs and meat are dried, so it smells terrible.
Even if I don’t secure a trade route, Makyo-san will be able to handle it. If I can get a head start and assess the situation myself, it will be easier to report back and devise plans.
“Is there any way to make it work?”
While eating crepes on the pier and looking out at the eastern sea, some sailors approached me.
“Are you okay?”
A sailor with a shaved head spoke to me as if he had made up his mind.
“Yes?”
“No, you’re not going to jump in, are you?”
“No, I won’t.”
“You’re young, so don’t do anything rash. Life isn’t all bad.”
The sailors seem to think that I’m going to throw myself into the sea and kill myself.
“It’s impossible to die by jumping from a pier this low.”
“No, I was just looking at the eastern sea…”
“I see. You can’t go, can you? If I could, I’d like to go, even if just for a little while.”
“See, I knew it!”
“If you go, that’s the end. You won’t be able to come back.”
“Is that true?”
“It’s true. The other day, I heard that a reckless young adventurer was attacked by a ghost ship in the white fog and turned into seaweed.”
“Who told you that? Were you there when it happened? Let me meet that person.”
When I said that and approached the sailor, he looked at me with wide eyes.
“You are actually aware of the route to Cliff Garuda, aren’t you? You’re just trying to monopolize it for profit, and there are no ghost ships.”
“That’s not true! The remains of an old ship washed ashore just the other day!”
“I’ve also seen the reef slowly shift!”
The sailors all speak in unison.
“Where did you see it? You’re lying to scare tourists! Rumors like that won’t catch on!”
I pressed further.
“It’s not a lie!”
“Who are you anyway? What are you doing here?”
“I am a messenger from the demonic land.”
“That sounds like an even bigger lie!”
“If you keep lying, we’ll tie you up and throw you overboard!”
“I’m not lying! Look at this seal case!”
When I showed the sailors the case with the royal crest, they looked back at me with puzzled expressions.
“It’s a seal case with the royal crest on it.”
“Huh? Oh, I see…”
“So?”
“So that means I’m trusted by the royal family!”
“You mean the royal family is higher than the lord?”
“Wow! That’s amazing!”
“Then you’ll let me on the ship, right?”
“That’s a bit difficult…”
“We have lives, too, you know.”
“Then, could you tell me where you saw the moving rocks and ghost ships on the map?”
I took out a piece of white paper, handed them some charcoal, and they obediently pointed to a spot on the map.
“Thank you very much. By the way, can I hire a fishing boat?”
“Like I said, you can’t go to the eastern sea!”
“No one will take a boat out for someone who wants to die. Showing that seal won’t help!”
“I see. Well, I guess I have no choice.”
It seems that taking a boat out to the eastern sea is illegal.
It’s best to ask someone to do something illegal.
I gave up on asking the townspeople and decided to look for pirates instead.
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