Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: A Use for Treacherous Subjects
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A few days later, Beonald, who had returned to Baron Zelkerd's territory, joined the group preparing to head to the capital and set off immediately.
The carriages numbered two, hired with coachmen to transport Beonald's party all the way to the capital.
The reason for two carriages was that one was loaded with food supplies and various luggage, while the other was for carrying the iron cage containing Alterio.
"Um... If we let him loose, it would be difficult to pass through the checkpoints at each city gate along the way, and there are many who would target a live griffon, so hiding him like this is the only way. However, the problem is that Alterio must enter without causing a ruckus..."
"I'll handle that. Come here, Alterio."
Screee!
At its master's call, Alterio approached with a cry.
Then, without hesitation, Beonald took Alterio and entered the iron cage himself.
He then groomed Alterio's feathers and claws, gave it treats, and played with it lightly, gradually reducing its aversion to the iron cage.
"Alright, let's depart like this. Don't worry about me. I'll be eating and sleeping here for the time being."
"Ah, understood. Then... we'll set off."
'Finally leaving.'
Clack! Neigh!
With the sound of the horses, the carriages began to move.
Finally, Beonald's party took their first steps toward the capital.
As Zelkerd's territory faded further into the distance, the reality of finally leaving this rural backwater truly sank in for Beonald. He began to mentally outline the things he needed to do as soon as he reached the capital.
'First, I need to roughly gauge the capabilities of this Kalium Empire.'
The journey wasn't aimless sightseeing; it was actually a good opportunity to get a preliminary look at the empire's condition.
The state of the roads, the administrative power of the cities, the level of development among the local nobles, the emperor's prestige and authority, the state of commerce, the level of agricultural development and output, the condition of the common people, and the general situation of military organizations and troop numbers in the territories along the route to the capital. With no direct data, he had to observe and judge for himself.
'Hmm, thinking about it, it seems endless. Anyway, considering all this, if it's absolutely impossible for me to seize power... I'll have to cross over to another country.'
Among the six nations, there was no rule that this empire had to be his homeland.
In turbulent times, the place that recognizes one's value becomes one's homeland.
After all, 500 years ago, they were all countries with a single root. What does it matter if the country names are different? From Beonald's perspective, they were all once his land.
'Are others different? Selina is probably similar to me.'
As a mage of the Magus Tower Academy, a transnational organization, her sense of national identity would be weak.
On the other hand, since Sein and Heidi have been born and raised as citizens of the Kalium Empire, they might not understand or even reject this line of thinking from Beonald, but it probably won't be a problem.
'Heidi has already pledged her loyalty to me, and Sein now sees me as her whole world. By the way, it seems the three women are chatting well even without me. Well, that's a good thing.'
While Beonald was inside the cage taking care of Alterio, the sound of chatter came from the other carriage.
The three others were in that other carriage, undoubtedly talking about Beonald.
And so, they set off smoothly. Beonald, while tending to Alterio, eventually fell asleep.
And throughout the journey, a truly peaceful time with nothing happening continued.
Before they knew it, the sun set. Beonald's party stopped for the evening meal and to rest the horses. They gathered with the coachmen to prepare the meal.
They lit a campfire, brought out bread to warm it, put oil in a small pot first, then stir-fried various vegetables and meat before adding water, grain flour, and salt to season it, making a simple meal.
"Lord Beonald! Alterio succeeded in hunting! It's a deer!"
"Oh ho, that's good news."
"Well, actually... Alterio drove it, and I caught it. I'll dress it right away."
While preparing for the night's lodging, they had sent Alterio out with Heidi beforehand to try hunting. It seemed they succeeded without issue, as Heidi was carrying a huge deer on her shoulders.
Alterio had now grown too large to hunt in dense forests, but with the griffon's roar and presence driving the forest wildlife, Heidi could catch them—a method that worked splendidly.
After feeding Alterio first until it was full, Beonald's party immediately began properly butchering the deer.
"It's a buck, even better. These antlers can be used for medicine."
"That's good. But the hide is a bit of a waste. If only Alterio hadn't damaged it..."
"Can't be helped. It's not about the money; we must fill Alterio's stomach."
Having secured the deer meat and hide as a side benefit, the party spent the night in the carriages. Early the next morning, they resumed their journey. Around noon, they stopped at a small city called the Branden Territory to replenish food and supplies, paid to exchange the tired horses, and decided to rest for a day at an inn.
"Ahhh! I finally feel alive. Sleeping in the carriage is tough work."
"The fatigue of travel is nothing to scoff at."
"Sein is right. Then, the three of you can share one room, I'll take one, and the coachmen one should suffice. Anyway, I'll go look around the city alone for a bit, so please take care of Alterio."
Leaving Alterio with the party, Beonald first wandered around the city here and there.
Though a small city, it had the basics, but he saw no sign of an antique shop.
Having roughly gauged the city's atmosphere, he asked around and found out where the city's vagrant district was.
"What's this? Judging by your clothes, you're a stranger. This isn't a place for the likes of you, so scram..."
"Just asking for directions."
A thug with a vicious look, clad in studded leather armor, warned Beonald as he tried to enter their turf.
But before he realized it, a sword blade with a faint purple aura was thrust before his eyes. He couldn't continue his words, his face turning pale.
"S-Sir Knight? Y-You should have said so earlier."
"Is there a fence, antique dealer, or black market around here? If you guide me properly, I'll give you this."
"A... gold coin! I'll guide you right away!"
The thug immediately led Beonald to a fence's shop located in the slums.
The fence's shop was on the outskirts of the slums, close to the general public area. It looked like an ordinary general store from the outside, perhaps buying stolen goods cheaply and reselling them under the guise of a regular shop.
"Old man! You there?"
"Hmm? What is it? You rat-furred bastard. Did you steal something again?"
"No, there's an out-of-town customer looking for you. Wants to see hot goods and such."
"Hehe, if that's the case, I'm all for it. Brought me a sucker, have you?"
"Just be careful; it's a knight. Sir Knight! Here it is."
"You bastard! You should have said that earlier! Oh my! I'm sorry."
It seemed the term for the thug was "rat-fur."
Thinking so, Beonald tossed the promised gold coin to the thug in plain view of the fence.
Entering the shop, expecting the fence to have overheard his conversation, Beonald got straight to the point with the bowing man.
"I'd like to see the items you have in storage. I'll buy anything that looks useful."
"Y-Yes~ Ah, understood, Sir Knight."
'I don't have high expectations, but I hope there's something.'
"This way, please, Sir Knight."
At the words "buy everything," the fence fidgeted and opened a trapdoor at his feet. A basement was revealed, and Beonald followed him down.
He lit a candle to go down, then transferred the flame to a torch to illuminate the basement. Inside, numerous items were stored in boxes or on shelves, covered in thick dust.
"This is more than I expected."
"Hehe, even though this city looks small, goods come in from all over. I'll be upstairs, so take your time looking and come up when you're ready."
"Very well."
After the fence went up first, Beonald began looking around.
There were no weapons or armor at all. Precious metals like necklaces or rings had long been sold off. What remained were artistic items like sculptures and ancient books that couldn't be deciphered.
Moreover, readable books had likely been sold off or disposed of long ago, so what was left were things kept on the off chance because they couldn't be read.
'The artworks are useless, but the ancient books alone have enough value.'
Ancient books preserving knowledge over decades, centuries. Though he didn't know what knowledge or content lay within, Beonald, who could roughly estimate their age from grammar and content, began sorting them without delay.
If he could recognize them, they were likely from the era 500 years ago, under his rule.
'...I don't know how they withstood time, but it's fortunate I can salvage a few.'
There were probably various reasons why these books containing 500-year-old records were here.
They might have been transcribed, preserved by other means, or perhaps found in a dungeon or sealed warehouse and sold to this fence by an adventurer's hand... and so on. But Beonald didn't dwell on it deeply.
'What matters is that they're in my hands now. By the way, a map... none at all. Damn!'
Sneak, sneak.
Thinking he could examine the details during the journey, Beonald invested all his time in sorting the books.
Not wanting to miss a single one, he worked quickly even while coughing from the dust.
About two hours later, Beonald emerged from the basement with the 12 ancient books he had found and presented them to the fence.
"Hmm, just books... you're taking?"
"There aren't any flashy ornaments, are there? What's left are all old, useless artworks. The books at least seem good for decoration. Anyway, how much?"
"They're old books~ Then, 12 gold coins, please."
"Alright. And as a service, can I get one map?"
"That much, sure. Hehehe."
An outrageous markup. Even in an era where books were expensive, one gold coin per book was absurd.
But Beonald, knowing these books contained records and knowledge from 500 years ago, during the Unified Empire, didn't bother haggling and quietly handed over 12 gold coins.
The fence was happy that the dust-covered books from the basement had turned into 12 gold coins, but the truly happy one was Beonald.
"Have a safe journey, Sir Knight! You bought good merchandise!"
'Well, they are good merchandise. There could be knowledge more precious than a thousand gold within them. By the way, this map is also a mess. Damn!'
Even if such knowledge wasn't there, being able to see 500-year-old records was no loss for Beonald.
And the map he received from the fence was, as expected, of poor quality, so Beonald tore it up and threw it away.
As soon as he returned with the 12 books, he washed up first, asked Sein for some tea, and began reading them seriously in his room.