Chapter 122: The Tour
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 122: The Tour
The next day.
I awoke to the sensation of something poking my cheek. Eleanor was lying beside me, prodding my cheek again and again.
We were the only ones in the bed. The other women had granted us this last night together, thanks to her plan to stay behind.
“Eleanor.”
At my gesture, Eleanor quickly burrowed into my arms. She looked up at me, her face buried in my chest.
Even at a distance so close I could feel her breath, her flawless skin, without a single visible pore, captivated my gaze.
She gently placed a hand on my chest. Then, she murmured, her touch teasing and sensual.
“I wish time would stop right now.”
“I, too, wish to spend the entire day rolling around in bed with you. To endlessly covet your body, to cover you in my marks and claim you as mine.”
“Pfft… Wasn’t last night enough for you?”
“Is it not your fault for being so beautiful?”
I guided her hand from my chest down to my lower body. Her eyes, looking up at me, widened slightly.
Gulp.
“Ah, again…?”
“We still have time.”
There was still plenty of time before our departure. No one would say a thing even if we were a little late.
“No. If we do, I don’t think I’ll be able to let you go.”
Shaking her head, Eleanor stole a light kiss from my lips and sat up. Seeing her wrap the blanket tightly around herself as she got out of bed, it seemed she was heading straight to wash up.
I got up as well and hugged her from behind, burying my face in the nape of her neck. Her familiar, comforting scent filled my nostrils.
“Eleanor. I will return as quickly as I can.”
“I’ll be waiting, my love.”
After another kiss, she slipped from my embrace and went to wash.
Only then did I leave the room. Aenya was waiting for me, leaning against the wall by the door.
“For a woman, there’s nothing happier than carrying the child of the man she loves.”
Aenya brought up the issue I had dismissed as trivial. When I opened my arms slightly, she quickly linked her arm with mine.
“If Eleanor had a child, she would have been happy even if she were left alone.”
“Eleanor’s ability could harm the child.”
Eleanor didn’t know it, but her ability had driven her own mother to her death. Her child could very well meet the same end.
Aenya shook her head.
“Your and Eleanor’s child will be fine.”
“How do you know that?”
I stopped short and faced Aenya. She gave me a gentle smile, but a red light swirled in her eyes.
“Because that is its destiny.”
“You…”
“It’s not just Eleanor. Adeleade wants a child, too. No, she’s desperate for one. You know, don’t you? Unlike her appearance, she’s quite old. She doesn’t have much time left to conceive a child. If she misses that chance, you might lose her forever. Imagine it. Her, watching all alone as your other women find happiness with their children.”
Aenya spoke as if she had witnessed the scene herself. In that moment, an image of a lonely, alienated Adeleade flashed through my mind.
“It’s the same this time. She didn’t say it, but her hopes were high, you know? For the wedding.”
Originally, I was supposed to marry Adeleade before the expedition to the northern continent. A marriage alliance with Dresden had been a prerequisite for the expedition.
The plan changed because the schedule became tight after my unexpected participation in the mock battle, and because the need for the marriage alliance had diminished after I showed that I stood in opposition to the king.
“What about you? Do you want a child, too?”
“The existence of our child is already inevitable. It’s a truth that won’t change even if the world collapses.”
Smiling brightly, Aenya already looked like a mother.
I quickened my pace as Aenya pulled me along by the arm.
A child… The Star Witch would not easily loosen my leash, her only means of controlling me. I probably wouldn’t even be able to bring it up until I’d rescued at least half of the seven witches.
‘First, I’ll have to finish the northern continent expedition and then try to negotiate…’
Rescuing the witch of the northern continent would make for exactly half. However, her hostile attitude, for someone who was supposed to be a collaborator, bothered me.
What if negotiations failed? The answer was simple. Because I’m a greedy man who gets what he wants, no matter what it takes.
*
“This is my sister, Aenya, and this is Sir Piole, who will be our escort for this journey.”
I introduced Aenya and Piole to Archbishop Raceni. As he was about to greet Aenya after Piole, his eyes trembled slightly.
“You are a beautiful woman.”
“Thank you.”
After his short reply, the archbishop couldn’t take his eyes off Aenya as she boarded the carriage. This was despite her wearing a black veil that only barely revealed the contours of her face.
Belatedly turning his attention back to himself, he made the sign of the cross and began to pray.
It seemed that even the combination of a beauty-dampening veil and the archbishop’s piety couldn’t shield him from Aenya’s ridiculously potent charm.
‘Though it’s an incredible feat compared to an ordinary person.’
For him to withstand Aenya’s beauty—which could seduce even a king in an instant—to this extent was impressive in itself.
After the introductions, we immediately set off on our horses. Our destination was Palanti, the capital of Baron Debussy’s domain.
Along the way, I discussed the major and minor affairs of the territory with Aenya. The main topic was the selection of a capital city.
“Roxwood isn’t suitable to be the capital.”
“Why not? It’s the largest city in terms of scale.”
“Because it’s a fortress city built with defense as its top priority. Its only specialty products are the medicinal herbs from the Giant’s Shoulder Mountains. What’s more, the surrounding area is all rocky mountains and hills, so it’s not suitable for farming, and it’s not easy to expand.”
I had judged that Roxwood’s growth had reached its limit. If it had been good land, why would the previous king have granted it to Count Broua? He would have just kept it for himself.
“Still, it’s in an exquisite location connecting the south with the central-west, isn’t it?”
Aenya lamented the loss of Roxwood’s geopolitical position.
Wasn’t it the starting point of the waterway to Quaran and Dresden, and a gateway city one must pass through to reach the south?
The development of this city, where people and goods were bound to gather, was inevitable.
“I’m not denying that it’s a strategic point. I’m just saying it has its limits.”
“Hmm… It seems you have another capital in mind?”
“I’m going to build a new city on the border of the Rasino and Debussy baronies.”
The two barons had clashed over every little thing. That was why no proper city had been established in the Rhine River basin, the border of their territories, despite its fertile soil being perfect for farming.
Now that both were my domains, the conditions were right for proper development.
Of course, it wouldn’t be an easy task.
“Brother. Do you know how many resources and how much manpower it takes to build a new city?”
“Didn’t you report that the population is growing rapidly?”
They say rumors travel faster than a galloping horse. Having somehow heard that my domain was a good place to live, people were rapidly flowing in from neighboring territories.
I received letters of complaint from the neighboring lords who had lost their labor force, but I ignored them completely.
Once the war broke out, it would be difficult to worry about such small matters. And by the time the war was over, my power would have grown to the point where those lords wouldn’t be able to protest.
“Surplus labor is prone to turning into bands of thieves. It’s better to put them to work.”
“The problem is money. Money.”
“It will cost a lot of money if we’re to build a water and sewage system as well.”
Public sanitation and the prevention of waterborne diseases were essential conditions for building a large city. In particular, to prevent pollution of the river, the sewage system would have to extend all the way downstream.
Aenya was appalled when she heard my plan.
“Are you crazy? Do you have any idea how much that will cost…?!”
“The one who told me I could just borrow money was you, Aenya.”
“Jeez, there’s a limit to everything!”
When I gave a slight smile, Aenya continued with a sullen expression.
“What is it? You have a plan, don’t you?”
“Once developed, the Rhine River basin is land that guarantees a bountiful harvest. If I offer long-term leases and a tax exemption for a certain period, I should be able to get free labor.”
“What about the cost of materials?”
Before answering, I gestured to Piole, who was riding ahead. She had distanced herself on the pretext of scouting when the conversation started to get complicated.
“What? I don’t know anything~”
Piole wasn’t stupid, but she hated using her brain more than death itself.
“I’m not going to ask you to handle the territory’s administration, so come here.”
“If you say so…”
Only after I made that promise did Piole ride her horse over to match our pace.
“Piole. Your family has an affiliated trading company, right?”
A lord and a merchant have the relationship of a crocodile and a crocodile bird. The merchant procures what the lord needs, and the lord provides the merchant with conveniences within the territory.
What I needed was a merchant who crossed the sea. That was why I needed the help of Piole’s family, who were based in Quaran, not Adeleade.
Quaran was an intermediate stop just before Dresden, a city visited by quite a few merchants who crossed the ocean.
“I think so? We started needing a lot of rare things after the castellan arrived.”
“You think so…? Why is that a question?”
When Aenya asked again, Piole laughed awkwardly.
“Because I’m not sure? Ah, why are you looking at me like that? My dad and my older brother are in charge of family matters!”
“It’s not just that you weren’t interested because it’s a headache?”
“Anyway, why a merchant?”
Piole changed the subject, pretending not to hear Aenya. Aenya looked dumbfounded, but Piole shamelessly ignored her.
“To make money, you have to use merchants.”
“Huh? The only thing from our territory worth selling to other continents is Melbourne wine… You know, right? It’s not that attractive a product in other countries.”
Alcohol was an item that sold well regardless of the time or situation. In fact, Melbourne wine was one of our strongest sources of income.
The problem was that unlike this continent, which had few good vineyards, the southern continent was overflowing with them.
It wasn’t that we couldn’t compete at all, but it meant the expected profit wasn’t large enough to justify selling it across the ocean.
“That may be true for now.”
“What is it? What is it?”
Piole, sensing I had something up my sleeve, started to whine. I maintained my silence until we reached Palanti. After all, things like this are best when you see them for yourself and get surprised.
However, Zaenbold, whom I had put to work, was absent. Instead, the secretary acting in his stead said, sweating profusely.
“Uh, well… the treasurer is in Melbourne. He said you gave him a task…”
“Gone to work? Hmm. Zaenbold isn’t the type to be so diligent.”
The secretary, whose eyes met mine, laughed awkwardly. The sweat was now pouring down like water. Guessing the situation, I clicked my tongue.
“We’re heading to Melbourne immediately.”
Of course, I didn’t forget to warn the secretary before I left.
“I’m saying this just in case, but if you send a man to Zaenbold, you will be punished.”
“Yes? Y-yes, sir! Understood!”
As I was about to leave the sighing secretary behind, I noticed Archbishop Raceni was busy looking around the city like a country bumpkin who had just arrived in the capital.
I rode my horse up next to him.
“Have you found any traces of the witch?”
Only then did the archbishop notice me and turn his head.
“I thought Roxwood was unusual… but this place is even more so.”
To be fair, I was a little surprised myself. The city was even more crowded with people than the last time I had been here.
There were especially many who looked like merchants. It was a city where merchants were easy to spot, as it was originally the center of the wine trade, but it seemed Zaenbold hadn’t been slacking off entirely.
“Roxwood was the last place we conquered. There’s bound to be a difference.”
“…Then does that mean your home base is even more impressive than this?”
“It’s no fun if I explain it with words. Besides, you wouldn’t believe it without seeing it for yourself, would you?”
As I turned my horse, the archbishop hurriedly followed.
“Why, why are you going this far?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Organize your thoughts and ask again.”
“…Every lord I have ever met only ever thought about how to exploit their people. As long as the taxes were paid on time, they didn’t care how their people lived. If the taxes were short, they wouldn’t think to solve the root cause, but would simply behead their people. If a neighbor fled because they couldn’t handle the high taxes, those who remained had to pay their share. Unable to bear that, another neighbor would flee, and the taxes would rise even more. It was a vicious cycle. But you, Baron, are doing the opposite, spending money for your people. If other lords knew, they would think you were throwing money away.”
I let out a smirk.
“I am no saint. If anything, I’m closer to a merchant. I’m just investing money to make money. If the people live better, won’t they pay more taxes?”
“Greed, you’re saying it’s because of greed?”
“Why? Is greed a bad thing?”
“…If you had asked me before I met you, Baron, I would have answered yes without a moment’s hesitation.”
“So you’ve changed your mind now.”
The archbishop replied, looking back over his shoulder.
“Even though it is a city built on greed, is not everyone happy? It is like… the utopia described in the Bible.”
I couldn’t help but scoff. As if humans would ever be satisfied just because they were living a little better. It might look that way on the surface, but if you looked closely, you would find other conflicts hidden within.
‘There’s no need to tell him that.’
In any case, if the archbishop’s evaluation of me improved, it was a good thing for me.
“Hah. Why can’t other lords do this?”
“Because the effects aren’t immediately apparent. It’s something that will take at least a few years.”
This was an era where a fair number of people died from being pricked by a rusty needle because there was no proper medicine. In other words, you never knew when or how you might die.
For medieval people, death was too close, so they tended to focus on the reality right in front of them. I, who prepared for the future, was the abnormal one.
“Preparing for the future… Perhaps that is why the Baron’s domain is so full of hope.”
“So, has the misunderstanding been cleared up now?”
The archbishop shook his head.
“I have only seen a single facet.”
“You don’t just want to see my home base, which I said is even better than this?”
“…”
“Well, it doesn’t matter to me. The result will be the same.”
Even as he left Palanti, the archbishop looked back several times, as if afraid that the city, so close to a utopia, would disappear like a mirage.
But Palanti was still there, and it only vanished from sight after night had fallen.
*
We arrived in Melbourne in the morning, exactly one week after leaving Palanti. Zaenbold was sprawled out in the middle of the main road, basking in the sunlight that beat down like a spear.
“Gah! What’s that smell of alcohol—”
Piole, who had tried to force Zaenbold up, recoiled and let go. Thanks to her, his half-raised body pitched forward.
He only seemed to come to his senses a little after his face scraped against the ground. His gaze followed the horse’s hooves that had stopped right in front of him, and soon his eyes met mine.
“I sent you to work, and you’ve become a drunkard.”
“Ugh… you damn ruthless employer… hic. This is all your fault!”
A foul stench of alcohol wafted out every time he opened his mouth. Even my horse recoiled, disgusted by the smell.