The Journey (12)
It took nearly ten full days before we finally arrived at the Valdeck Earldom.
A major logistics hub and a proper city — a place where we could finally catch our breath.
Nothing particularly noteworthy had happened on the way. We'd been ambushed by monsters in the dead of night and run into bandits once or twice, but everything had been resolved so easily that none of it really counted as special.
"Are we only resting here for a day?"
When I asked, Young Master Maximilian considered it.
"We need to meet the blacksmiths at the mine anyway, so there's no reason to linger."
Fair enough. We'd probably be spending a good while there, so there was no point in delaying.
"Should we start selling the hides?"
The monster hides from our last ambush — cleaned and tanned with alchemy until they were free of any fishy or gamey smell — had been a real blessing in the cold weather. But after nearly ten days on the road, the weather had begun to warm. Winter was on its last legs.
"You won't get a good price here. You'd be better off selling them at the mine."
Is that so? Well, leather went into weapons and armor too, so quality hides would always find a welcome buyer.
"Alright, then."
I'd wanted a cheap inn, but any place with room to park a carriage and a stable for the horses simply couldn't be cheap. We must have been more worn out than we realized, because we turned in early that night and got a proper rest.
"Ugh, I don't want to..."
The moment I opened my eyes that morning, I remembered we'd have to climb back into the carriage and keep moving. It was certainly more comfortable than traveling on foot, but winter made everything harder. And after a night of proper rest at an inn, the prospect of getting back on the road felt even more tiresome.
"Shall we stay one more day?"
Sister Mary asked, her expression full of concern.
"No, I'm fine. I just think my blood pressure's a little low."
Of course, my older sister — who actually did have low blood pressure — still couldn't get out of bed. For a not-so-cheap inn, the breakfast they served was truly terrible. It was still money spent, so I forced it down, but honestly... the cooking was abysmal. It was the kind of place that made you wonder how they stayed in business — but inns that offered stables and carriage storage were rare enough that they had a competitive edge regardless.
After breakfast, we set out without delay, following the mountain range northward.
"If we keep following the mountains north, we'll reach the Weiss Duchy."
Apparently the mine belonged to the Weiss Duchy, but I didn't know much about the noble world, so I mostly let it go in one ear and out the other.
Though... Weiss? I felt like I'd heard that name somewhere before...
It didn't seem particularly important, so I decided not to dwell on it.
"So the mine belongs to the duchy?"
"Yes. It's the ducal house's biggest source of income."
It was also the kingdom's largest iron production site, apparently. They'd developed the biggest vein in the great mountain range that ran through the center of the kingdom.
"They say it'll keep producing for another hundred years at least."
From what the young master explained, there were plenty of smaller veins scattered through the mountains, but no one had developed them for that very reason. The current mine alone would last another century — there was no need for other territories to go through the trouble of opening new ones.
"But wouldn't producing and selling iron still bring in revenue?"
"Developing a mine costs a great deal of money. It consumes a lot of manpower and is dangerous on top of that. It takes a long time just to recover the initial investment."
Even so, wouldn't it still be worth trying?
"And without sufficient power, you'd only make yourself a target."
The idea that opening a mine could attract bandits or make you a target for neighboring territories made me tilt my head slightly.
"Do territories actually fight each other?"
"It used to happen all the time. It's rare these days, but... disputes over factional politics still break out from time to time."
Iron was a strategic resource, he explained, so meddling with it risked provoking rival factions. Private armies might be banned, but they hadn't disappeared entirely — so anyone who started dealing in iron without good reason was bound to draw suspicion.
"Even the royal family can't handle iron carelessly."
"Then how does anyone get iron for everyday use?"
You needed it for soldiers' weapons, construction materials, household goods...
"What comes out of this mine is enough."
Being the largest mine of its kind, the iron it produced was apparently enough to supply the entire kingdom.
"That's complicated."
Honestly, it didn't seem like something I needed to know or care about, so I decided to just let it wash over me.
There was one silver lining, though. The road leading to the mine was well-maintained, so the carriage barely rattled.
"There are a lot of carriages going back and forth."
On the opposite side of the broad highway, carriages stretched out in a long line.
"They're probably hauling goods from the mine to other places."
That made sense. There were also carriages heading the same direction as us, toward the mine. Probably merchants bringing supplies to sell, then buying iron and tools to peddle elsewhere.
"There really are a lot of people on this road."
When we'd been heading to the capital, almost no one had been traveling the same route. We'd run into the occasional traveler, but our paths usually diverged before long. There had been plenty of different roads, so there was no need to stick to the same one. Back then we hadn't even had a carriage, so we'd sometimes taken mountain trails...
Now? Since we were using a carriage ourselves, we naturally stuck to the main roads.
"I hope we get there soon..."
It was taking far too long to reach our destination. The one saving grace was that there were plenty of villages along the way where we could rest. They weren't particularly large, but the lodging industry was well developed, so we could sleep in proper beds.
It was a distance that should have taken three days, but maybe because we'd taken our time, it ended up taking four.
"There it is at last."
With the sun high overhead, our destination — the mine — finally came into view.
I'd expected a simple mine with a small village attached... but the scale was something else entirely. A village? No — it was far too big for that. A city sprawled before us, one that looked like it might even rival Valdeck Territory, the great trade hub.
"I was picturing a little mining town, but this is huge."
"Of course. There are a lot of miners and blacksmiths here."
I'd been thinking far too simply. Priest Daniel, Sister Mary, and my sister seemed to feel the same — they all stared outside with their mouths hanging open.
"To be honest, this is my first time here as well, haha..."
Even the young master looked a little sheepish.
We joined the line at the city gates. The guards checked people thoroughly before letting them through — only natural for a city that dealt in strategic resources. When our turn came, they naturally inspected the contents of our carriage...
"Hmm, iron? Why are you bringing iron here?"
The guard asked with a skeptical tilt of his head. Fair enough — in a city built around a mine, people came to buy iron, not bring it in. No wonder he found it strange.
"We've come to commission the skilled blacksmiths here."
The guard still looked unconvinced.
"Hmm..."
What now? Should I just slip him a bribe? While I was still deliberating, the young master quietly produced his noble's token.
"Hup—!"
Thankfully, the guard recognized what it was. Judging by the sudden change in his expression, he was more than a little flustered.
"Y-you're a noble, sir?"
The young master answered with an affable smile.
"Yes. We simply have some business to attend to, then we'll be on our way."
"I-I apologize for my rudeness."
"Think nothing of it."
The young master pulled some coins from his pocket and pressed them into the guard's hand.
"Have a drink on me after your shift."
"I-I couldn't possibly accept this."
"Think of it as a small token of charity for a hardworking soldier of the kingdom."
The young master successfully foisted the money on the guard, and we were allowed into the city.
I wasn't sure whether giving him money had really been necessary.
"Why did you give him money?"
"Exactly as I said. Charity."
He said that, but there seemed to be more to it. A faintly mischievous smile crossed his face as he continued.
"If word gets out, the nobles or administrators stationed in this city will almost certainly try to make contact. I gave him the money to avoid that."
"Nobles?"
"I only revealed my status to get us through the gate smoothly. I'd rather not get tangled up in anything bothersome."
From what he explained, when a noble visited a territory governed by another noble, paying a personal call was considered proper etiquette. Of course, it wasn't strictly required — the custom had largely fallen out of use — but turning down an invitation once it was extended was still difficult.
"The guard will understand what the money means."
In other words, a bribe meaning don't report this...
"Then couldn't you have just not shown the token at all?"
"Judging by the guard's demeanor, he was going to keep being suspicious, so I decided to resolve it the easy way."
He explained it well enough, but I still found it hard to fully grasp. Reading all those little social cues and accounting for them... that was impressive.
Did all nobles learn things like that?
Being a noble wasn't as easy as it looked...
Come to think of it, once they came of age they attended the Academy, and even before that they studied etiquette, history, family lineage, and the like. If I'd been born into a noble house, I would have had to learn all those things just like him, wouldn't I? Just imagining it sounded exhausting.
In any case, having successfully entered the city, we set about finding lodgings right away. From what we gathered, the city was roughly divided into three districts.
The upper district, closest to the mine, was packed with forges and warehouses. The middle district was where the miners, blacksmiths, and the bulk of the city's residents lived. The lower district, nearest the walls, housed inns and various merchant companies.
"That's an unusual layout."
"I suppose it makes sense, with the mine at the center of everything."
Is that so?
At any rate, we set out to secure lodgings. Since we didn't know how many days we'd be staying, I'd wanted somewhere cheap...
"You want us to go to the temple?"
"Yes. There should be a temple here as well — and a large one at that."
Iron was important enough that the church would need a temple here to secure its own supply.
"Do we really need to do that?"
I asked carefully.
"In a place like this, there's no risk of our identities being discovered, is there?"
Well... she had a point.
I glanced at the young master.
"Please do whatever is most comfortable for you, Miss Julian."
"Th-that's the hard part..."
"As Miss Mary said, there's little chance of being found out. No one here will care who visits the local temple."
Is that so?
"So staying at the temple would be convenient. Though we should still be careful about what we say."
"Alright. Let's do that."
No need to spend money if we don't have to... staying at the temple it is.