Chapter 177: Towards the Border
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 177: Towards the Border
“A way to the Nivia Kingdom, you ask...?”
“Yes.”
The contract between us was simple.
I would assassinate Viscount Hessler, and in return, Lina Hessler would grant one of my requests.
Now that she had fulfilled my request, the contract was as good as expired.
But that didn't mean our personal connection was severed.
The atmosphere had been a bit tense just a moment ago, but my request hadn't been excessive.
It was only considered difficult because it involved monitoring and controlling the merchant guilds and prohibiting the trade of elf slaves.
If anything, I was in a position to ask for more.
“Was it a difficult request?”
“Not at all, but... as you can see, the situation is a bit hectic right now. Would it be all right if I had the butler take over?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
The vassals and guests filling the first floor of the mansion were all here to see her.
I wasn't clueless enough to hold her up for long in such a situation.
Not long after Lina Hessler left to attend to her duties, an elderly butler entered.
“I am Edmund, the butler of the Hessler viscounty.”
I followed the butler to another room. It was the viscount's personal study, where a rather large map hung on the wall.
I stared at the map on the wall as if mesmerized.
Though it was crude, it gave me an idea of what this world looked like.
‘There's only one continent.’
Unlike Earth with its seven continents, this world had only one.
Of course, it was possible they simply hadn't explored beyond the sea and were unaware of other continents.
There seemed to be around twenty nations, and the one boasting the largest territory was, unsurprisingly, the Northern Empire.
It occupied nearly a quarter of the continent by itself.
“I was told you wished to know about the route to the Nivia Kingdom.”
“Yes, and I have a few other questions as well, if that's all right.”
“By all means.”
The butler pointed to the map with a stick.
It was Wavel, in the Veilhaven Republic, where I was now.
“Until just a few months ago, traveling to the Nivia Kingdom would not have been very difficult.”
“Until a few months ago...? Did something happen?”
The butler pointed to the Orsia Duchy, east of the Nivia Kingdom.
“Three months ago, a civil war broke out within the Orsia Duchy.”
“A civil war?”
“Would you mind if I gave you a brief explanation?”
I nodded.
“The Orsia Duchy was founded hundreds of years ago when the Orsia Grand Ducal Family of the now-fallen Alvarez Kingdom declared its independence.”
If the Northern Empire was the hegemon of the northern continent, the Orsia Duchy was the hegemon of the south.
It was a nation that boasted formidable military power, built upon its vast granaries.
“The exceptional bloodline of the Orsia Grand Ducal Family has been passed down for generations, and the current Grand Duke is a transcendent being who has reached the realm of an Aura Master. It is said that whenever he takes to the battlefield, victory follows. Thanks to his good governance, he also enjoys the full support of his people.”
“...Is it even possible for a civil war to break out in a country like that?”
The Grand Duke possessed superhuman martial prowess and had the unwavering support of his people.
A civil war couldn't possibly happen unless his opponents were completely insane.
“As you say, Sir Henrik, a civil war would not have broken out if the Grand Duke had been well. However, a year ago, the Grand Duke collapsed from a mysterious illness, creating a rift within the duchy.”
Seizing the opportunity, the nobles who had been suppressed by the Grand Duke formed an alliance and started the civil war.
In the process, the territory of Count Marvil, the Grand Duke's closest confidant, was conquered. It seems the Grand Duke's only daughter, the princess, who was staying there to recuperate, has gone missing.
“Due to the unprecedented civil war, the Nivia Kingdom has also tightened its border security. You will not be able to cross without a pass.”
“Is there no way to get a pass?”
“The merchant guilds and nobles who have actively traded with them in the past possess passes. If you travel with them, you should be able to cross the border without any issues.”
Of course, it wasn't that there was no way to get a new pass issued.
But that method would take a lot of time.
Bribes could shorten the time, but it seems one would still have to wait two or three months.
Needless to say, I didn't have the luxury of wasting that much time.
“Our territory's merchant guilds do not trade much with the Nivia Kingdom, so there is little we can do to help. I apologize, but perhaps you could seek assistance in the Partal Territory? I can write you a letter of recommendation.”
“Thank you.”
After that, I learned various things from the butler.
He not only explained the shortest route to the eastern border but also gave me a brief overview of the entire continent's political situation.
Though I did have to listen to old tales about each country from time to time.
As I was spending time getting an unexpected lesson in history and politics, a question that had been nagging at me came to mind.
“The reason for the Goddess Cult's decline... you ask?”
The butler blinked, looking puzzled.
“Yes. My master once told me that in his lifetime, it wasn't difficult to find a temple of the Goddess Cult in any city. But after finishing my training and traveling the world, I've found their temples are almost nowhere to be seen.”
“Ah... may I ask which regions you have primarily traveled through?”
“The northern parts. I don't really know the names of the countries or territories.”
I answered vaguely.
One thing I'd learned while living at the mansion was that mages in this world were indifferent to their surroundings.
Apparently, it was common for them to mix up noble titles, and many of them didn't even know basic etiquette.
“What you're describing, Sir Henrik, is likely due to the influence of the Northern Empire.”
“The Northern Empire?”
“Yes.”
The butler pointed to the map once more.
“The Eustaff Empire is the official name of the Northern Empire. Their ruling ideology, as the sole power dominating the north, is a virulent form of human supremacism. Being skeptical of religion, they have ostracized and oppressed the elf-worshipping Goddess Cult for generations. While other religions haven't fared much better, the persecution of the Goddess Cult was particularly severe.”
The Eustaff Empire wielded immense influence over the entire northern region.
Naturally, neighboring countries had no choice but to be wary of the Empire, and the Goddess Cult was gradually pushed into the southern part of the continent.
Furthermore, after Resilia's rise to power, the Peledeia Kingdom's influence in the international community waned, which was another major factor.
The Goddess Cult was now a half-ruined religion, its legacy surviving only in the Peledeia Kingdom and a few small southern kingdoms beyond the Northern Empire's reach.
After the butler's explanation, I waited a short while and received a letter of recommendation stamped with the family head's seal.
With that, I headed for the annex.
‘...A shame.’
I thought I might be able to speak with the World Tree if I could contact the Goddess Cult.
·
·
·
That afternoon, I decided to leave the mansion.
Staying any longer would just be a waste of time.
Fortunately, thanks to Lina Hessler's kindness, I was able to travel to the next city in the viscount's carriage.
“Are you really leaving?”
She must have been incredibly busy, but she still came to see me off at the back of the mansion. I gave her a polite bow.
I didn't know what the future held for this city that treated elves as slaves, but for now, there was no harm in maintaining a friendly relationship.
“I'm sorry. My schedule is tight, so I'm afraid I can't afford to linger.”
She looked at me with a hint of disappointment.
Of course, it wasn't a girlish crush. It was closer to the desire of a recruiter wanting to keep a 4th Circle mage by her side.
“If fate allows, I will visit again someday.”
“...I'll trust you to keep that promise.”
“Of course.”
I boarded the carriage and took Iris's hand. Sylvia was already seated in a corner.
Perhaps because it was a noble's carriage, the ride was smoother than I expected.
“May mystery's blessing be with you.”
I didn't know what it meant, but with those words that mages in this world seemed to say constantly, the carriage began to move.
It didn't take long for the carriage to leave the city.
As we passed through the city gate, Balan, the captain of the guard, came to mind.
He was the only man I'd met in this world with whom I'd built a decent relationship. I wondered if we would ever meet again.
*
Three days had passed since we left Wavel.
We were now in a small mountain village called Sekal, located in the southernmost part of the County of Euclid, the same territory as Wavel.
According to our original plan, we should have been heading for the Gail Marquisate, our halfway point, but we had a reason to stop here for a while.
“Is that it?”
During the incident at the underground auction house, Iris had been forced to borrow the power of a spirit.
The spirit had paid the price for her at the time, but as the repayment deadline drew near, Iris's condition only worsened.
She suffered from high fevers and chills as if she had a severe flu, and the magic in her mana circle was nearly depleted.
For now, she was getting by on the remaining holy water and potions, but I was starting to think it might soon become dangerous.
That was why I had spent the last two days searching every mountain near the village.
According to Iris, spirits love magic stones. Apparently, high-ranking spirits in particular would only accept magic stones as payment.
In any case, I had asked the butler and managed to find out the location of a magical beast that was likely to yield a high-quality magic stone.
That place was right here, in Sekal village.
There were other villages, of course, but four of them had already been wiped out by attacks from an unidentified magical beast.
In response, the Count of Euclid had sent his knights, but they apparently couldn't even find the beast, let alone subjugate it.
It was currently presumed to be a magical beast that had wandered in from the Great Forest.
“...Found it.”
For the past two days, I had pushed my magic detection to its limits, searching for the creature that had devoured over a hundred people yet was apparently too cowardly to face the knights, choosing instead to slink away through the mountains.
As a result, I had finally found the cave where I presumed the beast was hiding.
“Alright, go on in and catch it.”
“...”
Sylvia, who was following behind me, cursed at me with her eyes.
“You know, constantly talking with your eyes instead of your mouth is a breach of contract, right?”
“...There's no such clause.”
“But there was a clause about calling me 'darling.'”
“...”
I walked over to Sylvia, who looked disheveled after two days of hiking through the mountains with me, and slung an arm over her shoulder.
She looked clearly displeased, but she didn't shrug my arm off like she used to.
It seemed my training whenever we were alone was paying off.