Chapter 374: Side Story 3: The Lion Queen
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 374: Side Story 3: The Lion Queen
Just a few years ago, the eastern part of the continent was not a particularly attractive region for merchants.
Compared to the South with its vast population and abundant resources, the North with its outstanding technology, and the West, wealthy from its position as a hub of maritime trade, the East had little to offer beyond its deep history.
The land was vast, but most of it was undeveloped wilderness, teeming with bandits and hordes of magic beasts. The lords of each city acted like independent warlords, ignoring the control of the royal family.
Things were slightly better further east, within the sphere of influence of the Ionia Kingdom, but even that was hardly worth the risk and effort involved.
A common saying among merchants was that one would be better off using that effort to complete a single transaction elsewhere… but that was no longer the case.
Mixolydia.
This new city, which had sprung up in the center of the power vacuum between the Lydia Empire of the South, the Magic State Aeolia of the North, and the Ionia Kingdom of the Far East, was proof of that change.
It wasn't that no other power had attempted to rise in this region before, but Mixolydia was in a different league from such riffraff.
This was the city built by the remnants of the Empire’s Lennart Ducal House, once called the strongest martial family, after they had gathered around a new head following their great fall in a rebellion.
The rabble of bandit groups were all beheaded before the swords of the Lennart warrior clan, or they bent the knee and swore fealty. The magic beasts that had fearlessly run rampant were turned into leather and meat, fattening the city.
Friedel, Albert, Lowefelt, and countless other cities.
The powers in the vicinity that had once boasted some influence were, one by one, consumed by Mixolydia’s influence, merging into one giant entity.
The lords who had reigned like kings in the power vacuum resisted Mixolydia to protect their vested interests, but it was as futile as trying to shield a candle flame with one’s palm in a storm.
In the end, they had only one hope.
External intervention.
Be it the Empire, the Magic State, or the Kingdom.
No nation would welcome a powerful state establishing itself on its border, so they sent out requests for aid.
However, to their dismay, no power answered their call.
The leaders of each nation knew all too well who the head of the Lennart family, the one at the apex of Mixolydia, was.
No nation wished to shed blood by needlessly provoking a woman who was, for all intents and purposes, the strongest person on the continent at that moment.
Besides, the leaders of each nation were already connected as one, whether they liked it or not, with the witches' apprentices serving as a bridge between them. The atmosphere was not one that encouraged bloody confrontation.
Faced with this wicked union (?) of the establishment, the lords could only weep as they surrendered their lands and people.
“I’d heard it was developing rapidly, but this is beyond my imagination.”
Lorentz Halder, head of the Halder Company—once a moderately sized company known only in the southeastern part of the Empire, now a massive enterprise renowned throughout the continent—could not help but marvel at the cityscape visible from his carriage.
A wide road, large enough for more than four carriages to pass simultaneously, ran alongside a pedestrian walkway. Drainage systems were installed everywhere.
The towering buildings each boasted unique colors and designs, yet they existed in harmony, never encroaching on the roads or the territory of other buildings.
The city’s layout, seemingly haphazard at first glance yet arranged according to meticulous rules, seemed to be a direct reflection of its designer’s thorough and competent nature.
“The head of development was… Giselle von Lennart, was it? I hear she also serves as the lord of Friedel. She’s quite the diligent one.”
As he surveyed the city, his merchant’s senses on high alert—noting which shops were in which locations, what goods were on the stalls and their quality and freshness, the appearance and spending habits of the customers—a strange commotion reached his ears.
“Sir, you can’t do this. The item you ordered has already been promised to someone else, so we cannot sell it to you.”
“Hmph! You just don’t get it, do you? Get your manager out here, now!”
A man, whose impressive potbelly was visible even through his clothes, was shouting at a shop clerk.
Judging by his distinct manner of speech, luxurious clothing, and the accessories he wore, he appeared to be a noble from somewhere.
“Tsk, people like that are the same everywhere.”
The fact that he was raising his voice himself in public, rather than having a servant do it, suggested he wasn't a particularly high-ranking noble, but a noble was a noble. A common shop would inevitably have trouble dealing with him.
Lorentz’s own Halder Company had experienced similar situations many times, so he couldn't help but sympathize with the flustered clerk.
“Shut up. You’re bothering everyone.”
It was then that a young girl boldly stepped between the two.
She had long, wavy hair that cascaded down her back.
Her white sundress and graceful face gave the impression of a pampered upbringing, yet the aura she exuded was that of a complete delinquent.
The pot-bellied noble seemed momentarily taken aback by the girl’s intervention but soon spoke with a displeased expression.
“Bothering everyone? Are you talking to me?”
“I thought you were just clueless, but it seems you’re hard of hearing, too. Anyway, I’ll give you three seconds. Decide. Shut your mouth and get lost, or be punished for causing a disturbance.”
“Th-this insane wench! Do you have any idea who I am?!”
“And do you know who I am to be running your mouth like that?”
“Wh-what?”
“Three seconds are up. I did warn you.”
POW!
A single kick from the girl sent the pot-bellied man flying three meters into the air.
After crashing to the ground, the man clutched his groin and foamed at the mouth. Lorentz and the other passersby who witnessed the scene all trembled.
It was a primal pain and fear that, as men, they could not help but empathize with.
“Oh, Captain Hilda! It’s fine to hit them, but you have to keep it within treatable limits!”
A moment too late, a group of guards armed in high-quality armor stormed the scene.
Each of them wore a badge with a lion seal on their chest. It was only then that Lorentz noticed the girl who had first intervened was wearing the same badge.
Wait, didn’t the guard just say something strange?
‘It’s fine to hit them’?
Was that something a guard should say? Or was it something only a guard could say? Which was it? More importantly, was it okay to treat a noble like that?
In response to the guard’s words, the girl called Hilda replied simply.
“It’s fine. I pulled the kick.”
“Ah. Is that so? Then it’s fine. As long as nothing… broke, it should be fine. Hey! Take him away! Get that carriage out of here, too! And his companions with him!”
The guards placed the convulsing noble on a stretcher and began to transport him with practiced skill.
From their perfectly composed movements and coordination, it was clear this wasn't the first or second time they'd done this.
Lorentz, who had been staring blankly at the scene, finally muttered to himself.
“Mixolydia is a scary place.”
If you cause trouble, whether you’re a commoner or a noble, you get beaten and thrown in jail.
No matter how he thought about it, it seemed more like the method of back-alley thugs than city guards, but only outsiders like Lorentz seemed disconcerted.
The local merchants all reacted as if they found it deeply satisfying.
Some even offered a drink to the harassed clerk. From what Lorentz could see, it was the sweet carbonated beverage recently developed in the Magic State.
“You there, be extra careful not to cause any trouble.”
“Yes, Master Lorentz!”
After observing the city for a while longer, Lorentz finally reached his destination: the inner castle.
“Welcome, Master Halder. It must have been a long journey. I am the knight assigned to guide you, Ronnie Roxly.”
At the greeting from the female knight who had come to meet him at the castle gate, Lorentz hurriedly dismounted from his carriage and bowed his head in return.
“I am overwhelmed by such a warm welcome for the master of a small company.”
“A company that ranks among the top ten on the continent can hardly be called small.”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lorentz began to walk, following Ronnie’s lead.
“Have you had a look at the city?”
“Yes. I was able to see a great deal in the short time it took to get here. It is a city truly brimming with vitality.”
“Yes. But this is only the beginning. According to the plans of Administrator Giselle and Diplomat Maris, we intend to more than double the size of the domain within a year.”
“Double, you say?”
Lorentz’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he felt a sense of apprehension.
The Mixolydia he had observed was certainly a land with immense potential.
So much so that the gossips’ claims that a new kingdom might rise in this land didn't sound like mere empty talk.
However, excessively rapid growth always comes with a corresponding burden.
‘The land around here is heavily forested and mountainous, which is good for gathering, but it’s only average as farmland. It might not be a big problem yet, but if the city grows to that size, even self-sufficiency will be difficult. Could it be that they wanted to see me about importing food? A long-term contract wouldn’t be a bad deal, though.’
As Lorentz was lost in thought, Ronnie spoke.
“What you are about to see must never be revealed to the outside world, so please be careful.”
At her stern and serious words, Lorentz nodded with a firm expression.
A wall stood between the ninth and tenth pillars that formed the inner castle.
When Ronnie reached out to what looked like an ordinary, featureless wall, her hand sank right into it.
Lorentz was startled, but having been warned by Ronnie beforehand, he didn't cause a scene.
“Please take my hand. An outsider not registered with the barrier must be in physical contact with a guide to enter.”
“Ah, yes. Excuse me.”
Lorentz cautiously took Ronnie’s hand and stepped through the wall.
And then, he was rendered speechless by the sight that unfolded before his eyes.
—Clack!
Thud!
—Clack!
Thud!
—Clack-clack!
Thud!
A vast, blue sky.
On a plain that stretched as far as the eye could see, workers were farming with hoes.
And every single one of those workers was a skeleton, their bodies hollow and bare.
“?????”
Clack! Thud!
Skeletons clacked their teeth in rhythm, skeletons swung their hoes down with seeming cheer, and skeletons planted seeds. Lorentz’s mind was filled with question marks at the transcendental sight.
And that wasn't all.
The eastern section where Lorentz stood was just one part of the whole.
To the west, skeletons were pruning trees in an orchard; to the north, skeletons were grinding grain in a mill; and to the south, skeletons were diligently digging up potatoes.
The harvested food was then packed into sacks and brought, pile by pile, before a certain woman.
“Alright, everyone, please step back so you don’t get caught in it.”
At the words of the green-haired woman, Sophia, the skeletons scurried back to create distance.
Once she confirmed they were far enough away, Sophia unleashed a vast amount of holy power from her body.
The food, which had carried an unsettling aura from the influence of the ominous undead, was all returned to a pure and clean state after Sophia’s holy power disinfection.
As a merchant, Lorentz knew the importance of a poker face, but this time, he couldn't close his gaping mouth.
As if she completely understood his reaction, Ronnie spoke in a calm tone.
“We wish to use the Halder Company’s distribution network to export this food. We’ve been consuming it ourselves within Mixolydia for several months without any adverse effects, so you need not doubt its quality.”
“Yes? Oh, ah, yes. Ahem.”
Lorentz struggled to get his malfunctioning brain to work.
The proposal was completely different from what he had expected, but business was business.
As the head of a merchant company, he needed to assess the conditions calmly and rationally.
“Dame Ronnie, if I may ask, do you hold full authority in this transaction?”
“Yes. I have been entrusted with this significant role.”
“Then there’s no need to drag this out. First, I’d like to check the quality of the goods—hm?”
Suddenly, something strange caught Lorentz’s eye.
To describe it literally, without any metaphor…
…it was a carriage running on its own despite having no one in the driver’s seat, and a man and a woman chasing it on foot from behind.
“Sir Knight! You can do it! Just twenty more laps! You’re almost there!”
A young man, panting too hard to even reply, and a girl with golden hair and violet eyes cheering him on enthusiastically.
Furthermore, while the young man was dressed lightly in only a shirt and pants, the girl was running with what looked like a large suit of armor loaded onto a carrier on her back.
Even though the girl was running backward, she wasn't falling behind the carriage. In fact, aside from a slight flush on her cheeks, she showed no signs of labored breathing.
“Ah, you needn't pay that any mind. The lord is simply doing a bit of training.”
Utterly nonchalant.
As if it was the most natural thing in the world, something she had seen far too many times. At Ronnie’s demeanor, Lorentz once again revisited the thought he’d had earlier.
‘……Mixolydia is a terrifying place!!’