Arcadia (1)
Content partially modified on January 9 at 3 PM.
After jotting "Find a woman to be the Hero's companion" at the top of my to-do list, the Hero and I set off with the cavalrymen.
Arcadia. A nation forged by the survivors who escaped the Akad Wasteland. A country that had thrashed desperately just to stay alive amid hardships and trials.
"To be honest, things had gotten so dire that I'd half-given up hope. But His Majesty made a bold decision."
"A bold decision?"
"Yes. He pawned the crown passed down through generations of the Akad royal family to secure land for our people to live on and a massive stockpile of food."
The crown handed down through the Akad royal line... That had to be the one I gave them, right? Hmm. Pawning a treasure of immense value to humans for land and food... Reminded me of that Romance of the Three Kingdoms character who borrowed troops using the imperial seal as collateral.
This king guy. He seemed like an interesting human.
"After that, we united the Akad survivors with the tribes already living on the borrowed land, and thus Arcadia was born."
"It wasn't easy, though. The land we got was total garbage for farming."
"Weeds grew like crazy, but nothing else."
"Hoo..."
Weeds thrived, but crops wouldn't... Was it a soil issue? Or the terrain? I wasn't sure, but the land they'd gotten by pawning the crown clearly wasn't prime real estate.
"Thanks to that, all our farmers ended up raising cows, horses, and sheep instead. But the hills were fertile enough to provide plenty of grass for the livestock, so that was a silver lining."
Hm. So agricultural Akad had migrated and been reborn as a pastoral Arcadia centered on animal husbandry. That shift... was kinda intriguing.
"We even allied with the local tribes and managed to make it work. See that one over there? She's from one of those original tribes."
A horse beastkin woman walking a bit ahead smiled brightly and waved.
Sure enough. A proper horse girl.
"I'll fill you in on the details once we reach Arcadia. It's not far."
And so we headed to Arcadia.
We arrived with the cavalrymen at what could barely be called a village—more like a cluster of tents, the hallmark of nomadic herders. A pastoral nomadic nation... Yeah... Like the Mongols?
"It might not compare to villages in other countries, but welcome to Arcadia."
There wasn't a single proper building in sight, yet the people living here brimmed with vitality. Shepherds feeding their cows, dog beastkin herding sheep to the right pastures, horse beastkin merchants pulling carts loaded with goods to sell. Everyone was striving to survive.
Hm. A heartwarming sight.
As we strolled among the people,
"We two need to report our patrol results, so this one will guide you to the king. Have a great time in Arcadia."
The two cavalrymen excluding the horse beastkin gave us a quick bow and headed to a tent a short distance away.
Hmm. Given all the horses tied up... Probably the stables? Or maybe the cavalry barracks.
"This way. I'll take you to where the king is."
The horse beastkin woman led us to a large central tent.
"Does everyone live in tents?"
"Yes. We move every so often to find fresh grazing for the livestock, so we can't build permanent structures. Even the king's place... You can't just uproot a whole building, after all."
Still, it was fascinating. Akad had been an agriculture-based nation, but even with a divine curse, they'd completely overhauled their foundational industry. Truly bizarre. Or maybe the situation left them no choice? Perhaps the king who made that call was just that decisive.
Following the horse girl's—no, the horse beastkin's—guidance into the large tent, we found...
"Hm. The tribal forces are in decent shape. What about food supplies?"
"The south had a bumper crop, so we bought plenty at cheap prices."
"Good. Then... Hm? Who's there?"
Two men deep in discussion—a sharp-eyed man who seemed to be the king and his subordinate—noticed us entering.
"I'm Epona of the 5th Patrol Unit. While patrolling the old Akad lands, we encountered the Hero and the Dragon Priestess, so we've brought them here."
"The Hero and the Dragon Priestess?"
At that moment, the king's eyes changed. Those piercing eyes quickly curved into a friendly uncle's gaze.
"Well! To think such esteemed guests would visit our humble camp! Welcome! I'm Makairodus, king of Arcadia. Call me Makai."
Makai...? Odd name. Kinda sounds Japanese.
The Hero stepped forward at the king's courteous greeting, bowed, and spoke.
"I'm the Hero, chosen by the Life Goddess, though unworthy. And this is..."
"Hm. The Dragon Priestess, proxy of the goddess. Pleased to meet you."
"Hoo, to meet the Hero and Dragon Priestess in person, not just by rumor. You live and learn!"
"You're not even 40 yet, Your Majesty. Don't talk like an old man."
The subordinate beside the king grumbled. With his long beard, he clearly wasn't thrilled about his younger king acting aged.
"Hm, got a problem with that, you youthless relic?"
"Urgh..."
Whoa, harsh words. It's not like the guy wanted to lose his youth.
"Anyway... With such honored guests here, let's wrap up work for today!"
"W-Wait, Your Majesty! There's still unfinished business...!"
"Out with it! The Hero and Dragon Priestess take priority! Clear it out! Postpone till tomorrow!"
Whoa. Forcing stacks of papyrus onto his subordinate like that. Was this king for real?
The subordinate, saddled with the papyrus against his will, sighed and started sorting them. Ignoring him completely, the king spoke up.
"Let's see... Yesterday, that bald-headed Philio said he caught a lame cow, but there's no way he grilled up a whole big one in a day... You. Go buy some meat from Philio."
The king shoved the now-sorted papyrus at his subordinate's back.
"Your Majesty..."
"Come on, do me a favor! It'd look bad if the king went shopping himself!"
"I wouldn't think that from the king who was drinking with the commoners just days ago and groaned all day with a hangover."
"Th-That was unavoidable! It was his daughter's coming-of-age party! How could the king miss that?"
Hmm. Where'd all that kingly dignity go? Super approachable to the people, but not a shred of majesty left. Well, a king like this could be fun.
"Fine, I get it. We must treat our guests properly. But this will come out of Your Majesty's personal funds."
"What? Wait, I still had personal funds left? I thought I'd spent it all!"
"Yesterday was the end of the month."
"Oh crap!!"
Hah. Like a comedy routine.
The subordinate left the tent, and Epona, the horse beastkin who'd introduced herself, followed at the king's gesture.
"Alright, with the seats cleared... Now we can talk calmly."
The king flashed a small smile. Makairodus. That curving gaze held none of the friendly uncle who'd just bickered with his subordinate.
"I never imagined the goddess's proxy would come here. I thought she'd abandoned the survivors of that land."
The Hero flinched at the sudden shift in atmosphere. But this was probably his true nature. A king bold enough to pawn his crown for his people couldn't be some scatterbrained uncle.
"She hasn't come because there's been no reason to, not because she's turned her back."
"No reason to... So the goddess still has no intention of lifting the curse?"
"Hm. A declaration made in a god's name can't be revoked lightly. Not until that fool admits his error and atones in a temple. Still, your survivors seem more spirited than expected."
A curse where not a single blade of grass or insect could grow. A curse that made securing proper food impossible, dooming the nation. In this era of limited logistics and reliance on farming and hunting, it was utterly devastating.
Yet the king before me had rallied his people from that cursed land, led the migration, and endured. That deserved praise.
The king smirked.
"Spirited, you say... Is that how it looks to you?"
"......"
I didn't answer.
"The people who fled Akad are barely clinging to life. They curse the goddess for the blight and resent the foolish brother who caused it."
The king continued without dropping his smile.
"Ah, I'm not denying that idiot brother's crimes. The fool deserves to die a hundred deaths over. How dare he commit blasphemy against the Supreme God in her own temple."
That idiot brother. So the king before me was his elder brother. Makes sense—being the second prince, a first prince wouldn't be surprising.
"But decades have passed. Hasn't enough time gone by to lift the curse on that land?"
The king fixed me with a cold stare, as if demanding an answer from the goddess herself.