[Yard]
The hurriedly gathered mercenaries were slow to prepare, and leaving took far longer than expected.
Meanwhile, an order came from my father instructing me to depart ahead of him. I worried that this might leave a bad impression. I had my private soldiers continue their preparations while I assisted the mercenaries with organizing their equipment.
The expenses were enormous. Hiring a mercenary for a month cost roughly one to three large silver coins per person. If there were a hundred men, that meant a total of one to three large gold coins per month. A thousand men would cost ten times that. Considering that a knight’s annual salary was usually three to four gold coins, the amount was substantial.
And this expedition wouldn’t end in just one or two months. If we failed to accomplish much, the financial loss would be massive.
That’s precisely why it was crucial to reach the border village as soon as possible and leave a good impression on His Majesty.
“…Van’s territory, huh. I never thought that useless fool would end up holding a title.”
He was said to lack any aptitude for the four-element magic, even being called incapable. Espada and Dee had apparently accompanied him out of pity, but thanks to their power, he had likely accomplished some feats. I’d also heard he had hired adventurers or mercenaries. Perhaps he even received financial support from the two of them.
Dee was skilled, of course, and Espada had previously distinguished herself on the battlefield. With them, it would be possible to even slay a dragon. As a result, Van ended up being regarded as a hero who saved a remote village and defeated a dragon. Lucky, perhaps, but also strategically significant.
However, in the upcoming battle, I intended to demonstrate my power by scorching the battlefield with flames and make the presence of Yard Gai Fertio known. With that thought, I rode the carriage toward Van’s territory.
We managed some rest in towns and villages along the way, but the long hours of carriage travel were mentally exhausting. Even talking to Sest, we both slowly showed signs of fatigue.
Eventually, a report came from the leading mercenary that we had arrived.
“Lord Yard! We’re almost there!”
“…Damn it. Could you report a bit more quietly?”
I glared at the rough voice of the mercenary from the carriage window. Their coarse language had forced me to yell at the mercenary captain on the first day, which had somewhat improved their behavior. Still, even now, it was only slightly better.
I exchanged a grim look with Sest in the next carriage.
“Finally, it seems we’re here.”
Sest muttered with exasperation, and I nodded, letting out a sigh.
“It’s good to have finally experienced the vastness of our marquisate. But I do pity the youngest sibling, pushed to such a remote corner. Treatment varies depending on talent—it seems his lack of ability determined his fate.”
With a mix of pity for Van’s circumstances and a slight sense of superiority as a four-element mage, Sest looked ahead at the approaching destination.
“…Yard, is that…? Could it be… Van’s territory?”
Sest’s astonished voice made me lift my head. I soon felt the same disbelief.
“…The walls? He actually built walls like that in just over a year?”
Far ahead along the road, a walled fortress city came into view. Though modest in size, it could easily house over a thousand people. Soldiers patrolled the walls, keeping watch over the surrounding area.
“So, Dee and Espada were involved… But how much money must have been spent?”
I spoke calmly, though inwardly I was shaken. My district had been far from Van’s territory, and only upon returning to my father did I hear rumors of Van’s recent feats—but I dismissed them as ridiculous.
Van had supposedly built houses and forged weapons through magic. By that power, his territory had apparently grown significantly.
Ridiculous. No such production-based magic existed. There had never been a production-type mage in history.
Hearing the rumors, I ignored them.
Yet here before me stood a fortress city, clearly impossible to construct in just over a year. The gate alone was towering and imposing.
“…The architectural style is unfamiliar.”
“Y-yeah… and it’s huge.”
I spoke lightly to avoid showing intimidation, but Sesto’s expression betrayed his shock.
Then, a voice called down from the wall.
“Are you members of the Fertio Marquisate? Am I correct?”
A young woman’s voice. Surprised, the leading mercenary replied that we were indeed Fertio family members, and that both Sest and I were present.
The gate opened immediately, though entry wasn’t allowed all at once.
“What? Only ten representatives?”
“I apologize. Many more knights are still expected to arrive.”
I glared at the scene inside the gate. Though the city looked developed enough to be mistaken for the capital, its actual area was limited.
“Brother, it can’t be helped. There isn’t enough space.”
Sest said with a half-smile. I sniffed and nodded.
“Ah, I see. Perhaps I should say, ‘Well done on transforming a poor village into this.’”
I said, trying to sound confident, and we entered the city. As Sest had noted, the buildings were luxurious and towering, but the overall area wasn’t large. Perhaps enough to house around a thousand people. With most buildings over three stories, maybe a few more could live here.
Even so, it was likely smaller than the city we administered as governors, and disadvantaged in terms of logistics.
As I walked, admiring the streets, we were unexpectedly guided toward the opposite city gate.
“…Why are we heading outside the city?”
“Are… they trying to throw us out?”
We complained to the soldiers guiding us. They looked puzzled, then seemed to remember something and nodded.
“Ah, my apologies for the lack of explanation. This is not yet Ceat Village. Adventurers visiting Ceat Village have increased so much that Lord Van built this new town exclusively for adventurers.”
“…Huh?”
We both tilted our heads, confused. An adventurer-exclusive town? We’d never heard of such a thing.
Exchanging glances, Sest and I tried to process the information.
“Open the gates!”
At that moment, the city gates swung open, revealing a sight outside.
“…W-what is that…?”
“…Could that really be Van’s…?”
Before us appeared a fortress city even larger and more magnificent than the one we had just seen.
No comments:
Post a Comment