When I told Bell and Rosalie that we were heading to the capital of the Yellenetta Kingdom, they immediately asked to accompany us. As expected.
And, of course, Orto and the others also decided to come along. I was incredibly grateful.
As a result, Bell and Rosalie were only bringing a single carriage and two merchants to accompany us in order to handle the transactions. With them came the Panamera Knight Order, the Ceat Village Knight Order, and twenty adventurers for the journey.
"The Yellenetta Kingdom, like the Hessel Confederation, trades with the central continent, so you can get rare spices and fabrics there. Many adventurers take on escort missions as a way to make some extra money."
"Merchants usually travel with at least two large carriages due to customs duties. How much will the adventurers be purchasing?"
"Huh? What’s customs duty?"
"I don’t know."
Listening to the terrifying conversation between Orto, Bell, and the other adventurers, I couldn’t help but grimace. When I asked, they explained that traveling along the edges of forests or woods increased the chance of acquiring monster materials or ores, so they rarely used the main roads.
Though, during an escort mission, they would definitely have to take the main roads. This was intentional, no doubt. These adventurers were practically tax evaders.
By the way, normally, they traded with the Yellenetta Kingdom through the coastal routes, but this was the first time they would go through the fortress cities of Murcia and Cayyenne. Apparently, occasionally, mermaids could be seen along the way, which made everyone a little more excited. Van-sama thought they might be similar to the Apkallu, but their appearance was said to be somewhat different.
We talked like that while heading towards the Yellenetta Kingdom’s capital. As expected, the road from Cayyenne Fortress City to the capital was well-maintained, and the journey was quite comfortable. Sure, there were holes due to the road's aging, but it was still much better than the mountain roads. The road laid through the Wolfsburg Mountains had many slopes, and it curved quite a bit, so it was difficult to travel on.
In contrast, once we passed through the mountains, the road was mostly straight. The weather was also favorable, and this turned out to be one of the most enjoyable carriage rides I’d had. It was amusing to note that as we passed through a larger town, which had effectively become a checkpoint, Panamera just introduced herself and we passed without issue. I wasn’t surprised by the whispers I heard from the townspeople—"Is that the Empress of Flames…?" "They say she burns all who defy her…" I had already expected as much.
"The people of Yellenetta Kingdom are quite calm, aren’t they?"
Panamera muttered this curiously, and I just smiled politely in return. I’d prefer to leave the revelation of the truth to someone else.
"Ah, there it is. That’s the capital."
Unaware of the whispers calling her the "Empress of Ashes," Panamera exclaimed proudly. At her words, we all looked up.
At the end of the long, gray stone-paved road, there was a straight stretch of city walls. I could see the shadows of several towers in the distance, but I couldn’t yet make out the royal castle itself.
From afar, it seemed to have a historical aura, so perhaps there weren’t as many large buildings as I’d expected. But as we got closer, that assumption was quickly disproven.
Simply put, the walls were massive. As we drew nearer, the walls looked like they were at least twenty meters high. Because the surrounding area was flat, the walls seemed even more imposing. Of course, if Van-sama had built it, it would have been even bigger, but this old wall was undoubtedly built nearly a hundred years ago. When I thought about the vast wealth, labor, and time that must have gone into its construction, it felt truly overwhelming.
"Quite a sturdy wall. However, making it this wide, defense could become difficult. If we fight in the field, attacking from the walls with magic would be more efficient. It’s great that enemies can be spotted from a long distance, but there could be more defensive equipment."
Panamera immediately voiced her evaluation while observing the walls. It was very much like her to immediately think about battle scenarios.
"However, it’s very large and impressive. It must have been quite difficult to build this."
As she muttered this, Panamera sniffed and looked at me sideways.
"From a boy like you, that might come off as sarcasm. But, well, for an old town, these are quite good walls. They may not have seen much battle, but maintaining these must have cost quite a bit."
"Well, I also had Espada and other top-tier earth mages help me with it."
"That’s on a different scale entirely."
As we continued our conversation, we drew closer to the walls. When we reached them, we had to actually look up at them.
And the castle gate, installed on such massive walls, was equally enormous. It was a large double gate that seemed like even a giant could pass through with a stretch, and the style seemed quite old. The wooden gates were reinforced with iron plates, giving off a heavy, imposing atmosphere.
"Halt, everyone! Please tell me your names!"
As we stood before the castle gates, a voice called down from the top of the walls. Macan, one of Panamera’s subordinates, responded promptly. Both Panamera and I were introduced.
At that moment, I could clearly sense the unease spreading among the soldiers on the walls.
"T-T-the Empress of Ashes..."
"Is the capital doomed…?"
I could hear whispers about Panamera’s new title. Perhaps, as rumors tend to grow, more and more nicknames were being added.
"Hey, didn’t they call her something weird?"
Panamera narrowed her eyes and looked at Macan. He nodded dutifully.
"Yes. They were probably calling her the Empress of Ashes."
It seemed Macan had taken on the role of delivering the truth to the "Empress of Fear." Thank you, Macan.
As I counted the cracks in the castle walls, Panamera suddenly burst into laughter.
"Quite a dramatic name they’ve given me. Well, it’s better than the ‘Bloodthirsty Demon King’ or whatever they called me during the time I fought the small nations."
Panamera brushed it off with a laugh. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of battles she had been involved in. But frankly, I didn’t have the courage to ask.
No comments:
Post a Comment