CH 128

Chapter 128 – When Winter Comes

“Myrril! It’s a disaster!”

In a small house we have secured within the walls of Casemaian. As I ran into it, my small but happy home, the Nojaloli-san looked up from the kitchen and gave me a dubious look. She looked quite cute in her apron.

She was probably preparing dinner, and there was a nice smell of aromatic herbs and wild bird broth.

“What’s the matter, Yoshua? Have the empire attacked us?”

“No, there is no report from the winged tribe’s patrols. Not in that direction, but to the east.”

Incidentally, this house is located on the border between the residential and commercial zones, close to the church, which serves as both a government office and meeting place (and armory).

“East? The kingdom will be no problem. The northern part of the kingdom is unrecoverable. And what about the barren buffer zone to the east?”

“No, beyond that. There’s something called the Republic; have you heard of it?”

“I have heard of it, but I have never been there. It is said that there are hundreds of miles to the border, and in between, there are forests, mountains, and swamps where magic beasts dwell, and dragon species, whether true or false, appear in abundance.”

“What’s so scary about that…? No, I don’t care about that story for now. The Republic has an adventurers’ guild!”

“…Huh?”

◇ ◇

The story goes back a little.

After hearing that Rinko’s airship had been completed at the dwarves’ workshop, I decided to take a test flight to demonstrate its completion.

The problem was the destination.

All of the neighboring countries are enemies, albeit provisionally, while the kingdom’s friendly relations are mainly with the southern nobles’ territories. Even though Duke Lemore’s rebel army, or revolutionary forces, had conquered the northern part of the kingdom, which is relatively close to Casemaian, hostile forces still remained in the area.

“Since it is an airship, the air sacs are filled with highly flammable gas. If it gets hit by an attack spell from an ambush, it will explode.”

“What about raising the altitude? Though, I don’t know what the range of their attack magic is.”

“The maximum range is at least half a mile. The airship’s gondola is not sealed either, so it would freeze at such an altitude. There is no oxygen.”

I would like to take a test flight, but I have to decide where I want to fly.

As we continued to discuss our options, Merel-san, the beastman merchant, offered us a helping hand.

“How about the East?”

He was a fox beastman with a refined noble face and had a wide range of knowledge, experience, and connections, having run a business for a long time in the empire.

“What is there to do in the East?”

“There is nothing. The eastern half is a buffer zone to prevent the outburst of the magic beasts. There are no settlements and no roads.”

“Beyond that is, um… the sea?”

“There are another five hundred miles or so to the coastline. The eastern edge of the continent is a republic called Hagwai.”

I don’t think I had heard of it before.

As far as I could tell, none of the dwarves seemed to have any knowledge of the Republic. Even Heimann-jiisan, who is supposed to be quite knowledgeable, didn’t seem to know much about it.

“There is no trade, and people do not come and go.”

Of course, neither do I. In the first place, I had no idea about the forces that were not hostile to us. Unless there were subhuman brethren running away, I wouldn’t even look into it.

“In this continent, it is the only country that has not been at war with the Demon King’s territory, no?”

“No. If they don’t attack us, we won’t attack them either.”

The problem is that there is no such force outside of the Republic.

“I heard that there is a port town at the northern tip of the continent beyond the Dark Forest.”

In response to Heimann-jiisan’s question, Merel-san drew a simple map on the table with a finger dipped in water.

“It is now part of the empire’s territory, but until about a hundred years ago, it was also part of the republic.”

It is said that the Republic used to be a large, longitudinal country that covered the coast from the northeast to the southeast of the continent. The country had its own culture and boasted unparalleled naval capabilities, but because it was indifferent to the development of land forces and mages, its territory was gradually eroded by the empire.

“The decision-making is done by the national assembly, and the country does not have a standing army. Instead, it hires mercenaries and adventurers when necessary, but when it comes to engaging the regular imperial army, the odds are somewhat against them…”

“Oh, wait a minute!”

I raised my hand to stop Merel-san from speaking.

“Did you just say, adventurers?”

“Yes. There is a system of guilds that coordinate with employers.”

“…That’s it.”

My Dream has Come True!