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Chapter 8 – The Fortress of the Territory
Clare’s first medicine sale ended without incident. When the two headed to the carriage, the escorting adventurers and traveling merchants who had probably heard the village chief’s story were waiting for them.
“Huh, thank you for coming today.”
“Yes.”
“Thank you for your help.”
The Black Witch of the Great Sea of Trees and her apprentice were accompanying them, so Rona waved her hand to the traveling merchants and guards, who seemed a little nervous, and Clare returned the greeting as usual.
“It’s for transportation, so the ride isn’t very comfortable, so please be aware of that. If you feel sick, please let me know. We’ll take a break.”
The traveling merchant said to Clare.
“Oh, I see. Thank you for your concern.”
Clare bowed deeply, paid the fare, and got into the covered wagon with Rona.
The carriage they got into was not a typical stagecoach. It is used by traveling merchants to bring goods they have purchased to villages, and to transport items purchased in the village and Rona’s medicines to the capital city. The medicine bottles are cushioned with cotton and straw, so they won’t break when shaken, but the number of people that can ride in them is limited.
Villagers heading to the capital city can ride along if they have money, but even if they don’t, traveling in a large group can be a safe way to travel while protecting themselves from thieves and monsters, so they sometimes accompany the carriage on foot.
In other words, it doesn’t travel very fast. Since they travel on unpaved roads and the horses need to be rested, it’s only fast enough for a strong runner to keep up on foot.
And so the group set off for the capital city of Margrave Tolland.
“What’s the capital like?”
“It’s a pretty big city. If you exclude the royal capital, Rostad is probably one of the top five.”
“Maybe it’s because it’s the key to defense near the Great Sea of Trees and the border.”
“Yeah. That’s why people gather in a fortress city like the capital because they can live there safely.”
“That’s something I’m looking forward to.”
The girl doll said, putting her hands on her chest. To Rona’s eyes… it looked like the doll was smiling happily.
Even though there are things to do after arriving at the capital, this is Clare’s first big city in this world.
Rona was rocked in the carriage, thinking about taking some time to explore the city.
“Hmm. It’s quite useful.”
“As soon as I got in, I was convinced of the ride… I felt the rocking… I don’t think I can stand it.”
The girl doll made a gesture as if rubbing her waist as Rona spoke.
If you drive a carriage on an unpaved road, without a shock-absorbing mechanism like a suspension, you will be shaken quite erratically.
It would be fine if you only got motion sickness, but if you’re not used to riding in a carriage, you will hit your butt or hips against the seat many times.
The peddler’s offer to take a break if Clare felt unwell was no exaggeration, and was probably out of concern for Clare.
Rona—although she appears to be sitting normally, she is constantly deploying a thin magical protective membrane. She protects herself by floating a few millimeters, so external shocks of this magnitude do not reach her. In addition, by magically strengthening her semicircular canals, she is not affected by motion sickness.
In Clare’s case… strengthening the semicircular canals is not a problem. This is because it is essential to keep one’s posture and not get dizzy to perform acrobatic movements.
However, although she had been told that she should eventually aim to have a constant defensive membrane deployed like Rona does, Clare had not yet reached that point.
According to Rona, she has enough magic power, but her efficiency is still not good. If she deploys a protective membrane in all directions, her magic power will run out soon, so she can’t do that unless it’s an emergency.
So Clare came up with a more efficient way to protect herself from the swaying of the carriage. In other words, the method that allows her to use her magic best – her unique magic.
She twists and combines threads, deploying them like a carriage cushion on the parts that come into contact with her, then bundles the threads together to create a suspension-like structure. This reduces the swaying and impact.
Not limited to this usage, Rona often sees Clare using thread in various ways by changing its structure and properties.
According to Clare, in her previous life, she devoted herself to research and crafting because puppetry can be expressed in new ways as various materials are used, not just ordinary thread and wire. She is probably making use of that experience and knowledge.
However, the traveling merchants and adventurers who were riding in the same carriage as her had no idea about this.
The traveling merchant who was driving the carriage would casually look back from time to time to check on Clare and the others.
“–It was my first time riding in a carriage, so I was worried, but it seemed fine. I was watching them, and they waved me off.”
The traveling merchant laughed a little, and the guards looked at the carriage hood from outside and exchanged looks.
“…As expected, of the Black Witch’s apprentice.”
“That witch…I hear she’s pretty strong, right? I’d love to see her fight.”
“I’m sure you understand, but the witches are just passengers, so please try not to bother them.”
As a traveling merchant, as a guard, he would like to refrain from dealing with monsters and thieves, as well as giving instructions and demonstrations.
“I understand that. It’ll be fine.”
“Haha. Strong people are respected. I understand how you feel.”
While the peddler and the guards were talking, Rona told Clare about what would happen after they arrived at the capital.
“First, I’ll sell the medicine as planned. However, even if I show up, I won’t negotiate again. Let’s make it a goal to negotiate on your own and avoid selling at a low price.”
“Hmm. Understood.”
It’s always the case that Rona sets an example when doing something for the first time.
Clare thinks that even if Rona doesn’t directly intervene, if she shows up, that’s a great support.
There’s no problem with the quality of the medicine. Even if she doesn’t interfere in the negotiations, it means that the master will take care of it, so if he doesn’t understand that and just charges, there’s no need to do the deal in the first place.
If we can avoid selling at a low price the first time, we won’t be forced to sell at an unreasonable low price next time, even if the price fluctuates due to the current situation.
“If it’s the same, no matter who makes it, it’s convenient for us to be flexible in our daily actions.”
That’s what Rona says. If we can change our actions each time, we’ll have more freedom in the content of our training.
“Well, once we’re done buying and selling, let’s go around the town to see the structure of the capital city. If you don’t waste it, the money you earned from selling the medicine is yours, so it’s a good idea to do some shopping.”
“I’m looking forward to it. I want to buy something to use as material for a doll.”
The girl doll in his arms clenches both fists in front of his chest as if excited.
“…You can use it for your own clothes and accessories, right?”
“Well… I’ll get to that later.”
Saying this, the doll turns her face away.
The apprentice, who says something uncool, looks at the scenery passing by from the back of the wagon. Although his face was hidden by his hat, he didn’t seem to be in a bad mood. Judging from his expression, it didn’t show much, as usual. Rona shrugged her shoulders in response to his reaction, thinking it was okay.
It took about three days by carriage from the village near the Great Sea of Trees to the capital. The journey involved resting the horses and staying overnight in towns along the way after sunset. Certainly, anyone with good legs could easily accompany the carriage.
If this was a well-paved road, and they could get the backing of an official institution to replace their horses, they would be able to travel much faster.
However, the roads were well-maintained along the way and their travel speed increased somewhat, but still, for Clare and Rona, it was much faster to travel by broom. Even if they replaced their horses.
In terms of transportation volume, Rona’s bag could carry more goods than the carriage.
This is because she had prepared a bag that could cast the spells of Dwarf Curse and Feather Curse – small size and lightness – on the stored items.
So, they don’t really need a carriage. But after actually riding in one, Clare understood why they should use it as a social learning experience.
If you want to transport many people or luggage at once, you generally use a carriage or a canal, and you need to experience and learn how fast you can travel and what the advantages and disadvantages are.
“I can see it.”
At the words of the peddler, Clare peered ahead from behind the driver’s seat.
Appearing from the shadows of the forest along the road, a city with a sturdy, high wall came into view. The overall appearance of the city was like a single giant fortress.
There was a second, even higher wall inside the outermost wall, and a castle in the center. Because the castle in the center was on a slightly elevated spot, from a distance it looked like a single giant building. It appears that there was actually a streetscape inside the wall.
“Wow… What an impressive fortress city.”
“After all, it’s the key to defending the northeastern part of the Rostadt Kingdom.”
The peddler told Clare with some pride. Maybe he enjoyed being able to guide the witch’s apprentice to the capital.
“Well, once you get inside, it’s actually pretty normal. Even if there are some hotheads, the Margrave’s family keeps them under control, so the security is surprisingly good. Don’t let your guard down.”
“Yes. As they are known as warriors, the knights seem to value honor.”
“The Great Sea of Trees is not so easy that it can be protected by people with loose discipline.”
The number of people traveling along the road is increasing, and Clare could see that it is thriving. On the way here, she passed soldiers patrolling the road several times. These things were proof of the good security and the sense of security of staying in the capital.
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