Chapter 177 - <1>
Still dragging out the mess from last time, Ritz and Anna are at it again at the start of volume 13. A new character appears between them, throwing the situation into even greater chaos. What will become of these two? And will they be able to meet the Soukai Clan, the Clan of Water?
Is this a fantasy or a romance novel? Even the author is wondering, as this somewhat jumbled volume begins, begins~.
"What the hell is that!"
The moment Ritz shouted at the small but sturdy, bearded sailor who was taking a break in the bustling port, Franz knew his bad feeling had come true and let out a small sigh.
He'd had a vague, unpleasant premonition when Ritz, who was always the most knowledgeable about the cities they aimed for and full of confidence, spoke about this particular city with even more confidence than usual. Nothing good ever happened when they went to a city Ritz was familiar with.
Sears, Ciedena, Merite... every single time, they'd been dragged into some kind of trouble.
"Not again..."
At Franz's involuntary murmur, Edward, who was standing next to him, gave a wry smile.
"For someone who said he knew this city well and to leave it to him, this is quite a pathetic state of affairs."
"...Indeed."
The group had arrived in a city called Suien, located in the northern part of the Tarnien Republic, which itself was situated in the northeast of the Eneonea Continent. Suien was said to be one of the ten largest port cities in Tarnien.
This country, also the homeland of Madam Faye from Tashkur, was populated by people with black hair and yellow skin, who were generally shorter than those in the Yuresla Kingdom or the Luciana Kingdom Federation. In this city, Ritz was quite a large man, and even Edward appeared to be on the taller side.
Perhaps because of this, it was harder to tell a woman's age here compared to other countries. According to Ritz, if you estimated someone was young, they could turn out to be much older. He had teasingly said that perhaps even Anna wouldn't be seen as so childish in this country, but whether that was actually true remained to be seen.
About two months had passed since they left Tashkur. They had left the city, where the snow melts late, in April, so the season was now June, nearly summer.
The journey from the high-mountain city of Tashkur down the mountain and back to the highways of the Sarnia Federation had been quite comfortable with a guide like Anil, but after leaving Sarnia and entering the Tarnien Republic, the difficult sections of the road had increased dramatically.
Tarnien was a country with complex terrain, featuring intricate inlets on the sea side and numerous mountains and forests on the mountain side. Unlike Yuresla, it had few gentle, large rivers, but many rivers in general, most of which were said to be rapids. Indeed, they had passed many rivers on their journey, and all of them were swift currents flowing through valleys.
The plains where most people lived were primarily located along the sea, with a city in each plain. To foster exchange between cities, it was often faster to travel by ship across the sea than to traverse the numerous winding inlets by road.
Because of this, even the state-maintained highways had considerable elevation changes, making the ascents and descents rather grueling. All the roads were maintained well enough for horses and small carriages to pass, but there were occasional spots where they had to pull over in wider sections to let each other pass.
The country's main trade goods, nestled within its abundant forests that stretched as far as the eye could see, were lumber and related processed goods, as well as smoked and bottled fish that swam up the rapids. Almost all of these were shipped from the ports by boat to various cities within Tarnien and to various trading partners.
In other words, they relied on ports and ships for almost all of their trade, and the main role of the highways was to transport people. Therefore, there was no need for wide roads like those in Yuresla, Sarnia, or Fornu.
However, the path they had chosen was deliberately a mountain pass along the highway. Although they had discussed and decided on it, Franz was honestly dejected. It was a harsh choice for someone like him who lacked stamina.
But if they were to go by boat, it would naturally cost a considerable amount for all their fares, plus the fare for the horse. On top of that, there was no guarantee they could smoothly transfer to a ship that connected the right ports, so if the transfer didn't go well, there was a possibility they would be stranded in that city for several days, having to pay for lodging.
Furthermore, their destination, the city of Suien, was located in the northernmost part of Tarnien. They had entered Tarnien from the most mountainous side, so it was a shorter route to head north through Tarnien on foot rather than taking a long journey to a port first and then traveling by sea.
And so, the group had come to the city of Suien, which traded with the Soukai Clan, also known as the Clan of Water, by traversing nearly the entire length of Tarnien.
In the past, Ritz had apparently stayed in this city many times, so regardless of whether it would be easy to enter their holy land, he had expected it would be simple to speak with the Soukai Clan. But now that they had arrived, this was the situation.
"Even if he knew it well over a decade ago, it's impossible for him to know it well now. This is a prime example."
"Cities and people change, after all."
"Huh? What is it?"
As Edward and Franz were nodding in agreement, Anna, who had seemed lost in thought recently and hadn't grasped the situation, looked back and forth between them.
"Is something wrong?"
Franz shrugged silently, and Anna tilted her head, turning her gaze to Ritz, who was still stubbornly pressing the sailor for answers. The sailor being cornered by Ritz was clearly annoyed with the big man interrupting his break.
"You gotta be kidding me? I've been traveling this country on foot, and I haven't heard anything about that!?"
"You're a persistent one, ain't ya? It's the truth, I tell ya, the truth!"
"So what's happened to the trade with the Soukai Clan?"
"It's suspended! And there's no sign of it resuming for now. Now that you get it, scram. I'm on my break."
Shooed away, Ritz turned back to the three of them waiting, scratched his head, and returned with a perplexed look on his face.
"So...?"
When Franz prompted him with a single word, Ritz shrugged.
"Trade with the Soukai Clan was suddenly halted in the winter, and there's no prospect of it resuming, he says."
"I see. The reason?"
"Who knows. Apparently, the human side has no idea. It was a unilateral decision from the Soukai Clan."
At Ritz's blunt words, Anna asked.
"Even though we came all this way?"
"Can't be helped. For now, we need to rethink our strategy."
"So we can't get on a ship today?"
"Nope."
"Aww..."
Ritz turned away from Anna, who had let out a clearly disappointed voice, sighed softly, and scratched his head. Ritz's attitude, no longer treating Anna as he had before they went to Tashkur, was exactly the same as when they had just started their journey.
Anna, after a slight glance at Ritz, also put on a childish smile like in the old days. This had become the standard gesture for the two of them recently.
There had been a considerable sense of unease on the way here, but the season was now almost summer. Even these two, who had been awkward since the middle of winter, were gradually getting used to their awkwardness as the new normal. It wasn't exactly comfortable for Franz either, and a subtle atmosphere sometimes drifted between them, but he had grown quite accustomed to it as well.
Probably even more so than the two of them.
Franz hadn't noticed the change in their relationship at all until Edward pointed it out, but seeing Ritz revert to his old attitude toward Anna felt incredibly strange. Without realizing it, he had grown accustomed to the sight of the two of them subtly supporting each other.
How long would their delicate relationship continue? The thought made him sigh.
At first, he had been considerate of both of them, but recently he had started being considerate only of Anna, which made things a little easier. However, because Franz had previously complained to Ritz that "if your relationship cracks, it'll affect my journey," Ritz was now looking out for him, while Anna, completely unaware of Franz's anguish, would worry about him and patronizingly say things like, "If you have any worries, you can talk to me, you know?" It was honestly unbearable.
He wanted to shout at the top of his lungs just once, like Ritz, "It's your fault I'm worried!" but such an emotional outburst was not in his nature.
Edward, sensing Franz's mounting irritation and bewilderment, would encourage him with his usual disarmingly gentle smile that could smooth over anything, saying things like, "A life with worries is a richer one." But things weren't that simple for someone with Franz's personality.
Still, if this situation were to continue, he was thinking that maybe, just for once, he'd try saying, "I'm getting irritated! Stop messing around!" like Ritz, these days.
"Hey, so what are we going to do? Weren't we supposed to stay on that island today?"
"Well, that was the plan, but it doesn't look possible. Besides, this port has more shops and stuff than that island, so it's the best place to kill time."
At Ritz's resigned words, Franz sighed. It seemed that, following Tashkur, they were in for another long stay in this city.
"It's going to cost a lot of money, huh?"
"Yeah. We need to find a way forward as soon as possible."
"Should I open a clinic again?"
"If you do that, you'll get a recruitment offer from the Tarnien army."
"Why?"
"This city is the closest to the continent's only chronic war zone, you know? They're desperate for healing abilities. If you're not careful, they'll stuff you in a bag and carry you off."
"Hmm, I'd rather not have that happen."
"Well, I don't think it'll come to that, though."
Ritz and Anna laughed as they made small talk. Though their relationship was delicate, they were used to it and even exchanged jokes. It was a relief that it was like this now. If they were at each other's throats, it would be a desperate situation, but this was still better. If things got really hostile, it would be unbearable.
Franz sighed and placed a hand on his chest. In there was the travel money for all three of them. Ever since the journey became a trio, the purse for the three of them had remained there, unchanged.
For now, their funds had been slightly replenished thanks to the wages Ritz had earned from construction and building work over the winter in Tashkur, and the reward given to them by the immigrants of Tashkur on the day of their departure as a sign of gratitude for Anna's clinic.
But after this country, Tarnien, came the Land of Darkness. It would be safer to have a full purse. Ritz, Anna, and the contents of his wallet—all were a little bit lonely.
"For now, I guess we have no choice but to find a mid-range inn and rest for the day."
The optimistic Ritz said, turning to Franz, who shrugged in response.
"If we stay long, our travel funds will be in danger."
"...Let's make it a lower-mid-range one, then."
"That would be appreciated. Also, if we end up staying long..."
With that, Franz once again touched the purse at his chest. The most reliable option in a pinch was to borrow from Edward, but for some reason, he felt that the king's money was imbued with the feelings of his people, and he didn't want to touch it lightly.
"I need you to find a job and work."
"You sound desperate."
"I am."
Anna, who had been listening to their conversation, murmured with a smile.
"Maybe it would be better to rent a house again..."
Mid-June, in the year 1574 of the Yuresla Kingdom Calendar. As the late summer of Suien arrived, they had no idea that at the same time their lodging worries would disappear, a huge problem would arise.