Chapter 188 - Chapter Eleven: Border Communication Route
It was about a week after the spiders attacked the mountain cabins when Adolf-san informed us that the Engrio army had withdrawn. The active period was one month and two days. I felt somewhat bad about it.
When I asked Adolf-san, he said it had been decided from the beginning that the participation period would last until the unit that invaded Regnentes was officially disbanded.
In the end, the number of spiders that attacked during the participation period didn't reach three thousand across the entire first row.
"Since we defeated over a hundred spiders, it would have been better if it wasn't a period-based reward, you know."
The greedy mage sat sloppily in a chair, resting her chin on the table. She had been involved in four mountain cabins' worth of spider extermination. Although the reward per person was lower due to the larger number of participants, she should have still earned about three gold coins.
It felt like a lot of wasted effort, but it was probably better than the Engrio army, which retreated before even reaching the enemy positions.
According to the rumors that reached us, they were attacked by the Demon Lord. Robinson-san might have been involved, but when asked, he just smiled and said, "The Demon Lord, right?"
"Apparently, there was virtually no engagement between the Regnentes army and the Engrio army. The Engrio army, attacked by the Demon Lord, simply withdrew on its own."
According to Marcelo-san, the declaration of war was still active.
"So, they'll attack again?"
"There's a possibility."
Does that mean there will be another request?
"When will that be?"
"Not for a while. At least, an invasion using that highway, well... perhaps not until my next generation."
Isn't that practically the same as never?
"It has become a cursed land, after all. No one will use that road."
He smiled mischievously.
Honestly...
He had no ill intent and wasn't lying, but I wished he'd do something about that habit soon.
"Then Sertoria and Regnentes can do whatever they want. It wasn't the Demon Lord anyway, but some important person in the Royal Capital who planned it, right?"
"That's probably true, but you mustn't say that anywhere else. Besides, that road won't bring any benefits unless you pass through it secretly."
Could there be such a thing as the Demon Lord's benefits?
As a priest, it wasn't something I appreciated.
Well, however. It meant that scouts—or rather, hunters—could still come and go freely. Surely, there must be some strange mountain cabins somewhere, with bandits coming and going.
"So, since it ended much earlier than expected, there's a surplus in the budget. No, perhaps it increased since all the furs and meat became the town's property."
"Is there an additional request?"
Beatrix jumped up from her chair.
"There's a mountain cabin at the very western end, right? We're basically dismantling all the mountain cabins we used this time, but they're leaving the one at the western end."
The mountain cabin at the western end hadn't been attacked by spiders, so there were no gnawed or broken parts, and no repairs were needed.
"They're going to build a communication route with a rush job from that mountain cabin to the plains north of Regnentes' fortress. It'll be just wide enough for horses to run through, and during the construction period, we've been asked to connect a Teleportation Circle between our place and the Royal Army."
"Civil engineering, huh? A new job for the goblins?"
"No. They'll also be building from the Regnentes side, so it will mainly be Jaegers. However, since they're currently building positions in the planned development area, we've been asked to take on only the tree felling."
"So, we just cut trees with amplified magic, right?"
"Yes. Paul-san will dig up the roots. The Jaeger corps will transport the felled trees, I hear."
The participation reward was daily pay, and it seemed we just needed to get it through to the border.
Uh, since it's wind magic, Paul-san and Beatrix will be participating, right? The overnight stay in the Flatlands will be rotated among three people. Lyudmila has been working hard alone until now, so it should be fine. I'll ask Angelica-san for help with the rat extermination too.
"What are you saying? You're participating too."
"Huh? Me?"
"That's right. It's deep in the forest, so if a wolf or bear suddenly appears without Chururi scouting, what will you do?"
"That's right. Besides, that King Griffith's stone is a type of magic tool. Jeanne received it directly from the king's ghost, didn't you? If so, lending it to others for a long time isn't highly recommended."
Is that how it is?
It's not cursed, is it?
"It's alright. You inherited it. From what I've heard, King Griffith probably didn't pass it on to anyone when he died. Perhaps he became a ghost because he was seeking someone to inherit it."
"Is this really such an amazing thing?"
I looked at the black stone attached to my wrist.
It was smooth, even though it wasn't obsidian.
I didn't really understand what material it was made of or how it was processed. After all, even the spirits didn't know.
"It's probably a lost ancient technology. According to legends, there was an era when magical technology, whether for magic itself or for creating such magic tools, was quite advanced. However, at a certain point, the transmission of knowledge ceased. Since then, aside from magic that is granted by chance, the technology to create such magic tools has remained lost."
"When was it lost?"
"It is said to be the result of interbreeding between the ancient people who originally lived on this island and our ancestors who came from the continent."
In other words, it was the result of invasion. The people who originally lived on this island probably didn't pass on that technology. But why did King Griffith have it?
Huh? Wait a minute.
"Um, Marcelo-san. King Griffith had his face painted blue, but what does that mean?"
"Is that so? Painting one's face blue was, I believe, formal makeup for those who worshipped the male deity of war. Perhaps King Griffith also worshipped that male deity? I believe the people of Finis in the north did that."
The north? Was that the place that only cared about war, with no thought of coexistence and co-prosperity?
Come to think of it, among King Griffith's treasures, there was a statue that could only be a male deity.
"So, I have to go every day?"
As I was imagining the blue-painted face, the mage, oblivious to history, brought me back to reality.
"No. Once a week. Half a day should be fine. It's suspended in winter, so whatever can be done by the end of November is fine, and the rest can be done from next spring."
"Quite a rush job, isn't it?"
"It's not that they're rushing, but the work itself is like a rush job, apparently."
"What's with that shoddy feeling? Is it really okay?"
"It's not good to rush too much. It's a border, after all. We need to establish a security system."
Unlike the plains, a road crossing the border in the forest apparently had various problems. They also didn't want unruly individuals who had fled other countries to settle there, so time was needed to establish border security. The goal was to have a road passable by horses by summer.
But, five silver coins for half a day once a week is good money. That's one gold coin a month. However, it's going to be quite busy. I'll have to deal with the foxes and boars near town early.
The next day, we immediately went to the mountain cabin by Teleport to meet with the three Jaeger guards. After a rough challenge, we greeted them, and all three were familiar faces.
"Well, well, Honorary Captain Jeanne. It's good of you to come."
They were the bandits from Nakanohara.
They seemed to be rotating through various mountain cabins about once a month, along with the Royal Army's direct scouts.
"I brought lunch. Was three servings enough?"
It was Angelica-san's bento.
The bandits' faces crumbled. Did they have no other pleasures?
During the meeting, we heard something unexpected.
The administrative border might move.
"Originally, the border in the flat forest was vague. Large rocks or trees marked the boundary. However, with the creation of this communication route, Regnentes made a concession."
Apparently, a Sertorian outpost would be established in a small plain northwest of the mountainous region on the Engrio border.
"It's called the Unholy Land, I hear. It's a plain, but no one wants to live there, so they're having trouble managing it."
"Will that plain become Sertorian territory?"
"Not territory. Sertorians aren't allowed to live there or cultivate it without permission, but they can build an outpost that doubles as a checkpoint. After all, it's hard to maintain a checkpoint in the middle of the forest."
"Is that okay? The border is on this side of the checkpoint, right?"
"Well, yeah. But except for the border with Engrio, the borders are practically nonexistent. Except during wartime, hunters from both countries come and go freely."
Hunters apparently crossed the border to buy and sell food and arrows among themselves.
That's so lax. Even for an allied nation, is that really okay?
"Of course, it's illegal. If challenged without a permit, you can't complain if you're killed on the spot. Well, even if we find them, we usually just chase them away after their transaction is over."
Well, it's impossible to patrol the entire forest, so that's probably a reasonable compromise.
"So, how far do we need to build the communication route?"
"To the location of that outpost."
Does that mean we have to do all of it ourselves?
"That's right. In return, all the felled trees will belong to the Nakanohara Town Hall, and anyone will be able to pass through up to the checkpoint to be built at the forest's exit."
"A de facto border shift, then."
"That's it. It'll be a lot of work to manage, but if we go to the Regnentes buffer zone, we might even get food."
"But it's the Unholy Land, and no one lives there, right?"
"Well, yeah. It's like that now, but if an outpost is built, people might eventually settle there, don't you think?"
That's a grand plan.
Marcelo-san said it would take a generation for the highway where the Engrio army was annihilated to return to normal.
I don't know when the planned outpost site was designated as unholy, but it's probably still a long way off.
"Even now, there are lumberjacks' cabins and charcoal burners' cabins. People will return eventually."
One of the bandits who had actually been to the managed area laughed lightheartedly.
Anyway, first, a reconnaissance. After eating lunch, we decided to immediately set out in the bowl, taking one bandit as a guide.
The bandit had changed into chainmail and a surcoat with the Kingdom of Sertoria's emblem. He apparently stopped wearing bandit fashion when crossing the border.
"Today, I'm a light infantryman of the Kingdom of Sertoria. Keep that in mind."
He emphasized this.
In that case, I took off my Green Marble and put on my priest's robe.
"Why are you the only one trying to look cool?"
Beatrix clicked her tongue.
Well, come on, it's fine. We're crossing the border, after all.
The managed area was apparently northwest of the position the Engrio army had aimed for.
It was quite far off the highway, so it had no relation to military movements.
Moreover, even when the entire basin was occupied during the war, the Engrio army didn't come to that managed area, which was part of the basin, thanks to being separated by a hilly forested area with a narrow path barely wide enough for a single horse-drawn cart.
It was about an hour by bowl.
Midway, we veered slightly north and rested at a mountain cabin near the border.
It was a mountain cabin used as a base by the Nakanohara Jaeger corps, apparently a secret base used for daily communication with the Regnentes side. It was usually empty. There was a small amount of firewood, water, and dried meat and other provisions.
We rested there for a while.
Beatrix, curious about everything, immediately began exploring.
She looked around the room, then found a large bag containing dried meat and oats.
"What's this for?"
"Emergency rations. This is also an emergency shelter. With dried meat and oats, you can make porridge. If you eat carefully, it'll last a while."
"If you leave it here, won't it get stolen?"
Who would steal it? Even if they did, they'd be the ones in trouble in an emergency.
"If someone eats it, it'll be gone. If it's gone, we'll replenish it. Unless there are bandits or brigands, there's no problem. In winter, especially when it snows, even hunters struggle for food. In that case, they can eat whatever they like."
Water, firewood for the hearth, and charcoal were also apparently replenished regularly.
Beatrix even went outside to look around.
"For example, if I wanted to contact someone here, how would I do it?"
That's true. If no one was usually there, there would be no way to make contact.
"There are regular patrols. About once a week, the Sertorian side and the Regnentes side eat dinner together. Other than that, well. If you shoot a fire arrow, someone on the Sertorian side might notice."
He pointed to a bow and quiver hanging on the wall.
It seemed entirely dependent on luck, but it probably wouldn't be a secret base otherwise.
We arrived at the plains.
From above, there was a patch of overgrown weeds, like a clearing pushed into the forest.
In terms of size, it was about the size of one village. It would take three or four hours to walk from one end to the other.
The border with the forest was lined with low shrubs. Other than that, it was covered in weeds, so it might be good for grazing.
Several small streams flowed from the forest.
A short distance from the forest, they merged into one and flowed south.
Several cabins stood by the stream.
The smoke rising near the forest was probably from a charcoal burner's cabin.
In the center, there was an area enclosed by stone walls, with a watermill and a single crumbling abandoned house. The stream entered through the stone wall and flowed through the village.
Presumably the main gate, there was a break in the stone wall at the southern end, and a single road ran south along the stream.
"The end of the road leads to the basin, and beyond that, people live. If you go east from there, you'll reach Regnentes' positions."
According to the bandit, the area enclosed by stone walls was the site of an abandoned village.
This area, being slightly higher than the basin, caused the river to flow gently south.
Further south, a pond had formed, and beyond the pond was a forested hilly area, where the stream descended through a dug-out waterway and flowed into the basin.
A new cabin was to be built on the west side of the abandoned village to serve as an outpost, and soldiers from both Sertoria and Regnentes were to be dispatched.
Since it was an Unholy Land, priests had already sprinkled holy water and performed exorcisms, I heard.
I don't know the cause, but perhaps it was actually purer now?
"Are you going to build a road all the way to that stone wall?"
For some reason, I asked on behalf of the mage who was staring intently at the abandoned village, the planned managed area, and he said yes.
"Until the communication route is complete, you will be issued permits. With those, you should be able to come alone without complaint."
"Who will issue the permits?"
When I asked, the reply was Mayor Adolf.
"He said they would be issued around today and delivered to the merchant guild. Next time we come, we might be able to come alone."
Paul-san seemed to have heard this.
"Even with a permit, please show your faces at both outposts once. Of course, if you don't enter this land, you don't need to come here."
The bandit pointed to a larger cabin.
That was the Regnentes outpost.