333 - Side Story Cody's Perspective - Travel Is Full of Surprises
"Uncle!"
"It's not 'uncle', it's 'big brother'!"
I wave back at my nephew waving at me from the tree. Until a little while ago, his belly was round and swollen from a Tsuburi Bug infestation, but thanks to the Mustaine Medicine, that's cleared up nicely. It wasn't just my nephew who was saved by the Mustaine Medicine I managed to get in the Ivizia Kingdom. The boy who was playing with my nephew and got infested with a Tsuburi Bug also managed to cling to life. This year, there was only one victim of the Tsuburi Bug, an elderly man. The medicine I got from the Ivizia Kingdom was a single adult dose. Since my nephew and his friend are children, half an adult dose was enough, so sharing the Mustaine Medicine saved both their lives. I feel bad for the elderly man's family, but this choice was also something he decided on himself. He said it was better for two children to be saved than for just one old man like himself.
...After the Wise Woman Aurelia died, getting the Mustaine Medicine this quickly is practically a miracle in itself.
Originally, this was a medicine that should have been lost with Aurelia's death, never to be obtained again. But the Wise King of the Ivizia Kingdom and the Sedovara Church cooperated to try to revive the secret arts of Saint Yuuta Hiraga, and by some stroke of luck, the Mustaine Medicine was revived. I understood the Sedovara Church's words that they still had few doses and had not produced enough to send abroad, but I still managed to obtain the Mustaine Medicine somehow. It was thanks to the mediation of the girl Aurelia had doted on like a granddaughter, and now that my nephew's life has been saved, I want to fulfill my promise to her quickly.
...It would be nice if the secret arts really do get revived.
The news of the Wise Woman Aurelia's death was received as despair in the village. We take care every year, but children get infested with Tsuburi Bugs once every few years, and adults can also get careless and catch them. I thought it had finally become something we could not deal with after Aurelia's death, but signs of the revival of the secret arts began to appear. Even if reviving all the secret arts is impossible, I hope as many as possible can be revived. Since I travel across the continent, I hear stories from various perspectives in various places, but villagers who barely leave their villages are very closed-minded and narrow in their thinking. Even the Wise King of the Ivizia Kingdom, who was the first to plan the revival of the secret arts, is called by the people of this village 'an arrogant king who takes advantage of the sick and hoards medicine'. Speaking as a merchant, there is no way that villagers from other countries who cannot even pay properly would be prioritized to receive secret arts that were revived through invested funds. Since they accommodated us with even just one dose, the King of Ivizia is not an arrogant king but a wise king. If this were our Saenard Kingdom's king, the revived secret arts would have been carefully stored away in the royal castle's treasury and never used for citizens suffering from illness.
...I cannot say I do not understand the feeling of wanting at least one more dose, though.
The old man who died, I remember him looking after me when I was little too. In a closed-off village like this, even if he was from another family, he was practically like my own grandfather. Even though the decision to abandon him and let him go was something we all agreed on, feelings as a family and as individuals are another matter.
...Well, the Mustaine Medicine probably will not be circulating for a few more years.
That also comes with the caveat 'in the Saenard Kingdom'. The fact that the secret arts were revived means a prescription has been created too. If there is both a prescription and people who can actually compound the medicine, the Mustaine Medicine would spread throughout the world through the Sedovara Church, but it is better to assume the Saenard Kingdom will not receive that benefit for a few years. On the way back from the Ivizia Kingdom to the Saenard Kingdom, I heard various speculation-filled stories, and the border was actually getting tense. They said the momentum for war between the Saenard Kingdom and the Ivizia Kingdom was rising. These secret arts were revived with funds invested in the Ivizia Kingdom. They would not easily share the medicine with an enemy country they are about to go to war with.
...From what I hear, the whole thing started with a kidnapping incident some stupid noble caused in the Ivizia Kingdom.
They should have just apologized properly, but this country's king and that noble's entire family refused to apologize to the Ivizia Kingdom, and things just rolled and rolled in the wrong direction until they fell into this state of imminent conflict. The girl who arranged the Mustaine Medicine for us probably did not know about the delicate relations between the countries. She kindly gave us the Mustaine Medicine, but I feel a bit guilty, like I deceived her.
...Christina-sama, was it? She was a good kid.
I went to the capital prepared to be arrested just for being from the Saenard Kingdom, but the Ivizia Kingdom is different from the Saenard Kingdom. They do not just arbitrarily arrest people for being from an enemy country, and even if my claims were selfish, they listened to me for the most part. Even though I could not stay calm, I think I was quite rude in the way I spoke to the Sedovara Church.
...I have to properly fulfill my promise to that girl.
Christina-sama, who was riding in a carriage with a royal crest, must have been managing the pharmacists trying to revive the secret arts and reporting to the royal castle, even at her young age. If I carry out her errand, maybe other secret arts will be revived that much sooner.
After confirming my nephew had fully recovered, I set off, seen off by my brother and his wife. I had abandoned my business during winter to travel seeking the Mustaine Medicine, so I would like to do some business on this trip, but I will keep it to just delivering the goods. If I started buying and selling, it would take a whole year to get back to the Ivizia Kingdom.
...She did ask me to deliver a letter to a merchant in Quebia, though.
I have been told about the contents. It is a request letter asking for a product called Laroche pollen to be procured. If it is ultimately going to be delivered to the Ivizia Kingdom anyway, I should be the one to procure it.
...Well, if I procure it myself, the problem would be whether I can cross the border between the Saenard Kingdom and the Ivizia Kingdom this time.
Now, as I was worrying about what to do, I reached the border with the Divine Kingdom Quebia. Having my luggage and identity checked in the building I was directed to was the usual procedure, but this time the inspection was oddly thorough.
...Something is weird, is it not?
The Divine Kingdom Quebia is, as its name suggests, a religious state with the Divine King as its absolute monarch. Its nature is completely different from other countries, making it difficult to invade from abroad. As a result, entry and exit inspections are laxer than any other country, but that does not mean they are kind to travelers. Yet today, the entry inspection for the Divine Kingdom Quebia was as strict as the Empire or the Saenard Kingdom.
...Huh? This is definitely weird, is it not?
I was led by a monk soldier who was clearly of high rank, and walked down a carpeted hallway. Frankly, I was out of place. I could tell I was being taken to an area where a shabby traveling merchant like me should not be guided.
"Please wait here for a moment."
Saying that, the well-dressed monk soldier left me in the reception room, but as for me, thrown into a reception room furnished with fine furnishings, I was completely frozen with confusion. I had no idea what mistake had led me to be shown into such a fine room, and I did not have the nerve to just shrug it off as their mistake. Since I was shown into a reception room, I suppose I should sit on a chair and wait, but I could tell that even if I were to handle the elaborately carved chairs as merchandise, they would be worth a price that would wear my nerves thin, so I could not sit down.
Unable to run away and unable to sit on the chairs, I just stood in the corner of the reception room, watching for what the other party would do. I was so bewildered that my stomach cramped with a sharp cry.
"Oh? Well now, thank you for the polite welcome. I would have been fine if you had just sat and waited..."
As I stood idly at the edge of the room, the door opened after a while. The man with a gentle demeanor, flanked by monk soldiers who seemed to be guards, was clearly a person of extraordinary status. Proof of that was the man's blue eyes. In the Divine Kingdom Quebia, this is a color revered as 'noble color'. The closer one is to royal blood, the more the color becomes not just 'blue' but 'azure', a noble color held in high esteem, and it is said that among the bloodline of the ancient Divine King, children are still sometimes born with azure eyes in one eye, but that is just rumor. Royalty descended from the Divine King almost never leave the divine domain, and even Quebia's citizens rarely see them in person, so there was no way they would appear at a border like this.
...Is it my imagination? His eye color...?
The man's eyes I thought were both blue seemed to have one slightly different shade. It was blue, yes, but an azure eye with a mysterious glow.
...No, it is my imagination. My imagination. There is no way Quebia's royalty would be in a place like this, and anyway, they are not the kind of people a humble merchant like me would ever meet.
When the man smiled softly, his black hair swayed gently. My eyes unconsciously followed the flow, and I calculated the price of the clothes he was wearing to keep my composure, but the delicate embroidery using silver and azure made my mind go blank.
...It is my imagination. It is definitely my imagination. Okay, there is embroidery in colors that not even royalty, only the Acting King is permitted to use, but it is my imagination.
I was so shocked by why someone who should not be in a place like this was here that my throat went dry. I was anxious to at least greet him, but I could not do anything. The monk soldiers on either side of the gently smiling Acting King started glaring at me as if to say 'Still no greeting?', but I wish they would understand the position of a traveling merchant suddenly brought before such a big shot. I could not think of anything and could only freeze up.
"Please, have a seat, Cody-san."
"H-hiih!"
Called by name by someone so far above me I felt like I was on cloud nine, I straightened my back. I reflexively answered loudly, but the Acting King did not seem offended. Instead, the faces of the monk soldiers on either side had turned terrifying.
...What on earth is this situation, really?!
I drank the tea as the Acting King urged me to, but I could not taste or smell anything. It was tea I recognized by name as a premium tea, but I was so nervous that my precious premium tea experience was ruined.
"Actually, the spirits told me a few days ago that you would be bringing a letter addressed to me. Since it would be difficult for you to deliver the letter all the way to me, I came to receive it myself like this."
"Spirits, you say...?"
Spirits are something that disappeared in the age of myth. But in the Divine Kingdom, they still believe in the existence of spirits, and it is said that members of the royal family can hear their voices. I had heard rumors like that before. I never thought the rumors were actually true.
"I... ah, I mean. What I have with me is supposed to be an order form for Laroche pollen addressed to a merchant..."
Since it is an order form addressed to a merchant, there is no way it is a letter to the Acting King of the Divine Kingdom Quebia. That is what I thought, but what person could refuse to hand it over when the king of a country says it is a letter addressed to him? Even in the worst case, I remembered the order contents, so even if the letter was taken from me, I should be able to prepare the goods.
"Th-this would be the letter I was asked to deliver to a merchant of the Divine Kingdom..."
I held out the letter with trembling hands, and as the Acting King took it, I realized my mistake. When handing letters or goods to a VIP, you should always pass them through a guard or attendant's hands. Under no circumstances should you hand them directly to the person themselves.
...It is over. My life is over.
As I shrank and trembled so much my teeth would not even meet, I was glared at by the guard monk soldiers. The Acting King started reading the letter as if he did not mind at all, but if he left the room, I might be thrown into prison. It was my own blunder for acting so discourteously toward the Acting King.
"...Yes, I see. Our Divine Kingdom Quebia shall respond to the request from Saint Tina. We will permit entry to the region where the Laroche flowers bloom. Let us send a messenger ahead and have the pollen collected."
While I was trembling, things kept advancing before my eyes. When the Acting King said he would write a letter of commission just in case, the monk soldiers immediately prepared paper and pen.
...What? What is happening? Can I get out of here alive?
Who is Saint Tina? I wondered, then remembered that Christina's nickname is 'Tina'. Normally, Christina's nickname would be 'Chris', I think, but 'Tina' is also a nickname. And the only person I know whose nickname would be 'Tina' is Christina-sama.
...What exactly was Christina-sama?! The Acting King called her 'Saint'...!
She was riding in a carriage with a royal crest, and Aurelia seemed to dote on her, so I thought she must be a princess or something of the Ivizia Kingdom, but the Acting King of the Divine Kingdom Quebia called her 'Saint'. There is no doubt she is a girl cherished by important people, given the number of guards. Especially the black-haired man she called 'Big Brother' had a build that looked like he could kill two or three people with his bare hands.
"...If you take this, you should be able to go anywhere within Quebia. I have also written to have some Laroche seeds shared with you."
The envelope stamped with the Acting King's name and seal was so precious I did not know how to respond. All I could tell was that the monk soldiers behind the Acting King were glaring at me with fierce expressions. I knew I should thank him politely, and I understood that, but I was so nervous my head was in a mess.
"Once you have obtained the Laroche pollen, you should go straight back the way you came. By the time you return to your country, the war should be over."
"...Yes!"
Receiving a letter of commission from the Acting King was too great a favor. The people of the Divine Kingdom Quebia are devout and can be cold toward outsiders. But that should change dramatically thanks to this single letter. For the people of the Divine Kingdom, the Acting King is the ultimate authority second only to the Divine King. With the Acting King's seal of approval, I should be able to get a certain degree of trust even in towns and villages I visit for the first time.
...I will gratefully make use of this, just this once.
I would not dream of using it again in the future. This is a seal of approval I obtained thanks to Christina-sama's letter. It is not something I earned through my own efforts.
...Hmm?
For a moment, my eyes met the Acting King's. The Acting King smiled faintly and, moving only his lips, said this.
—Honest people are favored by the spirits, it said.
Thanks to the Acting King's seal of approval, I was able to travel comfortably. I could replenish water and food in every town and village, and I could stay at inns. When I arrived smoothly at the village where Laroche blooms, thanks to the Acting King's messenger, the Laroche pollen and seeds had already been prepared, ready for me to simply receive them. I paid my thanks and a fee to the villagers, and followed the Acting King's advice to go back the way I came. I had thought that if the Saenard Kingdom and the Ivizia Kingdom were at war, I would not be able to cross the border at all, so I would have to go around through the Empire, but when I entered the Saenard Kingdom, I heard that the war was already over. Just as the Acting King had said.
...Once it starts, it is over in an instant, huh.
Since the Saenard Kingdom is my own country, I knew where the towns and rivers were, so the carriage moved quickly. The war between the two countries, which had been at a standoff for over a year, had ended while I was traveling through the Divine Kingdom. Gathering information about the war along the way, it seemed to have been a terrible conflict. It is already being said that it will go down in history as an unprecedented crushing defeat since the nation's founding. There was a house where a young man who had been conscripted and taken to war had returned, but apparently the young man who came back from the war stays shut up in his room all day. They say such young men mutter all day long, "The Ivizia Kingdom has finally summoned demons," "That is no War God," "That is unmistakably a god of destruction."
...Going to a country like that now is kind of scary, you know.
The ones who returned from the war, resumed their normal lives, and are throwing themselves into farm work are those who were once captured as prisoners by the Ivizia Kingdom. The fact that those treated as prisoners are healthier in both mind and body makes me want to tilt my head, but the Ivizia Kingdom is different from our country. Their treatment of prisoners was probably exactly as described in the treaties.
As I got closer to the border towns and villages, the kinds of rumors I heard changed again. The generals and knights who stationed themselves in towns, demanding free lodging and meals, were arrogant in their attitude, and people complained about having their food and workers taken away, with some even saying they were relieved to have lost. That is the Saenard Kingdom for you. Even its own citizens have little love left for their country. There are even people saying they wish the border lines would change.
When I tried to cross the border into the Ivizia Kingdom, I naturally had to pass through a fortress and undergo inspections of my luggage and identity. I thought it would be difficult for a merchant from the Saenard Kingdom, which had just fought a war, to enter, but here too, for some reason, I was led to a separate room.
...What now? Who is it this time? After the Acting King, is it the rumored War God Herkeles?
Surely there is no one who could surprise me more than the Acting King, I thought, resigning myself in a strange way as I followed the guide down the hallway. When I entered the room I was led to by a black knight who spoke in feminine speech, a black-haired demon god was sitting at a desk.
...Ah, I am dead. I am dead. This time I am definitely dead.
At the demon god's terrifying expression, I bid farewell to my parents and brother in my heart. If I am going to die in a place like this, I should have proposed to that childhood friend girl before leaving home, my mind began to escape into fantasy.
"You seem to have fulfilled your promise to Tina safely. Good work."
"H-hyiiiiiii!?"
Spoken to in a low, powerful voice, I reflexively straightened my back. I wanted to escape this demon god's gaze and look for a hiding place, but I had a feeling that if I made any suspicious move, I would be cut down on the spot, so I could only stand at attention and respond to the demon god's words.
...Huh? Tina? Tina here too?
Surprised that Christina-sama's name came up inside the fortress, I observed the demon god's face again. He had an intimidating face that made me want to run away, but I also felt like I had seen him somewhere before.
"...Excuse me, but have we met somewhere...?"
"Hmm? We met twice in the capital, did we not? When you came to negotiate directly at Tina's carriage, and when you delivered the Mustaine Medicine to the inn."
"...Ah, Christina-sama's big brother...? I apologize for my rudeness."
Forgetting a customer's face, I scolded myself as I bowed, suppressing my fear of the intimidating face. Then I was finally able to relax. If Christina-sama's big brother was at the border, I would be able to cross safely.
"Good thing you are an honest merchant who keeps his promises."
As I was leaving the room, my ears caught those words muttered. I turned around wondering what he meant, but the door was already closed.
The meaning of those words at that time was told to me as I was being guided out of the fortress by the same black knight who spoke in feminine speech.
Apparently, Christina-sama was neither a princess of the Ivizia Kingdom nor a saint of the Divine Kingdom Quebia, but the younger sister of the black knight Leonardo, who was hailed as the incarnation of the War God Herkeles. Leonardo's fame for valor had reached even the Saenard Kingdom. They say he rose through the ranks among the meritocratic Black Knights and now reigns as the Commander of three fortresses along the border.
...Ah, that was close. If I had broken a promise with the sister of a man like that, I would have ended up unable to do business in the Ivizia Kingdom.
Leonardo is the lord of the fortress guarding the border. If I had earned a glare from someone like that, the inspections would have been strict whether I was entering or leaving the Ivizia Kingdom.
Honest people are favored by the spirits. That is what the Acting King told me, but I have never been more glad to be a honest fool than today. I am glad I did not just leave it to the Quebia merchant but came to deliver the Laroche pollen myself. Now I will be able to continue doing business in the Ivizia Kingdom.
[Author's Note]
For some reason I was treated with suspicion when I appeared, so this is a side story from Cody's perspective. It was also a little story about obtaining the Laroche pollen that could not be seen from Tina's perspective.
I will fix any typos or errors another day.