385 - Leonardo's Perspective, Winter Fortress Tour
Once the Divine King Festival was over, I would make my annual rounds of the other three fortresses. Since we had held the rites at Grenore Fortress this year, the order of visits was Mail Castle Fortress, Mandez Fortress, and then Lugmilama Fortress. It meant circling the northwest of the Ivizia Kingdom, but since it was something I did every year, it did not bother me. I was the lord of the fortresses, but what I looked after was not just the fortresses themselves. Not to echo Rannvald's words, but since I bore a role similar to that of a territorial lord who held lands, I also needed to be informed about the livelihoods of the people. In that sense, this winter journey was convenient. Even if only once a year, I could go around and see the faces of the people who supported the operating funds of the knight orders.
...First, Mail Castle Fortress.
The Restham Knight Order was stationed at Mail Castle Fortress, which faced the Zugari Empire border. One might think it should be the Mail Knight Order since they were at Mail Castle Fortress, but no, Restham Knight Order was correct. This was because the border lines had shifted during a war nearly twenty years ago. The territory all the way to Anheim, now Imperial territory, had once been part of the Ivizia Kingdom, and there had been Restham Fortress guarding that border. But after losing the war and having their land whittled away, the knight order that had defended Restham Fortress came to use Mail Castle, located on the shores of Lake Vienne, which a previous king had built as a summer retreat. The reason the king at the time gave Mail Castle to the Restham Knight Order, who had lost their fortress, was simple. The new border line had been drawn to cut straight through the middle of Lake Vienne, making Mail Castle dangerous as a royal summer residence.
Since it had originally been a royal castle, Mail Castle Fortress was larger than the other three, and its exterior was also more ornate in design. I would like to show it to Tina someday, I thought, aware that my mind was wandering to the snow-draped, beautifully elegant fortress as I passed through the main gate of Mail Castle Fortress. I left my luggage for the duration of my stay to my attendant and changed my cloak from Grenore Knight Order's crimson to Restham Knight Order's dark green.
"Here are this year's reports and the documents requiring the Commander's approval. Also, these are the investigation reports concerning the area around Blois, though copies have already been sent to Grenore."
"Anything else?" The documents related to carriages and people who had crossed the border from around the Harvest Festival through winter were piled in mountains, reminding me of my year-long absence. With two more fortresses' worth of similar work remaining, I could not afford to take it too easy.
"Shall we handle the reports regarding the border area first?"
"No, I am concerned about Tina, but let us clear the backlog of documents requiring my approval first."
"Then I will arrange it accordingly."
I watched Yurgen leave the office after bowing, and then turned my eyes to the year's worth of documents. Given the unusual situation where the Commander was constantly at a different fortress, the vice-commanders of the three fortresses held greater authority than usual and handled whatever work could be delegated. But there were certain matters that only the fortress lord could touch. For urgent matters, messengers could be sent to Grenore Fortress, but everything else ended up being reviewed in bulk like this during winter. Unless a knight stronger than me appeared at any of my four fortresses, this situation would likely continue for a while longer.
By the time I had finished reviewing the documents requiring the Commander's seal and took a breather, dawn had already broken. After a light meal and a nap, I went to check on the border gate and managed to hear the finer details about the inspections that had continued since the Harvest Festival.
...I would like to move my base to Mail Castle Fortress for a while.
Being adjacent to the Zugari Empire, the appeal of Mail Castle Fortress was being able to directly inspect the carriages of travelers and merchants crossing the border. The fact that it was even slightly closer to where Tina had been taken from Grenore was also not to be dismissed. Considering that I would eventually have to go to the Zugari Empire to bring Tina back, moving my base to Mail Castle Fortress so I could act immediately seemed like a terribly appealing idea.
...But then again, Alf could move more easily from Grenore.
Thinking that it was Alf serving as the vice-commander of Grenore, I realized that I had been mixing up Alf and Alfred in my head. The Alfred with whom I had the longer acquaintance was now the Third Prince and supposedly on assignment to Grenore Fortress. As the highest authority overseeing Tina's search, he presided over the fortress, which meant that it was the current Alf, serving as vice-commander, whose movements would be restricted at fortresses outside his jurisdiction. Alfred would face no restrictions at all if he moved to Mail Castle Fortress. Though I was the fortress lord, I was merely a Black Knight. Naturally, the prince, who held a Royal Peerage and had been entrusted by the king with full authority over this matter, had more say.
...Once Rannvald-sama could behave a little more like me, maybe I would move.
Rannvald had spent more time living among the common people than as a prince living in the capital. It did not seem likely that he would stand out as Alfred had when he first came to Grenore as a Black Knight. If I were to station Rannvald at the fortress as my substitute, the problem would not be Rannvald himself so much as Karl and Reinart, who had been assigned to watch over him. Those two still tended to treat Rannvald as royalty, so if anything slipped, it would be because of them.
I peeked at the scene of carts scheduled to depart for the Zugari Empire being inspected, and casually raised my hand to greet the gatekeeper knights and soldiers. I had no intention of disturbing their work, so I declined any guides. I observed their work from a distance. If anything seemed even slightly off, such as discrepancies in application documents or a mismatch between the appearance of a cart and its load capacity, they were thoroughly investigated. Carts entering the country were checked, but those attempting to leave received especially close scrutiny.
...If they were doing such thorough inspection work, where had they slipped through?
Just as Aaron had noted that this carriage seemed suspicious, the carriage believed to have carried Tina had passed through the guarded border gate with impunity and left for the Zugari Empire. Since documents filed during entry and exit were also preserved, it was not as if they had crossed the border illegally through pathless terrain.
...They did seem to be checking under the floors and seats as well.
Yet Tina had still been taken out of the country. We had been on guard against her being hidden in a carriage and taken out, but it seemed our measures had not been thorough enough.
...Would a Black Knight who guarded the border back when kidnappings were more common know more about slave traders' hiding methods?
About twenty years ago, a reincarnator who could read Japanese had been sold to the Zugari Empire by people who did not understand her value. To prevent the same mistake from being repeated, Ethelbert, who was still the reigning king at the time, had made the bitter decision to permit the trade of humans under certain conditions. Better they be sold within the country first, rather than being sold abroad. Ethelbert's intention had been to have them sold to the country first, but the fact remained that human trade had become legal. The slave traders who had been kidnapping people in secret now transported them openly as merchandise, and the decrease in people being transported crammed into hiding spaces was a welcome development. At the very least, fewer people should have died from being crushed in tight spaces. However, now that there was no need to hide them, perhaps the instincts of the Black Knights guarding the border had dulled. Tina had likely been hidden in a place that the currently active Black Knights would not notice.
...Someone who was a Black Knight more than twenty years ago... Bertrand-dono?
The first person who came to mind who fit the criteria was Bertrand, Tina's grandfather. His active years had been the period of the most conflict with the Zugari Empire.
...As for others who were Black Knights back then, were any at the hotel in Lagarette?
I remembered that Cidur's hotel employed retired Black Knights as security. If I talked to them, I might learn something.
Deciding to try approaching the retired Black Knights in the city of Lagarette, I moved toward Mandez Fortress while observing the state of towns and villages along the way. It was a bit of a detour, but I stopped by Waiyakku Valley to pray at Aurelia's grave, asking her to watch over Tina. Aurelia had swung her staff at me and cursed me out, but she had taken a liking to Tina, so I was sure she would protect her, even while making a displeased face.
At Mandez Residence, I formally informed Iridal and Alisa of Kalisa's death. At first, the identity of the remains had not been confirmed, but with Salisa's arrival, confirmation had been made from the position of moles on the body and other details. The body I had instinctively believed to be Kalisa was, indeed, Kalisa.
Iridal and the others' reactions were not so different from Salisa's. Grieving and praising her were things to do after Tina came home, they said, pushing their emotions deep into their hearts. They welcomed me as usual, supported me in my fortress work, and did not utter a single word of complaint.
"The bobbin lace that Felicia-sama is to wear has already been sent to the capital. For Alfred-sama's wedding bobbin lace, we are making a few additions, but those too will be ready by the end of spring."
"...It looks like you are making another one?"
I had thought it was quite fast to prepare three sets of bobbin lace usable for wedding dresses, but apparently they had originally been made for Tina's wedding dress. Those were now being sent to each bride who needed them urgently, but besides the bobbin lace Iridal showed me, a larger piece that was still in progress was also being woven. I asked if perhaps, since the recipients for the bobbin lace had been decided, they had started making a new wedding dress for Tina, but he said what they were weaving now was not for Tina.
"A separate commission from Alfred-sama?"
"Yes. He instructed us to prepare the best we can make now, to be sent to someone with exceptional advertising effect."
"Advertising effect greater than a royal wedding dress..."
Who on earth was Alfred planning to send bobbin lace to? I felt like demanding to know, since I had not heard anything about it, but Alfred was thinking and acting on his own. It was just that this time, my eyes happened to catch the end of Alfred's well-laid plans. I could hear the details once I returned to Grenore.
Taking a message for Alfred that it would be completed by early summer, I left the city of Mandez. On the way to the remaining Lugmilama Fortress, I stopped by the city of Lagarette, dropped in on Cidur, and asked him to contact the retired Black Knights. I could not have them gather people immediately, so for now it was just a request to reach out. If he made the contacts in advance, by the time I went to Lugmilama Fortress and came back, he should have finished reaching out to whoever was available.
Lugmilama Fortress had more matters requiring the fortress lord's approval compared to the other fortresses. I had spent last winter at Lugmilama Fortress, so normally it should have had less work than the others, but it was a fortress that had seen battle. Far from having less, it actually had more work.
"Commander, we have a rather unusual visitor, you see."
Lugmilama Fortress also faced the border, so inspections of travelers' and merchants' luggage were conducted during entry and exit. The inspections were slightly lighter than at Mail Castle Fortress, but still stricter than usual. As I was looking around the gate to avoid getting in the way of the Black Knights, Evraul came wriggling his body as always to announce a guest. Wondering who would come to visit me by name while I was staying at Lugmilama Fortress, I moved to the reception room, where two men were waiting.
"Coat! It is rare for you to come in person."
"When I need to show sincerity, it is better for me to handle things directly."
"And the meat over there... it seems it has not been salted yet..."
I exchanged handshakes with my friend of several years and shifted my gaze to the man behind him, who wore a cloak pulled down low over his face. I had been told they would send him salted, but his head was still attached to his body.
"...I wanted to send him salted, honestly, but I thought about whether that was what you wanted, so I came to ask directly. If you say to show sincerity, I will salt him right here."
"Do not add to my cleanup duties. Sending me a head like that will not bring Tina back."
Knowing full well that I would answer this way, he had brought him here alive. I glared at my friend, who wore a feigned innocent smile. I was angry at William for not providing accurate information immediately, but cutting off his head would not bring Tina back. Since my friend had gone out of his way to bring William here alive and was trying to get me to give my word not to cut off his head, keeping him alive must yield some kind of return. If you asked Alfred, my friend was the type who knew that creating a debt was never a loss. As for me, salted meat I could not even eat would only slightly soothe my grudge, with no other use, so receiving it would just be a hassle.
"Is there anything I can help you with concerning your little sister?"
"If he has fled into the Zugari Empire, I do not think I will need to rely on you."
I should not need my friend's help with Tina's rescue. If there was something I absolutely needed to ask for, it might be something like arranging flexibility for Cody's movements. Cody, who was going to explore the Zugari Empire as a merchant, was planning to leave the Empire from the Divine Kingdom Quebia side, pass through the Saenard Kingdom, and come back to the Ivizia Kingdom. His usual itinerary, which took a year of traveling while doing business, was being shortened so he could return to the Ivizia Kingdom by the end of spring. There was a chance he might be stopped at the Saenard Kingdom border as a suspicious merchant moving oddly.
"Let me know if there is anything." I parted ways with my friend. As I was leaving, William had a look on his face as if he wanted to say something, but I ignored him. Hearing words of apology now would not change anything. It would only make me angry. I was not kind enough, nor did I have the leeway, to punch William and ease his guilt. By keeping William's head attached, I had also created a debt with my friend. Let him regret having put his master in shackles through his own impulsive actions. Even if I chose to overlook it now, William, who had triggered the war, had no standing left in his own country. Years from now, he would realize that it would have been easier to become salted meat.
Once I had put a break in my work at Lugmilama Fortress, I stopped by the city of Lagarette as planned. Since I had contacted them in advance, the retired former Black Knights had gathered at Cidur's hotel. The former Black Knights who had guarded the border back when slave traders hid people in carts seemed to have had truly extensive experience. A double bottom under the floor was just the beginning. In their view, it was about right to suspect everything from the shape of carriages and cargo beds. My own standard of the width from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger with the hand spread open seemed to be a bit too generous. Apparently, a man's hand was too wide, and people had been hidden in spaces no wider than what a woman's hand could measure. In those days, the standard for inspecting carriages and carts was to assume that if there was even the slightest gap, people were crammed in there. While hiding places in carts were limited, carriages that appeared to be for nobles apparently required particular caution. The roof of a carriage was designed as a triangle, but when viewed from inside, the ceiling was flat. One story was that when they thought this was strange and peeled off the ceiling boards, a kidnapped woman came out from inside. I also heard stories about a carriage that looked normal height from the side, but when you bent down to look underneath, there was a mysterious protrusion only in the center of the bottom, and when they thought that was strange, entered the carriage, and removed the floorboards, it was not a double bottom but a triple bottom. The slave traders of the Zugari Empire seemed to have been even more cunning than I had experienced firsthand. If this was how it was twenty years ago, their methods must be even more sophisticated now, the former Black Knights said. Precisely because hiding was no longer necessary, the Black Knights guarding the border might be letting their guard down.
...Indeed, I could see myself overlooking the ceiling too.
In my case, I had been carried openly on the loading bed. But the people who could not fit on the bed must have been stuffed into the double bottom. I felt that because I had seen slaves being transported in double bottoms, the possibility of the carriage's upper section, the ceiling, had simply never occurred to me.
When I returned to the city of Grenore from Lagarette, observing towns and villages along the way, a message arrived from the Menhishumi Church that the printing of the guidebook was complete. Considering it would be distributed in the capital in time for the Spring Blossom Festival where Felicia's wedding would take place, I thought it might be better to start packing them now.
Since it was Princess Felicia's wedding, Alfred would be returning to the capital once. I asked him to load some of the guidebooks we planned to distribute in the capital among his luggage. When I traveled with Tina, we used a luxurious carriage befitting royalty, but since Alfred planned to return to Grenore soon, he would be traveling light on horseback. Since we would only be arranging for a few copies to be sent to the major shops in the capital in advance, the number was small enough to mix in with hand luggage. Instead, I also slipped some guidebooks into the luggage of the silver-white knights who would be escorting Alfred.
I left the first shipment to the capital to Alfred, and entrusted the rest to Nils and Salisa. I would set aside the copies for Cody to transport to the Zugari Empire, but for distribution throughout the Ivizia Kingdom, it would be faster to use the connections Nils had. As I watched the wooden crates filled with guidebooks being sorted and sent to various destinations one after another, I finally felt the reality that we had started moving to bring Tina back. It was still just the preliminary groundwork for infiltrating the Zugari Empire without raising suspicion and searching for Tina's whereabouts. But truly, it was finally happening.
...It was unremarkable work, but I would definitely bring Tina back.
[Author's Note] In the plot outline, it was salted meat. Since I thought Cody's movements might need a little support, I kept the head and body attached. Next time, we will probably jump straight to the Spring Blossom Festival.