kscans

Chapter 77 - Chapter 12: First Half, The Goal

A boxy speck in the distant west, kicking up a cloud of dust as it approached. The eyes of the crowd gathered on the castle walls focused on a single point.

Their eyes caught the black flag fluttering from the carriage.

"It's Prince Craig!" "The Hero Prince is in first place!"

"Ooooh!!"

Three carriages, arranged in a triangle. Cheers erupted for the gleaming silver knight at their head. On paper, this was merely a training exercise, but the general public didn't see it that way. For them, it was a competition between knightly orders, a rare form of entertainment in recent years.

Anyone in the Royal Capital could guess that the insufferably arrogant First Knight Order harbored ill feelings toward the highly accomplished Third Knight Order.

What's more, the star of the show was a prince who had already subjugated monsters twice. To the people, a hero who personally traveled to the frontiers to defeat monsters, even felling a giant dragon, was bound to be popular.

"That's incredible. They really made it back in three days."

A man with a basket on his back spoke with admiration.

"Come to think of it, you travel all the way to Bertold, right? Hmm, when you put it that way, that is fast. I wonder if that rumor is true..."

Next to the peddler, a man with a hand towel wrapped around his neck replied. He had burn marks on his arms.

"What rumor?"

"There's a whisper going around among the blacksmiths. That new carriage parts are being made in Bertold. The source is an apprentice from Plural, the company involved in that exhibition or whatever it's called, opening in the Forum today."

"Why would they be making carriage parts in Bertold? They don't have any iron there. And why would a confectioner know anything about carriages?"

"Beats me. Well, the carriages the knights use probably have nothing to do with us anyway. Hey, what's that symbol? It's not a Knight Order mark, is it?" As they spoke, the carriages drew closer. The man, who had also watched the start of the race, saw something that hadn't been there before. He recalled it was a sign of the improved carriages. A white cloth was unfurled, bearing a black double circle.

"The design around the mark... it looks like the Bertold crest..." the peddler said.

"Whoa, here comes the next one. The First Knight Order? Pathetic, even with new carriages. Guess living in the capital has made them soft..."

He strained his eyes. However, the approaching carriage was smaller and more delicate than one belonging to the knights.

"Oh yeah, merchants are participating too, right? Who could possibly keep up with the Knight Order's carriages?"

"Well, the Carriage Guild Master's own shop is in the race, so. They were the favorite, weren't they? Damn it, that guy Gardo must've made a killing."

The craftsman remembered a colleague who had placed a bet in an illegal gambling ring.

"No, that's not them. That's a Kenwell carriage. The big boss of the Food Guild."

"Hah, now that's a major upset. Gardo's gonna be kicking himself."

"What, there's no one behind them?"

"You didn't see them at the Forum? There's about a half-day gap. I heard the others might not even make it back today."

"What's the deal? Is first place for both the knights and the merchants already decided? The First Knight Order and the Carriage Guild are a disgrace."

"The goal is in the Forum, right?"

The man started to get up.

"Yeah, and I hear they're selling some amazing food you've never had before. The kind of stuff nobles eat."

"What's that all about? Sounds like a huge exaggeration, even if you only believe half of it."

"But the story comes from an apprentice at Dalgan."

"Come to think of it, they were making some pretty extravagant preparations. Who's running that whole thing anyway?"

"Yeah, I think it's a Silver-rank company called Vinder. Apparently they were just Copper-rank until a little while ago."

"Huh, now that sounds interesting."

Chatting, the two men headed for the stairs. The rest of the spectators also began to stream down from the city wall.

◇◇

Many seats had been set up to surround the rectangular Forum. In one of them sat a well-dressed man. He took a sandwich from his basket and surveyed the venue. The commotion was unbelievable for an event that had appeared so suddenly.

His interest in the unfamiliar event called an "exhibition" was first piqued when he heard of the unprecedented trial where the knightly orders would compete based on the performance of their carriages. For him, a man who operated large caravans, it was a story he couldn't ignore.

Looking into it, he learned that the conflict between the Second Prince's faction and the Third Prince's faction was the backdrop, and he halfway lost interest the moment the Carriage Guild Master sided with the Second Prince.

But the exhibition's organizer was the Vinder Company, a name that had recently become known in the Royal Capital. The date of the exhibition was clearly set to coincide with the Knight Order's race.

He had heard that the Grand Duchess of the west had provided funds to the up-and-coming Silver-rank company. There were even rumors that she was favored by the Fourth Princess, who had come to be called the Saintess of National Salvation. Furthermore, this exhibition had received a royal charter.

Later, he learned of the involvement of Kenwell, the head of the Food Guild, as well as Dalgan and Plural, Silver-rank companies that had also recently become widely known in the capital. It was more than enough to recapture his interest.

And then, the qualifying rankings were announced. For him, it was a huge upset. He decided to confirm the race results for himself.

And when he arrived, he found a meal with the unfamiliar name of 'Matsu'.

"It was worth splurging to gather information. I see, so this is why the Food Guild is putting so much effort into it. In that case, the true mastermind must be Kenwell after all..."

Just then, three carriages burst into the Forum from the central avenue. The commoners, crowded around the cobblestones and stuffing their faces with dark bread, erupted in cheers.

"So those are the improved carriages. They don't look any different on the outside..."

The dry winter weather, with little rain, wasn't bad for the carriages. But even so, they were fast. Incredibly, they were said to be carrying more cargo than conventional carriages as well.

With his expert eye, he could judge a carriage's quality just by watching it run.

Ignoring the cheers that endlessly chanted the prince's name, he observed calmly. Despite having traveled for three days, neither the princes on the driver's box nor the horses showed any major signs of fatigue. It was unthinkable, no matter how generously the Knight Order's carriages were budgeted.

Above all, the gap between them and the First Knight Order, who had been provided with new carriages from the Carriage Guild, was clear proof of the new carriages' performance.

"Where in the world did this technology come from?"

The man was bewildered. Craig's whip cracked. The horses responded by increasing their speed. Moreover, the carriage that entered the Forum a moment later belonged to a merchant. His eyes saw the same double circle mark on both. The pattern surrounding the mark was a simplified design of the Bertold crest.

"And the same thing is over there, too..."

At the far end of the Forum, on an outdoor stage, was a tent bearing the same double circle mark. Next to it, almost apologetically, was a small, pot-shaped mark with a bee. It belonged to the Vinder Company, the organizers, yet it was inconspicuous.

"Does that mean they really are the main players here..."

Amid the cheers, the merchant tilted his head.

If that were the case, they were using the Knight Order's race as if it were a mere publicity stunt. He realized anew that what was happening here was bigger, and more complex, than he had anticipated.

Welcomed by a great roar, Craig's carriage broke the finish tape. The two carriages following him crossed at almost the same time.

On the large board erected in the Forum, three emblems of the Monster Knight Order's wildcat appeared in a row. The voices of the crowd, praising the prince and the knight order, completely filled the wide Forum.

Another cheer went up. Next to the Knight Order's board, the trade name of Kenwell was displayed.

The four carriages circled the Forum as if to show off their leisurely pace. In what could only be described as a victory lap, it was announced that the next carriages would be at least half a day behind.

◇◇

As we made our way down the central avenue, we heard a great cheer from the Forum. We could hear the crowd praising Craig. Faintly, we also heard the name Kenwell.

"Looks like it went well."

"Yeah. That overpowered carriage really gave us a hard time."

I let out a sigh of relief. About now, Craig was probably giving his closing speech in the Forum.

"They held on for quite a while even after their magic ran out."

The magic emanating from the carriage had suddenly vanished. Even so, it had struggled to get back on the main road before its response ceased completely.

We turned off our radar, contacted Count Adele, and rushed over for a "rescue." It seemed the horses had finally given out.

While the knights managing the race looked on, our two craftsmen kindly offered to help. Of course, they were refused, but thanks to Count Adele's persistence, we were able to get a look at the "undercarriage."

Unlike the horses, the carriage itself was completely unscathed. Well, even if there had been some kind of malfunction, they probably wouldn't have been able to fix it.

...If that's the standard for Imperial carriages, we'll have to completely reassess their military technology.

Arriving at the entrance to the Forum, we got out of our carriage.

Rilka and Mia came running toward us. Behind them were Euphelia and Alfina.

"Hmm. A carriage of abnormal performance that uses magic. You mean to say it belongs to the Empire, I take it."

"Yes. It looks like they only swapped out the undercarriage. It's hard to imagine any other explanation."

I explained the events of our journey.

"I see. I shall have a word with the Prime Minister."

"His Excellency the Prime Minister... Didn't he complain about Noel?"

"Alfie worked hard. She managed to pull him back to a neutral stance. If our opponent is the Empire, there is room for us to work together."

"Yes."

Alfina gave me a brilliant smile.

"Th, that's amazing, isn't it?"

I remembered Alfina saying she would accept my thanks if I proved useful.

"Is Noel here?"

"Y, yes, Your Grace, the Grand Duchess."

"Starting the month after next, you will be treated as a probationary court magician. You will be unassigned, but you will hold the position of Fulsy's assistant. Make your preparations swiftly."

"A court magician..."

"Ah, hey!"

Noel swayed. She collapsed, clinging to me for support. I hurriedly caught her.

"You're overreacting. It's just a probationary position, right?"

"It's a world of difference. To be treated as a court magician in the Third Wing... only the top two have ever managed that. Even as an apprentice, a post in the Third Wing is normally the pinnacle."

Fulsy said sympathetically. From our perspective, being an apprentice in the magic dorms would have been too restrictive. Besides, she's already a walking state secret. Compared to that, this is a trivial matter.

I'd better not say that out loud.

"Senpai. It looks like you and Noel have gotten quite close," Mia said, seeing us.

"That's right. You were together for nearly a week straight, after all," Alfina added, agreeing with Mia.

"No, this isn't what it looks like."

I hastily sat Noel down under the eaves of the carriage.

"I get it, but we need you to get things ready on your end, too. We're swamped with selling the Sho-Chiku-Bai. By the way, a huge crowd has gathered. Mostly merchants. There are some pretty high-ranking ones, too. And I've seen some craftsmen scattered about." Rilka said.

"It seems things on the Bertold side have been settled as well. You may go all out." Euphelia said, standing next to a silent Alfina. She works fast.

"Got it. We'll build up the excitement on our end. Go ahead and sell as much Bamboo as you can around the tent."

"We don't need to build any more hype! We're running out!!"

Rilka shrieked. I'm pretty sure this is what they call a happy scream.