novelraw Vol 3. Chapter 700: Bonus Part: Ryo and Abel’s Journey Home (28)
Vol 3. Chapter 700: Bonus Part: Ryo and Abel’s Journey Home (28)
0700 In the Frontier II
“So this place was a fortress.”
“They called it the fortress of Zarash.”
Ryo and Abel passed through the gate riding Andalusia and Feiwan, with ten enormous
But even after passing through, they were still not in the town.
“This is quite a large bridge.”
“Even the huge
“As expected of a fortress.”
Inside the gate stretched a large, long bridge.
From the perspective of defense, it would likely be extremely effective.
“Rocky hills with watchtowers, a river and a bridge... Huh? A river?”
“It seems this isn’t exactly a river.”
“This is... a town inside a lake?”
“Probably not a lake... but a gigantic oasis.”
“What...”
Yes. The sight the two of them saw from the bridge was a fortress sitting like an island within a gigantic oasis that could easily be mistaken for a lake.
“A gigantic oasis and an island fortress after crossing the wasteland? You couldn’t tell at all from the road...”
“This oasis... is it surrounded by rock?”
“Maybe like a caldera lake?”
“Caldera? What’s that?”
“No... It means there’s an oasis inside a huge dish-shaped rocky hill, and an island in the center of that.”
Ryo gave up on explaining and simply organized the situation.
The inside and outside of the rocky hills presented completely different faces.
“There are rocky hills all over the island too.”
“Looks like people live in hollowed-out rock.”
After crossing the bridge and entering the island, the two of them were surprised again.
The sight before them was definitely not what one would imagine when told “fortress”; it was closer to a trading city in the desert.
Stalls lined the road, and there were buildings made of stacked brick as well.
But there were also many rocky hills with varied rises and falls, and they could see buildings partway up and on the tops of them too.
“I’m sure the important people live higher up on the rocky hills.”
“Is that how it works?”
“Yes. And every day, they gaze down at us lower folk and take pleasure in it. They drink wine while saying things like, ‘Look, the people are like ants.’”
“As usual, the images you come up with are warped, Ryo.”
Abel shrugged at Ryo’s fantasy.
Abel was the king of the Knightley Kingdom.
In other words, he was the most “important person” in the kingdom.
Incidentally, Ryo was the Premier Duke of the Knightley Kingdom.
In other words, he was roughly the second-most “important person” in the kingdom.
“So if you lived somewhere high up, Ryo, would you say things like that too?”
“Of course I wouldn’t. I’m a duke who stands with the people!”
For some reason, Ryo puffed out his chest as he answered.
“I don’t think I’d say anything like that either.”
“You might not say it now. But one day, Abel, you may become the Arrogant King.”
“What is that supposed to mean...”
“If that happens, I’ll stop you by force.”
For some reason, Ryo said it with an expression of tragic resolve.
“Y-yes. If that happens, I’ll be counting on you.”
A friend who stopped a king from losing control... If this were a story, there was no doubt something wonderful could be made from it.
“This is absolutely beyond the scale of a fortress.”
“Yes. There are a lot of people, and it’s huge.”
Both Ryo and Abel were surprised by the scale of Zarash Fortress.
“I wouldn’t say it’s as large as Rune, but... it may have about as many people as Kairady.”
“How many is Kairady?”
“It should have been twenty or thirty thousand.”
“All that in one fortress...”
It was still not the scale of a “fortress” as the two of them knew it.
They walked for a while.
“Oh, right. We need money.”
“Yes?”
“Ryo, can you quickly take out some Eastern Countries money?”
“Yes, I can, but... we won’t be able to use it in this fortress, will we?”
“Not as money, no. But as gold, it should work.”
“...Excuse me?”
With Ryo still tilting his head, Abel continued forward.
The ten enormous
There was no problem, but they did attract attention.
After they had gone a little farther...
“This is the place.”
Saying so, Abel stopped in front of a shop bearing the emblem of a balance scale.
“What is this place?”
“The merchants’ guild.”
Abel answered Ryo’s question.
“I’m not registered with the merchants’ guild.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem, since you’re registered with the adventurers’ guild. It isn’t as if we’re going to open a full-scale shop or anything.”
Answering that, Abel tied Feiwan in front of the shop and went inside.
Ryo hurried after him.
The inside of the merchants’ guild was quite spacious.
In one corner, a number of chairs and tables had been set out, and discussions were taking place there.
They were probably transactions between merchants.
Looking closely, Ryo could see what appeared to be several private rooms.
Surely transactions were taking place inside those too...
As Ryo stopped and looked around, Abel raised his right hand slightly.
Seeing that, a young man who seemed to be a guild employee came over.
“How may I help you?”
“We want to make this usable.”
Saying so, Abel showed him the Darwei gold coin he had received from Ryo.
“Understood. This way, please.”
The man said that and guided the two of them into a private room.
After telling them to wait a short while, the male employee left the two of them in the private room.
“How many did you take from the
“One hundred gold coins.”
“That should be enough.”
Abel nodded at Ryo’s answer.
Then the door opened, and a portly man entered.
At a glance, he was clearly a merchant.
“I am Maifa, head of exchange at this guild.”
“I’m Abel, porter for C-rank adventurer Ryo.”
“...And I am that C-rank adventurer Ryo.”
The order of their introductions was somewhat strange, but one must not worry about such things.
Head of Exchange Maifa’s brow moved faintly as well, but he said nothing aloud and checked the adventurers’ guild card Ryo held out to him.
“I have confirmed it. Now then... I understand you wish to ‘make usable’ a rare currency, and gold coins at that.”
“Yes. These.”
Abel handed Maifa just one Darwei gold coin.
Maifa examined the gold coin in detail.
He also measured its weight on the balance scale in the room.
After several checks...
“I have confirmed that this is an extremely high-quality gold coin. However, it is embarrassing to admit, but I have never seen this currency before. From which country are these gold coins?”
“They’re gold coins from Darwei in the Eastern Countries.”
“Darwei?”
Abel answered, but Maifa tilted his head.
“Yes, you wouldn’t know it. We people of the Central Countries learn of it as the Eastern Kingdom, the center of the Eastern Countries. Its current dynasty is the Darwei dynasty, and over there, it is simply called Darwei.”
“I see. Gold coins from the east, then.”
After saying that, Maifa looked closely at the gold coin again.
Perhaps recognizing that the emperor’s face depicted on it was different from that of people in the Central Countries, he nodded.
“I understand. However, Eastern Countries currency cannot be used here.”
“Yes, I know. That’s why we came to the merchants’ guild. And you understood that too, which is why the head of exchange came out, correct?”
“...You seem quite familiar with merchants’ guilds, Abel.”
Maifa said that and smiled.
At that instant, Ryo felt it.
It was a merchant’s smile.
Yes, it was the smile of a merchant who had caught the scent of money.
“Even if they can’t be used as currency, their value as gold doesn’t change, does it?”
“Yes, exactly as you say.”
Yes. Abel had been trying to have the coins accepted not as currency, but as gold.
Gold had high value anywhere in the world.
“The gold standard...”
Ryo murmured the name of a system that had once existed on Earth.
After that, an intense back-and-forth unfolded between Abel and Maifa.
“...Very well. Then let us settle this at 850,000 florins.”
“I’d like 50,000 florins’ worth in silver coins.”
“That will be no problem.”
The one hundred Darwei gold coins became eighty Central Countries gold coins and five hundred silver coins.
When Head of Exchange Maifa stepped out, Ryo spoke to Abel.
“You know a lot about merchants’ guilds and transactions too, Abel.”
“I am technically serving as king of the Knightley Kingdom.”
“Does being king mean you know a lot about merchants’ guilds and transactions?”
“Of course. The merchants take part in national projects, you know? It would be a problem if the king didn’t understand them. If I can’t judge what sort of merchants and trading companies should be involved, there’s no point. What, should I leave the judgment to officials? That would become a breeding ground for corruption.”
“True...”
“I studied that kind of thing while I was in the royal castle too. With half-baked knowledge, merchants will lead you around by the nose.”
“T-that’s also true...”
Ryo nodded as he thought of acquaintances from his time on Earth, and of merchants such as Gecko.
“That said, my older brother was even more amazing.”
“Former Crown Prince Cain...”
“I need to work even harder so my brother won’t laugh at me.”
“I think it’s amazing that you keep working hard, Abel.”
Politicians involved in the heart of national government had to be knowledgeable about every field.
More knowledgeable than bureaucrats and officials.
That was what it meant to be the one responsible.
And the people had to constantly keep track of whether or not their country was in that state...
“If I have the opportunity, I’ll make sure to appeal to the citizens about how hard King Abel is working.”
“...That’s kind of embarrassing, so don’t.”
Abel stopped him with a red face.
Even after becoming king, Abel remained shy.
“I understand Lord Ryo is a C-rank adventurer, but would you have any interest in earning... no, pardon me, doing work here in Zarash Fortress?”
“Work?”
“We currently plan to stay one night and leave immediately afterward.”
Ryo tilted his head at Maifa’s question when the man returned, but Abel answered at once.
“I see. That is unfortunate. Still, if you do feel like working, please inquire here.”
Saying so, Maifa held out a single sheet of paper.
“Recruiting people who can fight?”
“Experienced applicants preferred? What, are you going to war with somewhere?”
Ryo tilted his head, and Abel asked.
“No, no. It is for self-defense. It seems they would like experienced people to train the town’s defense corps.”
“Hmm. The organization recruiting is called the Fortress Training Association.”
“Yes. It is by no means a suspicious organization, but more like part of the administration here in Zarash Fortress.”
Maifa smiled as he answered Abel’s question.
It was that same smile Ryo felt was “a merchant’s smile.”
“I have one question.”
“Yes, what might that be?”
“To begin with, what country does Zarash Fortress belong to?”
“That is an extremely difficult question.”
At Abel’s question, Maifa’s smile vanished and he grimaced.
“I am merely the head of exchange for the merchants’ guild. In other words, I bear no responsibility outside the merchants’ guild, so I will say it plainly... Officially, I believe it belongs to no country.”
“An independent state?”
“I cannot say that for certain either.”
Compared to his words and behavior until now, Maifa’s speech had grown less decisive.
“Until ten years ago, it was unquestionably part of the Go Kingdom.”
“Hmm.”
“But a political upheaval occurred, and the Go royal family was destroyed. Marquis Nyusha then attempted to ascend the throne in their place... but the nobles who had obeyed the Go royal family, influential merchants, and part of the populace opposed him, and five years ago, a civil war began. That civil war still continues now.”
“I see. The ruler of this fortress is not a noble, but...”
“As you have guessed, it is self-governed.”
“And the core consists of influential merchants.”
“Yes.”
Abel spoke in assertions, and Maifa did not deny them.
Maifa, the merchants’ guild’s head of exchange, appeared to be well informed about the movements of merchants.
“To be blunt, if merchants are at the center, then wouldn’t it be better for them to join hands with this Marquis Nyusha, the new top figure, and devote themselves to business rather than oppose him? I would think more merchants would make that judgment...”
“Well... that is beyond the understanding of a mere head of exchange such as myself.”
Maifa put on that merchant’s smile and evaded Abel’s pursuit.
After receiving various pieces of information about inns, the two of them left the merchants’ guild.
It was four in the afternoon.
Thinking it was about time to search for lodging for the night, Ryo and Abel walked through the town.
“How did you know influential merchants were at the center?”
“If a noble ruled the place, wouldn’t the gate guards have matching equipment? But if merchants are self-governing it, then it’s understandable for their clothing and such to be all over the place.”
“Why did you think it wasn’t led by the populace?”
“To begin with, you can’t self-govern without money. Generally, the ones at the center of self-government are influential people with a great deal of money. And most of those people are merchants doing some kind of business, aren’t they?”
Abel smoothly answered Ryo’s questions.
What Ryo thought of was the city of Sakai, which had been governed autonomously by influential merchants during Japan’s Warring States period.
In the end, it had yielded to threats backed by Oda Nobunaga’s military power, but...
“B-but the western ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ forest...”
“That place is an elven forest, so it’s an exception.”
Abel sharply brushed aside Ryo’s resistance.
Every answer was perfectly clear.
“This is the sort of situation where I honestly think you’re amazing, Abel.”
“Stop it.”
Ryo praised him honestly, and Abel grew embarrassed.
“Your exchange negotiation with Maifa was wonderful too.”
“One hundred Darwei gold coins for the equivalent of eighty-five florin gold coins... Well, if we consider only the value of the gold itself, that’s probably a reasonable amount.”
“At first, Maifa offered eighty coins, didn’t he?”
“If he’s a merchant... no, to be precise, if he’s a member of the merchants’ guild, that’s only natural. A twenty-percent fee... Honestly, I thought that might be fine too, but it seems there’s no harm in asking. We profited by five gold coins.”
“And now we can stay at a good inn for Andalusia and Feiwan.”
“Not for your sake?”
“We’re Andalusia and Feiwan’s accessories.”
Ryo declared.
Hearing that, Andalusia whinnied happily.
“Oh, right. Abel, why didn’t you listen to what Maifa said about the Fortress Training Association work and all that, and instead said we’d leave the fortress tomorrow? Even if we really are leaving tomorrow, we could at least have heard him out...”
“People know you have a large sum of money, Ryo.”
“Huh? Well, I do have eighty-five gold coins’ worth, so it certainly is a large sum. Hm? When you say people know, who knows?”
“Maifa, of course, and the people of the merchants’ guild. The merchants’ guild prepared the equivalent of eighty-five gold coins, and internal personnel could infer that it was apparently handed to an adventurer-like person wearing a robe, yes?”
“Well, they could.”
Not quite understanding Abel’s meaning, Ryo tilted his head.
“It’s an old trick. A person known to have money dies, and the money they should have been carrying disappears.”
“Ah...”
It often happened in old American films.
Especially in places like Las Vegas, where people who had won money gambling became targets...
“Merchants are frightening.”
“Head of Exchange Maifa may not have meant it that way, but there’s no loss in being careful. There are all sorts of people in the world.”
“But if we stay at an expensive inn, people will find out we have money anyway.”
“True. So there’s no such thing as complete safety. It’s only a matter of trying to avoid trouble as much as possible.”
Abel said it with a wry smile.
The two turned off the largest street that ran through the center of the fortress.
Including the roads, this place was more a town than a fortress.
“But why did he tell me about the training matter, I wonder? If he intended to take back the money, then that can’t be helped, but I think there must have been another purpose too.”
“Of course there was. Because you’re a C-rank adventurer, Ryo.”
“Yes? I am indeed a C-rank adventurer, but... is that really the only reason?”
“C-rank is proof of first-rate ability. In the royal capital of Knightley or in Rune, that may be one thing, but in a frontier like this, there won’t be many of them. If they learn that someone like that has come here and is trying to obtain money, it’s only natural to invite him, isn’t it?”
“I see.”
Ryo nodded at Abel’s explanation.
Ryo had only lived in Rune and the royal capital, so that part did not quite feel real to him.
“Ah, come to think of it, Kairady didn’t have anyone C-rank or above.”
He remembered the only example in his head.
“Kairady, yes... Even when good people grow there, they move to Rune right away...”
“Poor Kairady. The curry was delicious too.”
Ryo lamented on Kairady’s behalf.
“Ah, this is it. The Sand Sleep Inn. A good-looking inn overflowing with exotic atmosphere.”
“Exotic? Well, it’s true it looks good.”
Ryo and Abel had arrived at the “best inn in the fortress” Maifa had told them about... the Sand Sleep Inn, an inn especially known for taking proper care of horses.