CH 259

Nacios

***---***

It was true that the number of monsters in the Irosun Great Forest was increasing, but it didn't seem to be easy to pinpoint the cause.

The Irosun Great Forest was a forest that spread between Marburg and Bakkenheim, and it took a day and a half by horse-drawn carriage just to cross the road from east to west.

The north-south length was said to be three or four times that, and it would be extremely difficult to find the cave from which Flamme came out.

Moreover, if monsters were increasing in this vast forest, it should be considered that there were multiple caves or that it was connected to the southern continent even before Flamme's arrival.

[ This seems to be difficult to deal with even if a nomination request comes. ]

[ That's right. No matter how many monsters you hunt, if you don't do something about the original cave, the same situation will happen again. ]

[ Even that cave is not limited to one, and even if it is buried, a new cave may appear in another place, so I don't feel like I can deal with it. ]

[ It's not like there is no other way. ]

[ Are there any good measures? ]

[ It's a little unrealistic, but if you dig a deep moat on both sides of the road, the danger level will be considerably lowered. ]

[ That's true, but wouldn't it take a huge amount of money and days for construction? ]

[ It would take a while. ]

There must be more than 100 kilometers from one end of the road through the Great Forest to the other.

I couldn't even imagine how long it would take to complete it if we dug a moat on either side of it that could prevent even large monsters.

[ Even if a moat can't be dug, just widening the grass on the side of the road would greatly reduce the risk of an attack. ]

[ I see, so they would be less worried about being suddenly attacked. ]

Both sides of the highway that ran through the Irosun Great Forest were grasslands that were about the same width as the road.

By widening the width of this grassland, the visibility would be improved, and the fear of being attacked by monsters would be reduced.

I'm sure it would be effective as a safety measure, but I couldn't even imagine how long it would take to cut down the forest and clear the land.

Nevertheless, let's keep it in mind as a countermeasure in case Reese-san requests it.

The morning after scouting the Irosun Great Forest, Hort and I headed to the Lord's Mansion.

It seemed that they would move directly from there without going to the guild's office.

"Kent, have you been to the Breichberg guild before?"

"Yes, I went to inform Reese-san about the Salamander incident the other day."

"Then, please send me and Augusto to the corner of the guild's training ground."

"Understood."

When I went to visit the guild in Breichberg, I thought it was the bustling time in the morning, but it felt like it was sparsely populated.

The structure of the guild was similar in any city, and there was a training ground in the back, but there was no one there either.

Maa, it was good not to get in the way, so I immediately summoned the two of them.

"Ohh, oohh ... Is it already Breichberg."

"No, even though you know, it's bewildering when the scenery suddenly changes."

Klaus-san and Augusto-san had experienced the summoning technique to impart knowledge of Japanese, but unlike this time, it was about the distance of right to left.

From Volzard to Breichberg, a distance that would take more than a week to travel by carriage was done in an instant, so there must be some bewilderment.

"Okay, Kent. You can escort us from the shadows."

"Then, does it mean it's better if I'm not seen?"

"That's right. The trump card should be hidden."

"Understood."

As Klaus-san said, I will watch over the two of them from the shadows.

Klaus-san, who must have been here several times in the past, stepped into the guild without showing any signs of hesitation.

Come to think of it, Klaus-san was active as an adventurer before he became a Lord, so he may have been in and out of the Breichberg guild since then.

Klaus-san entered the guild and he walked straight up to the counter.

"My name is Klaus Volzard. I want to see Nacios, please relay this."

"Y, yes, just a moment, please wait a little."

Today's Klaus-san wasn't dressed like the usual adventurer's outfit, he was wearing something like an aristocrat's travel outfit, so there was a dignified feeling.

Hey, Klaus-san, you definitely chose a female staff member that you liked and called out to her, didn't you?

This place, it's a lot closer to the right than the center.

I'll have to report this to Marianne-san when I get home.

"I will guide you, please come this way."

The female staff member who disappeared into the back staff space once came out of the counter and guided the two of them.

Rather, Klaus-san, you're definitely looking at the Onee-san's butt.

His mouth is completely slackening.

Yup, let's report this to Marianne-san.

"Please, have a seat and wait. I will prepare tea right away."

"Aahh, I'm sorry for bothering you ..."

Klaus-san settled down on the sofa in the back, and Augusto-san also sat down on the sofa next to him.

[ Kent-sama, there is a peep room. ]

Viewed from the sofa where Klaus-san sat down, the picture was hung diagonally to the left.

Behind it, there was a passage that was large enough for one person to pass through.

A small light was lit in the passage, but it was barely bright enough to see your feet.

Then, a small man entered with killing the sound of his footsteps.

He walked over to the wall where the painting was hanging, gently opened a small window in the wall, and peered in. A look of surprise appeared on his face.

The man immediately closed the window and left the passage with killing his footsteps again.

When he got out of the locker in the next room, he went through the corridor and opened the door to the room where Klaus-san-tachi were.

"Klaus, what kind of magic trick did you use? Don't tell me you were your own escort."

"I'm sorry for coming to you so suddenly, Nacios. But, I think it's better to hurry things up."

"Aahh, it's about Irosun. Maa, sit down ... Is this Augusto?"

"Oops, sorry for the delay in introducing you, this is my oldest son Augusto."

"I'm Nacios Breichberg. It's nice to meet you."

"That's what I should be saying, it's nice to meet you."

Nacios shook hands with Augusto-san and sat down in the seat facing Klaus-san.

Nacios Breichberg was about twenty centimeters shorter than Klaus-san, and his dull blue hair was thin on the top of his head.

He seemed to be about the same age as Klaus-san, but his smile made him feel soft and friendly.

"Now, Klaus. You being here, is it because of Kent Kokubu, your favorite child?"

"Who knows, by what means ... I can't reveal the details, but it's Kent's power."

"Really, what a lucky man you are. I can't imaging having that kind of talent falling into one's lap."

"Lucky is it ... Maa, I guess so, but when I think about Beatriche being taken away, I don't think I'm so lucky."

"Fuhahaha, I see, to think that you, an idiot parent, would offer your daughter ... I definitely want to meet him once."

"I'm sorry, but I won't give Kent to Breichberg."

"I thought so, let's get to the point, shall we."

Nacios quenched his thirst with tea and his expression tightened.

"We have also suffered greatly from the increase in monsters in the Irosun Great Forest ..."

Breichberg was a city of commerce and industry.

Many items from Landshelt were collected, traded and processed in Breichberg, and then transported to other cities.

If traffic through the Irosun Great Forest was blocked, the ores and materials from Marburg and Volzard would not be able to come in, and goods such as grains and fabric would not be able to be sent.

For the city of commerce, this was the worst possible loss.

"Klaus, the fact that you are here means that there is a way to solve our predicament, right?"

"Maa, don't panic, Nacios. It's true that it's not like there's no way to avoid the Irosun abnormality, but it's also an act that relies on the talent of a single person ..."

"Kent Kokubu, is it?"

"That's right, but it's not a desirable situation to let one person hold the core of the country's economy."

"Certainly, you're right. Currently, there are nearly twice as many adventurers as before, but if there's no place for them to work, it wouldn't be surprising if a riot broke out."

The reason why the guild in Breichberg was deserted was because many adventurers had left the city to receive escort requests or get escort jobs.

"But Klaus, I understand what you're saying, but the cost of escorts is too high as it is now. Adventurers might get rich, but the poor will not be able to survive."

"I don't think the Irosun incident is a problem that can be solved in the short term. Each territory will have no choice but to take measures, including treatment for the poor."

"That being said, Volzard has the means to solve the problem, and isn't the problem just a matter of adjusting?"

"Maa, that's right, but I have no intention of continuing to rely on Kent alone forever."

"I see, by the way Klaus, what do you think is the cause of the incident? Should we assume that a large-scale dungeon has appeared somewhere in the Great Forest?"

"Regarding that matter, I will ask Bakkenheim about the details, but it seems that there is a cave that has a space distortion and is connected to the neighboring continent. Maa, it might be a dungeon in a sense."

"You say it's connected to the neighboring continent? Is it really possible for such a thing to happen?"

"I haven't seen the actual thing either, so I can't say for sure, but I suspect the possibility is high."

"But, even if the cave is the cause, how are we going to find it?"

"That's the problem. No matter how good Kent is, it will be difficult for him to find it, and even if he does, it doesn't mean that he can definitely deal with it."

"Fumu, in other words, it's difficult to find a fundamental solution."

Nacios folded his arms and began to ponder.

"The problem is iron ore and copper ore ..."

Klaus-san nodded at the words Nacios leaked.

[ What does that mean? ]

[ From Breichberg, there are two cities on the other side of the Irosun Great Forest, Marburg and Volzard. Regarding Volzard, if Kent-sama's power is used, there will be no problem with the distribution of goods. ]

[ I see, the remaining problem is the increase in the price of ore purchased from Marburg. ]

[ It will be like that. ]

Nacios unfolded his arms and asked Klaus-san.

"How much iron ore will be produced from Volzard's dungeon?"

"Unfortunately, including Breichberg, we can't produce enough to cover four towns."

"I thought as much. In the first place, ore is heavy, so transportation costs are high. On top of that, if the cost of escorts increases due to this situation ... My head hurts."

"I suppose ..."

"Don't talk in such a relaxed manner, you can make such a carefree face because it doesn't interfere with traffic to and from Marburg ..."

"No, it's not really that, there is a possibility that we will not be able to do the transaction itself."

"What, is there something going on at Rivarre Pass?"

"No, it's not that. The stupid sons of Marburg have come to ask me to take Angelina as their wife."

"Hou, did you outright reject them because they sent you such a joke of a negotiation?"

"That's how it is."

"Kuukukuku, what are you going to do about that? Isn't it a problem if the ore is really stopped?"

"That's why, this thing ..."

What Klaus-san took out was a rebar cut into about ten centimeters.

"What's that? Iron, huh."

"Aahh, that's right. I'll give it to you as a sample."

"If it's a sample ... What does that mean?"

"I can accommodate if necessary."

Nacios turned his gaze quietly to try to find Klaus-san's true intentions and then fell silent.

After a while, he alternated between looking at the rebar in his hand and Klaus-san, and then stood up.

He opened the door leading to the corridor and told the passing staff.

"Call for Nacho, aahh, and hurry up."

Nacios returned to his seat after seeing off the staff member who ran with short steps.

"You said you would leave it as a sample, is this something different from normal?"

"Even if it say it from my mouth, you won't believe me unless you check it out, right?"

"Maa, that's right ... This thing, where did you get it? Possibly, from Resenburg?"

"Didn't you call an appraiser? It's fine even after they've finished assessing it."

"How much do you have?"

"Four hundred ..."

"Four hundred corads, if that's the case ..."

"Oops, it's better to leave that calculation for later."

"Muu, really, is it that pure."

"That's how it is."

There was a knock on the drawing-room door, and an appraiser who conducted mineral appraisal entered.

"Nacho, take a look at this thing."

"This, it's iron ..."

The appraiser, called Nacho, picked up the piece of rebar and started appraising it, and his eyes widened immediately.

"Nacios-sama, where was this refined? This is the first time I've seen such high-purity iron."

"I see, this story may affect the survival of Breichberg, don't reveal it to anyone else."

"As you wish."

Nacho returned the rebar to Nacios, bowed and left the room.

Nacios, who seemed friendly, no longer had a smile on his face.

"In other words, the cost of refining and transportation is added to the price ... No, since the purity of refining is different, are you thinking of trading at a higher price?"

"It's helpful that you understand quickly. However, it would be troublesome for Marburg to run wild."

"Haa ... Are you asking me to think about distribution to the extent that Marburg doesn't go out of control, just how much work are you going to push on me?"

"Well then, do you not need that?"

"Wait, wait, I didn't say that. Seriously, this bastard guy ..."

Klaus-san smiled broadly when Nacios made a face that looked like he had swallowed a bitter bug.

"However, Nacios. If the Irosun incident becomes worse than ever, the ore from Marburg will really stop."

"I understand. But, if that happens, Marburg won't be able to survive, and it will definitely affect Volzard."

"That's right. In order to keep the country of Landshelt alive, Irosun's traffic must be secured no matter what."

"Are there any concrete measures?"

"There are, whether it's building a wall, or digging a moat, in any case, if we don't start with logging, it's probably not going to work."

"Is it necessary to have a country discussion? Or should we let Marburg and Bakkenheim do it first?"

"There is no choice but to do it as a country. However, I wonder if Edelich's shitty old man will agree ..."

"I'll have to convince them. I'll do some groundwork in advance for Verlingen and Liebenstein."

"What time is the meeting?"

"That's right, we'll see how it goes for another two weeks, and then we'll issue a notice, so it will be a month later at the earliest."

"Alright, let's clear our schedule."

After that, Klaus-san and Nacios had a series of detailed meetings about the schedule of meetings by the Lords.

Before I knew it, Augusto-san took out his notebook and wrote down the main points.

After finishing the meeting, Nacios took a deep breath and rested his back on the sofa.

"Klaus, are you staying the night?'

"Aahh, with that in mind, I pushed my job onto Donovan."

"Really, the people around you suffer from misfortune. Okay, I'll get my work done. I'll let you know when the room is ready, so please wait until then."

"No, I want to see the city for a while, I'll be back by evening."

"Really, then do what you like. After the New Year, the economy is booming and public order is not bad. I don't think there will be any problems, but please be careful."

"Is that so ... Kent, come out for a second."

"What? Where, where did you come from?"

I put out a shield of darkness next to the sofa where Klaus-san was sitting and stepped into the reception room.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Kent Kokubu."

"Fuumu ... I heard that you were a magician with the dark attribute, but this much ... I'm Nacios Breichberg."

"I can't hand him over to Breichberg, but if it's just a matter of lending him, I'll consider it."

"Of course, it's going to cost a lot of money, right? At the moment, there's no need for help, but I've heard that you can make a Salamander disappear like a magic trick. When things get out of hand in Breichberg, I think I'll have you lend a hand, my best regards."

"To you as well, my best regards."

"Fumu ... Excuse me, but you look like a normal boy to the point of disappointment."

"Hahahaha, I and Augusto thought the same way. But, he's the one who will marry Beatriche, you should understand just by that."

"Right ... Then, Klaus, let's continue at night while having a drink."

"Roger."

After shaking hands with Klaus-san, Nacios went back to his work.

"Now, Kent, can you take out the bag I left with you?"

"Yes, please wait a moment."

Klaus-san and Augusto-san began to change their clothes after I took out a bag that was slightly larger than a suitcase for travel.

It was like a quick change from an aristocratic outfit to a normal adventurer style.

Augusto-san was also wearing the same clothes, but somehow it felt like a cosplay.

I thought it was because I was unfamiliar with him because he usually wore close fitting clothes, but Klaus-san said the same thing.

"That's no good, Augusto. It looks like you're wearing a disguise."

"I see, is that so?"

"Isn't it right? Kent."

"Umm ... I wonder if it's because I'm not used to seeing it ..."

"No, it's not, just take off your clothes, Augusto."

Klaus-san took off the adventurer-like clothes from Augusto-san, who had taken the trouble to change his clothes, he rolled them into a mess and crumpled them up.

The shirt, pants, and jacket were all messed up.

"Here, put it on."

Augusto-san had a strange expression on his face, but when he changed his clothes as he was told, he looked like an adventurer.

"Not yet ..."

Klaus-san beckoned to Augusto-san and messed up his hair.

I see, Augusto-san was overly strict about various things.

This would make him look like an adventurer.

"How is it, Kent. This will make him look like a petty adventurer."

"I don't know if he looks petty, but he looks like an adventurer."

Or rather, Klaus-san, it suited you too well.

"From now on, I plan to have Augusto visit other cities as well. At that time, in order to freely look around the city, it is necessary to get used to this kind of clothing."

"Understood. It will be educational."

"Also, your manner of speaking. Maa, until you get used to it, let's go with a taciturn character."

Augusto-san silently nodded.

Rather, you're really serious, aren't you.

I thought it was just right to add Klaus-san and Augusto-san and divide them in half.

"Okay, Kent. Put away the bag. Let's go eat lunch."

"Understood."

Seeing Klaus-san, who was about to head out into town happily, I exchanged glances with Augusto-san and gave a wry smile.