Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Metropolis and Country Bumpkin The party spent a night in the resting lodge and, the next day, everyone got up in the early morning. After eating the heavy breakfast of Almar meat Yakiniku (seasoned with salt that Kazura brought), they departed from the lodge.

The sky was still dim, so the highway that passed through the center of the forest was still dark like in the night.Except Kazura, his fellow travelers sometimes picked up edible mushrooms and had a good sight inside the forest. However, even if Kazura had eyesight of 1.5, his could see only to the extent of what is underneath his feet.Even so, he walked closely to Valetta and moved forward carefully. His eyes gradually become accustomed to the dark while walking, so he could barely see his surrounding after awhile.He actually wanted to use the lantern that he had brought with him, but in the worst case he could met with people from Isteria, so he couldn’t use it carelessly.Although he had taken pains to bring it, he couldn’t use it, so it just mere excess baggage. 「To be able to see in this darkness, everyone’s eyes are really good. I can only barely see the surroundings.」 Kazura started to converse with Valetta who strangely became puzzled. 「Is that right? But I think that it is normal....... Ah, but Lodurr-san had a really good pair of eyes.」 Last night, at the Almar hunting event, Kazura had vaguely reached a conjecture: This world’s inhabitants had really good eyesight.Kazura though that because there only sufficient light for them to barely able to see their surrounding for a long time, if their daily life closely follow the rise and set of the sun since their birth, then someone could obtained hyperacuity like them.The eyesight of Lodurr was a special case, since he was a hunter. 「Ah, that’s true. The Almar that was inside the pitch dark forest last night, was killed with a single arrow from him. And yet, even if the animal had black fur, he still could be able to see it.」 「That’s true, right? To be able to see a black Almar in the night is something that I couldn’t do.」 Such was the conversation with Valetta while they kept advancing in the forest highway.And so, the sky became brighter while they were walking, the inside of bleak forest was speared by the sunrays.En route, they had several breaks, and so they walked for 5 hours inside the forest.When the surrounding became brighter, Kazura’s group had reached the forest exit. 「Eh? Is it perhaps, we had arrived at Isteria?」 Seeing the scenery that spread out in front of his eyes, Kazura began to ask Valetta who was beside him.After exiting the forest what greeted him was a view of fields that stretched as far as eyes could see, here and there were private houses that dotted the landscape. 「No, this place is the grain producing area that surrounds Isteria. The city itself was a bit further ahead from this place.」 「Grain producing area..... What a fitting term. I can’t see the end of the fields.」 Kazura search for the fields’ edge, but the fields seemed to continue forever, as it kept stretching out beyond the horizon.Though he could see people taking care of the fields all around, the plants that grown in it were of small height. Water was insufficient or the plants were sick, he could even see some withered plants between them.Although there is water channel that had been dug beside the fields, the water that flowed in them was dried-out now. 「Since this area is quite vast, not only there are fields that surrounds Isteria but also villages and towns.」 「Humm, so there is a large scale food production... By the way, how big is the population in Isteria?」 Hearing Kazura’s question, Valetta put her hand in her mouth and thought for a while. 「EttoUmm, I’m sure that some years back, Father told me that there are about 200.000 people at there, but....」(Val) 「Valetta-san, there must be short of 300.000 people by now.」(Lod) 「Hmm, 300.000 people huh?..... Eh? 300.000 people reside in there?」(Kaz) Lodurr supplemented Valetta’s answer, Kazura unintentionally turn his head behind to him. 「Yes. 4 years ago immediately following the cease-fire, the population of Isteria that was about 200.000 people were decreased, so the Royal Family decreed that a thousand peasants from other Feudal Lords were to be added to Nelson-sama’s fief population every year. If by chance the war occurred again, Isteria as the territory that had the longest border with Balveil[1] will become a fierce battleground.[2]」(Lod) 「I see, so that’s why they gather people in here right?」 It appears that Isteria City was a quite large metropolis.Although when he asked Valetta and Valin back in the village, he was told about the situations in the city and what kind of shops in there, he forgot to ask the important size of the city.Although the city was bigger than what he had expected, he was happy for his miscalculation.Although he was bothered by the gathering of people for the war, the armistice treaty had 4 years remaining. It’s not a story that he will see in his current journey. 「Because we will arrive just a little further, let us keep our pace for a bit.」 「Of course. Let’s keep at it! Auch....」

In this way, while enduring the pain caused by the blister in his sole, Kazura cheerfully step forward to reach the Isteria City, desperately. ✦✧✦✧ They had walked on the highway that ran aside of the endless field.With the view of the fields, they took a break for a meal (after making sure that there are no people nearby, they ate the canned food), and walked while taking short breaks in between it. The party finally arrived in front of a giant gate of Isteria.Although the sun somewhat started to fall, there was still time before it completely sunk. 「Waa. This is all walls? They are surrounding the entire city.」 In front of the Isteria giant gate, Kazura took a look on the wall that extending out to both side and became surprised.The wall was made from stone block had a height of 5 meters and was endlessly surrounding Isteria City to defend it.The gates had double doors made from wood, and reinforced with bronze. It was massive.Its height was about 4 meter.In top of the wall, every several hundred meters, were soldiers that guarding it with spear in their hands. Sometimes they took a good look at the surroundings.There were some parts of the wall that were still incomplete, but he could see many people doing construction work on it.At the distant, he could see that beside the wall, there also towers that being constructed, adhering close to the wall. It was constructed with stone at the exterior while the interior was wooden frameworks. 「Kazura-san, we will enter the City.」 Kazura and Myra was gazing at the walls, the gate, and other things, with their mouth wide open. Both of them were completely like a country bumpkin visiting a big city. Valetta called out to them while holding back her laughter. 「Ah, yes.」 Kazura replied weakly while he still admired the giant gate as he passed through it.On the gate that they passed were several guards, the party reported to the guards that they came from Grisea Village to sell firewood and Arcadian Bug that they carried. Valetta took out a parchment from her bag. It was a certificate that states their place of origin as Grisea Village. She then displayed it to the guards.It was not allowed to carry weapon to the inside of the City, so the weapon that they had brought with will be deposited with the garrison. In exchange they will receive a wooden board as the deposit proof.While doing this, she gave several copper coins to the guards for the entrance fee, but it was only for the entrance fee, since depositing weapons was free of charge. 「Uooooo, This is amazing! It is completely like a film about Middle Ages....」

A Certain Country Bumpkin Kazura who just arrived in the city, raised his voice in admiration when he saw the scenery.First of all, different from Grisea Village, there were a lot of buildings in here.On the both sides of the 7 meter width straight road, there were buildings from wood and stone constructed at fixed interval. On the road there were a lot of people moving back and forth.Far away, a big building with stone dome could be seen. There were also a lot of splendid two or three stories buildings.On the back of the gate was a stationhouse for the garrison that was like a wooden hut. The soldiers that came out from it seemed to relieve the soldiers that manning the wall, and were climbing the stairs that attached to the wall. 「Will we immediately go to sell the firewood?」(Kaz) Kazura want to take out his secretly brought along digital camera to record the city and the guards, but somehow, he suppressed this urge. He calmed his excitement and began to talk with Valetta.Meanwhile, the girl beside him, Myra was still gaping with her mouth open as she saw the city scenery. 「No. The sun soon will sets so we will go towards the common lodgings[3]. We will sell the goods and buy nails at tomorrow.」(Val) 「Common lodgings...... Is it some sort of Inn?」 「Nn~ It’s a little different. There is no individual room like the Inn, but it’s a facility that has large rooms where a large group of people could stay in. It’s a public facility that is directly managed by the city. The lodging fee is very cheap and there is also meal. But only evening meal though.」 In brief, it’s a facility resembling a larger form of resting lodge where they spent their last night.Perhaps, the people who carried money to some extent will stay at an Inn, but the people who didn’t had much money or wantd to save money will stay at public facilities like this. 「Also, since we will stay with a large group of people, please be careful of thieves. There is a lot of stories about luggage being stolen while sleeping. But since we will took turns to watch the luggage, I think we will be all right.」 Listening to Valetta about the common lodgings, the students of Isteria beginner class, Kazura and Myra, replied together with 「Yes~」. ✦✧✦✧ After walking in the city for 20 minutes, the party arrived at the common lodgings were they will spend the night.The common lodgings was a one story building made from wood, had very high ceiling that seemed like an elementary school gymnasium building.There also an annex building that separated from the lodgings at the inside, from the smell that drifted from it, it seemed to be a kitchen.At the entrance, Valetta paid the lodging fee to the ossanuncle[4] in the reception desk before going inside. There were a lot of guest inside, sitting at the room as their please. 「Woah, there a lot of people congested in here.」

「If we arrived earlier it will not to be this congested.... Ah, around that side is empty, let’s take that spot as our resting place at there.」 Valetta, who was surveying the lodging interior, located a space that was just right for the party to sleep at. They finally arrived at that place while being careful of the preceding guests that were sitting or sleeping inside.On that empty space, they put down their luggage and sit down to take a breather. 「But really, this city is big. There are a lot of buildings and the entire city is covered by the wall. This is something that I never thought I’d experience before.」 Kazura unwrapped the bandage that was around his feet. Concealed behind the mantle, he disinfected the blister using a hydrogen peroxide solution. After drinking some water and catch his breath, he started to converse with Valetta and the others.Myra secretly took out the drops from the can in the sack-bag that was covered with her mantle, and toss it to her mouth. 「When father took me to the city 10 years ago, there was no wall. It looks like it was constructed after the war started. But since the funds are insufficient, the construction is far from finished.」(Val) 「After the cease-fire, I heard they construct a big fortress alongside the border with Balveil. Surely this is the cause of the delay on the completion of the city wall. Well, since the cease-fire period is still 4 more years, at that time I think the city wall will be completed.」(Lod?) 「Hmm hmm... Fortress, huh? I should not attract any hostile attention from there.....」 (Kaz) While Kazura and group were talking, the door to the lodgings interior was opened and a cart carrying a cauldron was moved to inside.The people who were lying on their mat until that time, started to rise their body up instantly, and make a long line in front of the pot to take their share. 「Looks like the meal has come. We should also queue up.」(Kaz) 「You’re right.」(Val) Because it is necessary to watch the luggage, they will take turns. Half of them will line up and receive the meal, while the other half stayed.The meal that they got was a soup with thin taste and little vegetable on it. The amount on the wooden bowl was just for only enough to drink it in one gulp. There was no spoon, but since it was dirt cheap common lodgings, there was no one who complained about it.The party, used to eat canned food and rice meal with ample salt, after tasting the bland vegetable soup had an indescribable expression on their face. 「Umm, is this lodgings meal always like this before?」(Kaz) 「No. At least at the time when I came to sell furs 2 years ago, there were more ingredients and the taste was stronger. In addition, they also gave 1 piece of bread, or at least that how I remembered it.」(Lod) While Kazura’s group had this kind of conversation, they secretly put the salt that Kazura had brought to their soup without being seen by the other guests. After the taste had become stronger, they once again ate it.Though somehow its taste was more like warm salty water, there was nothing that could be putted in it, so they drank it without opposition.The mushrooms and wild herbs that they had picked in the forest, although still raw, were edible. After soaking it in the salty water they ate it. Although it was unsatisfying, they had succeeded in filling their stomach.While they were doing this, the other guests had second serving of the ultrathin soup and once again made a long line in front of the pot.