Chapter 700 : At the Frontier II

Chapter 0700 At the Frontier II

Translator: Jay_Forestieri

Editor: Tseirp

“So this was a fortress, huh?”

“He called it Zaarash Fortress.”

Ryo and Abel rode in on Andalusia and Feiwan, pulling ten gigantic <Dollies> behind them as they passed through the gate.

Even after passing through, they were not yet in the city.

“That is quite a large bridge.”

“A giant <Dolly> could pass through it with room to spare, but... it’s heavily fortified.”

“As expected of a ‘fortress’.”

Inside the gate, there was a long, massive bridge.

From a defensive standpoint, it would be extremely effective.

“A rocky hill with a watchtower, a river and a bridge... huh? A river?”

“It does not seem to be a river, strictly speaking.”

“This is... a city inside a lake?”

“Probably not a lake, but a huge oasis.”

“How astonishing...”

Yes, from atop the bridge, what the two of them saw was a fortress-like island within a gigantic oasis that could easily be mistaken for a lake...

“A huge oasis and an island fortress at the end of the wilderness? There was no way to tell from the highway at all...”

“This oasis... is it surrounded by rock?”

“Sort of like a caldera lake?”

“Cald... what? What is that?”

“No, um... an oasis inside a gigantic plate-shaped rocky mountain, with an island in the center.”

Ryo gave up trying to explain and organized the situation in his mind.

The interior and exterior of the rocky mountain presented completely different scenery.

“There are lots of rocky hills inside the island too.”

“They’ve hollowed out the rock and seem to be living inside it.”

After crossing the bridge and entering the island, the two were surprised once again.

What they saw there was certainly not what one would imagine when hearing the word ‘fortress’, but rather something closer to a desert trading city.

Stalls lined the roadside, and there were also buildings made of stacked bricks.

However, there were also many uneven rocky hills, and buildings could be seen partway up them and even on the peaks.

“I’m sure the important people live up on the rocky hills.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. And every day, they look down on us commoners and revel in their superiority. They sit there drinking and saying things like, ‘Look, people are like ants’.”

“Your imagination is as twisted as ever, Ryo.”

Abel shrugged at Ryo’s imagination.

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 probably the second most ‘important person’ in the kingdom.

“Would Ryo live in a high place and say things like that?”

“Of course not. I’m a duke who stays close to the people!”

Ryo answered with his chest puffed out for some reason.

“I don’t think I’d ever say such things either.”

“Maybe not right now. But someday, Abel might become a tyrant king or something.”

“What are you talking about...”

“If that happens, I’ll stop you by force.”

Ryo said this with a strangely tragic, resolute expression.

“Ah... yeah, if that ever happens, I’m counting on you.”

A friend who could stop a king from going off the rails... in a story, that would surely make for something wonderful.

“This is absolutely beyond the scale of a fortress.”

“Yeah, it’s crowded and huge.”

Both Ryo and Abel were astonished by the size of Zaarash Fortress.

“I can’t say it’s as big as Rune, but... it might have a population comparable to Kyradea.”

“How many people is that?”

“Must have been twenty or thirty thousand.”

“And all of them in one fortress...”

This was clearly not the scale of a ‘fortress’ the two of them knew.

After walking for a while.

“Right, we need money.”

“Hm?”

“Ryo, can you take out the Eastern Countries’ money right away?”

“Yes, I can, but... we probably can’t use it in this fortress, right?”

“It won’t work as currency, but gold should be fine.”

“...Huh?”

Still tilting his head, Ryo was led along by Abel.

The ten gigantic carts followed as well, but the roads were wide enough that it was not a problem.

It was not a problem, though they did attract a lot of attention.

After walking a while longer...

“This is it.”

Abel said that and stopped in front of a shop bearing the emblem of scales.

“What is this place?”

“The Merchant Guild.”

Abel answered Ryo’s question.

“I’m not registered with the Merchant Guild, though?”

“That should be fine, since you’re registered with the Adventurers’ Guild. It’s not like you’re trying to open a proper shop or anything.”

After saying that, Abel tied Feiwan up in front of the shop and went inside.

Ryo hurried after him.

The interior of the Merchant Guild was quite spacious.

In one corner, there were many chairs and tables set up, where people were discussing matters.

Probably business between merchants.

On closer inspection, there seemed to be a number of private rooms as well.

Surely transactions were conducted in those too...

As Ryo stopped and looked around, Abel raised his right hand slightly.

Seeing that, a young man who appeared to be a guild employee came over.

“How may I help you?”

“I want to make this usable.”

Saying that, Abel showed him the Darwei gold coins he had received from Ryo.

“Understood. This way, please.”

The young man then led the two of them to a private room.

The man said, “Please wait a moment,” and left, leaving the two in the room.

“How many did you take out of the cart?”

“One hundred gold coins.”

“Well, that should be enough.”

Abel nodded at Ryo’s answer.

Then the door opened, and a stout man entered.

He looked every inch a ‘merchant’.

“I am Myfa, the exchange chief of this guild.”

“I’m Abel, luggage carrier for C-rank adventurer Ryo.”

“...And I’m that C-rank adventurer Ryo.”

The order of self-introduction was a little strange, but that should be ignored.

Exchange Chief Myfa’s eyebrows twitched slightly, but he said nothing and checked the Adventurers’ Guild card Ryo handed over.

“I have confirmed it. So... you would like to ‘make usable’ this unusual foreign currency, and in particular the gold coins?”

“Yes, this.”

Abel handed Myfa just one Darwei gold coin.

Myfa examined the gold coin carefully.

He also weighed it on the scale in the room.

After several checks...

“I have confirmed that this is a gold coin of excellent quality. However, I am ashamed to say that I have never seen this currency before. Which country’s gold coin is this?”

“It’s the gold coin of Darwei, in the Eastern Countries.”

“Darwei?”

Abel answered, but Myfa tilted his head.

“Right, you wouldn’t know. We, people of the Central Countries, know the Eastern Countries as the ‘Eastern Lands’. Their current dynasty is the Darwei Dynasty, and over there it’s simply called ‘Darwei’.”

“I see. So it was a gold coin from the East.”

Myfa said that and looked at the coin in detail once again.

Perhaps realizing that the emperor’s face depicted on it was different from those of the Central Countries, he nodded.

“I understand. However, currency from the Eastern Countries cannot be used here.”

“Yes, I know. That is why I came to the Merchant Guild. And because you know that too, you, the ‘exchange chief’ came out, didn’t you?”

“...Abel-dono seems to be quite knowledgeable about the Merchant Guild.”

Myfa said that and smiled.

At that moment, Ryo felt it.

That was the smile of a merchant.

Yes, the smile of a merchant who has caught the scent of money.

“Even if it cannot be used as currency, its value as gold remains unchanged, does it not?”

“Indeed, you are correct.”

Yes, Abel was not trying to have it taken in as currency, but as gold... gold.

The value of gold is high anywhere in the world.

“Gold standard...”

Ryo muttered about a system that once existed on Earth.

After that, a fierce back-and-forth took place between Abel and Myfa...

“...Understood. Then let us settle at 850,000 florins.”

“I want 50,000 florins of that in silver coins.”

“No problem.”

One hundred Darwei gold coins were exchanged for eighty Central Countries gold coins and five hundred silver coins.

When Exchange Chief Myfa stepped out, Ryo spoke to Abel.

“Abel, you really know a lot about merchants and business deals.”

“Well, I am the king of the Knightley Kingdom, after all.”

“His Majesty the King knows about merchant guilds and trade?”

“Of course. We have merchants take part in the nation’s projects, don’t we? If the king doesn’t understand that stuff, it’s a problem. If I can’t judge which merchants or merchant houses to include, then that’s the end of it... Am I supposed to leave that to government officials? That would only create a breeding ground for corruption.”

“I see...”

“And I started studying that sort of thing back when I was in the royal castle. If you only have half-baked knowledge, merchants will make a fool of you.”

“Th-that’s true...”

Ryo nodded, thinking of acquaintances from his Earth days and of the merchant Gecko.

“Still, my elder brother was even more amazing.”

“Former Crown Prince Cain...”

“I need to work harder so that my elder brother won’t laugh at me.”

“I think Abel’s ability to keep striving is amazing.”

Politicians involved in the central core of state governance must be knowledgeable in every field.

More so than bureaucrats and officials.

That is what it means to be a ‘person in charge’.

The people must always be aware of whether their country is in such a state...

“If I get the chance, I’ll make sure to let everyone know just how hard King Abel works.”

“...That’s embarrassing, so please don’t.”

Abel blushed and tried to stop him.

Even after becoming king, Abel remained a shy person.

“Ryo-dono, you’re a C-rank adventurer, yes? Would you be interested in earning some money here in Zaarash Fortress... no, forgive me, would you be interested in working here?”

“Working?”

“For now, we’re planning to stay one night and leave right away.”

Ryo tilted his head at Myfa’s question, but Abel answered immediately.

“I see, that is regrettable. However, if you ever feel like working, please inquire here.”

Myfa said that and handed over a sheet of paper.

“Hiring people who can fight?”

“Preferably experienced? What, are they planning to fight some other place?”

Ryo tilted his head, and Abel asked the question.

“No, no. It’s for self-defense. It seems they want experienced people to train the city’s defense force.”

“Hm. It looks like this is being advertised by something called the Fortress Training Association.”

“Yes. It is by no means a suspicious organization; it is basically part of the administration of Zaarash Fortress.”

In response to Abel’s question, Myfa replied with a smile.

That same smile Ryo had felt was a ‘merchant’s smile’.

“I have one question.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“First of all, which country does this Zaarash Fortress belong to?”

“That is a very difficult question.”

At Abel’s question, Myfa’s smile disappeared and he frowned.

“I am merely the exchange chief of the Merchant Guild. In other words, I am not responsible for anything outside the Merchant Guild, so I will say this clearly... officially, it belongs to no country.”

“An independent state?”

“I would not go that far.”

Compared to his usual manner, Myfa’s answer was unusually evasive.

“Until ten years ago, it was unquestionably part of the Go Kingdom.”

“Hm.”

“But a political upheaval occurred, the Go royal family was destroyed, and the Marquis of Nyusha attempted to take the throne in its place... however, the nobles who had served the Go royal family, influential merchants, and even part of the common people opposed him, and five years ago, civil war began. That civil war is still ongoing.”

“I see. So the ruler of this fortress is not a noble, but...”

“As you can tell, it is self-governed.”

“The core of it is the influential merchants.”

“Yes.”

Abel spoke as if stating a fact, and Myfa did not deny it.

Myfa, as exchange chief of the Merchant Guild, seemed to know a great deal about the merchants’ movements.

“To put it plainly, if the merchants are the ones in charge, wouldn’t it be better to cooperate with this newly risen Marquis Nyusha and focus on business rather than opposing him? I would think most merchants would make that judgment...”

“Well... that is beyond what someone like me, a mere exchange chief, can say.”

Myfa slipped away from Abel’s questioning with that familiar merchant’s smile.

After receiving some information about lodging, the two left the Merchant Guild.

It was four in the afternoon.

Figuring they should probably start looking for a place to stay for the night, Ryo and Abel were walking through the city.

“How did you know the influential merchants were in control?”

“If the nobles were ruling it, wouldn’t the gate guards all be equipped the same way? But if it’s merchant self-governance, then it makes sense that the clothes they wear are all different.”

“Why did you think it wasn’t centered on the common people?”

“First of all, self-governance can’t function without money. In general, the center of self-governing systems is made up of powerful people who have lots of money. Most of them are merchants engaged in some kind of business, right?”

Abel answered Ryo’s questions smoothly.

What Ryo thought of was the city of Sakai during the Warring States period, where self-governance by influential merchants had been practiced.

In the end, it would be subdued by Oda Nobunaga’s threat backed by military force, but...

“But the western forest is...”

“There, the elves live in that forest, so it is an exception.”

Abel flatly dismissed Ryo’s resistance.

Every answer was clear and precise.

“In situations like this, I really do think Abel is amazing.”

“Stop it.”

Ryo praised him honestly, and Abel became embarrassed.

“And your exchange negotiations with Myfa-san were excellent too.”

“One hundred Darwei gold coins for eighty-five gold florin coins... well, if you consider only the value as pure gold, that was a reasonable amount.”

“Didn’t Myfa-san originally say eighty coins?”

“A merchant... no, to be precise, someone from the Merchant Guild would naturally say that. A 20% commission... honestly, I did think that might be fine too, but well, it never hurts to try. We’ve already made five gold coins’ worth of profit.”

“So that means we can stay at a nice inn for Andalusia and Feiwan.”

“Not for you, Ryo?”

“We’re just a bonus item attached to Andalusia and co.”

Ryo declared.

Hearing that, Andalusia gave a pleased whinny.

“Right, Abel, why did you say we’d be leaving the fortress tomorrow without even hearing about the work at that Fortress Training Association or whatever? Even if we’re leaving tomorrow, we could at least listen to the details...”

“Ryo is known to be a man with a lot of money.”

“Huh? Well, I do have the equivalent of eighty-five gold coins, so I guess that’s definitely a lot of money. Hm? Known? Known to whom?”

“To Myfa, of course—and to the people in the Merchant Guild. The Merchant Guild will have been able to infer that eighty-five gold coins were prepared and handed over to an adventurer in a robe, won’t they?”

“Well, I suppose they could.”

Ryo tilted his head, not quite understanding what Abel meant.

“A trick that has been common for ages... a person known to have money dies, and the money he should have had disappears.”

“Ah...”

It was a common plot in old American movies.

Especially in places like Las Vegas, where people who made money gambling would be targeted...

“Merchants are scary.”

“Myfa the exchange chief may not have meant it that way, but there is no harm in being careful. There are all kinds of people out there.”

“But if we stay at an expensive inn, it will end up becoming obvious that we have money.”

“True enough. That’s why we can’t obtain perfect safety. The best we can do is try to avoid trouble as much as possible.”

Abel said that with a wry smile.

The two turned off the largest street, which ran right through the center of the fortress.

Including the roads, this was more like a city than a fortress.

“But why did he tell me about the training job? If he was planning to steal the money back, then I guess that makes sense, but I think there was some other purpose too.”

“There was, of course. Because Ryo is a C-rank adventurer.”

“Huh? I am a C-rank adventurer, yes, but... is that really the only reason?”

“C-rank is proof of being top-tier. Aside from the royal capital of Knightley or Rune, there probably aren’t many here in the frontier. If such a person comes along and is known to be trying to earn money, of course they’d try to recruit him.”

“I see.”

Ryo nodded at Abel’s explanation.

Ryo had only ever lived in Rune and the royal capital, so this wasn’t something he could really feel instinctively.

“Oh, right—I remembered Kyradea didn’t have anyone of C-rank or above.”

He recalled the only example he had in mind.

“Kyradea, huh... Even when good talent is raised there, they just move to Rune right away...”

“That’s unfortunate for Kyradea. And its curry was delicious, too.”

Ryo lamented on Kyradea’s behalf.

“Oh, this must be it: the ‘Sleeping Sand Inn’. It’s a nice inn with a foreign feel to it.”

“Foreign feel? Well, it does seem like a good place.”

Ryo and Abel had arrived at the inn Myfa had recommended as the best inn in the fortress—specifically, the Sleeping Sand Inn, which also took proper care of horses.