--Rastinel Domain.


　This is a land in the western part of the Kingdom of Rynor, held by the local monarch, Louise Rastinel.
　Most of the territory is mountainous and unsuitable for farming, but it is rich in mining resources, especially silver mines, and it is said that about 30% of the silver consumed in the Kingdom of Rynor is produced here.


　It is said that about 30% of the silver consumed in the Kingdom of Rynor is produced here. ...... Currently, Arx was visiting this Rastinel territory.
　From the west gate of the royal capital, he rode his horse westward along the road to the edge of the kingdom over a mountain.
　The purpose, of course, was to obtain magical silver.
　It is still fresh in my mind that the other day, when I checked on the status of the magical silver stock at the big store, I heard that the stock had been delayed.
　I reported this to the Mage Guild and asked them to contact the various merchants, but they all said that they did not have enough stock to sell at the moment and were waiting for the silver to be processed.
　In order to secure enough silver for the time being, I received a letter of authorization from the royal family and travel expenses for the visit, and went to the Rustinelle territory where the silver mines were held.


　Now, he was riding a horse and taking a steady walk along the road.
　I have hired a local guide to lead the way, and Noah and Kazi are my traveling companions as usual.
　I'm already used to riding, thanks to my uncle Clive's training.
　They are now so skilled that they can chant spells while riding their horses.


　While holding the reins on the horse's back and gazing out at the tranquil scenery, he rambles on in a whispered voice.


I never thought I'd actually have to go on a buying trip.

Silver is needed everywhere, you know. Silver is needed everywhere, for tableware, ornaments, gilding, and coins, to name a few.

But not at this time, right?　We've just started mass production, and now this.


　His mouth is full of complaints.
　I'm not sure what to make of it.
　The enclosure and contracting of some mages and the instruction of【Renma】has already been completed. The further mass production of 【Renma Silver】, the tentative name, has just become possible.
　And yet, there's this shortage of raw materials.
　Life doesn't always go well, but in my case, I can't help but feel that obstacles are falling on me quite often.


　When I was talking about this with Noah, Kazi smiled at me as if I were someone else.


"Kihi. You can't do better than that, can you? It's the king's order, so use your power.

Well, you know, ......

Yeah. It's not going to be easy.


　If the royal family tries to collect silver by force, of course, it is the same as publicly announcing that they need silver.
　If the royal family suddenly wanted silver, other countries would be suspicious and would try to find out why.
　This could lead to the existence of a magic meter.
　Therefore, after consulting with the guild, it was decided to purchase the necessary amount first, while taking the position that the Arks, not the guild, are seeking it for their business.


　...... On the other hand, the guild has been inquiring about Polk Nadar, who is rumored to be hoarding silver, but the investigation there is not going well.
　As a result of tracing the flow of silver, it seems that the guild used to buy silver, but stopped buying it a while ago, and the circulation itself has been cut off.
　Then, where did the silver go after it was cut off - of course it was not the job of Arx to find out.


Anyway, it's a long journey.


　On his horse, he stretched out his legs and turned his back to look up at the blue sky.
　Noah gave me a curious look when I said that.


Noah looked at me strangely, "Is that so?　It's only about two weeks, including the return trip.

No, no, it's a long trip.


　No, it's a long trip." But Noah and Kazui only looked at him strangely.
　Because he is reliving the life of a man, he has memories of vehicles such as cars, trains, and airplanes. Therefore, I can't help but compare them to nature, and I can't escape the feeling of a long journey.
　I am comforted by the thoughtfulness of the guides who often talk to me when I am not busy on the road.
　The guide, a twenty-year veteran of the road, told me many stories.


Just because it's quiet doesn't mean you should relax too much.

"Yes. We'll have to be more careful soon.

What's that?

First of all, there's the immediate danger. To put it simply, bandits.

Bandits, you mean?

Yes.

Are there such things? ......


　When I heard Noah's affirmation, an indescribable breath escaped me.
　It is true that the phrase "mercenary bandits raiding the neighborhood" is a major one in the man's world. If you walk outside the walls of a castle, you are a bandit. As soon as you enter a mountain, you are a bandit, and so on.


　But


Bandits: ......


　I'm not sure what to think of bandits when I hear the word "bandit" after having experienced the life of a man. In a man's country, where security is relatively good, bandits do not occur, and they belong to a rather fantastic species.
　I remember hearing that there were such things in other countries.


If you can't imagine it, you can think of it as a more shabby version of the mercenaries the Marquis of Gaston used to hire. They regularly steal from caves, old tunnels, and decaying villages in the mountains.

"But I didn't hear anything about that on the way here, did you?


　But I didn't hear anything about it on the way here?


The neighborhoods around King's Landing are generally well maintained, the streets are frequently patrolled by guards, and you'll never run into them. If you're in the neighborhood, you don't have to be so careful.

"But in the provinces, it's different. This Rustinelle territory is much larger than the other territories, and it's all mountains. That's why there's a lot of empty space that's not well managed.

And in those gaps, these people spring up.


　It's only natural that there is no way to control them.


The other thing to watch out for is ...... demons.

Demons?　Yeah, I heard there's such a thing.




　When I say that as I remember, Kazi rolls his eyes in surprise.


What's wrong with you? You know a lot about magic, but you don't know anything about demons?

"Well. I've never been out of King's Landing before.


　The first time I went out of the capital was when I went to Crave's territory to practice magic.
　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.
　I hadn't paid much attention to it until now, thinking that since there were no demons in King's Landing, it wouldn't be so close to home.


It's not something that comes up often either, so it's no wonder Arx-sama isn't interested in it.

"Yeah, but ...... that's pretty surprising for me. Khihihi.


　I've never been interested in anything before. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who is interested in this subject.


"Have you two ever seen a demon?

I've only seen one once before.

I've seen a few.

You both have?

I was with Crabbe when he was sent to kill it.

Oh, that old man would have given such an order, wouldn't he? And that's when you saw him.

What was it like?　Was it like something out of a storybook?


　When I hear the word "demon", I think of the deformed monsters that appear in the picture books in the mansion.
　If there are demons in real life, it would seem that the monsters in the picture books are based on real ones.


No, no, no, the real thing is not that cute, okay?　If a child saw it, they would cry, or rather, their heart would stop.

That's right. That's how horrible it looks .......


　Apparently, the demons of this world are completely different from what we thought they were.
　If you see one, it will affect your heart function.
　The appearance is so horrifying.
　So are they different from the monsters in the fantasy games of men's world?
　The fantasy dream I had in a corner of my head was shattered in an instant.
　Anyway, what I'm wondering is.


"Are demons strong?

I don't know, sir.

There's no such thing as a strong or weak demon. Everything is a monster ...... disaster. I mean, are you thinking about whether or not you can win with just one person?

What?　I'm not sure.　Isn't that what you're saying?

No, no, no.


　I'm not sure what to say.
　Noah, on the other hand, makes up for the lack of knowledge.


"...... Mr. Arx. In order to defeat a demon, you have to move a basic unit size.

"No, no, if we do that, the village will be destroyed, right?


　When I said that, Noah and Kazi both looked at me strangely.


Noah and Kazui both looked at me strangely. "Demons are like that. A demon is a monster that can be defeated with 10,000 arrows. I'm not sure what to make of that. I'm sure he could have killed it by himself. ......


　I'm not sure if it's that bad.


I'm not sure what to make of it. Unlike bandits, it's rare to encounter one here.

It may be because there are not many people who have encountered them and survived, but it's not something that happens often. It's better to be careful, though.


　Apparently, you don't have to worry as much about bandits.


　The problem with ...... is that it uses words like "appear" and "occur".
　The problem is that you say things like "emerge" and "occur" in a way that doesn't give the impression of biological activity.
　So....


"Isn't a demon a living thing?

"What? That's where you're coming from.


　Then Noah quickly rubs his monocle and goes into teacher mode.


"Master Arx. Do you know what a curse is?

"Curse?　Yeah, that thing, right?　It's the residue that comes out after using magic.


　--A curse.
　It is the end result of the broken up and scattered Arts Glyphs that have completed their role after using magic. You can often see broken Artsglyphs, but they are not just visual effects, they become what is called a "curse".
　...... It may be easier to understand if you compare it to an internal combustion engine.
　Magic power (gasoline) is poured into the spell (engine), magic (energy) is produced by the reaction, and the curse (exhaust gas) is emitted.
　When it becomes a curse, it becomes invisible to the eye, but it has been proven that it actually exists.


　Anyway.


"It is said that demons are born from the curse. When the curse increases to a certain level, it turns into a demon.

In other words, demons are monsters created by the curse, something else in the form of a living being?



That's right. I think that's a good idea.


　I hadn't expected such a cycle to exist in the development of demons.
　But then...
　I'm sure you're right.


I'm not sure what to make of it.　I'm sure you're not the only one who's had it.


　There are many people in the city. The more people there are, the more opportunities there are for magic to be used.
　If that's the case, then there should be a proportional amount of demons in the land.
　However, there is no such story in King's Landing.


I have heard that King's Landing is designed to prevent the accumulation of maledictions. I've heard that the city is designed to prevent curse pools, and that the generated curse is designed to escape in three directions (east, west, and south) and dissipate.

"Curse pools?

That's the place where the curse tends to stay. A curse has a tendency to go to dark places without sunlight or to dank places. Such places are forests, mountains, underground remains, and ancient ruins that have not been touched by human hands.

I've also heard that such places are intentionally designed to attract curse words. I've heard that such places are intentionally designed to collect curse words and automatically contain the demons that are generated.

"Wow.

I digress, but the reason why demons don't appear in the royal capital is because they let the drifting curse escape and consciously prevent such places from being created.


　As Noah and the others were talking about this.


As I was talking with Noah and the others, I heard a voice say, "Wait a moment, everyone.


　As we were talking with Noah and the others, the guide who had been leading us stopped his horse and called out to us.
　We were now about to approach the next mountain.
　I wondered what was going on, but stopped my horse in time with the guide.
　He looks at the entrance to the mountain path.
　Looking closely, he saw an unnatural crowd of people.
　The guide said, "I'll go check it out," and walked away.


　...... Eventually, the guide came back after listening to our conversation.


"It seems that the road is closed ahead.

"Closed?

"Closed?" "Yes. It seems that bandits have appeared in the area and they are temporarily blocking the road. ......


　That means that the officials of the territory have arranged it so that there will be no damage.


Do you know when the blockade will be lifted?

The guards don't know that.

Then is there another way?

Well, there is, but it's a big detour.

Okay. ......


　But that's not an option. There's no point in waiting here, since we don't know when the blockade will be lifted.
　It seems that some people have pitched their tents at the entrance and are waiting for the blockade to be lifted, but we are not prepared to go that far.
　As for the detour, it's unavoidable.
　The problem is.


If it takes too long to get to ......, we'll have to think about it.　We'll be in trouble if we lose daylight.


　Kazi was right, we didn't have much time because we hadn't planned to take a detour.
　If we took too long to get to the next inn, we would lose daylight on the way.
　We would like to avoid a night march, but...


Why don't we stop at a village nearby?　If we spend the night there, we should be able to reach the capital by tomorrow night.

"All right. I'll take care of it.


　With that, the guide led the horses to another road.