I was going to the capital of the Rastinel territory with Diet and the others.


　There were naturally four of us, myself, Noah, Kazui, and the man who was to guide us.
　On the other hand, Deet and his men had split up their forces to guard the area around the village, reducing the number to about two-thirds.
　On top of that, there is a group of people with a very fishy smell attached to them.


　Before we left, all the villagers came to see us off, and we received many words of thanks.
　In exchange for lodging, we made and repaired the imprinting tools.
　In defense of the village, we minimized the damage.
　So, people came to thank him.
　It was a surprise to see the entire village gathered in the village square.


　If you are ever in the area, please stop by again.
　The chief and the wife said that they would treat us to fish pie again.
　I replied, "By all means," and left for the capital with Diet and the others.


　On the way, the man who had been guiding us passed the baton to Deet.
　I wondered if it was unusual for him to be a resident of the capital. When he was done, Gills came to talk to him.
　I didn't get tired because I was only listening to him talk about his travels around the world.
　When Diet suddenly left us, he came up to us as if he wanted to talk in private.
　What would he do with the silver once he had it?
　Is it just for engraving?
　Will you use it for something else?
　And so on.
　He asked me a lot of questions about how I would use it.


　I kept my guard up and just said that I would use it for the imprinting project.
　I don't know what he's thinking.
　The Dunweed story.
　And all these other weird things.
　I still don't have a clear picture of him.


　Anyway, we took a major detour from our original route.
　We crossed a small mountain and walked our horses along a river, and arrived at our destination, the capital, just as the sun was setting.
　The capital of Rastinel with the setting sun in the background.
　It was the most prosperous city in the area, an orthodox circular fortress city in the kingdom.
　Barracks are scattered outside the city walls. Unlike the royal capital, the river flows outside the walls and stretches westward to the west.
　The castle, where the lord lives, is built on a small plateau within the city grounds, and looks particularly large and tall.
　When you pass through the castle gate, you will see the city filled with the bustle of evening.
　The main streets are particularly bright, as the use of "glittering glass" is widespread, though not as widespread as in King's Landing.
　Perhaps because of the large amount of silver produced in this area, there were many stores with silver decorations or names derived from silver in various parts of the city.


　When we entered the capital, Gills said, "I'm going to make some money," and left at will.
　Now that he has parted ways with Diet and the others, he is resting at a restaurant after making arrangements for lodging.
　The greeting and audience with the lord, Louise Rastinel, was to be held the next day at the audience time.
　Normally, it would have been logical to contact her immediately, but it was obvious that Deet and the others would report and explain the situation even if we didn't hurry to contact her. When I said good-bye, Garanga replied, "I was asked to do so," so there was no doubt.


　I finished my meal and my stomach was full.
　I leaned on the back of my chair to catch my breath.


　--The price of wheat is going up, isn't it?

　--I haven't heard anything about a bad harvest this year. Hey, isn't the price of salt high these days too?

　--Yeah, that's right. I wonder what's going on?

　--Well... I'm sure Louise will take care of it.

　--Yeah.


　Suddenly, I hear something like that.
　Apparently, prices are going up.
　However, the people talking didn't seem to be too concerned about it, and said, "Long live Louise! They were enjoying a toast to their lord, praising him.
　I guess they have a lot of trust in their lord. They seemed to be at peace.


　However, the price of wheat and salt rose.
　I heard the chief talk about it in the village.


"What do you think about the price of wheat and salt, ...... Noah?

What do you mean now?　Isn't it just a matter of prices going up to keep up with the rising prices in the surrounding areas?

What if it's a sign of war?


　When I say such a random thought, Kazi gives me a half-hearted look of dismay.


Why do you always think of things in such a disturbing way, ......?

"Well, you know. The price of wheat and salt doesn't go up that often, does it?　Normally, when the price of wheat or salt starts to rise, the lord will intervene and adjust the price.


　Wheat and salt are directly related to people's lives.
　When the price of wheat or salt rises, everyone does everything they can to bring it back down.
　Of course, the lord would not allow a sudden rise in prices due to market manipulation.
　Since this would affect the revenue of the whole territory, it is natural that they would start to improve the situation, as the diners said.
　Besides, there are laws in place around here to prevent merchants from doing such selfish things.
　As long as there are no crop failures or interventions by other territories, this kind of thing should not happen very often.


It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.　Hmm?

"Don't pick at your whiskers. The whip.


　Noah reiterates what he said earlier as he and Kazui play with each other.


It's unlikely, isn't it? If the kingdom is preparing for war with the empire, it's not just in the west, it's skyrocketing throughout the kingdom, and there aren't any lords around here that are in conflict with each other enough to start a war.



I know. I mean, where the hell are we going to go to war with?


　After all, you can't think of such a thing?
　There is no one to go to war with.
　So, it is impossible to say that war is likely.
　However, it is still unnatural that the prices of things essential to our daily lives are rising.
　I've heard that there have been good harvests everywhere this year, and yet I can hear in my ears that only the price of food around the territory is going up.


Some stupid merchant based in this area is buying up all the food. It's a common story.

It'll be over soon.


　As I sip my cup of tea, thinking that I've read too many books to connect everything to the incident.


"This is Master Arx.


　Suddenly, a voice called out to me from behind.
　I turned around and saw a small, fat man with a merchant's appearance.
　It was Pilokoro, the merchant who had disappeared from the village.


You are ......

You are ." "I just saw you, and I'm sorry to call on you. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to greet you when you left.


　Pilokoro apologizes in a reverent manner and bows his head.
　He had left the village last night and had already arrived at the capital?
　Just as I had felt in the village, Pilokoro seemed to be overwhelmed with fear.
　To him.


No, I'm glad you're okay. But I heard that someone stole a cargo in the village.

"Yes. During the raid, when the gates were breached, they took advantage and stole the entire shipment. ......

"And the silver?


　You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.


In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site.


　He said, "I prioritized the evacuation of the villagers and that's why I was robbed.


That's why I hurriedly rode my horse here to report it to my lord.

Is everything all right now?


　The cargo I was carrying on my lord's orders was stolen.
　That should have been punishable.


Yeah, yeah. I had to pay a certain amount of blame and a fine, but it was lighter than I expected because the lord was also responsible for not being able to control the damage caused by the bandits.

"I see. ......


　I guess he's an understanding lord. You can't blame him for fining you, but you owe him a debt of gratitude for not arresting you or charging you with a serious crime.


So, what are you going to do now, Pirocolo?

Me?　I'm .......

What do you do for a living?

Uh, .......


　I was just casually talking to him, but for some reason, Pilocoro became sluggish.
　I could tell that he was having trouble answering.
　When I tilted my head at his attitude, he said


I'm not going to be able to take on any other work because I'm going to ...... be heading to Nadar territory.

"To Nadar territory?　Now?

"Yes, .......


　Nahdar territory.
　The territory of Nadar is adjacent to the territory of Rastinel, so it should be easy to get around.
　If you go down the river that runs along the territory, you will eventually reach Nadar territory.
　Transporting goods will also be easy if you use a ship.


　However, I did not expect to hear the name of Nadar mentioned here again.
　Thinking that I've been hearing that name a lot lately, I ask again.


"Is that also an order from the lord of this place?

No, it's a different job.

"Another haul?

Yes, yes, yes. Yes, yes, yes.


　So it's another case in Nadar territory.
　However, since we started talking about this, Pilokolo's behavior has been strange.
　He seems to be upset somehow, and his conversation is stuttering and unintelligible.
　When I greeted him earlier, he seemed normal.
　I got the impression that he was like a child looking for an excuse in the middle of a conversation.


　I tried to ask him what was going on.


"Well, I'll just go to .......

Oh, hey, .......


　I tried to stop him, but he didn't hear me and left the store quickly.
　As I watched him walk away, I couldn't help spilling a few words.


"...... is full of strange people.

I'm sure you'll find it persuasive.

"Khihihi!　That's right!

That includes you guys, you know!　Hey!


　I'm not sure what to make of that.


But that old man has a lot of work ahead of him, doesn't he?

Are you crazy?




　When I responded to Kazui's questioning words, he said.


"No, it's not strange, but you failed at your job and now you're working in another territory.　The next person who asks you to do a job like this should refrain from doing so," he said.

"Mr. Pirocolo is probably a merchant who basically travels between Rustinelle and Nadar. It's not surprising, then, that his transport business is so busy.

I'm not sure if this is a ...... to/from job or a return job, but I'm guessing it's one you've already taken in Nadar.


　Noah nodded at Kazi's words.
　It's true that Rustinelle and Nadar are connected by a river.
　If you're also involved in river shipping, you might take on a job on the way back after carrying a load upstream, or vice versa.


　If this is the case, there is no means of communication such as the telephone.
　It is not unnatural to accept a job in advance.


　In advance.


"............ in advance?


　For some reason, a word in a casual conversation caught my attention.


　In advance. That means "in advance".


　--Stolen cargo.

　--The sudden disappearance of the pillow.

　--The bandits' inexplicable retreats and suicides.

　--The frequent use of the word Nadar.


　Suddenly, I felt as if all these things were connected by a line.