Episode 92: Capital Divario
Advancing along the highways of the country of Heartaut, I came to the capital city, ``Divalio''.
The townscape of Divario was lined with wooden buildings with triangular shingled roofs and chimneys, and the dry, earthy streets stretched out in a complicated shape, giving it a Scandinavian look.
Because the walls of the buildings are also made of brown wooden boards, the overall image of the city seems a little dark.
Perhaps to dispel the darkness, flowers were planted on the side of the road, and even though it was almost winter, they were blooming.
I feel like there's a sweet smell in the air, perhaps the scent of those flowers.
As I was observing the streets of Divario, Princess Pulvera approached me and pointed in a certain direction.
She said, ``Mirimos-kun. There are piles of dried fruits being sold. It's like selling colorful jewelry by weight.''
Apparently, the sweet smell from earlier was coming from the fruit shop.
And she understood what Princess Pulvera meant behind her words.
"It looks delicious, I'd like to buy some."
“It would also be a good souvenir for Mr. Honneth. Family, I would like the reins of the horse, please.”
"I was awed. That's it, Princess Pulvera."
"Hehe. I'll make sure to buy enough for my family, so don't worry."
I went with Princess Pulvera to a shop that sells dried fruits.
The male shopkeeper noticed our approach and tried to put on a business smile, but when he saw my outfit - leather armor, imperial magic sword, and dagger with the emblem of the Knights' Kingdom - he turned sour.
"Are you... no, you're that young lady's bodyguard? Please don't startle me."
After seeing Princess Pulvera's travel attire, the shopkeeper makes a face at her.
I was wondering why her attitude had changed, but I decided to buy something from the store first.
There was not only dried fruit lined up, but also jam and nuts placed in wooden bowls and covered with paper. This store probably falls into the category of dry goods stores.
There are many different types of dried fruits, from berries to citrus fruits to apples to grapes, etc. Jams have a similar lineup, and nuts include walnuts, pine nuts, and shiitake nuts, all of which can be harvested from trees. As for fruit products, the quantity and quality were impressive enough to show that they are the main export products of Hartaut.
Another major export product is wood, and the paper industry, which uses the same materials, is also thriving, and the one in which we put the dried fruits we bought in large quantities was a brown paper bag.
Now, after purchasing various items and seeing the shop owner smiling, I decided to ask him about the question I had earlier.
"When you saw me just now, you seemed to dislike something. Why?"
"Ah, I did something bad. I saw your appearance and mistook you for a 'mercenary'."
“Mercenaries in the capital?”
I knew from reading military books that there were mercenaries in this world.
It says in the book. Weak soldiers who can only expect results for less than what they pay for, weak against the strong and strong against the weak. The only advantage is that you have your own weapons and armor, so you can get combat soldiers cheaper than having a standing army. On the other hand, even if mercenaries are paid, there is a risk that they may commit acts of brutality against the people or turn into bandits.
There was such a poor evaluation in the book on military tactics, and since the Nonette country is a small country, it was fine because there were only a few soldiers to protect the land, and there were 10,000 soldiers in the Rocha region, and the army I commanded. He was a person who was not needed.
When I saw such a mercenary in the capital of the Heartaut country, it became even more unpleasant.
“What business are the mercenaries here for?”
“That one is-”
After making sure that no one was listening in the vicinity, the shop owner secretly whispered to me.
"--There are rumors that the Ferocony country is trying to start a war against us."
"You're saying mercenaries are coming because they sense the signs of war?"
"No, that's not true. I heard that the country of Ferocony was collecting mercenaries in preparation for war, and in order to prevent them from going that way, the officials apparently took in the mercenaries in this country at a low price."
“Mercenaries often drank low-priced contracts.”
``It seems the contract was like ``Just stay in this country. You don't have to do anything else.'' A mercenary who came to this store was boasting that he could get paid just by sleeping.''
It's normal for mercenaries to get paid to do dangerous things, but that doesn't mean they like work that puts their lives on the line.
And considering that they are using methods such as keeping and killing mercenaries, it seems like the Heartaut country is not keen on war, but the Felocony country is.
"That was helpful. Thank you for teaching me."
"It's okay because you bought this much. Well, that's the reason. People might look at you in a negative way if you dress like that in this town."
"I understand. You're just looking out for mercenaries, you don't have any malicious intentions."
"It's helpful that you understand. And since you're a good listener, I promise I'll give you a bonus next time."
"Then I'll have to stop by again when I leave this town. I'll buy some jam then."
We parted with smiles on our faces, and I went to family with Princess Palbella.
After tying the bag containing dried fruits to the horse's saddle, I handed the bag to the family in exchange for the reins.
"Thank you for watching over the horses. Princess Pulvera and I have selected some dried fruits that are sweet and low in acidity that the family will like."
Family's face suddenly lights up and she looks into the pouch, looking even happier. After that, she seemed to realize how excited she was and started coughing, her cheeks turning a little red with embarrassment.
“Kohon――I’ll be grateful to accept it. I’m looking forward to eating it. Hehe.”
He seemed really happy, but couldn't keep the serious expression on his face until the end.
I pretended not to see the feminine side of family, and Princess Palbella put her hand over her mouth and let out a secret laugh.
Thanks for the chapters
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