ALL NOVEL Chapter 166
166. The Real Journey Begins After Arrival, Isn’t It?
After leaving the empire to work abroad, the unlucky adventurer, Lucas Lindblum, who witnessed one small country after another being destroyed by monsters, finally managed to reach a proper city-state.
Although the footprints of fleeing residents were still visible in the city where Lucas had been camping, meaning we likely could’ve arrived on our own even without him.
Like the cities we had seen before, this one also had a stone wall surrounding the town and its castle. As expected, the farmlands were outside the wall, but we could see gates positioned for easy evacuation.
This type of structure is common on the frontier, even in the kingdom. In extreme terms, Golden Dawn is similar—though the scale is so different it’s hardly comparable.
Van’s frantic efforts to construct numerous forts are probably the same. Though in his case, the walls are made of alchemical hardened rock.
Travel between cities must be rare because we weren’t made to wait at the gates before entering.
At the large gate in the wall, guards in peculiar armor stood watch.
“That armor looks familiar…”
Raidoc muttered, and Lucas followed up.
“That’s Mizuho samurai armor. This country is close to Mizuho, after all.”
“This is an independent nation, isn’t it? They’re entrusting their defense to soldiers from another country?”
“In small nations, I hear it’s pretty normal.”
That unique armor design, I’d seen it a few times during my adventuring days.
Raidoc must’ve been about to say the same.
I knew they were Mizuho warriors, but most of them didn’t talk about why they came to the kingdom to become adventurers.
Not prying into the past was an unspoken rule among adventurers, so I didn’t know much, but it seemed like they found it hard to stay in their home country.
As we approached the gate, one of the soldiers in imposing samurai armor challenged us.
“Halt! Who are you? You don’t look like refugees, dressed so cleanly…”
I stepped forward.
…Of course, Raidoc had no intention of handling negotiations.
“Greetings. We are an envoy led by Viscount Kyle Golden Dawn von Elixir, bearing a letter from His Majesty Vineck Midlights von Maugalia of the Maugalia Kingdom, beyond the great southern river. We request entry and an audience with this nation’s ruler.”
Damn. I started with “greetings.” I hope they overlook that.
“What? The Maugalia Kingdom? That’s one of the three great nations!”
“It’s an honor to be called that.”
The samurai gathered, their armor clattering as they began consulting with each other. They made no effort to keep their voices down, so we heard everything.
“What do we do?”
“It’s hard to believe they came from the south. Every country in that direction has been destroyed by monsters!”
“Besides, favoring this country over our Mizuho Divine Nation is an insult!”
“Indeed. They should greet our Lord Muten first!”
As their excitement grew, I quickly interrupted.
“Excuse me! We are not well-versed in the customs of this region! We’ve heard there are multiple nations in this area, and part of our mission is to investigate their relationships! If greeting the Mizuho Divine Nation takes precedence, we will go there first!”
My hurried explanation calmed the samurai.
“Hmm… I see. Then let me explain. Our Mizuho Divine Nation is the sovereign state of these city-states. Therefore, the first person you should greet is our living deity, Lord Muten Ingram!”
And so, we were effectively forced out.
Though we weren’t short on supplies, wouldn’t it be normal to let us replenish at least?
As I scratched my head, Lucas shrugged.
“Samurai are strong, but their loyalty to their living deity is extreme. Too extreme. For anything related to the nation’s—or rather, Muten’s—dignity, they’re completely inflexible.”
“I see. So, this Muten is the king?”
“No, the living deity only oversees the nation. All administrative duties are handled by the shogun.”
“A military official runs the government?”
“That’s just how their country is.”
“Got it.”
The structure of these small nations was becoming clearer.
Rather than a collection of independent states, it seemed like the Mizuho Divine Nation controlled them by force.
Otherwise, it’d be unthinkable for foreign guards to man the gates and for a mere soldier to alter the plans of a visiting envoy.
After boarding the carriage, I shared my observations with Kyle. Eva, our advisor, had joined us and agreed with my assessment.
“That’s my impression as well. Let’s head straight to the Mizuho Divine Nation without any detours.”
“Agreed. …Still, I wish we’d at least learned the name of that city-state.”
“Haha…”
Our plans had changed a bit, but we were now heading to the Mizuho Divine Nation.
“It’s a relief to know a stable nation still exists. I had considered the possibility that all the small states were wiped out.”
Kyle’s murmur made me pale slightly at the thought.
…I finally understood why Van was so insistent on pushing forward with road construction, no matter the cost.
Thus, we finally arrived at our destination.
◆
The Mizuho Divine Nation that came into view exceeded all our expectations.
The stone wall stretched endlessly to the left and right, with no gaps, and the top was lined with numerous watchtowers.
In front of the wall was a deep moat filled with water, which we later learned was seawater connected to the ocean.
The moat, like the wall, was made of stone, but instead of uniform blocks like those used in the kingdom, it was built from natural-shaped stones fitted together seamlessly.
“Incredible craftsmanship.”
Without Leafan’s explanation, I might not have even noticed.
In terms of size, it was a massive city if considered a city-state, but small for an entire nation.
Still, it was a giant metropolis with extensive walls.
Compared to Golden Dawn, though, it was embarrassingly small—but that’s just because the comparison itself was absurd.
It was about one size smaller than the royal capital.
The city gate was a drawbridge, currently lowered.
There seemed to be some traffic, with the occasional carriage or cart passing through.
Of course, the guards at the gate were samurai.
“Halt!”
Naturally, we looked suspicious and were stopped.
“You’re not merchants. What is your business in the Mizuho Divine Nation?”
I gave the same explanation I’d used in the previous state.
“What? The Maugalia Kingdom? The great southern nation?”
“Yes. We wish to meet the Mizuho Divine Nation’s representative. If it is not presumptuous, we humbly request an audience with the living deity, Lord Muten Ingram.”
I’d practiced this speech many times, so I hoped it sounded polite!
“Hmm. Your intent to greet Lord Muten is admirable. First, we will consult General Shingen.”
“Thank you.”
“I cannot guarantee how long it will take for a response. Stay at an inn for now. We will send a messenger soon.”
“We are grateful for your consideration.”
I handed over a prepared bribe.
This was standard in the kingdom.
The samurai looked down at the small pouch of coins with disdain.
“Unnecessary. I know the ways of merchants and foreign nations as a gatekeeper, so I will warn you just once. This act is considered disrespectful to us samurai. Be mindful.”
He returned the pouch of silver coins.
“My apologies. Thank you for the advice.”
“Hmm. Well, we’re not strict with anyone but samurai.”
For the first time, the stern-faced samurai’s mouth twisted into a slight smirk.
It turned out he had a surprisingly playful side.
Thus, we successfully entered the Mizuho Divine Nation.
And we were soon amazed twice over—by the sheer number of people and the lively streets.