Chapter 97 – Journey to the Kingdom (2)
The border between the Kingdom of Estiria and the Republic of Riviant.
Between them stood two walls erected on each side.
Walls created through magic commissioned directly from the Magic Tower, each belonging to the Principality and the Kingdom respectively.
Normally, a border should only have one, but here there were two because the nation had been split by war. It was meant to prevent small frictions from flaring into great flames.
And between the walls was a checkpoint.
Not only all logistics passing between the Principality and the Kingdom, but also travelers and other passersby were managed and monitored. Since it was quite large in scale, many ended up settling here.
If one were to open a restaurant, unless the food was terribly bad, it would hardly go out of business.
From that perspective, the checkpoint could almost be seen as a city of its own.
Because it symbolized neutrality between the two nations, those in charge here were civilians, so there was little conflict to speak of.
The Principality and the Kingdom only watched each other from afar.
The guards keeping the checkpoint trembled in the cold.
"Ahh, at this rate I'm gonna freeze to death. Hey, rookie! How long has it been since the shift change?"
"Yes! It's been eight minutes!"
"Only that? Why does time pass so damn slow?"
"I don't know either, sir!"
"Don't know, my ass!"
"Ow!"
The rookie's face twisted as his shin was kicked.
So what, what was he supposed to do? If he didn't like it, he could quit. The weather might be brutal, but few jobs paid as much as guard duty here.
Maybe that was why the place was full of veterans, and the hazing was severe.
Time passed, and the snowstorm grew harsher.
The senior soldier wrapped in a blanket huddled in a corner, dozing off. The rookie glared at him and spat beneath the wall.
'Hope you freeze to death.'
Then, through the blizzard, a luxurious carriage adorned in gold and black appeared. The thunderous sound of hooves made the senior soldier stand up.
"That's… isn't that an Icarus carriage?"
"What's that?"
"Calling yourself a checkpoint guard and you don't even know? Anyway… that's an international carriage. From immigration processing to everything else, all handled professionally. They're insanely expensive, and not just anyone can hire one…"
A noble perhaps? Or maybe an executive of some wealthy merchant guild.
Whatever the case, the priority was to avoid causing any trouble. The method was simple. The one piece of wisdom the senior soldier had learned in seven years of guard duty.
"Go fetch the Guard Captain right now."
If trouble seemed likely, push it onto the superior.
This was a checkpoint, after all.
***
"We will handle the entirety of your entry process perfectly, sir. However, it will take some time, so you will have to stay at the checkpoint for the night. An inn has already been prepared, so you need not worry about lodgings. We will come to fetch you in the morning."
The coachman of the Icarus carriage followed the Guard Captain's guidance toward the head of the checkpoint.
Normally, escort service was also available, but Verden declined. Instead, he had the fee reduced accordingly.
Verden looked around the small snow-covered town.
'So this is the checkpoint.'
There were more people than expected.
Merchant caravans, travelers, mercenaries, and adventurers seeking work filled the place. It seemed there were requests available at the checkpoint as well.
Verden strolled through the town and sought out the largest tavern.
'If I remember, a Pale informant was supposed to be here.'
A place where he could obtain the latest information on the Kingdom of Estiria.
He entered and sat in the most secluded spot at the bar. A female bartender approached him.
"What would you like?"
"Three-year Baker red wine, and one smoked duck."
Saying that, he tapped the table twice.
The female bartender's eyes curved into a smile, then she tapped the table once.
Correct.
Soon, the food was served.
As cheap as it was, the taste wasn't anything impressive. As he filled his stomach, a drunken vagabond staggered over and sat beside him.
"I've long heard of your reputation, Sir Asher. What information do you need?"
His voice carried not the slightest slur.
The act of a drunkard was flawless.
"Latest information on the Kingdom."
"Latest information, is it. Fortunately, I have much that may be of use."
The drunkard jerked his chin toward one wall.
On it were posted proclamations from both the Principality and the Kingdom, and among them was one from the Kingdom marked "Flight Ban."
"About a month ago, a mage inflicted grievous wounds upon a count's child and fled. The count is said to be utterly obsessed with catching him."
To wound a noble's child that severely…
But for that, to declare a kingdom-wide flight ban?
"That is the Kingdom of Estiria. The authority of nobility here is far beyond comparison to that of the Principality. If they lack justification, they create it. Especially in times like these."
"These times?"
"The entire realm is unsettled, with the princes vying for the throne."
The king was old.
Thus, the princes had formed their own factions, waging a shadow war for power. When the king descended from the throne, the crown would go to whoever held the greatest force.
"The first prince, the second prince, and the third prince are all raiding the treasury in secret just to maintain their factions. As things stand, the first prince is the strongest, having the vast underworld at his back. And those who wished to stay neutral have gathered behind the first princess."
"The princess is excluded from the succession struggle?"
"Partly because she is a woman, but above all because she cannot. The princess is not in a condition to move normally."
The princess was nearly an imbecile.
As a child, she had suffered a grave head injury from an explosion, leaving her to live her life in a wheelchair, with lifeless eyes.
What remained was only an extreme self-defense mechanism.
"Thus, the world calls her the 'Doll Princess'."
"Treatment?"
"As you know, brain injuries cannot be healed even by holy power, unless by the pope or a saintess. And even if it were possible, the princes would oppose it. For once, the princess was brilliant, a Genius in her youth, so even the slightest chance of recovery would be an increase in rivals they cannot allow."
The Kingdom was undergoing political civil war.
The privileged classes, intent only on protecting their wealth, cared nothing for the people. Citizens endured in an age where survival depended only on themselves.
"Normally, when flesh rots, it is cut away. Painful, yes, but it prevents greater harm. But the Kingdom is different. Even when flesh rots and pus overflows, they ignore it until it harms themselves. That is what has always rotted the Kingdom from within. That is the Kingdom of Estiria, as I have seen it."
Hatred tinged the drunkard's voice.
Verden asked for other information.
Though none as grand as before, it allowed him to grasp a vague outline of the Kingdom's state.
After paying for the information, Verden spent the night at the inn.
***
The next day, Verden departed the checkpoint without issue.
Indeed, as befitting a famous international carriage, it handled the complex entry procedures on its own. Even providing him with identification usable within the Kingdom.
'Worth every coin.'
Verden looked outside the carriage.
This was now the Kingdom of Estiria.
A white plain blanketed in snow spread before him. Since the distance wasn't far, the scenery didn't differ much from that of the Principality.
Verden drew out the map he had received from Pale.
His eyes fell on the city that lay in the direction of his travel.
The city of Asern.
Here worked "Perne", Gray's information dealer, to whom Pale had written a letter of introduction.
'They said the security there was quite poor.'
So he had heard from the drunkard.
From the count acting as mayor and lord, down to the paupers, none were untouched. Corruption—such was the Kingdom of Estiria.
And so, Verden looked forward to it.
To see how large the scale of requests might be.
And whether there would be powerful individuals who could become his stepping stones.
'Hopefully better than the Principality.'
Of course, he had no intention of charging in recklessly.
Just as he had accepted requests from Pale, he would move while keeping to his own standards.
All of this, was for Verden's growth.
So, a few days passed.
"Sir, we've arrived at Asern."
Verden slightly leaned his head out the window.
A massive town was encircled by a circular wall.
'An old architectural style. I heard such structures were banned for safety reasons.'
Once built, there was no undoing it, so in such cases, building defensive walls around the town was mandatory.
But here, there were no such walls.
On the contrary, development was underway at the very outskirts. Glancing at the streets, the people seemed so accustomed that they paid no mind.
At last, they passed through Asern's gate.
Arriving at his destination, Verden stepped down from the carriage and looked around the inside of the city.
It was more bustling than expected, but… unlike the Principality, he felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort.
"Thank you for using Icarus Carriage. We wish you a pleasant journey."
The carriage departed, and Verden was left alone.
It was well past noon, yet the sun had not set. He had no particular desire to eat.
'First, I should visit Dyna Bank.'
Open an account, deposit his money.
After that, he would meet with the information dealer Perne. Setting the order, Verden moved his steps.
***
Perne, with her light purple hair.
She had once been one of Gray's capable and long-established information dealers within the Kingdom.
Once.
"Kyaaaa!"
Perne was on the verge of losing her mind. No, she was already halfway there.
She pulled out the vodka she had treasured and poured it straight into her mouth. If she didn't, she couldn't endure reality sober.
Gulp, gulp!
She emptied the bottle in one go.
Yet reality remained unchanged. She staggered, then collapsed on the floor, hugging her knees.
"What… what am I supposed to do?"
Perne had always taken pride in herself as an information dealer. And indeed, her reputation outside had reflected that.
But not anymore.
Now, she was nothing more than a powerless woman buried in debt. Why had it come to this? Likely because she couldn't survive in Gray's competition.
What stung most was that it wasn't even her ability as an information dealer she had lost out on.
"Bastards…!"
New information brokers backed by nobles and wealthy patrons.
They were far too strong. In an instant, they had seized Gray, stealing away clients and requests alike.
They drowned the market in money, and she could not resist alone.
They even absorbed other brokers to form an "association", making it impossible for her to compete in the volume and quality of information.
She had received offers to join that association as well.
But she refused. Out of stubborn pride as an information dealer. Perhaps it was self-respect.
And the result of that choice, was disastrous.
No one came to buy information.
No one gave her requests.
She had even borrowed recklessly to maintain her connections, but they were severed in the end.
This was the nature of the business. No loyalty, no friendship, only money, only personal gain. Monsters, all of them.
'If only I had gone to the Principality…'
Perne sniffled and rolled on the floor.
If she had followed her senior Pale, would things have been different?
When Pale suddenly left the Kingdom, she had thought it was a foolish decision, but the fool had been herself.
Rumor had it that Pale now wielded tremendous influence in the Principality's Gray. In contrast, she was nothing more than refuse discarded in competition.
'No, now is not the time to regret.'
She had to find a way out of her situation.
She had borrowed tens of millions of Elks from a notorious loan shark, and could not even pay the interest.
Already one month overdue.
After two months, by contract, they could begin forced collection.
The only thing Perne had left was her body.
Meaning, she would become an illegal slave. And as a woman, she dared not imagine what would be done to her.
'…Should I run?'
The thought crossed her mind, but she quickly dismissed it.
Where could she run? How far could she go? Surely she would be caught in no time, and then something even worse would await her.
Should she just die now?
But she didn't want to die. She had survived all this time, how could she give up now? And, she was terrified…
There was no way out.
She didn't want this, or that.
Perne was cornered.
Unless someone threw down a rope to her, she would die trapped as she was.
"Oh, poor me…"
Tears welled in Perne's eyes.
Just then, the door opened, and sunlight poured in.
Perne turned her head, and saw someone standing there, robed.
***
'…Is this the place?'
Verden stepped into the shabby tavern.
Dust floated through the air, the stench of age hung thick. Inside, a woman rolled on the floor, sobbing.
Verden recalled the information Pale had given him, and stepped outside again for a moment.
"Perper Tavern."
The name sounded like something a child would come up with, but it matched the sign Pale had mentioned. Entering once more, he was greeted by the woman with the light purple hair.
"Who are you?"
"I am…"
"Ah, wait, are you a customer?! Just a moment! I'll bring a chair!"
Without waiting for an answer, Perne bustled about.
Hastily setting the place, she sat across from Verden.
"At the moment, I can't take requests, only sell information! What do you want to know? If I know it, I'll sell cheap!"
Information, indeed, was what he sought…
Verden drew from his spatial bag the letter of introduction from Pale and handed it over.
"I was referred."
"Referred…? Then you're not a customer…?"
Thud.
Perne collapsed onto the table.
Her face crumpled, she looked at the letter in her hands. What kind of sudden referral was this? No matter how she thought, she couldn't make sense of it.
But the name on it was familiar.
"Pale?"
Perne quickly opened the letter to read its contents.
There were only two lines written.
[Second-rank. Treat with utmost respect.]
Eh? What was this supposed to mean?
Perne instinctively raised her head. At that moment, Verden pulled back his hood.
"Oh…"
His slightly dark gray hair, his vivid blue eyes. The mysterious aura he exuded was extraordinary.
For a moment, Perne went blank, then realization struck.
'For Pale, a second-rank client means a big shot!'
And having received a letter meant he had come looking for her, an information dealer, to arrange requests.
Perne quickly stood up.
Without the slightest hesitation, she dropped to her knees beside Verden, clutching the hem of his robe. Verden blinked at the sudden development, and Perne cried out.
"Please, help me!"
What the hell was this?