Chapter 52 – Unexpected Meeting (1)
Unexpected meeting (1)
“From now on, we will cross the bridge over the Fairy River, so it will shake a little. Please be careful.”
Yuno, who became curious after hearing about crossing the river, got out of the carriage and went to the coachman’s seat.
“It’s dangerous. Go in and hold on to the handle.”
To ensure security in case of an unexpected situation, Yuno and his party asked Count Grime to call for an ordinary carriage that ordinary merchants would ride.
In addition, the clothes they were wearing were changed to clothes that would be worn by well-to-do commoners or lower-class nobles, and the armament of the guards, including Cordelia, was kept hidden as much as possible.
Therefore, the drivers pulling the carriage had no idea of the identity of Yuno’s group, but it was clear to them that Yuno’s group were precious people just by looking at their appearance, so he was extremely polite to Yuno, who looked much younger.
Haha, don’t worry, old man. By the way, if this is the Fairy River, if you cross here, you’ll be in Viscounty Nikana.”
“Yes, that’s right. Viscount Nikana was a very nice person… He went to the capital not long ago. Since he doesn’t have a child to inherit the estate, he wants to spend the rest of his life comfortably… Ugh~ As for the person who comes next… What kind of person are you…”
“I heard that the Nikana Territory and the Tesida Territory are being merged. Didn’t you hear that?”
“Ah, I think I heard that. But what does that have to do with people like us who make a living from day to day?”
The coachman smiled forlornly and then cautiously opened his mouth to Yuno, as if he had remembered something.
“Oh, by the way! Viscount Nikana was a good man, but the behavior of the newly appointed guard leader named Gerard is truly outrageous. Every time he passes through the castle gate, he collects toll tax separately and extorts shopkeepers under the pretext of credit. So you, too, need to be careful.”
“Huh~ Has something like that ever happened? It must be completely illegal to collect taxes other than those specified.”
“Do you know what the law is? They tell you to pay, so you pay. Besides, if you don’t pay right away, you’ll have to pay the penalty, but there’s nothing you can do.”
“Why don’t you at least say something to the lord? Viscount Nikana would have listened carefully to the complaints of the people of the territory.”
“Don’t even talk about it. To see the lord, you have to go through the magistrate, and he’s in the same company as the guard captain. So we have nowhere to complain. Besides, the original tax is 30%, so why are they charging so much special tax… “
This was Yuno’s first time hearing that there was a special tax levied outside of wartime, so he held his tongue at the coachman’s words.
“No, isn’t the lord coming out of the Minsaeng Temple? You should have reported it then.”
“They occasionally came out to inspect people’s lives, but Gerard was so strict with them that they only let him meet Young Ji-min who kissed them, so there was nothing they could do.”
“Oh my, thank you for sharing such valuable information. I must be careful.”
“Yeah, it’s not a big deal. But the guests seem to be precious just by looking at them, so I won’t do anything big. If the guards start acting up next time, I’ll keep an eye on them, so give them a few silver coins.”
“Yes. I will take note of it. By the way, the scenery is really nice here.”
“Oh, that’s right. The Fairy Lake, located just a little further south, is the greatest pride of our hometown. Our destination, Chiese Castle, is not far away, so it would be perfect if you come for a vacation later.”
“But isn’t there an area below the Fairy Lake where the Beketh clan of elves live? Haven’t they been causing trouble lately?”
Nikana territory has always been in conflict with the Bekes clan over the ownership of the lake, so this place was one of Yuno’s interests.
Of course, it was possible to subdue them by mobilizing the imperial army, but since they hunted all the monsters that flowed from the mountain ranges into their territory and did not pose a particular threat to the people of the empire, they left them alone for the time being, and Yuno I had no intention of interfering as long as there was no accident.
“Really? I haven’t seen a shadow of an elf in about 10 years. Come to think of it, in the past, we always fought with hunters who entered the forest, but I’ve never heard of such a thing these days. Thanks to that, the price of meat has become slightly cheaper.”
“Hmm~ Really? Thank you for letting me know.”
After obtaining general information about the territory from the coachman, Yuno climbed onto the roof of the carriage and summarized the information he had heard in his head while admiring the lake in the distance.
‘Once I arrive at Chiese Castle, as I heard from the coachman, I will have to investigate the guard captain and administrator. You won’t be able to understand clearly by listening to only one side, so I need to hear more than one side of the story. I will also have to investigate the Bekes family to see if there are any problems.’
While Yuno was thinking about the territory, his eyes were soon drawn to the beautiful scenery.
‘Hiya~ It would be really awesome if we set up a boat here and bring Mom, Eliza, and Catherine and have sex on board.’
Eliza seemed to have sensed Yuno’s feelings and climbed onto the roof of the carriage, leaning against Yuno and enjoying the scenery together.
“Hiya~ Yuno, this place is gorgeous~ Let’s come here for a date later! Huh?”
Haha, as much as Eliza asks!”
The coachman said it was dangerous and told her to come down, but since they were masters, there was no way the shaking of the carriage would disturb them, and there was no need to worry about getting hurt if she fell, so Yuno put his hand under Eliza’s top and massaged her breast, enjoying the view and her lover’s body. We enjoyed it together.
Eliza also seemed to enjoy Yuno’s touch, so Yuno enjoyed a secret date with Eliza on the ceiling of her carriage until the view of her lake disappeared.
Even though we left Greime at dawn, the distance to Chiese Castle was quite long, and it was not until the sun went down that the carriage carrying Yuno and his party arrived at Chiese Castle.
“Aww wow~ I’m stumped~ I’ve finally arrived. I think I’ve driven almost 100 km, but it’s still a long way to finally arrive.”
However, contrary to Yuno’s expectations of wanting to rest quickly, the door to Chiese Castle was tightly closed.
“Stop for a moment! You can never open the castle gate when the sun goes down. Come back tomorrow when the sun rises!”
As armed guards blocked the castle gate, the coachmen ran and began to beg.
“Oh my gosh, the sun hasn’t completely set yet~ And if you don’t open the castle gate, you have to sleep out in the forest, and don’t you know that dangerous beasts may come out? Please look at the situation just once.”
“Oh hey, Leroy, Jenkins, these people! Why are people like this when they know everything? That’s why you should have come before the sun sets!”
In response to the stubborn attitude of the guards, the coachman pulling Yuno’s carriage glanced at Yuno, who was sitting in the driver’s seat.
Yuno, who had been explained in advance what the glance meant, sighed and stood up.
‘This is the first time I have heard of the castle gate not being opened, not even to the imperial palace gate, but even to a person who has been identified as the sun has fallen. It’s not even an exhibition…’
“Ahem… Those bad guys~”
“Who are you!!”
“I am a person called Noyu. I used to live in Adriatic, but recently, my wife’s health was not good, so I came here to Nikana territory to recuperate in a place with good air.”
“Hmm~ Present your ID!”
Yuno placed a few silver coins under the group’s camouflage ID cards and handed them over, and their expressions softened very gently.
“Hmm… I’m sure my identity is clear. Well… Nikana territory is famous for its good air, so my wife will recover quickly. Don’t forget to show respect to the administrator tomorrow when you report her as a new resident!”
“You said you came from the capital, and you are a very polite friend. If you do this, you will be able to spend a very comfortable time here.”
When the guards gestured to their colleagues guarding the gate, the gate opened.
‘Hmm~ The security posture is okay… But I guess I’m quite used to receiving bribes…’
As the coachman’s words turned out to be true, Yuno also wanted to reveal the authenticity of other information he had given.
“I’ve arrived at the castle, where should I drop you off?”
Originally, he was supposed to go straight to the lord’s official residence, but Yuno modified the plan slightly.
“Please go to the best inn here in Chiese Castle. I will stay there for a while until I find a place to live.”
“Yes, I understand. It’s in a very rural area, so I don’t know if it will suit the tastes of people from the capital, but there is still a pretty good inn.”
The inn he guided us to couldn’t be said to be luxurious, but it was a very clean inn, and because it was reasonably priced, there were no guests staying there, so Yuno felt relieved and let his group get off.
When the group got off, Yuno paid the balance to the driver and sent them away.
“Wow~~ I’m tired. I’m tired even just sitting and dozing. What kind of carriage are you riding for 12 hours? This really is the countryside.”
“Hmm? But why did you come here instead of going to the lord’s residence? Didn’t you arrive?”
“It may be a little inconvenient, but please stay here just for today. That’s because I have something to do here today.”
“Ah, my brother came to the inn with Mari and said he wanted to do something… So he’s going to do that with Mari!!”
Marie was talking nonsense and had to be hit on the back by Yuria.
Juno, who was watching Isabella and Eliza laughing, instructed Cordelia to take them, stay at the inn, and guard them.
“Yes, I understand. Your Highness”
“Please refrain from using the title ‘conveyance’ until I give another order. Just call me Yuno.”
“Yes, I understand. Yuno.”
Yuno demanded that the Nim ruler be removed as well, but the stubborn Cordelia refused.
After arguing for a while, Yuno eventually gave up and headed to the market, leaving the group to stay at the inn.
‘Let’s see~ The shopping malls haven’t closed yet, so it’s probably worth getting some information.’
While wondering where to start, Yuno opened the door of a blacksmith shop and entered. As soon as she entered, she was startled by a voice that recognized her and had to open her eyes wide.
“Your Highness the Third Prince?”
“Huh? So… Are you the commander of the Mayer Corps?”
“Ah! Why am I the commander of the corps!! I only served as deputy once!! My colleagues are still making fun of me!!”
The person who recognized Yuno was Mayer, who had commanded the corps on Yuno’s behalf during the previous Streve expedition, and Yuno, looking so happy, grabbed his shoulder and shook him.
*Location of Yuno’s territory
