Chapter 112 – The Kingdom of Prosperity
Once the size of the army to be sent and the date of departure had been decided at the Conference, preparations from then on were the work of the bureaucrats and administrative staff. Raul left his men in charge and went out alone into the courtyard of the royal palace.
Although surrounded by buildings, the vast grounds were covered with lawns and trees carefully arranged by the gardeners. Both in the palace and on the main street, the positions of trees, ponds and fountains were exquisitely calculated and arranged by renowned artists, painters and landscape architects. This was because the Kingdom of Lyon was between two great powers, the Lemmrousell Empire and the Kingdom of Carthiate, when it was founded, and was intended to show that it had money and would not allow an invasion so easily. Now that the country had grown up, this courtyard used to be a space for the enjoyment of royalty, nobility and guests, so there were rarely people in it, but today, unusually, there was a large crowd of people in the service of the royal palace, forming a circle of people in the center of the garden.
As Raul approached the circle, the people, noticing the appearance of the crown prince, hurried to make way for him. Many of those gathered were knights and soldiers. It could not be otherwise. The person in the center of the circle was a very short old man named Mito, the “Swordcrafter,” although he had not been able to see him before because of the circle of people.
Mito was a dwarf. Dwarves, when they reached adulthood, were only the height of a ten-year-old human. However, these preferred to live in the mines and, although they were as tall as children, they boasted physical strength that easily surpassed that of humans. In fact, Mito was wielding his beloved halberd, which was much larger than he was, with fluid movements. And he too seemed to notice Raul’s approach when the circle of people suddenly opened up. He stopped his movements and lowered his halberd, then turned to Raul.
“Thank you for showing the knights and soldiers of my country your noble prowess.”
When Raul said this, Mito bowed his head slightly.
“It’s not like I was making a display. I was just looking for a large place in the palace to exercise my body, and I found this spot. I apologize if I needed permission and made a lot of noise.”
“There is no need to apologize. His Majesty has asked me to treat you as an honored guest.”
The old dwarf bowed his head in apology, and Raul offered him a hand towel he had received from a nearby soldier. True, he was making a lot of noise, but that was because of the knights and soldiers who had gathered to observe his training, not because of him.
“I was more surprised than that. I never thought that you, who had never accepted my invitation, would visit my country with Princess Cornelia and Letty…with the Brave Leticia.”
“I am here to request an army to exterminate the ants that have appeared in the mountains tough. I have been a bit curious about the young Brave and her master. Ever since I passed 100, I’ve been lazy to go down the mountain, but I decided it was time to stretch my legs.” Mito said as he wiped the sweat from his face with the hand towel he had been given.
At this, Raul slowly opened his mouth.
“And while you’re at it, have you thought about whether to accept the match I’ve requested?”
“Well, well.”
However, Mito waved his hand slightly to calm Raul, who looked at him with narrowed eyes, then turned his attention to the blade of his halberd.
“Of the three swordsmen, who is really the strongest, the Sword Saint, the Sword God or the Swordcrafter? In my younger days I had an interest in clarifying this, and that interest has certainly not gone away. Unfortunately, at that time, no Sword Saint had appeared in the world, and the only Sword God whose whereabouts were known was in a distant land, far to the south, in the midst of a fierce battle. It was very selfish of me, and I was in no position to offer you a match.” Mito cut off his words there and smiled at Raul, who was known as the young Sword Saint. “I’m sorry to say it, but if I and the Sword Saint-dono were to fight, the odds would be against me. This old man is past his golden age, and now he’s doing his best to keep his body in shape so his arms won’t fall off. If you want to fight someone strong, it would be better to challenge the Brave than this decadent old man.”
“No… with Letty I already…”
“From the looks of it, you’ve already challenged her to a fight and lost completely, huh?”
Mito chuckled gleefully at the sight of Raul, who seemed to have bitten a sour bug, reminiscent of Letty.
“No wonder knowing her. Even when I was at my best, I don’t think I could have reached her level. It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever seen such an unfathomable person. Well, that’s why I decided to come down from the mountain…”
“Mito-dono, you too?”
“Hmm. That girl is not at all an ordinary person, so don’t worry about losing, young Sword Saint-dono.”
◆◇◆◇◆
The royal capital of the Kingdom of Lyon was a port city that developed thanks to maritime trade. Therefore, unlike cities such as Simurgh, the imperial capital of the Lemmrousell Empire, Clennad and Erz, differences could be observed in many aspects. First of all, the streets were much wider than those of Simurgh. All the main streets, not to mention the main street that ran from in front of the royal palace to the harbor, the one that Wynn and his friends had traveled, were made wider than any street in Simurgh. The port of Lyon was one of the largest in the neighboring countries, and goods shipped from the north and south arrived day and night. For this reason, many horse-drawn carriages used for transport by the great merchant associations came and went, and the streets were built wide enough so as not to obstruct traffic.
The next thing was the height of the buildings. Lyon was a free city, but after it became the capital of the kingdom, its population increased, and the walls surrounding the city were built anew, as the city overflowed outside the walls. Within its ancient walls stretched the largest port city of Lyon, including the Royal Palace, and many of the buildings were more than three stories high. The ceilings were also high. This was so that residents could evacuate to the roof when seawater overflowed. On the second floor of the tall buildings were restaurants and inns serving food and drink to the sailors, and mixed in with these stores were stores selling pottery vessels and dishes, sculptures, paintings and other artifacts from distant lands, clothing of exotic fabrics, and seafood as befitted a port city.
After leaving the palace, Wynn and Leticia made their way to the Lemmrousell Empire’s embassy in Lyon, but Wynn’s eyes widened at the sheer number of people.
“It’s amazing. I learned in knight school that Simurgh is bigger in terms of population and size of the city, but here is much more vibrant and bustling with people.”
In Lyon, an atmosphere similar to that of the market held in the square in front of the gates of Simurgh pervaded the streets of the royal city. Of course, it was possible that only the main streets were crowded. However, if you went to the back streets, you would find disreputable bars and brothels, presenting a completely different hustle and bustle.
The Kingdom of Lyon was an emerging country situated between the Empire of Lemmrousell and the Kingdom of Carthiate, two of the most storied countries on the continent, but one that within a few decades had come to rival both in economic and military power. No, it was said that its economic power alone already surpassed that of the two countries. In fact, looking at the vibrancy of the city, it was enough to think that it did.
“Hey, young man, what do you think? I have a gift for your pretty girlfriend. It’s a necklace of bejeweled shells from the south. I’ll give you a discount on it. Why don’t you take a look at it?”
“Gi-girlfriend!?”
A shopkeeper they passed by called out to them, and when Leticia said in surprise, she straightened up and stopped dead in her tracks.
It appeared to be an accessories store. Just as the owner said, the store sold neck and ear ornaments. There were those made of pearls, precious coral and other items made from beautiful shells brought from the South Seas.
“I’m sorry, we’re in a bit of a hurry. Please let me come next time when I can take my time to look around.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. I’m sorry to hear that, but next time, come take a look around. I’m sure we’ll have some good articles that will interest you.”
“Haha, I will.” Wynn took Leticia’s hand in his and tugged on it as he walked in front of her. “I’ve taken the liberty of promising to visit him another time, is that okay with you, Letty?”
“Ye-yes! Of course it is! Definitely must come!”
“Yes, fine. Locke was complaining that girls love to shop and that whenever he asks one out, he has to wait a long time. Do you still like shopping?”
“I think I do. There’s a shopkeeper who comes and goes at our house, but it’s still a lot of fun to go into town and look at all the pretty accessories and clothes.”
Especially if it’s with you, Onii-chan.
“I see. I’ve come all the way to Lyon and I want to take my time to see the city. Of course, we’re on a mission right now and I’m worried about the situation with the crown prince and the captain, so I can’t focus on that, but once things have calmed down, I’d like to take a look around.” As he said this without pausing, Wynn’s eyes focused on the store windows that lined both sides of the street.
“Speaking of which…”
Wynn noticed, through their linked hands, that Leticia had stopped dead in her tracks and was looking at him.
“I’ve been to this town many times, but the first time I was here, it was with Tiara.”
“When you were on your trip?”
“That’s right, that’s when I was invited to the royal palace and met Raul. Then he came after me. We were supposed to rescue Liara from captivity together. Then we started traveling together. That’s when I finally had time to get a good look at this city…”
After meeting Tiara, Raul and Liara, the world that had been gray in Leticia’s mind after her departure from Simurgh seemed to regain its color.
She was turned into the Brave without knowing why, and wanted to return home as soon as possible. She rushed at the desire to get back to Wynn, but now that she had friends to fight with, she was able to regain a little more space.
The city of Lyon could be called a special city to Leticia, second only to Simurgh. Leticia stared in the direction of the harbor. It was hard to see because of the people’s heads, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see the sea glistening and reflecting the sunlight.
“Sorry. I got a little sentimental. I have a lot of memories in this city.”
“It’s okay.” Wynn nodded and rolled his eyes in the direction Leticia was looking. “You can also see the ocean from here.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s the ocean, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a whole world beyond that ocean, countries I’ve never seen, right?”
“Although I haven’t seen the whole world either. It’s much, much bigger.”
“I can really feel that the world I was seeing was really small. To me, even being in the Lyon Kingdom feels like I’ve arrived somewhere incredibly far away.” Wynn smiled a little happily at that. In addition to his dream of becoming a knight, he also wanted to travel the world and see things with his own eyes.
When he was a boy, Leticia used to take books out of the mansion, many of which were about the adventures of the protagonists in foreign lands. He still liked those stories, and treasured the books Leticia had given him in the past. When Leticia learned that Wynn liked those books, she used to bring books of similar themes from the mansion.
“I guess it’s because of Letty that I’ve come to want to know the world this way.”
“Hehe. Onii-chan, you’ve always liked stories about heroes having adventures all over the world, haven’t you?”
“However, Letty, now you’re also the heroine of a great story. Come to think of it, books with Letty as the main character seem to be starting to circulate.”
“Ugh…I wonder how many stories they could publish.”
“I’m going to read every book Letty appears in.”
“Huh? That’s kind of embarrassing, you know? Besides, books are expensive, aren’t they? What a waste.”
“It’s all right.” Wynn smiled mischievously at Leticia, who blushed slightly and looked at him from sideways. “The Great Library of the Imperial Palace contains all the books published in the Empire. Now that I am Cornelia-san’s squire, I can enter and leave the library as I please, and of course I can browse through it. Also, if Cornelia-san wants to read a book published in a foreign country, she can use her privileges as an imperial princess to order it.”
“Eeh, no way~.”
“Now, now, Letty, you should read some book about yourself. I’m sure you’ll find out there what people think of you and what you’re known for.”
“That’s fine~ I really don’t want to know, at all~ I’m too embarrassed.” As she said this, Leticia’s shoulders slumped.
“There’s a bookstore over there. If you want, we can stop by and pick one up.”
“No, you don’t have to go! Besides, you said you had something urgent to do!”
When Wynn pointed to a bookstore he had just seen, Leticia tugged hard on Wynn’s hand and hurried forward. Leticia’s hair, pulled back into a ponytail, bounced back and forth with her powerful steps.
As he walked behind Leticia, Wynn smiled and then hardened his expression as he spotted the Imperial Embassy looming behind a building.
He was concerned about developments within the Empire, but it was also important to investigate Raul’s request about Conrad Heisenberg’s stolen legacy.
In some cases, the need for Leticia’s help could be so great that it could once again shake not only the country, but also the continent. That was the thinking of Raul and Alfred, who had organized Leticia’s trip to Lyon.
At the imperial embassy, Raul had arranged for a steward who had been present when Conrad’s research center was attacked to be waiting for them.
Wynn looked at the imperial flag waving on the roof of the Imperial Embassy and steeled his resolve.
Chapter 112 – The Kingdom of Prosperity
Once the size of the army to be sent and the date of departure had been decided at the Conference, preparations from then on were the work of the bureaucrats and administrative staff. Raul left his men in charge and went out alone into the courtyard of the royal palace.
Although surrounded by buildings, the vast grounds were covered with lawns and trees carefully arranged by the gardeners. Both in the palace and on the main street, the positions of trees, ponds and fountains were exquisitely calculated and arranged by renowned artists, painters and landscape architects. This was because the Kingdom of Lyon was between two great powers, the Lemmrousell Empire and the Kingdom of Carthiate, when it was founded, and was intended to show that it had money and would not allow an invasion so easily. Now that the country had grown up, this courtyard used to be a space for the enjoyment of royalty, nobility and guests, so there were rarely people in it, but today, unusually, there was a large crowd of people in the service of the royal palace, forming a circle of people in the center of the garden.
As Raul approached the circle, the people, noticing the appearance of the crown prince, hurried to make way for him. Many of those gathered were knights and soldiers. It could not be otherwise. The person in the center of the circle was a very short old man named Mito, the “Swordcrafter,” although he had not been able to see him before because of the circle of people.
Mito was a dwarf. Dwarves, when they reached adulthood, were only the height of a ten-year-old human. However, these preferred to live in the mines and, although they were as tall as children, they boasted physical strength that easily surpassed that of humans. In fact, Mito was wielding his beloved halberd, which was much larger than he was, with fluid movements. And he too seemed to notice Raul’s approach when the circle of people suddenly opened up. He stopped his movements and lowered his halberd, then turned to Raul.
“Thank you for showing the knights and soldiers of my country your noble prowess.”
When Raul said this, Mito bowed his head slightly.
“It’s not like I was making a display. I was just looking for a large place in the palace to exercise my body, and I found this spot. I apologize if I needed permission and made a lot of noise.”
“There is no need to apologize. His Majesty has asked me to treat you as an honored guest.”
The old dwarf bowed his head in apology, and Raul offered him a hand towel he had received from a nearby soldier. True, he was making a lot of noise, but that was because of the knights and soldiers who had gathered to observe his training, not because of him.
“I was more surprised than that. I never thought that you, who had never accepted my invitation, would visit my country with Princess Cornelia and Letty…with the Brave Leticia.”
“I am here to request an army to exterminate the ants that have appeared in the mountains tough. I have been a bit curious about the young Brave and her master. Ever since I passed 100, I’ve been lazy to go down the mountain, but I decided it was time to stretch my legs.” Mito said as he wiped the sweat from his face with the hand towel he had been given.
At this, Raul slowly opened his mouth.
“And while you’re at it, have you thought about whether to accept the match I’ve requested?”
“Well, well.”
However, Mito waved his hand slightly to calm Raul, who looked at him with narrowed eyes, then turned his attention to the blade of his halberd.
“Of the three swordsmen, who is really the strongest, the Sword Saint, the Sword God or the Swordcrafter? In my younger days I had an interest in clarifying this, and that interest has certainly not gone away. Unfortunately, at that time, no Sword Saint had appeared in the world, and the only Sword God whose whereabouts were known was in a distant land, far to the south, in the midst of a fierce battle. It was very selfish of me, and I was in no position to offer you a match.” Mito cut off his words there and smiled at Raul, who was known as the young Sword Saint. “I’m sorry to say it, but if I and the Sword Saint-dono were to fight, the odds would be against me. This old man is past his golden age, and now he’s doing his best to keep his body in shape so his arms won’t fall off. If you want to fight someone strong, it would be better to challenge the Brave than this decadent old man.”
“No… with Letty I already…”
“From the looks of it, you’ve already challenged her to a fight and lost completely, huh?”
Mito chuckled gleefully at the sight of Raul, who seemed to have bitten a sour bug, reminiscent of Letty.
“No wonder knowing her. Even when I was at my best, I don’t think I could have reached her level. It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever seen such an unfathomable person. Well, that’s why I decided to come down from the mountain…”
“Mito-dono, you too?”
“Hmm. That girl is not at all an ordinary person, so don’t worry about losing, young Sword Saint-dono.”
◆◇◆◇◆
The royal capital of the Kingdom of Lyon was a port city that developed thanks to maritime trade. Therefore, unlike cities such as Simurgh, the imperial capital of the Lemmrousell Empire, Clennad and Erz, differences could be observed in many aspects. First of all, the streets were much wider than those of Simurgh. All the main streets, not to mention the main street that ran from in front of the royal palace to the harbor, the one that Wynn and his friends had traveled, were made wider than any street in Simurgh. The port of Lyon was one of the largest in the neighboring countries, and goods shipped from the north and south arrived day and night. For this reason, many horse-drawn carriages used for transport by the great merchant associations came and went, and the streets were built wide enough so as not to obstruct traffic.
The next thing was the height of the buildings. Lyon was a free city, but after it became the capital of the kingdom, its population increased, and the walls surrounding the city were built anew, as the city overflowed outside the walls. Within its ancient walls stretched the largest port city of Lyon, including the Royal Palace, and many of the buildings were more than three stories high. The ceilings were also high. This was so that residents could evacuate to the roof when seawater overflowed. On the second floor of the tall buildings were restaurants and inns serving food and drink to the sailors, and mixed in with these stores were stores selling pottery vessels and dishes, sculptures, paintings and other artifacts from distant lands, clothing of exotic fabrics, and seafood as befitted a port city.
After leaving the palace, Wynn and Leticia made their way to the Lemmrousell Empire’s embassy in Lyon, but Wynn’s eyes widened at the sheer number of people.
“It’s amazing. I learned in knight school that Simurgh is bigger in terms of population and size of the city, but here is much more vibrant and bustling with people.”
In Lyon, an atmosphere similar to that of the market held in the square in front of the gates of Simurgh pervaded the streets of the royal city. Of course, it was possible that only the main streets were crowded. However, if you went to the back streets, you would find disreputable bars and brothels, presenting a completely different hustle and bustle.
The Kingdom of Lyon was an emerging country situated between the Empire of Lemmrousell and the Kingdom of Carthiate, two of the most storied countries on the continent, but one that within a few decades had come to rival both in economic and military power. No, it was said that its economic power alone already surpassed that of the two countries. In fact, looking at the vibrancy of the city, it was enough to think that it did.
“Hey, young man, what do you think? I have a gift for your pretty girlfriend. It’s a necklace of bejeweled shells from the south. I’ll give you a discount on it. Why don’t you take a look at it?”
“Gi-girlfriend!?”
A shopkeeper they passed by called out to them, and when Leticia said in surprise, she straightened up and stopped dead in her tracks.
It appeared to be an accessories store. Just as the owner said, the store sold neck and ear ornaments. There were those made of pearls, precious coral and other items made from beautiful shells brought from the South Seas.
“I’m sorry, we’re in a bit of a hurry. Please let me come next time when I can take my time to look around.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. I’m sorry to hear that, but next time, come take a look around. I’m sure we’ll have some good articles that will interest you.”
“Haha, I will.” Wynn took Leticia’s hand in his and tugged on it as he walked in front of her. “I’ve taken the liberty of promising to visit him another time, is that okay with you, Letty?”
“Ye-yes! Of course it is! Definitely must come!”
“Yes, fine. Locke was complaining that girls love to shop and that whenever he asks one out, he has to wait a long time. Do you still like shopping?”
“I think I do. There’s a shopkeeper who comes and goes at our house, but it’s still a lot of fun to go into town and look at all the pretty accessories and clothes.”
Especially if it’s with you, Onii-chan.
“I see. I’ve come all the way to Lyon and I want to take my time to see the city. Of course, we’re on a mission right now and I’m worried about the situation with the crown prince and the captain, so I can’t focus on that, but once things have calmed down, I’d like to take a look around.” As he said this without pausing, Wynn’s eyes focused on the store windows that lined both sides of the street.
“Speaking of which…”
Wynn noticed, through their linked hands, that Leticia had stopped dead in her tracks and was looking at him.
“I’ve been to this town many times, but the first time I was here, it was with Tiara.”
“When you were on your trip?”
“That’s right, that’s when I was invited to the royal palace and met Raul. Then he came after me. We were supposed to rescue Liara from captivity together. Then we started traveling together. That’s when I finally had time to get a good look at this city…”
After meeting Tiara, Raul and Liara, the world that had been gray in Leticia’s mind after her departure from Simurgh seemed to regain its color.
She was turned into the Brave without knowing why, and wanted to return home as soon as possible. She rushed at the desire to get back to Wynn, but now that she had friends to fight with, she was able to regain a little more space.
The city of Lyon could be called a special city to Leticia, second only to Simurgh. Leticia stared in the direction of the harbor. It was hard to see because of the people’s heads, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see the sea glistening and reflecting the sunlight.
“Sorry. I got a little sentimental. I have a lot of memories in this city.”
“It’s okay.” Wynn nodded and rolled his eyes in the direction Leticia was looking. “You can also see the ocean from here.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s the ocean, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a whole world beyond that ocean, countries I’ve never seen, right?”
“Although I haven’t seen the whole world either. It’s much, much bigger.”
“I can really feel that the world I was seeing was really small. To me, even being in the Lyon Kingdom feels like I’ve arrived somewhere incredibly far away.” Wynn smiled a little happily at that. In addition to his dream of becoming a knight, he also wanted to travel the world and see things with his own eyes.
When he was a boy, Leticia used to take books out of the mansion, many of which were about the adventures of the protagonists in foreign lands. He still liked those stories, and treasured the books Leticia had given him in the past. When Leticia learned that Wynn liked those books, she used to bring books of similar themes from the mansion.
“I guess it’s because of Letty that I’ve come to want to know the world this way.”
“Hehe. Onii-chan, you’ve always liked stories about heroes having adventures all over the world, haven’t you?”
“However, Letty, now you’re also the heroine of a great story. Come to think of it, books with Letty as the main character seem to be starting to circulate.”
“Ugh…I wonder how many stories they could publish.”
“I’m going to read every book Letty appears in.”
“Huh? That’s kind of embarrassing, you know? Besides, books are expensive, aren’t they? What a waste.”
“It’s all right.” Wynn smiled mischievously at Leticia, who blushed slightly and looked at him from sideways. “The Great Library of the Imperial Palace contains all the books published in the Empire. Now that I am Cornelia-san’s squire, I can enter and leave the library as I please, and of course I can browse through it. Also, if Cornelia-san wants to read a book published in a foreign country, she can use her privileges as an imperial princess to order it.”
“Eeh, no way~.”
“Now, now, Letty, you should read some book about yourself. I’m sure you’ll find out there what people think of you and what you’re known for.”
“That’s fine~ I really don’t want to know, at all~ I’m too embarrassed.” As she said this, Leticia’s shoulders slumped.
“There’s a bookstore over there. If you want, we can stop by and pick one up.”
“No, you don’t have to go! Besides, you said you had something urgent to do!”
When Wynn pointed to a bookstore he had just seen, Leticia tugged hard on Wynn’s hand and hurried forward. Leticia’s hair, pulled back into a ponytail, bounced back and forth with her powerful steps.
As he walked behind Leticia, Wynn smiled and then hardened his expression as he spotted the Imperial Embassy looming behind a building.
He was concerned about developments within the Empire, but it was also important to investigate Raul’s request about Conrad Heisenberg’s stolen legacy.
In some cases, the need for Leticia’s help could be so great that it could once again shake not only the country, but also the continent. That was the thinking of Raul and Alfred, who had organized Leticia’s trip to Lyon.
At the imperial embassy, Raul had arranged for a steward who had been present when Conrad’s research center was attacked to be waiting for them.
Wynn looked at the imperial flag waving on the roof of the Imperial Embassy and steeled his resolve.
