Vol 14 Chapter 4 (1/2)

Chapter 4 - Devil Kings in Yonder Lands

Part 1

They were sucked into a hole leading to somewhere not of this world.

By the time they came to their senses, G.o.dou and company were floating

amidst darkness. This was not night time. Neither was there a starry sky

overhead. Only infinite darkness stretched endlessly beyond. However,

there was a single light source.

In the distance ahead was a white dot of light that kept flas.h.i.+ng like a bright

star in the sky at night.

Relying on this light, G.o.dou was able to find his companions using his

excellent night vision.

”Is everyone okay?”

”Yeah, no problems. No injuries whatsoever.”

”Me too. It's really quite fortunate that we didn't get separated.”

Ena and Erica's voices replied. They were roughly two or three meters

away.

However, the silver-haired knight did not seem to be present.

”It looked like Liliana-san flew away elsewhere.”

”I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse, but it looks like she wasn't sucked

into here. Oh well, I believe she shouldn't have any trouble reaching safety,

being Liliana after all. So there's no need to worry.”

Erica immediately answered Ena.

In the next instant, G.o.dou and the two girls found their bodies beginning to

move, drawn by the distant light ahead.

The trio was approaching the light at a rate similar to jogging speed.

They were floating in a manner akin to weightlessness in s.p.a.ce.

With nothing to grab or step onto, it was impossible to resist even if they

wanted to.

”Could this be one of those 'corridors' that Saint Raffaello mentioned...?”

”A corridor to another world, left behind by Madame Aisha. I never would

have expected to experience it for myself.”

”Eh? You two know what this is? Please tell Ena in detail, come on?”

”Let's save talking about her until later, okay? Besides, I'm not really in the

mood to be chatting in this kind of place, let's just wait obediently for us to

be delivered over there.”

After handling Ena's question, G.o.dou sighed.

They arrived at a sphere of light, roughly 6-7m in diameter. The trio were

then devoured by the sphere of light.

In the following instant, what entered their view was a scene they had

never encountered before.

”Is this a forest?”

”And there's even a river.”

G.o.dou and Erica murmured to each other.

That was indeed the most direct description of the terrain before their eyes.

However, this was definitely not the Casentino forest they were at earlier.

The river flowing before them was a grand and majestic river rather than a

stream.

Both sh.o.r.es of the river were covered with numerous trees — Beech, oak

and other trees in abundance.

G.o.dou and his companions were currently beside a river that flowed

through a forested area.

The sound of birds chirping could be heard. There was warm sunlight and

dancing b.u.t.terflies.

It was spring. Definitely not Tuscany in midwinter.

The water of the great river was quite pure and clean, displaying a sky blue

hue, so beautiful its very sight was incomparably touching.

”What on earth is going on...?”

Even Ena was confounded, innocent as she was, feeling quite troubled.

Just as G.o.dou was about to explain, a giant shadow flew over them

overhead.

Two reptiles were flying high up in the sky. Furthermore, these were black

pterosaurs, the same as the one sighted at the old castle hotel in Tuscany.

The black pterosaurs were spreading their wings casually, gliding through

the air.

”G.o.dou, hurry and look at that one!”

Erica pointed somewhere with her finger. On the same side of the river as

their location, there was a castle.

The two pterosaurs landed within the confines of the castle. That was

apparently their destination.

The castle was surrounded with walls on all four sides. Above the castle

gates was a lookout.

Looking from a distance, maybe three or four buildings could be seen

within the confines of the castle.

”The master of those divine beasts is there, right? Maybe a G.o.d or

something.”

”Or perhaps, a certain person's kin?”

Ena's comment prompted Erica to shrug and answer. Then they heard the

sound of splas.h.i.+ng.

On closer examination, a black dinosaur was swimming in the river before

them.

Sticking out its neck, it gazed at G.o.dou's group as they stood on the river

bank. This was indeed the Deinonychus that was lurking in Casentino.

”This forest, could it be the lair of these beasts!?”

”To think it would be a [Lost World]. Let's retreat over there for now, how's

that!?”

”I think it's a good idea. Let's all head over there!”

The trio reached an unanimous decision. With fleet-footed Ena in the lead,

G.o.dou and Erica swiftly departed from the riverside.

”So basically, King Salvatore made Madame Aisha's authority go berserk.”

”Yes. Through the [Fairy's Corridor] Madame Aisha created, apparently

'somewhere in another world' akin to the Astral Plane was reached.”

While walking through the forest, Erica discussed the unbelievable method

of transport they had taken.

However, Ena made an incomprehensible expression.

”However, Ena can't sense any difference between this and the

[Netherworld Crossing] spell Liliana-san used before. If it's an authority of

His Majesty's kin, shouldn't it be capable of more amazing things?”

”Besides, this isn't the Netherworld, is it? It totally doesn't smell like that

place at all.”

”Your instincts are sharp as ever, Ena-san. Let me reserve my opinion on

this matter for now. Before we clear up what kind of place we have arrived

at, I don't want to say anything imprudent.”

Faced with Ena's questioning, Erica tabled the matter in a rare move.

However, G.o.dou could understand how she felt. Before the worst

predicament could be confirmed, Erica most likely did not want to disclose

bad news casually.

”I believe we are currently facing quite a difficult situation. Your point

included, I will explain everything properly in sequence.”

”Got it. This is probably a lot more complicated that visiting the

Netherworld.”

”Although it can't be helped, that's indeed the case. Under the current

circ.u.mstances, what we should do is gather intelligence. Let's handle this

problem first.”

”So we need to find human settlement after all. But let's try divination to

seek our next destination, how about it?”

”Suddenly so unscientific, huh...”

”Nothing of that sort, G.o.dou. Don't you remember me using this to find

your location from time to time? But this time, instead of a particular

person, we'll try searching for faint presences of humans.”

Ignoring G.o.dou's snide comment, Erica took out a pocket watch.

This tool used the principle of dowsing to determine which direction to

follow. Dangling the pocket watch from her hand by its chain, Erica waited

for a brief moment. Then the pocket watch began to swing slightly like a

pendulum.

”I don't know if this works or not, but it's better than having no direction at

all. Let's check it out.”

Erica started walking in the direction of the pocket watch's swing.

G.o.dou and Ena followed. Soon after, they pa.s.sed through the forest and

reached a plain.

Indeed, a plain — An endless flat field stretched all the way to the horizon.

This was a type of terrain seldom found in cramped little j.a.pan.

There was a road paved over this vast plain.

Although the road was not especially wide, it was major route paved with a

great amount of gravel. It was quite well designed, with gutters on both

sides for water to drain.

If one were to follow this road, the chances of reaching human settlement

was quite high.

Naturally, the trio quickened their pace and arrived at the road.

”Walking here on foot took roughly thirty minutes. Looks like we haven't

completely exhausted our luck.”

Using the pocket watch to calculate the time taken, Erica chuckled and

smile.

As a side note, the clock indicated it was after 7pm at night. After

confirming the time on the watch, Ena looked up at the sky and made a

deduction very much in the style of a child of nature's.

”According to the sun's position, it's roughly eleven in the morning.”

”The time really doesn't match huh...”

Just as G.o.dou muttered to himself —

A cart drawn by two horses moved leisurely along the road, approaching

G.o.dou's group. Two Caucasian men were sitting on the driver's perch.

Their clothing was very simple, one could even call it crude without

objections.

In short, each man was clad in a long-sleeved s.h.i.+rt with long hems,

secured tightly with a belt, with baggy pants.

Inauspiciously, they both drew their longswords from atop the driver's

perch.

They looked like ruffians in appearance. It was possible that they did not

earn their living through legitimate means. Ena went ”Hmm?” in

puzzlement.

Did she feel suspicious to find these people on a horse-drawn cart,

dressed in this manner?

That said, they finally managed to find people who could provide

information. Erica immediately sprang into action.

”Hey, good sirs hurrying along your way! May I trouble you for a moment?”

Standing before the cart as if blocking their way, she asked in Italian.

She probably chose her most familiar language because she had no idea

what the other side spoke. However, they did not seem to understand

Erica's words.

This was apparent from their ignoring Erica, choosing to stare at G.o.dou

beside her instead.

”x.x.xX, x.x.xx.x.xX! x.x.xXX, x.x.x!”

”XX, x.x.xx.x.xX, x.x.x! x.x.xXX, x.x.x, x.x.xXX!”

Pointing their fingers at G.o.dou, they were yelling something

incomprehensible.

An unknown language. However, the linguistic nuance resembled German

somewhat.

”Erica, do you know what they're saying?”

Tm not too sure myself...”

Erica was fully fluent in English, German and French and even languages

like Spanish, Greek etc did not pose a challenge to her.

For her to be stumped in translation, this place must be truly unusual.

As G.o.dou nodded, Erica continued.

”However, they are extremely afraid of you. It feels like they are saying,

'You've finally arrived, black-haired devil!' 'Please spare my life!'”

G.o.dou was shocked by this excessively unexpected explanation.

In addition, the men were glaring at Ena and shouting something. The

meaning was still unknown. However, one could easily imagine from the

way they cried out in fear with their twitching faces.

The straightforward child of nature felt displeased as a result and frowned

heavily.

”Completely no idea what they're saying, but Ena feels very hurt.”

Ena's displeased voice seemed to provoke the two men on the cart. They

jumped off the driver's perch and began to unload the cargo from the cart

onto the ground.

Carpentry tools, gray jars, pickaxes, heavy-looking sacks and dozens of

coins.

G.o.dou stared at the coins that were the last to be taken out.

They were all crooked in shape. Due to primitive metallurgy, they could not

create perfect circles. Although the coins were mostly copper, there were a

few gold coins mixed among them.

”x.x.xXX, x.x.x, x.x.xx.x.xx.x.xX!”

Then the pair ran as fast as they could, fleeing in the direction from where

they had come.

They had abandoned their horses, cart and cargo. G.o.dou spoke in

wide-eyed shock:

”Say, those people were saying just now...”

'”Here's all our profit, spare us!' Something like that.”

”Hey. In that case, Ena can translate it just as well.”

Everything was so unexpected. The trio was dumbfounded at the same

time.

Feeling baffled, G.o.dou crouched down and tried to open one of the sacks.

This size would be the same as j.a.panese standard sacks for packaging

5kg of rice. The sack was filled with a large amount of white powder.

”Seems to be wheat flour... What should we do with this?”

”Yeah. Given the circ.u.mstances, it's best that we just keep it for

ourselves.”

”Hey hey.”

”No G.o.dou, we are currently in an emergency. There is no reason not to

make the most of useful supplies.”

Despite his objections to Erica's statement, G.o.dou did not voice them.

Indeed, considering the current situation, giving up on these supplies

would be quite a shame. Hence, he decided to turn a blind eye and loaded

the cargo back onto the cart.

Then the three of them mounted the cart and continued along the road.

They traveled opposite to the direction the men had fled. Erica sat on the

driver's perch to control the horses. Along the way, she examined the

various cargo, nodding her head frequently.

What particularly caught her attention were the patterns on the pottery jars

as well as the words and faces carved on the gold coins.

In this manner, they traveled roughly three hours along the road.

Finally, the cart reached a small village. Brick houses were scattered

everywhere in isolation.

Naturally, there were also people: young men resembling shepherds,

guiding flocks of sheep; old men leading donkeys leisurely along the road;

people carrying farming tools and pa.s.sing through herds of cattle.

Houses, people's attire, their possessions, farming tools, everything was

quite simple without exception.

Furthermore, Erica suddenly went to investigate a shrine. The building was

constructed by the side of the main road. There were also quite a few thick

pillars made of white marble. It seemed like a miniature version of the

Parthenon.

Then Erica announced:

”So, Ena-san, I shall now disclose my speculations. This is most likely

ancient Europe. The time period is roughly between the fourth and fifth

centuries. The location is a province in the Roman Empire, probably Gaul.”

”...Eh!?”

Usually the one shocking others with her bold behavior, this time it was

Seishuuin Ena's turn to be surprised instead. Ena stared blankly in

dumbfounded amazement.

”In any case, Madame Aisha's corridors connect the Netherworld to past

ages. We have been exiled to the world of the past.”

”Ehhhhhh!?”

Had Saint Raffaello not explained to him earlier, surely G.o.dou would have

reacted in the same manner.

G.o.dou recalled the female Paladino's words with deep feeling. 'More than

anyone else, Aisha-neesan is the most troublesome Campione.' Now he

agreed from the bottom of his heart.

”Then what are we going to do from now on...?”

As G.o.dou muttered, he also realized that a group of what appeared to be

villagers were approaching them.

In the center of the group was an old man dressed in a stately toga. Wasn't

this how people dressed back in the Roman Empire? Beside the old man

were several well-built young men.

On further thought, G.o.dou and his companions' manner of dress really

stood out in this environment.

It was only natural that they caught people's attention. There were also

some people who began stirring trouble like the two Caucasians from

earlier.

The situation was getting more and more tumultuous — However, G.o.dou

realized something. The gazes of the people were clearly filled with fear

and reverence.

While staring at G.o.dou, they whispered to one another in subdued tones.

But among the many things they said, G.o.dou could pick out repeated

instances of the words ”Uldin” [1 J and ”Tyr.” [2]

Part 2

Four days had pa.s.sed since the sudden journey through time.

However, language barriers and lack of supporting personnel were only

problems in the beginning. Currently, G.o.dou, Erica and Ena were living

quite comfortably.

”This is the Falernus-produced wine that we obtained by a stroke of good

fortune a few days earlier. We have brought it here specifically to urge

Your Highness, Uldin, to savor and enjoy.”

The old man in the toga was speaking with reverence.

He was the owner of the plantation that G.o.dou and company had visited

four days ago. Named Furius, he was even some kind of n.o.ble of Roman

descent^ ^

Reportedly, he used to be a ”senator” in a nearby city.

Perhaps due to these past experiences, his behavior remained quite

dignified despite his humble posture.

”I'm sorry, although I've said this many times already, I'm not that man.”

G.o.dou spoke with embarra.s.sment.

Behind Old Man Furius, a servant girl was carrying a one-armed jar.

It contained what was apparently ”the gift offered to His Highness Uldin.”

”My name is Kusanagi G.o.dou. I'm the one who should be thanking you for

your kind hospitality. Please, you don't really have to be so generous.”

”I see... So that was what you were talking about earlier.”

Hearing G.o.dou's explanation, the old man nodded profoundly.

”My utmost apologies. I was mistaken because your appearance

resembles the rumored [Tyr's Sword], His Highness Uldin, coupled with the

fact that you are accompanied by beautiful maidens, one blonde and one

black-haired.”

Old Man Furius glanced behind G.o.dou. Standing on watch were Erica and

Ena.

Blonde and black-haired, a combo comprised of two beautiful young

ladies. Indeed that was true.

Was this the reason why people were mistaken? G.o.dou felt intrigued.

”Still, I would like to offer these gifts to you as a token of apology. Linde,

please make preparations.”

”Very well, master.”

Obeying Old Man Furius' orders, the servant girl retreated inside.

As a side note, everyone was currently at the mansion that was Furius'

residence, which was also serving as temporary accommodations for

G.o.dou's group. The old man's family originally lived in the mansion with

him but had now gone off to live elsewhere.

In short, he had ”offered” his own home for G.o.dou's group to stay.

”Your Highness Kusanagi. Even though you are not His Highness Uldin,

[Tyr's Sword] who rules over dragons, this does not change the fact that

you are his kin. Please enjoy yourself without reservation.”

”So the castle by the river is where that Uldin guy lives?”

”Yes, indeed. It is the castle captured by you — or rather, the dragon rider of

the terrible Huns, His Highness Uldin.”

The old man seemed to be speaking as though he were accommodating

G.o.dou's denials of being Uldin simply for convenience.

”Speaking of His Highness Uldin, he is not only valiant but also resourceful

and broad-minded. In preparation for the new battles ahead, he must have

made certain considerations.”

The man named Uldin was apparently the unlawful invader who had

attacked this place unchecked. Furthermore, he was the master of those

pterosaurs.

Four days earlier, Old Man Furius had said:

'We will try to make your stay here as comfortable as possible. Also,

please feel free to engage in any activities of your liking — '

Subsequently, G.o.dou and the two girls were offered food and the house

and they started staying at this plantation.

Even during today's ”greeting,” the old man continued to speak to G.o.dou

in reverence and retreated without staying for too long.

However, he made the following request upon his departure:

”If possible... I implore you, as well as your kin, His Highness Uldin, to

show special mercy on the city of Raurica and the Holy Maiden.”

He offered utmost reverence in this and other ways.

”Various things have been cleared up over the past four days.”

Erica suddenly spoke up after the old man left.

She had carried out investigations in the plantation and the surrounding

areas. She had also visited the old n.o.ble Furius and chatted for long

periods of time to gather information without distractions. Furthermore,

regarding the local language, Erica had said something like 'I believe this is

one of the dialects that developed into prototypical High German used in

southern Germany...'

Campiones and high level magi were able to learn unknown languages

exceptionally quickly.

Thanks to this blessing, G.o.dou and his group finally managed to have

dialogue with the villagers. However, the j.a.panese Hime-Miko apparently

had not devoted her efforts to hone this linguistic ability. She explained that

was because she seldom engaged in activities outside the country.

Nevertheless, it was an emergency this time.

As the premier Hime-MIko, Ena also learned the ancient language with

undivided attention.

”Our current location really turns out to be the Roman province of Gaul, on

its eastern outskirts. The great river we sighted on the first day was surely

the Rhine.”

”Speaking of the Rhine, I haven't even visited it in the modern world...”

G.o.dou felt a little complicated, torn whether this visit counted as a gain or a

loss. Then Erica continued:

”Although I didn't notice in the beginning, this place is actually within the

territory of modern Switzerland. Near the city of Basel. If one were to follow

the Rhine downstream, Strasbourg is also quite close.”

”Isn't that on the French and German border?”

Hearing these place names, Ena asked.

”Gaul is ancient France, right? Then we're really on its very edge.”

”Yeah. We are currently on the sh.o.r.e of the Rhine that separates Gaul

from Germania. During this part of history, the Rhine also serves a

boundary for Roman civilization.”

”In other words, the lands beyond the river are undeveloped?”

G.o.dou tried to draw out his knowledge of world history.

”I recall that the Germanic tribes lived in Germania. Goths or whatever

they're called, right?”

”That would have been the case in a slightly earlier time period. But now,

the situation is already changing. If one were to dwell upon these matters,

we have really arrived in quite a troublesome age.”

”How so?”

”Based on the gold coin I saw on our first day here, I surmised we had

arrived in the Roman Empire after it splintered into eastern and western

halves.”

Narrowing down the time period simply from seeing the design of a coin to

tell when it was used.

G.o.dou was thoroughly impressed with Erica's abundant knowledge.

However, the Diavolo Rosso made a worried expression despite her feats.

”After hearing about current affairs, I know that the current emperor is

named FlaviusJ 4 ^ Fearing the Goths who had invaded the Italian

peninsula, he is currently confined in his capital, Ravenna.”

Erica's expression remained displeased as she murmured indifferently.

”Concluding from all this, I believe we are currently at the beginning of the

fifth century — Between 400 and 410 CE. This officially marks the beginning

of the Western Roman Empire's collapse.”

”Is that where the problem lies?”

”The current situation will exacerbate rapidly very soon. The empire

already has no power to save itself. The Germanic kingdoms will become

the new rulers of the empire's territory. As a side note, Gaul will be invaded

by savage equestrian tribes a few decades later. They will cross the

Rhine.”

Erica detailed what was going to happen in the future.

”In this time period, the other side of the Rhine — Germania — is under the

equestrian Huns' sphere of influence. They are the greatest threat to the

Roman Empire and the Gauls. Germanic tribes were driven across the

Rhine to settle inside Roman territory, thereby sowing the seeds of many

conflicts.”

”The Huns... I remember reading about them in a World History textbook.”

The mysterious man, Uldin, mentioned earlier was also a member of the

Huns.

Prompted by the mentioning of this tribe, G.o.dou recalled certain things.

”There was this king guy called Attila who brought great tumult to Europe,

right?”

”Yes. He is the great king who united the Hunnic tribes that had been

lacking in solidarity and battled the Eastern and Western Roman Empires.

Renowned as a king of kings. His rise occurs roughly thirty years from

now?”

”So a warring states era is going to begin soon.”

”I guess we'd better get back to our original time as quickly as possible...”

After listening to Erica's explanation of the world situation, Ena and G.o.dou

remarked with deep feeling.

”But Your Majesty, how are we going to get back?”

”I guess once we find Aisha-san and ask her to open a 'corridor' to connect

to the modern age, it'll be fine. But finding her might not be that easy.”

”The chances of success are quite low if you search aimlessly.”

G.o.dou sighed and Erica remarked with a shrug.

He recalled what Saint Raffaello had told them before their journey through

time.

'That Nee-san's ”corridors” are really a whole lot of trouble... It creates

openings similar to caves, connecting to ”another world that does not exist

in the current one.” The Astral Plane and past ages included.'

Saint Raffaello was frowning severely when she said this.

'Once Aisha-neesan goes on a journey, the corridor will temporarily

disappear. But it apparently reappears in the same place... several times a

year. Pa.s.sing through it will take you to the same world where

Aisha-neesan had gone.'

'So, supposing someone was unfortunate enough to enter it...'

'Then they'll fly over to the other side, obviously.'

'If dinosaur-like divine beasts really are traveling through that ”corridor”...'

'Oh, then that means things can also come from the other side, of course.

This authority of Aisha-neesan's seems to have been usurped from the

fairies of Tir na n6g from Celtic mythology.'^

As G.o.dou tried to fish for answers, Saint Raffaello proceeded to give

ominous replies one after another.

Hence, Erica had inquired of her great senior who was showing a bitter

expression.

'Speaking of Madame Aisha, she is most famous for her long period of

living in seclusion...'

That's only an illusion. There never was any living in seclusion to begin

with. Aisha-neesan often uses her corridors authority to travel all over the

place. Consequently, she spends very little time in the contemporary world,

which results in rumors of her living in seclusion.'

Recalling the conversation, G.o.dou became quite depressed. Then he

realized something.

”However, by the time we came to our senses, we were already at the

riverside. I didn't see anything resembling the entrance to a cave in that

vicinity.”

”It probably still exists somewhere around there...”

”But it only reappears a few times a year?”

Ena and Erica's successive comments caused G.o.dou to sigh again.

”That means even if we go back there, we can't return home any time...”

”Besides, G.o.dou, there's an even more troublesome problem. This is the

place the man named Uldin has made his base of operations. Furthermore,

he also managed to maintain a herd of divine beasts through certain

means.”

Erica brought up the greatest problem.

”He is very likely a Campione from this time period, right? It is possible for

a great mage to summon a single divine beast with great difficulty. But to

keep a whole herd, only a G.o.d or a Campione is capable of that.”

”Yeah, that's right...”

”Simply going on what people said, that guy doesn't feel like a G.o.d.”

”In that case, we must be cautious when approaching that place.

Whenever two Campiones meet, something always happens. We have

already experienced plenty of that in our contemporary age.”

G.o.dou nodded, Ena murmured while Erica summed up the main point.

Truly feeling the gravity of the troublesome situation, the trio fell silent in

contemplation. Just at that moment, there was a crash.

Turning their gaze, they found the servant that the plantation owner had

brought earlier — the young girl named Linde had dropped a clay cup on

the floor, breaking it.

She was intending to pour out cups of the wine that was meant as an

”offering,” apparently on her way to serve G.o.dou and company.

”I-I'm very sorry! I can't believe I'm so clumsy!”

Linde apologized profuse with an expression as though the world was

about to end.

She was a blonde girl roughly thirteen or fourteen in age, similar to

G.o.dou's younger sister s.h.i.+zuka. She was a girl with an exceptionally cute

face and extraordinarily pale skin.

She was dressed in what resembled a knee-length t-s.h.i.+rt with a belt tightly

around her waist.

Simple and crude attire. She had been the one who stayed in the mansion

to serve G.o.dou's group during the past four days. How could anyone even

think of scolding such a girl?

”Don't mind it. You can clean up slowly once we go out.”

If G.o.dou were to propose helping out with the cleanup, Linde would have

flown into a panic instead.

G.o.dou gestured to his two companions with his eyes. Swiftly, he stood up

and left the room. Naturally, Erica and Ena followed him.

The corridor was lined with many pillars while the s.p.a.cious garden even

had a little pond.

The house, built in Roman architectural style, had a few dozen rooms.

From the perspective of a modern j.a.panese, it was quite extravagant. This

point was driven further home by the fact that G.o.dou had heard that the

homes of commoners only had one room.

”Oh right. Teach me how to ride a horse.”

G.o.dou recalled this matter as he walked through the corridor.

The mansion had stables and G.o.dou had been informed that they could

use them at will.

”Considering this time period, it would probably be a useful skill.”

”Oh, great idea. Ena is not skilled in this area either and hopes that

someone could instruct properly.”

”No problem at all. But well, from the standards of this time period, I'm

definitely no expert.”

”Does the standard change with the times?”

”Yes. This is the era when true equestrian tribes spend most of their lives

on horseback. However, I am confident that my horse riding skills are

superior to a typical Roman's, so don't worry.”

While listening to Erica's strangely proud claims, they arrived outside.

This area was Old Man Furius' plantation, a different place from the village

where they had first met.

However, it apparently covered a vast area five or six times that of the

Tokyo Dome (five hectares). G.o.dou's first impression had mistaken the

plantation for natural scenery...

Bringing out horses and riding equipment from the mansion's stables, they

started practicing on a suitable plot of empty land.

Also, stirrups did not exist in ancient Rome. This was a type of riding

equipment that dangled from the two sides of the saddle, allowing the rider

to step on them for support. Without stirrups, the difficulty of riding was

greatly increased.

”During this time period, the only people in Europe who used stirrups were

equestrian tribes like the Huns. But given their ability, they were even

capable of riding bareback horses calmly and shoot arrows while

mounted.”

”That's amazing. Even in j.a.panese mounted archery compet.i.tions, it'd be

quite difficult without stirrups.”

Listening to Erica's trivia, Ena expressed her admiration while struggling

with her own unskilled horse riding. Compared to G.o.dou who was a

complete novice, she was doing much better.

As a side note, they did not have any riding equipment that could serve as

stirrups.

This type of saddle, used by Roman cavalry, had horn-like protrusions on

their four corners which the rider used to stabilize themselves from the

unsteady rocking of their horses.

As expected, using spears, bows and arrows during horse riding was

invented out of necessity.

On this day, they ended up practicing until sunset.

Part 3

Then night arrived. Just when G.o.dou was about to go to bed...

Very unused to horse riding training, G.o.dou had to employ many muscles

he normally would not have used, resulting in a comfortable sense of