zChapter 60 - Arc 3, Waxing Moon (1/2)

Aldo, vice captain of the militia, Ganche, and the rest of the troops saw off the duo headed to the royal capital: Targes and the leader of the 1st platoon, Brez.

They traveled to Arruca Village by horse, and after leaving the horses with the village, they crossed the valley with the help of a guide from Folea Town. Then, they bought new horses in Linz fief and galloped to the capital. Targes, who was in the knight caste, displayed magnificent form on horseback. By comparison, Brez’s form was somewhat less impressive, but still, his training shone through.

With the responsibility of Meissen on their shoulders, the shorter the travel, the better. Targes had said that he would rush to the capital as quickly as he could. Though Ernst has estimated that the timeframe for receiving a reply from the council would take a month, with how skillfully Targes and Brez rode on horseback, the time might even be reduced to twenty days.

The letter Ernst entrusted to them should, without a doubt, be accepted by the ministry. The contents of the letter involved a scheme which would leave them unable to not accept.

Ernst had not a single shred of worry over whether they would pass through the ministry. What most concerned him was passing through the Senate.

Deep in thought, he watched the backs of those two people grow smaller and smaller in the distance.

He had the impression that Targes had unpleasant memories he would rather avoid in the capital. For Targes’ sake, as well, Ernst hoped that their request would pass on the first try.

Twenty-one days later.

Targes and Brez returned, and as Ernst had expected, they held a document stamped with the ministry’s mark of approval.

“Will Lord Ernst be heading to the capital?” asked Ganche.

He sat in the large chair for his exclusive use in Ernst’s office.

“Humm. Although it isn’t exactly necessary for the Lord to attend to negotiating with the Senate, in Meissen’s case, it would be best if I were to go.”

The request for developing the Linz Valley would not be easy to pass. The cost of such a project would be worth several years of the national budget. In order to somehow persuade the Senate not to toss out their request, it would be better for Ernst himself to go. And in any case, Ernst couldn’t think of anyone in Meissen he could entrust with the task of being the Lord’s proxy.

“Who will… be escorting you?” As he asked, a trace of anxiety shook in Ganche’s copper-colored eyes.

“First shall be… Ganche, of course,” Ernst said, chuckling, and was met with Ganche’s beaming smile. The abundant feelings of his partner who had only lived half as long as Ernst had were so cute, he couldn’t help teasing.

“Next, Targes… or otherwise, Aldo.” Judging by how Targes had looked, he might refuse to go to the capital a second time.

“After that would be a few troops. Going in too large of a group will increase the expenses, but this time we’ll also be bringing along our taxes to the country. Having too few people would be useless.”

As of late, Rintz Kingdom has been undergoing unrest.

News had spread of many incidents where merchants, as well as servants of Lords who were transporting taxes, had been robbed along the highway leading to the capital. Although the military branch in charge of maintaining public order had stationed soldiers along each main road, it was impossible for them to monitor every path. It was said that the bandits would take advantage of even the slightest gap, and would appear out of nowhere to rob you in just a split second. It was to the point where the merchants who were unable to hire mercenaries were mercilessly robbed of everything but their lives, leaving them unable to conduct business.

As if sensing Ernst’s worries, Ganche smacked a fist to his own chest and said, “Lord Ernst, there is nothing for you to fear. If any bandits come for us, I shall stomp them to the ground.”

“Humm. …I have heard, though, that the bandits have Dunbertians and Grudes in their ranks. I know that you are strong, Ganche, but… if among the bandits is someone you know, then…”

“There is no need to worry. The people of Grude Continent will fight even their parents and siblings without hesitation if they meet each other as enemies on the battlefield. I have also been raised this way, so there will be no problem.”

At Ganche’s words, Ernst smiled slightly and nodded, and he suddenly fell into thought.

The idea of one’s upbringing was truly a terrifying thing. Even if someone was raised wrongly, they would firmly believe that their manner was right, and would decide everything based on how they were taught. One’s upbringing was almost certainly one’s basis of judgment.

Yet at the same time, one’s upbringing was a fragile thing.

The reason why one cannot put the education they learned at a desk to practical use is because the things in this world, including one’s own emotions, are not as uniform and simple as what is taught through education.

In the past, even though Ernst had believed in the correctness of sacrificing the lives of some of his people for the greater good of the country, regardless, he had still suffered a great impact from the sacrifice of a single horse.

If, at that time, there had not been those hunters to guide him – if Ernst had been on his own, then he felt that, even now, he would not be able to unhesitatingly choose the correct path, like they did.

According to what Ernst had been taught through his upbringing, in order to protect his own life, he should sacrifice the horse.

But in reality, it is not so easy to choose the path of sacrificing another living being in order to save himself.