v1 prologue (1/2)

Volume 1: The “Borderland Hero-Wannabe” Arc

Prologue

Suh the streets of a little town called Tart on the northern border of the Engi Empire As the merchant caravan rolled into the town, Seirin took a deep breath and smelled the lilacs

The wife of the first emperor loved this sweet smell and so by her order hundreds of lilac bushes were planted throughout the o Ever since, lilacs had been a syrow them in every city under its rule

Moreover, So Heikei, savior of the state who alone stopped a horde of shi+ue, was rumored to have used a bow made from a lilac branch Since then, lilacs became indispensable as the representation of Northern province’s Guardian Deity

The caravan stopped in Tart’s central square, and Seirin disearded the nearest lilac bush

It hasn’t even been 10 years since Tart becai Empire and yet lilacs are in full bloom already, he reht frorown

The Engi planted these trees as a display of power for the shi+ nearby: Look, it’s within our abilities to move the trees all the way from the Capital before they wither away We are that efficient, understand?

“If anything happens an aret the hint and realize ould happen if you tried going against us, yes?” The bush that currently held Seirin’s attention seemed to imply this by its very existence

Suddenly soster Move! We’re trying to unpack the cart, and you’re in the way!”

He hurriedly stepped aside and saw a group of brawny s on their backs

As they passed, a strong sall over the place, inter with the flowery aro else smelled quite like this

So, the men who pushed past him earlier were probably salt traders This certainly would explain the sack carriers and theafter them

The state had a i Eer and the number of sacks sent from the Capital didn’t match, merchants’ heads would quite literally fly Naturally, such traders tended to look rather grave

Not to mention that for the town of Tart, far from the sea and thus without access to a reliable supply, salt was an inarguably precious commodity

Right now salt production is thriving in southern cities, so prices are lower, thought Seirin But salt was once worth its weight in copper, or so I heard fro of which…

“You can survive without money, but you’ll die if you don’t eat any salt Without it, everybody becomes unable to move, be it humans, horses or oxen” That’s why salt is so expensive… According to that old man, anyway

There were people other than traders gathered around the iroomsmen and labourers with their handlers hurried to and fro, shouting in their strange language

“ㅇㅕㅐㅏㄷ!”

“ㅐㅓㄹㄷㅁ!”