Chapter 35

Leaving the villagers, who looked at them with anxiety, behind, Ichiryo and the others were led out of the village by Isaac. A little away from the village, Isaac's troops were waiting.

The troops seemed to include cavalry, as a few animals resembling horses—Lathas—were tied to nearby trees.

Most of the soldiers were sitting and resting, and only the guards standing around were on alert.

In the center where the soldiers gathered, there was also a covered cargo cart.

Ichiryo was currently empty-handed, with his Boston bag and suitcase being carried by two soldiers who were on guard at the mansion.

As Ichiryo and the others approached the troops, Deputy Leader Haber noticed them and ran over.

"Deputy Leader, is the departure preparation complete?"

"We can depart at any time. I think it would be best if Mr. Gré... Mr. Kazura rides one of the cavalry Lathas. What do you think?"

"That's fine."

Hearing Haber's words about the cavalry, Ichiryo looked at the Lathas tied to the trees as he answered.

The Lathas were saddled, and the ride didn't seem uncomfortable.

Haber, hearing Ichiryo's response, ran to the Lathas tied to the trees.

"It will take about two to three days to reach Isteria. Ideally, you would ride in the cart, but it is loaded with tents and other supplies..."

"Oh, it's fine. Don't worry about it."

Ichiryo, who had previously walked to Isteria, knew how difficult it was to travel on foot.

If he could move without getting blisters on his feet, there would be no complaints.

Isaac, hearing Ichiryo's words, bowed and thanked him, then turned to the soldiers who were sitting.

"All troops, form two columns! Prepare for marching!"

As Isaac gave the order loudly, the seated soldiers immediately stood up and quickly formed two columns.

Most of the soldiers seemed to be infantry, but a few soldiers who appeared to be cavalry ran to the trees where the Lathas were tied and untied the reins.

"Mr. Kazura, let me help you mount the Latha."

As Ichiryo watched the soldiers hurriedly form the marching formation with interest, Haber returned with a Latha and called out to him.

Seeing the Latha led by Haber, Ichiryo noticed something.

"There are no stirrups..."

Indeed, while the Latha had a saddle, it had no stirrups.

Stirrups are footrests hung on either side of a horse's belly.

They are used as a foothold when mounting and as a support for maintaining posture while riding. The difference in ease of riding with and without stirrups is significant.

"Stirrups...?"

Hearing Ichiryo's muttered words, Haber, who was holding the Latha's reins, asked him.

"Oh, no..."

Ichiryo glanced at the surrounding cavalry and confirmed that their Lathas also had no stirrups, then told Haber,

"It's nothing."

and grabbed the saddle on the Latha.

As Ichiryo grabbed the saddle, Haber immediately moved behind him and helped him mount the Latha by pushing him from below.

This being Ichiryo's first time riding, he wobbled a bit but managed to mount the Latha with Haber's assistance.

The Latha's back was quite high, with the line of sight probably around 2.5 meters.

As Ichiryo, now on the Latha, looked around, the troops soon formed their marching formation.

Behind him, Valletta and the village chief were holding their belongings and looking up at Ichiryo on the Latha.

It was clear that only Ichiryo would ride the Latha, while Valletta and the village chief would travel on foot.

"Then, I will go to the front of the troops. If you need anything, please tell the deputy leader."

As Ichiryo took a breath on the Latha, Isaac, who had been watching him mount, called out to him and walked to the front of the troops.

As soon as Isaac reached the front,

"Forward!"

Isaac's voice echoed, and the troops began to march.

"Whoa, this is quite a bumpy ride."

As the Latha started walking, Ichiryo used his feet to grip the Latha's belly to maintain balance.

Thanks to the saddle, he wouldn't fall off, but without stirrups, he couldn't brace himself properly.

This would likely be quite tiring over a long period.

"Mr. Kazura, if riding doesn't suit you, I can immediately prepare a cart for you. Please let me know."

Haber, holding the reins, immediately responded to Ichiryo's words and offered this.

However, preparing a cart would mean unloading the supplies, which would be carried by the soldiers.

While Ichiryo could request a cart, the other soldiers would likely look at him unfavorably.

It seemed better to endure the ride on the Latha, even if it was tiring.

"Oh, no, it's fine... um, I have a few questions I'd like to ask."

Ichiryo gently declined Haber's offer and decided to take the opportunity to ask Haber a few questions.

"Yes, anything you want."

Haber, leading the Latha with a friendly smile, looked up at Ichiryo, who felt a slight positive impression and began to speak.

"Earlier, you mentioned that a large-scale famine is occurring throughout Arcadia. Are there any other problems in the country besides the food shortage?"

Before leaving the village, Ichiryo had been asked by Isaac and Haber to help with the famine, but if there were other significant issues, it would be beneficial to know them in advance.

If Ichiryo were recognized as Gréciol by the leaders of Isteria, such as Lord Nelson, he would inevitably be consulted about various issues beyond the famine.

It would be wise to understand the content of these issues and consider countermeasures now.

"Besides the food shortage, major floods occur from time to time. We pray and offer sacrifices to Siphsiol every year to prevent floods, but the results are inconsistent. We also try to prevent major flood damage by maintaining the rivers, but once heavy rain starts, there's nothing we can do."

Hearing Haber's words, Ichiryo recalled the flood stories he had heard from Valletta.

According to Valletta, floods often occur when the rivers overflow during the rainy season, and this is not limited to Grisea Village.

Given that floods are a significant problem in Arcadia, it seems that flood control technology is lacking and effective measures are not being taken.

Non-scientific measures, such as offering sacrifices and prayers to the water god Siphsiol, are also being taken, but from Ichiryo's perspective, these are ineffective.

However, in this world, such measures are considered normal.

"Floods... that's a serious problem. Are there any other issues?"

"Yes, besides floods, there is a mysterious illness among sailors..."

Thus, during the journey to Isteria, Ichiryo, with Haber leading the Latha, learned about the various problems occurring in Arcadia and began to consider countermeasures in his mind.

After four hours of riding the Latha while listening to Haber's explanations about the problems in Arcadia, Isaac's troops stopped to set up tents.

The sun was tilting significantly, and it would be dark in about two hours.

Although they had taken several short breaks, Ichiryo's buttocks, which had been on the Latha for a long time, were in pain.

With Haber's help, Ichiryo dismounted the Latha, rubbed his sore buttocks, and stretched his back. Then, Valletta, who had been following behind, approached with a leather bag of water and the village chief.

"Mr. Kazura, good work. Here, have some water."

"Thank you. Riding the Latha is quite tiring..."

Ichiryo, exhausted from the long ride, thanked Valletta, took the leather bag, and drank the water, gulping it down.

Around him, the soldiers were taking supplies from the cargo cart and hurriedly preparing for camping.

"Mr. Kazura, regarding the meal..."

Seeing that Ichiryo had taken a breath after drinking water, Haber, who had been waiting nearby, called out to him.

"The only food we have prepared is bread and dried meat for marching. I'm very sorry, but it will be the same as what the other soldiers are having..."

"Oh, that's fine. Thank you."

Haber, who seemed apologetic, received a smile from Ichiryo.

For Ichiryo, this was a great opportunity to experience military rations.

He was more interested in what kind of food the military in this world would provide than in the quality of the food.

"Thank you. I will help with the camp preparations, so please wait here for a moment, Mr. Kazura."

Haber said this and joined the nearby soldiers in setting up the tents.

Ichiryo and the other two had to wait until the preparations were complete.

"I've never had military rations before, but having bread and dried meat seems like a pretty good deal."

As Ichiryo watched Haber setting up the tents, Valletta and the village chief nodded in agreement.

When they had stayed at a communal lodging in Isteria before, the food was a very thin soup with a little vegetables, so compared to that, this was a feast.

Of course, comparing the food in such a place to military rations was not appropriate, but even with that in mind, the food Haber had mentioned earlier seemed quite luxurious.

Being able to eat bread and meat was a much better diet than that of the average farmer.

"When I was in the military, we sometimes had bread, but I never had dried meat. The soldiers in this unit might be the sons of nobles, so they might be specially treated."

"Huh? Are all the soldiers in this unit nobles?"

Hearing the word "noble," Ichiryo asked the village chief with a look of surprise.

The village chief and Valletta had noticed the decorative emblems on the short swords the soldiers carried and had realized they were nobles from the beginning, but Ichiryo, who had no prior knowledge, had not noticed.

Moreover, the village chief and Valletta had not explained to Ichiryo that the soldiers were nobles, so he had no idea that all the soldiers were nobles.

"Yes, the short swords the soldiers carry have emblems, so they are likely nobles. Isaac and Haber, who command noble soldiers, are probably higher-ranking nobles."

Hearing Valletta's explanation, Ichiryo looked at the short swords the soldiers carried.

Upon closer inspection, the short swords indeed had