Chapter 39

"Hmm, it's incredibly bustling here."

"This commercial district is lined with various shops of all sizes. People come here to shop not only from within the capital but also from all over the country and even from the neighboring Arkart Holy Empire."

The day after Erich's wedding reception went smoothly, we visited the commercial district in the capital, guided by Erich and his new sister-in-law, Miliyam.

As expected of a capital, the commercial district in Stattburg was much larger than the one in Breichburg. It was incomparable to our hometown, where there wasn't even a single shop in the Bauweister territory.

"Thank you for taking us here, Miliyam."

"Don't worry about it. My husband has the next three days off."

In this world, it seems that after getting married, people usually get a two to three-day holiday. If it's just a report to the church, they get only one day off, but for a wedding reception, they get additional days off because the preparation is tiring. The idea is to give the newlyweds some time alone.

As for the honeymoon, it seems that only well-off middle-class nobles and major merchants can afford to go on one. Lower-class nobles in urban areas and commoners living a standard life usually take a three-day holiday and spend their time sightseeing and shopping within their local city.

In our rural hometown, there were no such holidays. My brothers who got married also went back to work the next day, so there must be a difference between urban and rural areas.

Or perhaps our family was just poor and had no time for such things.

"There really are a lot of shops here."

"Yes, Breichburg is a decent city, but..."

"The population is more than five times larger, so it's inevitable."

As the capital of a country, Stattburg was a recognized major city. It was the center of politics and economics, and most of the nobles without territories lived here. Famous merchant guilds always had their headquarters in Stattburg, and having a headquarters here was a status symbol for merchants.

Furthermore, within a 200-kilometer radius of Stattburg, there were many towns with populations exceeding 10,000, forming an economic zone that could be called the capital region.

"Of course, it's not without its drawbacks."

"Drawbacks?"

Erich mentioned that the capital had high prices, the crowds were initially overwhelming, and the water tasted bad and couldn't be drunk directly.

"Also, the Parkeinia Grasslands are an obstacle to further development."

According to Erich, the Parkeinia Grasslands were the last domain of monsters around the capital. A powerful old earth dragon named Grade Grand ruled over it and had thwarted multiple attempts by adventurer groups and armies to defeat it.

"If the Parkeinia Grasslands could be developed, the capital region would still grow."

Erich explained that the development of large-scale granaries and the improvement of roads currently divided by the Parkeinia Grasslands would have significant economic benefits. This insight was typical of someone who, even at a low level, worked in finance.

"But who could defeat such a troublesome dragon?"

"That's just a hypothetical. Shall we enjoy some shopping?"

With that, Erich's difficult talk ended, and we decided to enjoy our shopping.

"El, is this sword okay?"

"The steel used is good for the price. This is a good buy. Right, Erich?"

"This is a great deal."

"Erich, do you know about the quality of swords?"

"I learned a bit on my own. Oh, Ver, didn't you practice swordsmanship too?"

"Well... I didn't have any talent, so I shifted to archery, which was a bit better."

"Wow... You really are brothers..."

Back when we lived at home, we used to do about an hour of basic training every morning, but I clearly had no talent for swordsmanship. Archery seemed to have more potential, and since magic training paid off with practice, I hardly trained with swords anymore.

By the way, the sword I received from my master, which could produce blades of different elements, was completely unused.

"Do you still have room for growth in your magic?"

"Yes, I feel it every day."

I followed my master's advice and meditated daily to cultivate my inner magic, without missing a single day.

"It's so unrealistic that I can't say anything."

"However, in the capital, I can't practice magic flamboyantly."

If we were in Breichburg, I could go to the outskirts and practice flamboyantly, but now I can only do indoor meditation to circulate my magic.

I envied El and the others, who could train in the yard. El often invited me to practice swordsmanship, saying it was a noble's pastime, but I always declined, saying I would rather practice magic.

"Alright! I got a new sword!"

In the end, El got a new sword, and I bought a new bow and arrows. I used my bow more frequently than a sword, so it wasn't a waste.

Erich, who usually had no time, bought a few sets of casual clothes. The women, on the other hand, visited several clothing and accessory shops.

Why do I say "visited"? Because honestly, accompanying women shopping is tiring.

"Erich, do you not have to accompany Miliyam?"

"I did once and regretted it."

Miliyam, being from a lower-class noble family, didn't usually spend frivolously. Instead, she searched for bargains on foot, which was exhausting to accompany. Erich said he spent more than half a day in the commercial district and was exhausted the next day at work.

"(She's like a housewife obsessed with bargain sales.)"

Miliyam, usually a gentle and kind woman, seemed to be particularly drawn to the word "bargain." Other words like "limited edition" and "clearance" probably had the same effect. This was the same in my previous world.

"Look, Miliyam is looking for a shop to turn the gemstones Ver gave as a wedding gift into accessories."

I sent Miliyam raw gemstones of carnelian and jade I found in the unexplored land, and she was excited to turn them into accessories.

"Women really like gemstones."

"But where did you get those raw gemstones... I see, but it's not a problem, right?"

Erich seemed to realize that I had obtained the gemstones from the unexplored land. While it wasn't really a problem, the Bauweister family didn't know about the distribution of resources in the unexplored land, so they couldn't prove my mining activities, and they didn't even recognize it.

"Indeed, the Bauweister family has the rights to that land, but..."

The Bauweister family alone would never develop it, and if the royal family or major nobles were interested, it would be at least a few hundred years in the future.

At this point, the only person who could go there was me, with my instant teleportation magic. There were a few hundred others who could use the magic, but they would need to go there once on their own to memorize the route.

My instant teleportation magic was convenient but had limitations. I couldn't go to places I hadn't been to, and I could only transport up to ten people and their luggage.

I once checked my maximum carrying capacity, which was about five people and their luggage in addition to myself. This was enough for a party, and since the magic bag didn't count, it wasn't a problem for me.

"So, Ver can instantly teleport to the capital?"

"Yes."

"Edgar, the military minister, might be very interested in that..."

With a maximum of ten people, it was difficult to use instant teleportation strategically in war. However, it could be used to send elite units or spies, and since magic users could carry magic bags, it was useful for logistics.

For suppressing local rebellions, resolving territorial disputes, and eliminating large-scale bandits, it was helpful to send troops without supply lines, with magic users providing instant teleportation support.

I remembered that my master had been responsible for supply during the Breichrader Margrave's expedition.

"The military has over fifty magic users who can use instant teleportation, so it won't happen immediately. But you might be on the reserve list."

There were also several dozen magic users who could communicate over long distances, and there were magical devices that could do the same, but they were rare and couldn't meet the demand.

The military's policy of dispersing long-distance communication-capable magic users across units was also a part of the kingdom's security strategy.

I had learned long-distance communication magic from my master, but it could only be used with other magic users who had the same ability, and I needed to exchange a small amount of magic with them to register them.

It was similar to infrared communication on a mobile phone.

However, I had never used it since I only knew my master and a few others who could use magic.

Even Blantark, who was quite skilled at following the Breichrader Margrave's intentions, didn't use long-distance communication. He listened to the general plan and made independent judgments based on it.

This was also why experienced magic users were valued in noble households, similar to the job market in my previous world.

"But Ver is still a minor."

I had about three years until I became an adult, and I didn't expect to be involved in dragon slaying again. However, this thought would soon be proven wrong.

"How about it, Ver? Does it suit you?"

"Of course, the fashion sense in the capital is top-notch."

"It's good to praise the clothes, but you should also praise the people wearing them."

At that moment, Ina and Louise, who had visited several shops, appeared, showing off their new clothes to El and me.

"But you bought quite a lot. Is the budget okay?"

"We'll hunt bears when we return to the capital."

"We'll save money to buy new clothes in the capital next year."

I didn't care much about fashion, but the women seemed to be influenced by the latest trends in the capital. Buying the latest fashion was expensive, and Ina still owed me money, so they would need to hunt a lot of game.

The animals were hunted for a sad reason, but there were no animal protection organizations in this world.

"Ver, these cute girls are wearing new clothes. You should praise them."

"You're being strict, Miliyam."

"It's not strict; it's common sense."

I felt a bit sorry for the bears being hunted for fashion, but compared to the misfortune that awaited me the next day, it was a minor issue.

I tried my best to praise Ina and Louise's new clothes with my limited vocabulary, but I didn't get a passing grade.

"El, you're just like Ver."

"You need to improve your praising skills."

El was in a similar situation.