Chapter 96

As I stood at the border of the frontier land of Cumberland and the adjacent duchy, it goes without saying that I had come from the duchy to the frontier.

From the village closest to the frontier in the duchy, it's not that far to the border.

However, in that village, both magic stones and combustion stones can be mined.

The vegetation is different too. I didn't observe every corner of the village just because I stopped by to get water, so I can't say for sure, but...

The village had a variety of weeds, shrubs, and tall trees growing wild, but I don't think I saw any cassava leaves.

If I had seen those distinctive leaves, I would have remembered them.

That's right. It might be better to say that the climate changes dramatically just a few dozen kilometers from the village.

That's when I thought:

Is there some invisible boundary line... like where tectonic plates collide, where mana collides and forms a boundary?

Unlike the sequoia or the penguin, I'm not interested in the mechanisms of drastic climate change.

What interests me is the result, the phenomena happening now.

"What's wrong?"

"Lord Joshua, aren't you going to eat?"

Oops, I got so lost in thought because it was a big realization for me.

Not only the penguin, but Alru is also looking up at me as if peering from below.

And I feel some dampness from behind.

I can ignore that, right? But, the sound of someone eating noisily is quite unpleasant. Well, if it's clothes, I can wash them. If it's my body, I can wash it in the bath.

"I had an idea."

"Hmm, that sounds interesting. Given your nature, you must have noticed something unique to this world."

I closed my eyes to the noise behind me and nodded in response to the penguin's words.

You might be wondering how the penguin understands me when I speak in the duchy's language?

Of course, there's a reason for that. As has happened many times before, he receives simultaneous translation in his mind from Sequoia.

When she hears my voice, the penguin can understand me no matter which language I speak.

"You might not know this, but the vegetation in the land where I lived and here is quite different."

"Hmm. Physical distance, mountain ranges, seas, and winds... there are many factors that determine the climate. Even a slight difference in elevation can result in different temperatures."

"Now, I want to ask Alru."

"Huh?"

Alru, who was suddenly addressed, tilted her head with a mouth full of pumpkin tart.

I could ask Rumburg or Ely, but considering her sensitivity to subtle environmental changes, such as the movement of the wind, she seems to be the best choice.

I suspect that her cat ears and tail work like antennas.

Sequoia also has fox ears and a tail, so she must be similarly sensitive. After all, she was able to detect the presence of the thunder beast.

"Before we came to this mansion, did you notice any sudden changes in the wind or the sunlight?"

"Huh?"

Alru, shaking her cat ears, chewed and swallowed the tart in her mouth.

Then she tilted her head again.

"Well, since we were in the carriage and moving quite fast, you might not have noticed, but did you feel any change in the wind's flow?"

"Everywhere. There is?"

Oh, Alru is more sensitive than I thought.

What I consider a minor change in the wind, like opening and closing a door, is not so minor to her.

She must have clearly noticed the change in the wind.

"Then, where did you feel the strongest change in the wind's flow on our way here?"

"Rudon Plateau?"

"Exactly!"

The Rudon Plateau, despite its grand name, is just a gentle hill with a limited area.

The height from the bottom to the top of the hill is probably less than fifty meters. The view from the top isn't particularly good.

The small cliff north of the Rubicon River, where Alru and I went yesterday, felt much higher.

"What's the Rudon Plateau?"

The penguin interjected.

"I think the Rudon Plateau is the climatic boundary between the frontier and the duchy. The duchy recognizes the border with the frontier to be about twenty kilometers further into the duchy from the Rudon Plateau."

"And what is this Rudon Plateau?"

"Ugh. Wipe your mouth first."

"No problem. I wiped it there."

On my pants, no less.

I just made a casual comment when he suddenly appeared from behind me, but I didn't expect this to happen.

I ignored it because I thought he might get involved if I commented.

"Anyway, I'll take a bath and do some laundry later."

"A bath? Are you going to take one?"

"By myself. No."

"Such a shameless fellow. Very well."

"Penguin, you can't wash your back by yourself, so let's go together."

I gave a thumbs up to the penguin, who raised his flippers in a "banzai" gesture.

I shouldn't tease Sequoia too much.

I need to divert her interest before she takes any action against me.

"The climate changes drastically at the Rudon Plateau. So, what does that mean?"

"What does it mean?"

Sequoia is on board. For her, intellectual curiosity is invaluable.

"Let's change our destination for tomorrow. We'll go there in a two-horse carriage."

"It'll be a surprise when we get there, won't it?"

"Yeah. It might be more of a surprise than I thought."

"A long trip sounds fun."

So, our destination for tomorrow was changed to the Rudon Plateau.

By the way, the pumpkin tasting session was a great success.

We decided to do it again, but it would be more accurate to say that we would ask Rumburg and Ely to organize it.

◇◇◇

"Sorry, but can you help me wash my back?"

"No, no. You always work so hard. We don't take a bath every day, after all."

"We also bathe in the river, so it's fine."

As I scrubbed the penguin's back with a sponge made from a caiman, he let out a small sigh of pleasure.

Bathing is indeed wonderful. I want to solve the magic stone problem quickly and build public baths.

The mansion has bathing facilities, but the infrastructure hasn't reached the common people. I understand that water supply is a higher priority than baths.

However, as Ely used scented oil, I realize that luxury items and entertainment are also necessary for life.

There's no point in lamenting. We can only move forward step by step.

"Stop it! Lord Joshua is in the bath!"

"Let go! Let go!"

It's noisy outside.

Well, Ely will surely keep intruders out.

Splash.

I poured a bucket of water over the penguin's back.

There, all clean.

"Phew. I feel refreshed."

"Even as a penguin, the bath is a wonderful thing."

The two of us soaked in the bathtub, enjoying the blissful feeling.

The fatigue seemed to wash away instantly.

"I understand. I was wrong. I'll change my mind."

"You understand?"

"Yes. I was wrong to try to monopolize it. Ely, you should come too."

"Um... no, I couldn't... Lord Joshua's precious time..."

"It's fine, it's fine."

Oh no.

Come on, Ely. Don't be swayed by the wild child.

"Phew. What a nice bath..."

I splashed water on my face and took a deep breath.