Chapter 27

The capital city of the Kingdom of Ponsonia, Gii-Ponsonia, is called the "City of the Plains."

While the country itself has a relatively flat terrain, the capital is even flatter.

The benefits of being on a plain include the ease of extending transportation routes and expanding the city, and of course, the ease of expanding farmland. The area around the capital is a vast granary that represents Ponsonia, and in autumn, the wheat ripens, creating a sea of gold.

The kingdom is surrounded by allied and enemy countries on land, but the response to external threats was entrusted to the nobles who bordered enemy territories. They are called "Border Lords" and are allowed to form their own armies.

By having the Border Lords firmly secure the outer areas, the inner granary regions become even more productive. Cheap grain enriches the people. Now, the Kingdom of Ponsonia is enjoying a prosperity that is called the greatest in its history—perhaps it is inevitable that it has ambitions beyond its borders.

Being on a flat land and connected by land, it is also a place that is easy to invade.

To counter this, the military developed a unique method.

"Moving Fortresses"—"Heavy Infantry."

While their mobility is reduced, they have extremely high defensive capabilities, and Ponsonia is known for its heavy infantry.

"Is that the famous heavy infantry? It looks lighter than the name suggests."

A large-scale drill by the heavy infantry was taking place at the edge of the capital. This has two meanings.

One is to show a strong army to people from other countries entering the capital—this includes spies from other countries.

The other is a very simple reason. Because they are heavy, they are difficult to transport. The idea is to conduct daily training within the capital and large-scale drills nearby.

"Wow, this is amazing. I've never seen anything like it."

"Really, Lavie? It's supposed to be a specialty of this country, right?"

Hikaru and Lavie were talking in the carriage, speaking in low voices so as not to disturb the other passengers, who were sitting at a distance.

Through the carriage window, they could see the drill.

It was impressive.

The plate armor covered the entire body, even the face. The plates were painted in a uniform color, and Hikaru saw three units in green, purple, and blue.

They held halberds—long spears with axes at the tip. Hikaru wondered if these were considered "long spears" and if they received any special blessings.

They swung their halberds, charged, jumped, and even flipped, taking falls and performing backflips.

"…Is that magic?"

"Of course. I read in a book that it's not the soldiers themselves who are excellent, but the armor is."

"Oh, I see."

Hikaru understood. The plate armor itself was probably a magical artifact, enchanted with spells for weight reduction or enhanced physical abilities.

This was very efficient. Instead of enhancing the physical abilities of each individual soldier, improving the "plate armor" system would elevate the entire army.

However, without a supply of magic, they would stop, and their abilities would be time-limited.

(War in a world without gunpowder or firearms. I'm curious, but...)

Hikaru thought that war was ultimately meaningless. The fruits of victory were far smaller compared to what was lost in war. Defeat would be even more catastrophic.

"The capital is coming into view."

Lavie's voice made Hikaru look ahead.

In the distance, the spires of the castle were visible. Surrounding it, buildings spread out like a mountain with the castle at its center.

"It's quite large."

At first, that was Hikaru's only impression,

"…No way."

Gradually, he began to doubt his eyes.

Because the size of the castle he first saw hadn't changed much, but the carriage was already driving through the city.

He remembered Jil saying, "The population is 40 to 50 times that of Ponde." At the time, the number didn't feel real, but now it was becoming more tangible. What is this city? How large is it?

"Hey, come to think of it, there was no checkpoint or anything, right?"

His voice had become louder without him noticing, and a well-built man who looked like a townsman and was sitting at a distance laughed.

"Hahaha, boy, that's right. In such a large capital, if there were checkpoints, no matter how many soldiers there were, it would be impossible."

Hikaru thought the man seemed quite friendly and tried to gather information as politely as possible.

"I see, that makes sense. Is the entire capital free to enter?"

"The areas closer to the royal castle are called the 'Noble District,' the outer area is the 'First Residential Zone,' and part of the outer area is the 'Second Residential Zone,' which is surrounded by a wall and has checkpoints."

"Is that so? But if there are only checkpoints there, I feel a bit uneasy about the security."

"Don't worry. Even this area, far from the royal castle, is part of the capital, and patrol soldiers still come around. …But it's strange. Usually, there would be one or two patrols at this time, but I haven't seen any today."

"……"

Patrols? Like surprise checkpoints?

Hikaru felt a chill and looked outside the window. But, like the carriage he was in, there were only wagons and ordinary citizens walking around; no patrol soldiers were in sight.

Then, a woman next to the well-built man spoke. She seemed to be his wife.

"Look, it's because of the war…"

"Oh…"

Their expressions darkened.

It seemed they didn't have the resources for patrols due to war preparations.

So, the large-scale drill earlier might have been a show of force. To demonstrate that even with war preparations, they still had enough soldiers to spare.

"By the way, what brings you to the capital? I run a store—"

The kind couple, worried about Hikaru and Lavie as children, tried to offer help, but Hikaru politely declined.

(There are good people. Of course, there are…)

Thus, Hikaru and Lavie entered the capital with ease.

"Here, I have indeed received it. Thank you."

The capital's Adventurer's Guild was about ten times the size of Ponde's. There were seven receptionists at the counter. Despite its size, it felt rather quiet, perhaps due to the shadow of war.

Hikaru had delivered a sealed letter addressed to a merchant in the capital. Delivering it to the Adventurer's Guild completed the request. From there, another request would be issued to deliver it within the capital.

The mail delivery service between cities—what would be called "mail" in Japan—exists in this world as well. However, it only connects major cities, and remote villages rely on adventurers for delivery.

That said, the delivery success rate for adventurers is not particularly high.

"Oh, with the delivery request completed, you just need to complete two more requests to meet the conditions for promotion to Rank F."

Hikaru had accepted the delivery request for a reason.

Hikaru's adventurer rank was G. He wanted to become Rank E, which would allow him to enter dungeons managed by the Adventurer's Guild.

The first condition for promotion from G to F was to accept a request that connects two or more Adventurer's Guilds. The quickest way to meet this condition was through "delivery" or "escort" requests, but it was unlikely that a client would hire a Rank G adventurer for an escort.

"Are there any suitable requests?"

"There are plenty right now. With adventurers being called to war, there aren't enough hands."

"Adventurers are also being called to war, huh."

"Yes… His Majesty is serious about this."

The receptionist couldn't openly criticize, so she looked worried.

Hikaru checked the request board, going through the requests one by one.

Delivery within the capital, helping with a major cleaning, assisting the elderly, moving goods… Most of the requests were similar to those in Ponde. After all, they were Rank G requests. The area around the capital was used for military drills, so there were no combat-related requests due to the absence of monsters. However, there might be some requests that could be completed quickly—

"How was it?"

"It's enough. Let's look for an inn."

Hikaru and Lavie left the Adventurer's Guild.

Hikaru started to plan what he needed to do while in the capital.

"It looks like we'll have a busy time."

"…You seem to be enjoying it, though. Well, in your case, it's more like… a sinister plot…"

"That's strange. I don't feel like I'm being complimented."

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you with your nighttime activities, can I?"

"Don't worry. With my skills, it would be a burden to bring you along."

"…What are you planning to do, anyway?"

"Sorry. It's still a secret."

Hikaru still couldn't tell Lavie everything, including his abilities. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, but there was no particular benefit in revealing everything.

"Still, I don't think Lavie will be bored."

"Why? I'll be bored out of my mind until you come back."

"What are you saying? This is the capital, miss."

"? What do you mean? I won't wander around alone, you know?"

"There's a big bookstore, isn't there?"

Lavie's eyes widened.

"How about it? There are lots of adventure stories—"

"Let's quickly find an inn with a wide table and unlimited use of magic lamps!"

Hikaru couldn't help but chuckle at Lavie's sudden enthusiasm.

* * *

"…That is the content I will report to His Majesty tomorrow."

In the middle of the night, an investigator visited the office of the Knight Commander in the capital.

The office was located within the castle grounds, a sturdy stone building.

The room was plain and unadorned, devoid of any lavish decorations.

The investigator sat on a simple oak chair with no cushion. Across from him, a man sat on a similar chair, which, despite being large enough for the investigator, seemed cramped for him.

His thick legs were like logs.

His torso, which could fit two people, had almost no fat, and his muscles pulsed.

His neck was so thick that it could withstand being slammed to the ground, and on top of it was a face with unusually gentle eyes.

The Knight Commander.

In his early forties, with a large scar on his cheek.

His golden hair was cut short, and Hikaru would have teased, "Looks like a baseball player."

"…Lord Lawrence?"

The investigator asked in a puzzled voice, as the Knight Commander remained motionless.

"Yes, my apologies. I was just thinking. There are many contradictions, as you pointed out."

His voice was unexpectedly youthful and gentle, like his eyes.

But of course, this well-built body revealed that he was far from just a gentle person. The training that earned him the titles of "Sword Master" and "Sword Saint"—whether it could even be called training, given the constant risk of death—was no small feat.

"Will you report this content to His Majesty?"

"Yes."

"…Hmm."

"I know it's dishonorable for the knights, but this cannot be altered. It's already irregular to inform you of this beforehand."

"I understand. I'm not concerned about that."

The "knights," who serve as the king's sword and shield, and the "investigators," who maintain public order, belong to different organizations with different command structures.

Telling the knights about the investigator's findings before making them public would be overstepping.

However, the investigator, judging that this matter involved the knights and that the Knight Commander, Lawrence de Falcon, was trustworthy—and of course, with the organization's approval—set up this meeting.

"East was immature. The sin of disgracing the name of a knight is great and should be atoned for by death."

"…Yes."

"He belonged to the 6th Knight Squadron. Perhaps they are a bit lax. I will have to personally discipline them."

Hearing this, the investigator closed his eyes.

East, who would be sentenced to death, might be lucky in a way? The thought of Lawrence personally disciplining him made the investigator shudder. The intensity of his training was rumored to be so severe that it was known even in the city.

Hopefully, no one would die during training.

"Who is it?"

The office door was knocked on, and a young knight from the same order entered.

"Commander, I apologize for the late hour."

"It must be urgent. Speak your business before formalities."

"Yes, sir."

The young knight glanced at the investigator—his face was pale, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

The investigator thought he should leave, but the Knight Commander gestured for him to stay.

"He is fine. Speak."

Perhaps this was a gesture of gratitude for the investigator's flexibility in sharing the report beforehand.

Or perhaps—his intuition was at work.

The young knight's report might be related to the investigator's findings.

"I will speak, then."

The young knight moistened his lips and spoke in a rush.

"…The 6th Knight Squadron Commander, Scott fi Ranz, was attacked. The location was his home, in his bedroom. Fortunately, he suffered multiple fractures but is not in danger of losing his life. According to Commander Scott, the attacker was a child. A child who was completely covered in a cloak and wore a mask of the Sun God."