“The harsh winter was coming to an end.
With everyone staying indoors, there was hardly any government work to be done.
During the winter, I spent my time borrowing books from the church, but now I was filled with the feeling that it was finally over.
The duke’s castle is like a European-style castle I’d seen in my previous life, but since it’s built to withstand wars and such, it doesn’t use wood—it’s made of stone, so it’s really cold…
‘Duke, Count Vywarl has arrived,’
‘I’ll go right away.’
I was going to join my father to attend the Crown Prince faction’s spring party.
Since the snow was starting to melt, but it was still chilly, we decided to travel by carriage. The knights and soldiers were guarding the outside of the carriage. Poor guys…
By the way, Erich is staying behind as the acting lord this time, so only Herbert and Werner are here as guards. Well, most of the guards are my father’s knights and soldiers, so we have just the minimum needed.
In the carriage with me were Lady Reina and the beastfolk maid, Mimi.
The duke’s carriage is so fancy… at least in appearance.
Its black body is adorned with golden patterns, and the family crest is boldly displayed.
It looks even more impressive than the carriage my father rides, which makes me feel a bit guilty.
What if we get attacked? Wouldn’t our carriage be the target…?
Well, we have knights as guards, so it should be fine. Probably.
‘We’re off!’
With a loud declaration from the knight leading the guard unit outside, the carriage slowly started moving.
‘How long will it take to reach the royal capital?’
‘We’ll be taking a bit of a detour, so it’ll take around two weeks.’
Thanks to the mediation of the royal family, we had already secured a route to the capital, passing through the territory of nobles aligned with the royal family.
Because of this, it would take a bit longer, but it couldn’t be helped.
And so, our journey to the royal capital began. I had prepared one thing for this trip.
That was a deck of cards. The three of us played Old Maid with the cards.
I had a local artist recommended by Bishop Heinemann design these cards.
There were no cards in this world either, but in these chaotic times…
Most of the things I could think of from my previous life didn’t seem to sell well in this era. Neither the nobles nor the commoners have much financial leeway, and without that, it’s hard to sell luxury items or entertainment.
Gunpowder might be able to sell as a cheap alternative to water-based fire magic, but it has its uses and would cause problems if it spread, so I can’t sell it.
However, there are two things that sell like hotcakes, even in times like these: iron and food.
I’ve introduced a three-field system for agriculture and hope to export food eventually, but the question is, where would we sell it? We’re surrounded by potential enemies.
In the end, we just have to solve things one step at a time.
‘Ah, I’m out,’
The beastfolk maid Mimi was already out, and it seemed Lady Reina was too.
…I was lost in thought and ended up losing.”
