Chapter 178 - 178 Abel Appears
Now that we have reached this point, I want to achieve one million characters.
So, this is the second special chapter.
One day, suddenly, Brian told Cody and Abel in his own mansion in the territory.
"Let's go to the Royal Capital incognito."
That was it.
At this time, Brian had already passed sixty and was sixty-three years old. Since he did not know how long he would remain healthy and mobile, his motivation was to do it while he still could.
Cody, of the same generation, understood that feeling and agreed.
In response, Abel made an overtly displeased face.
It was disrespectful to address the lord, but Abel, who had served for many years, could show such an expression without hiding it due to his relationship with Brian.
"Is the territory fine?"
Even though he knew the answer was no, he asked anyway, hoping they would say not to go, but Brian's will did not change.
"The Royal Capital, Steve will see it too. My work is just making dishes at the Harvest Festival."
The Harvest Festival, which started with the purpose of making the subjects spend money, had continued for some reason. Rather, it had become a precious place for the early settlers to reminisce about the old days.
Although the Archibalt Territory was developing remarkably, until Steve awakened his magical talent, it was a territory of poverty where people died of starvation. From there, with the discovery of buckwheat and the creation of hunting tools, people stopped dying of starvation, and by selling Reversi and refrigeration pots, they obtained cash, and the Harvest Festival began using that money.
There, food was provided free of charge, and it was still unchanged that the lord and his wife themselves cooked it.
New settlers could not believe that the head of House Archibalt, a great noble among the best in the country, would cook himself, and they were too afraid to eat it, so they did not participate easily, but the old settlers did it every year and participated unless they were sick.
Currently, it was true that Steve almost acted on behalf of the lord, and Brian had nothing to do except cook at the Harvest Festival. However, Cody and Abel were different. Both of them worked on security within the territory, and Cody was the top of them.
So, Abel tried using that as a reason this time.
"Cody, the Sergeant Major, and I have security duties. Especially the Sergeant Major."
"Then what? If Cody suddenly collapses and cannot work, can you two do nothing?"
"No, that is..."
"Right? Besides, isn't this a good opportunity to confirm if the organization can operate properly even if Cody is away for a long time?"
"Haa."
With that said, he had no way to argue back, and Abel gave up and decided to accompany them.
One week later, the three finished preparations and set off.
Since it was incognito, their identities were: Brian as the retired head of a merchant guild, Cody as the retired manager who retired with him, and Abel as the attendant for the two of them.
First, they headed toward the Royal Capital by railway, got off after passing through the neighboring territories in the west, and from there moved by shared horse-drawn carriage.
The reason was that if they suddenly took a carriage, many people would know their faces, and the incognito feeling would fade. Also, carriages in this era were standardly equipped with suspension, so the ride comfort had improved, and there were no problems even on long journeys.
When they came near the border between the west and the center, Brian was overcome with emotion looking at the scenery outside visible from the curtain.
"It is unbelievable how peaceful it has become, considering there was that war that divided the nation."
"When I was surrounded by enemies together with Your Majesty in this vicinity, I thought it was over."
"We charged to open a breakthrough, and many comrades died."
"I survived well. Recently it is peaceful, but I worry that those who do not know that misery might try to start a war again."
"As long as Steve is alive, it should be fine."
Surrounding countries were in a situation where they could not wage war. The reason was that as soon as war broke out, Steve would teleport to the royal castle and capture the king.
Therefore, currently, problems between nations were resolved through diplomatic negotiations. If that failed, they gathered in a limited battlefield, and only soldiers fought there. Those soldiers were also only knights; ordinary citizens were not conscripted.
It was unavoidable for those who chose fighting as a profession to die in battle, but no one could oppose Steve's opinion that those who did not should not be put on the battlefield.
Therefore, naturally, there were no plundering acts either.
But that meant that at the same time as peace, the misery of war was lost from people's memories. Even if one says war is miserable in words, if one has not experienced it, one does not know how miserable it actually is.
And as those miserable memories fade, voices saying "we can win in war again" grow louder.
A little further on, they stopped for rest. Then the driver spoke to the passengers.
"We will detour around the post town ahead. Does anyone have business there?"
Brian thought "Oh?" at those words.
Why would they detour? Curious, he asked.
"Is there some reason?"
Then the driver nodded.
"Yakuza and the magistrate are in conflict, and the security is very bad."
"Hmm. But is that a conflict? The magistrate should be the one enforcing the law."
"The magistrate is like a yakuza. He is the son of a lord. They are fighting over privileges. The magistrate runs brothels and gambling halls, which were originally yakuza businesses."
"I see. Because it was a profitable business, he started it himself."
"Yes. So the yakuza would not stay silent, but since they could not openly attack the magistrate, incidents where officials are assassinated occur frequently. Thanks to that, security has worsened, and those who know avoid the post town."
"I see."
Brian looked at Cody and Abel and smiled mischievously.
"Shall we go?"
"It sounds interesting. It will be good practice."
"No, no, no. I have a wife and children waiting for me."
"Such things, we have them too."
Cody put his arm around Abel's shoulder.
The driver was surprised by this exchange.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes, we are serious."
Against the driver's worried face, Brian puffed out his chest.
"I warned you, you know."
"Understood, understood. From here on, it is at your own risk. We will get off the carriage here. Which way should we go to reach the post town?"
"Please take the road to the left."
"Hmm. To the left."
Brian and the others got off the carriage there and headed for the post town with just the three of them.
On the way, Brian asked Cody.
"The magistrate is said to be the lord's son, but whose territory is this?"
"I think it was Baron Moore."
Brian asked, and Cody answered.
"If it is Baron Moore's territory, it should be no problem to cause trouble."
"If it is a retired man, even if he causes trouble in the royal palace, the young master will handle it."
Cody called Brian "retired man." It was a roleplay since they went on a trip.
Abel was confused and, with a face like he was about to cry,
"Can't we make it work without causing trouble?"
He asked the two. However, the two laughed and
"It depends on the opponent."
"It would be more fun if they caused trouble, right?"
They answered respectively.
Seeing that, Abel slumped his shoulders.
"Come on, let's go. If you don't come, we'll leave you behind."
The two tried to leave Abel behind, so Abel hurriedly chased after them.
"Wait for me~"
It was evening when the three finally arrived at the post town.
The town was surrounded by a crude wooden fence. It was a fence like one used in a ranch to keep sheep from escaping, but the wood was rotten in places, allowing people to pass through easily. And at the town entrance, soldiers were standing.
When Brian and the others approached, the soldiers demanded money.
"The toll is 100,000 Dora."
"100,000? That is quite high. Besides, I have never heard of a town collecting tolls nowadays."
Brian was dumbfounded by the absurdity of demanding an amount that allows two adults to live in an urban area as a toll.
When Brian argued, the soldier showed an overtly troublesome face.
"Shut up. It is like that here."
Saying that, he reached out.
"The sun will set soon. I don't want to camp in the wild, so pay up."
Brian gave that instruction to Abel.
Abel took money out of his wallet. Seeing that sight, the soldier's gaze changed.
Inside the wallet was a large amount of cash. The soldier grinned, thinking he had found a good catch, but Brian, seeing that, also grinned inside, thinking he had found a good catch too.
Once they entered the town, the inn was found immediately.
Although it was a post town, the number of travelers had decreased, so only one inn was operating, and they were unsure if they could stay, but since there were no overnight guests anyway, rooms were available.
However, what made them uneasy was that when they entered the inn, they saw a guest in the dining hall, but they would later learn that it was an inn and tavern.
When writing their names in the register, a young girl attended to them.
"For a night-only stay, it is 5,000 Dora per person. With breakfast and dinner, it is 12,000 Dora. Also, the tavern is extra. Accommodation fees must be paid in advance."
"In that case, let's go with the meals included."
When Brian said that, Abel handed over the money.
"There seem to be many guests, but I am glad the rooms are empty."
"Yes, those are all locals. There are zero overnight guests."
"Still, it is good to be prosperous, isn't it?"
"If they pay money, yes."
A dark shadow fell over the girl's face.
Brian thought "Oh?"
"They don't pay money?"
"Ah, I wasn't supposed to tell you that."
If other guests knew that these people hadn't paid, they would say "what about us," so the girl realized she had made a mistake and clicked her tongue inside, checking Brian's expression.
"Then shall we collect it for you?"
Surprised by the unexpected words, the girl was shocked.
"No. They are yakuza and officials. Neither will show mercy."
"I see. Then if you change your mind, tell me, girl. We will accept it anytime."
"My name is Hannah. I am the daughter of this inn. My mother is the owner and cooks in the kitchen. They look down on us because it is just two women. I will consult with my mother."
"Hmm."
After that, Brian and the others took a bath to wash off the travel dust, then came to the dining hall to eat.
There, the soldier who was at the entrance and his three companions, a total of four, were waiting.
Seeing Brian and the others' faces, they approached.
"What is it?"
Cody asked, and the soldier held out his palm forward.
"Additional tax collection."
"Additional tax? I have never heard of that."
Cody sneered and mocked him.
Being mocked, the soldier's face turned red.
"It is the rule in this town."
"I see. Then let's call the lord. Let's ask where such a law exists."
When Brian said that, the soldier turned redder.
"Shut up! There is no way a lord will come to people like you! Pay up quickly!"
"How much?"
"Half of your cash. You cannot fool me. I saw what you have."
The soldier, seeing that Brian and the others had money, thought he would snatch even more and came with his companions.
"Retired man?"
Abel looked at Brian with a face like he was about to cry.
It was not fear of the soldier, but a plea not to cause trouble.
However, Brian had no option to get through peacefully.
And he took out a cloth bag from his pocket.
What came out was a medal.
"So, how much value does this fetch?"
Surprised by the unexpected item, the soldier was confused.
"What is this? You are carrying a medal with a dragon drawn on it. No, there are various others too."
His companion spoke up upon seeing that.
"This guy is a fraudster. This is a fake, and he must be using it to cheat rich people everywhere."
"Now that you mention it, that makes sense. Then it is understandable that he has money."
"Yes, this is a tool of the trade. If this is taken away, he cannot work."
The medal was real, but Brian also played along and acted as a fraudster.
He had planned to take out the medal and have it confiscated, then use that as an excuse to punish them, but the conversation took an unexpected turn.
"We must investigate this thoroughly. Hey, hand over the wallet. Then, we will interrogate."
The soldier laughed "Gehaha" and reached out. Brian punched his face hard. The soldier's teeth bit into his lips, he bled, and fell to the floor.
The companions were startled seeing that. But that was their undoing.
Brian took out one, and the remaining two were punched by Cody and Abel respectively, and they also fell to the floor.
"Ah. We don't know anything."
Abel waved his hands and looked at Brian.
"Why are you saying that when you punched them too?"
"That's right. The guy you punched has two broken teeth. You were getting into it, weren't you?"
Brian and Cody had very good smiles. Something called out to the three of them.
"You guys are strong. Won't you become our bodyguards?"