The Great Empire of a Distant Land (6)

A few days passed, and my life remained as leisurely as ever.

I spent my time peeking into the blacksmith's shop to examine weapons and farm tools from the Huanggu Empire, and taking leisurely clopping rides around town on Sire.

Only... yes, I had cut down considerably on how much I drank.

I drank just enough to moisten my lips and throat, so it wouldn't affect the bow I drew or the sword I wielded.

Generally speaking, weapons evolve to suit the opponents they face.

Many of the weapons displayed in the smithy were large swords and polearms with blades mounted on the ends of long shafts, but... were these meant to be used against the people of the Great Grassland—in other words, cavalrymen?

Or did monsters appear here that required the power of long-handled weapons swung with centrifugal force?

Alternatively, perhaps they were meant to be used from horseback to mow down enemies on the ground.

I found it very enjoyable simply looking at the weapons while pondering things like that.

Some axes were large and suited for sweeping blows, while others were smaller and seemed ideal for throwing.

What caught me slightly off guard was that what the blacksmith's owner showed me as a whip was actually a hefty iron rod.

It was, in other words, a whip with an astonishingly high level of murderous intent.

Was armor meant to somehow deflect weapons with that much destructive power?

Overall, I had the impression that most of it had rounded contours.

Some armor was made by joining iron pieces together in a scale-like pattern, while other pieces increased their defensive power by covering a large area with a single iron plate. In that respect, they weren't all that different from armor in the central region.

Of course, there were plenty of fine innovations, and I had a lot to learn from them.

But the character of the designs differed greatly once the region changed.

As for farm tools, I assumed the differences in the crops grown and harvested were directly reflected in them.

I wasn't very knowledgeable about agriculture, so I couldn't say exactly how, but I felt that the difference between rice and wheat had influenced the shapes of the sickles used to harvest them.

Somehow... yes, it made me want to take up smithing, which was a problem.

Unfortunately, the advanced blacksmith's license that had been highly effective in the central region would probably mean very little in the Huanggu Empire.

There must have been an organization resembling a blacksmiths' guild if I looked for one, but the water-transport and merchants' guilds had been such a mess.

If a similar organization was probably taking a cut from the blacksmiths' guild as well, I didn't feel much inclination to rely on it.

Even if I prepared my own smithy and furnace as I had on the Great Grassland, securing a place would be a hassle.

I also had no connections for securing fuel or iron. Besides, if I started smithing without permission, I could end up in disputes with other blacksmiths over rights, or, in the worst case, break the law.

Large countries didn't offer much freedom in that regard, which made things truly troublesome.

Well, if my desire to smith became unbearable, finding some dwarves and making contact with them would probably be the quickest solution.

The eastern dwarves probably disliked elves as well, but I had the mithril bracelet Azvardo had given me, so they shouldn't treat me too roughly.

One night, as I waited for the other side to make a move, a breeze curled in through the open window.

Apparently, at long last, either the water-transport guild or the merchants' guild had made a move.

But their target wasn't me. It was Jizo, who was heading back to the inn after the tavern closed for the night.

At any rate, given his skill, he would probably escape without difficulty even if a few ruffians attacked him.

But that assumed the other side intended to fight Jizo head-on.

He was currently working as the tavern's bodyguard.

Thus, if Su, the tavern owner's daughter, were taken hostage, Jizo wouldn't be able to fight properly.

The wind spirit told me that, after Jizo had left, ruffians were approaching the closed tavern, intent on forcing their way inside.

Since Jizo rather than I was their target, the merchants' guild was probably the one that had made its move.

The situation unfolded exactly as I'd imagined and feared. I quickly armed myself, leaped from the inn's window, and raced through White-Tail Town at night.

Yes, that was why I had gone out of my way to abstain from alcohol.

I arrived just as three ruffians kicked down the closed door and were about to enter the tavern.

Good. I had made it in time.

Su and her parents lived on the tavern's second floor.

Even if they didn't kill the hostage immediately, if they disposed of the other two as unnecessary, the tavern would have to close starting tomorrow.

Above all, if the disturbance I had caused led to the deaths of people at the tavern who had nothing to do with it, I couldn't live with that.

Without slowing down, I grabbed the magic sword at my waist, sheath and all, and raised it high.

As the three ruffians noticed the sound of my approach and turned around, the sheathed magic sword smashed their chins one after another—one, two, three.

I didn't kill them.

Because I don't like unnecessary killing.

But I wasn't about to let them off easy; they'd probably have trouble eating for a while.

After attacking a tavern, having trouble enjoying a good meal for a while was only fair.

I entrusted the three unconscious ruffians to Su and her parents, who had come downstairs after the noise startled them, and ran off again.

Jizo, who was on his way back to the inn, must also have been stopped or attacked, so I had to tell him as soon as possible that no one had been taken hostage.

And, if possible, I would wipe out the merchants' guild before the night was over.

They had made the first move, and then gone so far as to try to take hostages—crossing a line no one should ever cross. I had no reason to hold back anymore.

This was my chance to hit them all at once, including the punch I'd failed to land the other day.