A Journey and My Usual Whim (11)

Once I passed through northern Ladrenia, the next country was Dolbogarde, the second most commercially developed country in the continent's east-central region.

I had visited this country before, but most of its development was concentrated in the towns near the sea, where its ports were located.

This time, I would merely pass through the northern part of Dolbogarde, so I would not stop there.

Although Dolbogarde prospered from maritime trade with the eastern part of the continent, that was not to say it neglected the east-central region. The roads and post towns used to transport goods obtained through maritime trade were well maintained, and river transport was also thriving.

The coastal side was simply more developed than the rest. Compared to towns in other countries, those in the north were by no means inferior.

I walked straight east through northern Dolbogarde.

This journey was nearing its end. My destination was close.

As befitted a country with such developed commerce, every merchant I met in Dolbogarde was quick to catch wind of things and well informed.

Especially in towns along the rivers, I often had opportunities to meet merchants who had disembarked to conduct business or were taking a break.

Of course, they were not idle either, but the novelty of an elf helped, and I gradually picked up information about Siglea.

I often drew curious looks, but at times like this, I found being an elf—well, technically a High Elf—quite convenient.

This had nothing to do with Siglea, but apparently the economy of the continent's east-central region was generally improving.

The reason was, as expected, the end of the turmoil Zieden had caused.

The fear that we might be swept into a major battle at any moment had disappeared, and with Zieden's borders reopened, distribution became smoother and consumption, which had declined during the turmoil, increased.

Of course, wartime also meant increased military spending, but only a small number of people profited from it.

Taxes extracted from the people were consumed by the war rather than spent for the people's benefit.

Just as in Zieden nine years ago.

That was even more the case when there was conscription.

But some time had passed since that turmoil ended, and most countries had lifted their states of alert.

Ah, Darotte and the northern part of the cluster of small nations were still embroiled in disputes, but they had been in that state for a long time now.

As a result, the merchants' faces were naturally brighter than when I had visited this area before.

Of course, not every problem had been solved, but it was impossible for every problem ever to be solved in the first place.

No matter how amicably one tried to settle things, discontent was bound to remain somewhere, and embers of trouble would continue to smolder.

But regardless of such things, time eroded everything.

Not every problem disappeared with a change of generations; some only grew more deeply rooted.

A horse-drawn wagon passed alongside me as I walked along the road.

Its bed was piled high with what appeared to be sacks of wheat.

Given that it was taking this road to Siglea, could this wagon perhaps have come from Janpemon too, like me?

Crossing two countries was admittedly quite a distance, but if that was the case, I thought it would be rather fun.

Seeing the horses pulling the wagon reminded me of Sire.

They did not look much like Sire, but their relaxed expressions were just like Sire's.

I wondered how Sire was doing. Then again, perhaps Sire had already reached the end of its natural lifespan.

But given where Sire lived and that an immortal sage cared for the horse, perhaps—just perhaps—Sire might still be alive.

When I travel on foot, only my feet have to work hard, leaving my mind free to think about all sorts of things and reflect.

Ah, perhaps because my mind has time on its hands, it grows hungry for information from outside and takes in the scenery around me with heightened sensitivity.

That's why I like traveling.

I can savor peaceful stretches and fresh stimulation in turn.

What could be waiting for me in Siglea, the next country?

Would I manage to apprentice under a skilled sculptor?

I still had no idea how long I would stay there, but I could not wait.

After crossing the border between Dolbogarde and Siglea, I would be heading for Marmaros, a town famous for its marble.

I feel as though I mentioned this earlier, but to reiterate, the end of my journey was already close.