Chapter 33
The Eastern Minor Nations are a region made up of city-states that sprang up when a great power called the Azedda Empire was thrown into chaos by a succession struggle, with each city declaring independence as it pleased.
Every country in the Minor Nations is very small, and more than half consist of just one city and the villages surrounding it.
There are more than a dozen cities in this region, but even the largest country has no more than three cities under its control.
In other words, though the phrasing may be unkind, they are a gathering of little fish. The reason those little fish aren't eaten by the big fish around them is that they join forces to stand against external enemies.
The pact called the Azedda Alliance comes into force when the Minor Nations are invaded from outside the region. Only at such times do they set aside all their quarrels and raise a united army against the enemy.
It was as though the little fish gathered together to form a school resembling a big fish.
The cities of the Minor Nations sometimes fight over resources, so they certainly aren't close friends in their everyday lives.
At the same time, however, they understand that they can stand on their own precisely because the other cities exist.
Thus, in addition to the Azedda Alliance, they apparently have numerous agreements and tacit understandings concerning trade and defense.
One of the things made possible by those agreements and tacit understandings is Odine, a city newly built after this region became the Minor Nations.
The countries of the Minor Nations were each far smaller than the surrounding nations, so they pooled their money to build Odine, a city devoted to magic, where they could train mages and research magic that could sometimes influence the course of a war.
Though the countries of the Minor Nations pooled their money to build the city so that no single country could monopolize its benefits, Odine is independent as a city-state.
That is why it is known as Odine, the nation of magic.
Okay, that's the explanation.
The Minor Nations are a rather complicated region for someone who isn't from here—let alone someone who isn't even human—but I do know that I'm very likely to meet an accomplished mage if I go to Odine.
Even if I don't happen to meet a mage willing to take me on as a student, simply looking around a city devoted to magic should satisfy my curiosity.
Before leaving Saurote in the Republic of Virestlica, I sent a letter to my elven acquaintance, Airena, telling her that I was headed for Odine.
So if I spend some time in Odine, I should receive some kind of message.
The fact that letters aren't guaranteed to arrive is one of the troublesome things about this world compared with the one I lived in during my previous life.
Well, I'll deal with that when it happens.
If I still haven't heard anything after reaching Odine, I can simply send another letter myself.
In any case, all I can do right now is walk toward my destination.
Because carriages make me motion-sick.
I never tried traveling by ship in the Republic of Virestlica, but I wonder whether ships make me seasick, too?
A ship would rock in a completely different way from a carriage, so with a little luck, maybe I could ride one without getting sick.
If that worked, the range of places I could travel would expand considerably, so... if I ever get another chance to visit Saurote, I'll ask Doryze to take me aboard.
As I continue walking northeast along the road, even the wind changes.
The sea breeze has been left far behind, and now the westerly wind blows high above.
When I look up at the sky from the ground, the wind spirit descends from the westerly wind to just above the ground, as if it had thought up a prank, then blows a powerful gust with a whoosh and laughs.
I held my head down so the sun hat I wore for long journeys wouldn't be blown away by the wind spirit's prank.
The pleasant wind blowing past made me smile despite myself.
If only I had wings to catch the wind, I could fly so well.
Then even I, who get motion-sick in carriages, could travel through this world quickly.
Well, there's no point dwelling on something like that.
As if it had sensed that thought, the wind began blowing in strong gusts, pushing at my back.
So I hopped forward, as if riding the wind that pushed me from behind.
Of course, even if I did that, I couldn't fly: I wasn't a bird, just a high elf. Still, the wind spirit seemed to be enjoying itself, so I decided that was fine.
As I walked steadily along the road, a carriage came rattling up behind me.
I stepped off the road to make way, and the driver slowed the horse a little.
"Hey, young man. Want a ride?"
It was a kind offer.
He was probably a merchant carrying goods from one town to another.
The carriage was loaded with a great deal of secured cargo, and two armed men rode in it.
"I'm fine. Thanks. Carriages don't agree with me, so I prefer to travel on foot at a leisurely pace."
The driver, who was also the merchant, nodded in satisfaction at my words, raised one hand toward me, and the carriage rolled on past.
I'd declined because I hated getting motion-sick, but it still felt good to be shown such kindness.
When I waved at the carriage without thinking, the armed men—probably its guards—waved back at me.
They were quite good-natured people.
I prayed to the wind for their safe travels and resumed walking along the road.
The first country in the Minor Nations isn't very far away now.