Chapter 72
"...A traveling troupe, eh? It's been a long time since one passed through this inspection station."
Zodia and the others had stopped at a small fortress on the border between Golbel and Lubral. Lubral had an entry-inspection system, requiring travelers to obtain entry permits at forts, towns, and villages near the border.
Only three countries on the Northern Continent had adopted this system: Lubral, Schulette, and Tsanadefol.
Zodia had heard that, in the case of Lubral and Schulette, the system had been introduced because of the major turmoil caused by covert maneuvering between the intelligence agencies of the two countries in the past.
"May we have permission to enter?"
After answering several questions upon entry without incident, Zodia smiled at the old soldier serving as the inspector.
The old soldier, in contrast, wore a displeased expression as he looked at Zodia and the members of Le Pu Zea standing behind Zodia.
"...Yes. I don't mind. Are you performing somewhere around here today?"
"Well... It's been a long time since we've visited Lubral, too. We were thinking of taking our time traveling around."
"Is that so? Then could you visit the town of Billy? My daughter and her husband live there. I have grandchildren, too. ...No traveling troupe has visited anywhere in over a year. Everyone should be delighted."
At the old soldier's words, Zodia glanced back at Belluman and saw him nod.
Then Zodia turned to the old soldier once more.
"In that case, we'd be happy to oblige. If I remember correctly, it's about half a day north from here?"
Zodia replied.
Only then did the old soldier's face soften into a smile.
"Yes. This area is still comparatively peaceful, but law and order has deteriorated considerably over the past year. Be careful on your way."
Thus sent on their way by the old soldier, Zodia and the others set out north.
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As soon as they entered Lubral, Denver, the youngest member of Le Pu Zea, began to complain.
"What a terrible road."
Everyone gave a wry smile at Denver's words. They had all been thinking the same thing; they simply had not said so aloud.
Zodia smiled wryly at the troublesome thought. Even Zodia had grown far too accustomed to Rudek's roads.
Rudek was pushing ahead with road improvements at an astonishing pace. The Knights were working on the major highways, of course, while improvements to rural roads were being undertaken at the same time.
Rudek provided each town and village with funds to secure labor, then ordered them to improve the surrounding roads. As a result, roads that were much easier to travel had begun appearing throughout the country.
Golbel, influenced by Rudek, was doing the same. Having chosen to earn its living through technology under Rudek's direction, Golbel also recognized the importance of improving its roads after hearing Roa's explanation.
Although they were not as good as Rudek's, Golbel's major roads had already begun to improve considerably; Zodia had just seen that for himself on this journey.
There was no comparison between the roads in Rudek and Golbel and those in Lubral. The jolting of a carriage, which had once been perfectly normal, now bothered them considerably.
"...Let's walk."
Someone inside the carriage said it. Everyone silently filed out of the carriage. It seemed as though it would take some time to get used to this jolting again. For a while, it would probably be like this wherever they went. Zodia followed the others out of the carriage.
"An unexpected drawback of spending so long in Rudek... The other troupes must be having a hard time too..."
Zodia could not even laugh at Belluman's joke.
The impact might be greater than expected. Since traveling troupes were free to choose their routes, some might be unwilling to take one that involved hardship.
If so, traveling troupes would remain scarce west of Lubral for some time. The discontent of people starved for entertainment might even lead to dissatisfaction with their rulers.
But that could not be helped. If the rulers wanted to avoid that outcome, the rulers of each country would have no choice but to work to attract traveling troupes. Zodia had no idea what form such efforts might take, however.
What would Roa-sama do?
Roa-sama might devise a plan to bring in traveling troupes by a means Zodia could never imagine. Zodia wanted to ask about it when they eventually returned to Rudek.
"I think that's the town of Billy over there, isn't it? I only came here once, a long time ago, so I'm not entirely sure..."
At Belluman's words, Zodia searched their memory. The troupe had stopped there once, a long time ago. There was no mistaking it.
As Le Pu Zea's carriage drew near, farmers working in the outskirts of the town noticed them and waved enthusiastically.
As they waved back, the farmers began shouting words of welcome one after another. The town guards noticed the commotion, came out, and then hurried back into town.
Before Le Pu Zea could reach the town, numerous people came rushing out, giving Zodia and the others a welcome grand enough to leave them slightly taken aback.
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The night when the people of Billy were enraptured by Zodia's singing.
Le Pu Zea accepted the mayor's invitation, with Zodia, as usual, attending on behalf of the troupe.
"Well, it is truly, truly wonderful that the first traveling troupe to visit us in so long is the renowned Le Pu Zea."
As the mayor cheerfully tipped back his wine, Zodia asked him how things had been over the past year.
The mayor's face immediately grew grim.
"...It was the worst year imaginable. We were provided with just enough food to keep us from starving, but, to put it bluntly, that was all. There was nothing else. It was a year of emptiness."
After venting his frustrations for a while, the mayor said, "This will only make the alcohol taste worse," and instead asked to hear about Rudek.
Having decided he had heard all he was likely to hear, Zodia told him about the year in Rudek, choosing his answers carefully.
"...What an enviable account. By contrast, our country—and this town as well—will likely need some more time before returning to our usual daily lives."
"Was this year's harvest poor as well?"
In response to Zodia's question, the mayor shook his head.
"This year's harvest was fine. But the problem lies in people's hearts. In times like these, we'd dearly like to rely on the help of traveling troupes..."
The mayor's words were not unique to Billy.
Zodia would continue toward Lubral's capital, hearing the same story at every stop.