Relay Station

“Ah, there it is. Is that the one?”

The first time we laid eyes on “it” was near the city of Ruelue, a familiar stop on the way to Geadland.

To describe its appearance, it looked like a small, two-story fortress. It was sturdy and imposing. I thought it would also do a good job of deterring any ruffians lurking nearby.

People traveling along the new road passed by, tilting their heads as they wondered what on earth a building like this was doing so far from town.

I should’ve thought of that. If we want it to deter troublemakers, it’d be better to announce the building’s purpose while it’s under construction. Even putting up a sign would probably help, so I’ll suggest it to Raiz-sama when we get back.

“Ah, so this is what they look like.”

Ryuzel, at the head of our group, stopped his horse and dismounted, gazing at the building with interest.

From what I’d heard just before we set out, the second floor would have living quarters where people could nap and eat. On the first floor, there’d be a stable that could hold around ten horses and a workspace for the soldiers stationed at the relay station.

Honestly, it had turned out better than I expected.

As we stood admiring it, one of the Sixth Knight Order soldiers working on the finishing touches noticed us and came over.

“Could you possibly be the members of the Roa Unit?”

I didn’t recognize the soldier, but they seemed to know us.

“That’s right. How did you know?”

“There’s no one in the Sixth Knight Order who doesn’t know the Roa Unit,” they said with a wry smile. I smiled back a little.

“It’s really well made.”

When I offered my sincere praise, the soldier looked pleased and stood a little taller.

“It may be strange to say this about our own work, but I think it turned out well for something we built in such a short time.”

That was absolutely true. I’d imagined a much simpler hut, with just a place to sleep and shelter from the weather, so I was honestly surprised.

If buildings like this were built at various points along the road, there was no doubt they’d have a major impact on security in the surrounding areas.

“Whoa, we’re going to stay here? Can we look inside?!”

Rosvel eagerly joined the conversation, got permission from the Sixth Knight Order soldier, then promptly dashed into the building with the other new recruits.

“Watch it! You’ll be punished if you break anything!” Ryuzel’s warning chased after the recruits.

After we’d had a good look around the relay station, we thanked the people of the Sixth Knight Order and continued on our way. We planned to stay overnight in Ruelue again.

The road was easy to travel, and there were clearly more people coming and going. In particular, merchants seemed to be out in force.

“I understood the benefits of road improvements in theory, but I didn’t realize the difference would be this obvious,” Ryuzel muttered.

“Right. Roa-dono comes up with all sorts of strange ideas, but in the end, they make sense,” Sazaby quipped.

“If the effects are this obvious, they’ll probably start planning improvements to more roads soon. What sort of reward are you hoping for, Roa-dono?”

Nelfia asked me, but I gave a small shake of my head.

“I’m not the one who built it. I think the people of the Sixth Knight Order, who made something this impressive, are the ones who deserve a reward.”

At my words, Nelfia narrowed her eyes slightly.

“I had a feeling you’d say something like that. It’s just like you, Roa-dono.”

“Oh, in that case, can I accept the reward in their place?!” Sazaby joked.

“Then I’ll tell Knight Commander Fogaard that Sazaby wants a cut,” I replied.

“Come on, I think the Sixth Knight Order should get the reward, too! Of course!” he said, sounding even more exuberant than usual.

When I asked if he was in a good mood, Sazaby said it was his first proper stretch of time off in a year.

The self-proclaimed royal secretary sure had a demanding job.

While we were chatting, the city of Ruelue came into view.

“Hold up. There’s a commotion at the entrance to town.”

At Ryuzel’s words, we stopped where we were.

“I’ll go check it out first. Rosvel, Norkey, come with me.”

The two new recruits he’d called out hurried after Ryuzel, riding off with him.

We waited for a while.

Ryuzel and the others returned before long. From their expressions, it didn’t seem to be anything serious.

“What was it?”

“No problem. Apparently, there’s a festival going on, so a crowd has gathered.”

“A festival?”

“Yeah. Seems a popular traveling troupe is in town.”

Lufa and I exchanged a glance without thinking.

As it turned out, we hadn’t been mistaken.

In the city of Ruelue, a songstress was waiting to see us again.