Chapter 8
The journey to Kashu was anything but pleasant, and the carriage was filled with complaints.
Even now, Nanny Kairo was grumbling in the carriage, while her husband, Grandpa Katan, pretended not to hear her and ignored her. I followed his example.
"Honestly, the master and the mistress..."
I had heard those words many times already, but Nanny seemed opposed to my going to Kashu.
It certainly looked, at first glance, as though an incompetent daughter whose engagement had been broken off had been banished to the provinces, practically disowned.
I explained that I had been the one to suggest it, but Nanny would not listen. She was still saying that the two of them had treated me terribly.
"Because that's exactly what happened. Lady Romelia spent three years on a grueling journey. And then that prince had the gall to abandon Lady Romelia, who had set out with him in the first place, and become engaged to some woman whose origins nobody even knows. It's outrageous!"
It was dangerous to speak that way of a saint recognized by the Church, but I was too tired to admonish her anymore.
"And after Lady Romelia finally came home, heartbroken from all that, the mistress did nothing but cry, and the master said nothing at all. It's simply too cruel. At the very least, at the very least, they should have said something!"
It was true that I had been surprised when no words of reproach came flying at me. I had not expected the warm words Nanny described, but the complete absence of anything was disconcerting and frightening.
"And the servants are no better. Lady Romelia is going to Kashu, yet not one of them is willing to go with her. Honestly, I'm appalled."
The only people who accompanied me into exile in Kashu were Nanny Kairo and her husband, Grandpa Katan.
"It doesn't matter. They have their own reasons, I'm sure."
They probably did not want to leave the glittering royal capital, and no one willingly went to the frontier.
"But still..."
Nanny continued grumbling, but I had heard enough.
"Nanny, enough already. This was all my decision."
"But, my lady, Kashu is the frontier of frontiers. They say monsters appear there, too. It's too cruel to send you to a place like that."
"I know. I was the one who decided it. But it isn't such a bad place. It's beautiful and lush."
That was about the only thing it had going for it, one could say.
"My lady, have you ever been there?"
"Only once."
I had been to Kashu once before. An unexpected event during our journey had forced us to stop there, and that stop had let me learn something interesting.
"Now, please stop complaining. I have plenty of things to do."
The carriage had already entered Kashu. A peaceful rural landscape stretched out around us, with fields appearing here and there and broken fences visible around towns along the main road.
It was probably damage caused by monsters. If even the main road had been affected, it was a serious problem. Things must have been even worse in villages farther inland. I had known this in advance, but it was something I needed to investigate firsthand.
"Grandpa Katan, I'm sorry, but could you tell the driver to stop the carriage? Let's take a little detour."
We changed course and toured even farther into the frontier.
Thanks to the detour, I arrived at Karulus, which I had chosen as my new home, five days later than planned.
It was a fortress surrounded by walls on all four sides.
Karulus was the easternmost fortress in the kingdom. Mountains blocked the way to the north, marshland lay to the south, and to the east, beyond a wasteland, lay the border with a neighboring country.
That neighboring country had been at war with ours in the past, but there was currently a lull. Karulus Fortress had been built as a defense against it, but Kashu had little strategic value, so there was almost no risk of an attack.
Though it was supposed to be the easternmost line of defense, a lax atmosphere hung over the fortress. Even the two guards stationed on either side of the gate were using their spears as walking sticks while yawning.
One reason was probably that the Demon King's army was deployed in the west of the kingdom, leaving this place far from the main battlefield.
"Oh my, so this is what Karulus is like?"
Nanny nearly fainted at the sight of the stark fortress, but I already knew what kind of place it was.
What I wanted was not a beautiful mansion or a well-tended garden. I wanted a military facility where soldiers could be stationed.
"My lady, you can't live in a place like this. Let's return to Miret at once. You could at least live a somewhat decent life there."
"I have things to do here. If you want to go to Miret, you may go there by yourself. Besides, any place can become home once you settle in."
I stated my rank and had the gate opened, then entered.
The inside of Karulus Fortress was spacious. According to the records, it was large enough to garrison up to a thousand soldiers, but from what I could see, there were only about fifty. The records said there should be a hundred; perhaps the rest were out on drills or patrol.
For the time being, I got out of the carriage, had Grandpa Katan unload the luggage, and asked Nanny to clean the place where we would be living. As long as I gave them work to do, they would probably be quiet for a while.
While the two of them worked, I first thanked the people who had escorted me this far.
"Thank you for escorting me all this way. I have asked Father to pay you additional compensation for the extra days caused by my selfish detour. This letter explains the matter, so please give it to him."
I handed them the letter I had written and sent the escorts home.
After sending the escorts away, I had some free time, so I asked to be shown around the fortress.
At a glance, the fortress did not seem to be in adequate condition.
The small number of soldiers was unavoidable, but their morale was low. The soldiers lacked any sense of alertness, and none of them stopped me even though I was an unfamiliar person wandering around.
They were probably holding back because I was dressed as a noblewoman, but this was a military facility, after all. Normally, they would stop an unfamiliar person wandering around without an escort.
Their equipment was poor as well. Nobles were expected to provide their own weapons and armor, but the people stationed here were all conscripts from farming villages. The country should have supplied them with weapons, but although they had spears and swords, there were too few bows and crossbows to defend the fortress. They did not seem to have many warhorses, either.
The fortress itself was solidly built as the kingdom's eastern defense, but it seemed to lack everything it needed inside.
After I had looked around, I found that Grandpa Katan had finished unloading the luggage, and it had been carried into the reception room. As I unpacked and checked the documents I had brought, a stout man accompanied by guards entered the room.
The fine decorations on his armor made it obvious at a glance that he held a higher rank than the other soldiers.
"I apologize for keeping you waiting, and welcome to Karulus, Lady Romelia. My name is Selbek, and I have been entrusted with governing this domain."
The stout man bowed with a genial smile. He was the governor, as well as the highest-ranking commander of the fortress. He might as well have owned the fortress.
"Good day, Governor Selbek. I look forward to working with you. I'm sorry to ask this so soon, but I have a request. It seems monsters have been appearing frequently in this region. We should organize a unit to hunt them down. I will lead it, so I would like you to provide soldiers, weapons, food, and the like."
At my opening remark, Selbek looked surprised, then laughed.
"No wonder, after traveling with the prince. How bold of you. But protecting the domain is my job. I must ask you to remain in your room, Lady Romelia."
"I would be happy to do so, but it seems that job is being neglected. Reports of monster attacks have apparently been coming in from villages all over the region, haven't they?"
"Those are just lies the villagers tell because they want money. The moment anything inconveniences them, they come running to complain. They're a troublesome lot."
Selbek tried to dismiss the matter, but I was not fooled.
"That isn't true. The monsters really are appearing. I was delayed because I took a detour on the way here to verify the damage. I saw the damage for myself."
The damage was not yet severe, but the number of monsters was steadily increasing. Unless we carried out a large-scale subjugation, it would eventually become a major problem.
"I see. Then this is a lifelong disgrace for me. We shall organize a subjugation force at once. However, you will remain here, my lady."
"No. I will be going with them."
"My lady, just what authority do you have to say such a thing? This may be Lord Graham's domain, but you have no authority here whatsoever."
It was true that, as no more than a count's daughter, I normally had no authority. That is, unless I had a letter of authorization.
"I do have the authority. Here, please examine this letter of authorization."
When I showed him the document, Selbek's face froze in shock. It was a letter of authorization written in Father's own hand. With this, there was nothing in Kashu that I could not do.
Father had probably only meant to give me discretion over my living expenses and personnel, but this document also put the fortress's soldiers under my authority. If I chose, I could even replace Selbek.
"T-This is just a scrap of paper. No matter how noble your birth, soldiers will not obey a woman's orders. And Lord Graham could not have given you this for such a purpose. If I send him a letter asking him to revoke it, this will all be over."
Selbek signaled to the soldiers behind him. They looked at Selbek and nodded.
They were probably his personal retainers, and it was only natural that they would choose the governor they had served for years over a noblewoman they had met for the first time today.
"But isn't your own position in danger, too? Tax revenue has been declining steadily because you allowed the monsters to run rampant. What do you think will happen when Father learns the truth?"
Because this was a frontier and the original figures were small, the decline had gone unnoticed. But if Father learned the truth, he would replace Selbek immediately.
My threat changed the look in Selbek's eyes.
"Lady Romelia, don't misunderstand me. Lord Graham ordered me to ensure your safety. If you refuse to do as I say, I am afraid I will have no choice but to confine you to your room."
It was a declaration of house arrest backed by force. He clearly had no intention of giving me an opportunity to send a letter tattling to Father. But that, too, was exactly what I had expected.
"Oh, that's right. I forgot to give you one more document. It's only a copy, but I'll give it to you as well."
When I showed him several more documents, Governor Selbek's face went deathly pale.
They contained evidence of his numerous acts of corruption.
Embezzlement of public funds and tax skimming. He had failed to report newly cultivated fields, while reporting that fields destroyed by disasters had caused tax revenue to fall.
"T-This is... I-I had no choice. It's necessary to run the domain. Everyone does it."
"You did it for the sake of the people, did you? How admirable. But diverting weapons was a serious mistake. And the fact that they ended up in the hands of bandits was an even greater blunder."
If it had only been tax skimming, he could have claimed that the documents contained errors or that someone else had been embezzling the money. But he could hardly excuse the diversion of weapons.
Depending on the circumstances, it could even be considered treason, a serious crime.
His corruption exposed, a murderous glint appeared in the governor's eyes. He looked incompetent at first glance, but this governor had considerable nerve.
Besides, according to the records, the previous governor had died in an interesting way. He was more of a schemer than he appeared. I might be murdered tonight.
"My lady, it seems you did not understand what I meant. You there—take my lady to the top floor of the tower at once. Do not let her meet anyone or take a single step outside."
The soldiers approached at the governor's command, but I had no intention of resisting.
"Very well. Do as you wish. I look forward to hearing what excuse you give Father. It should be entertaining."
"What do you mean!?"
"I told you they were copies, didn't I? I have arranged for the originals to be made public if I don't send a letter."
"Wha—"
Selbek's eyes went wide, but I no longer cared.
"Now then, soldier, please show me to my room. I won't cause you any trouble. I won't ask to see anyone, and I have no intention of sending even a single letter."
"W-Wait a moment!"
The governor grabbed my arm, but I shook him off.
"Touching a lady's body like that is exceedingly rude, you know."
Though I sometimes forgot it myself, I was a lady of noble birth, after all.
"P-Please wait, my lady. What is it you want?"
"No, it's all right. I'll make my request to the new governor who takes your place."
When I smiled sweetly in response, the governor looked as though he were about to cry.
"No, I'll do it. Give me your orders."
Governor Selbek gave in quite quickly.
As I watched the dejected governor, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
For now, the first step had gone well, but this was only the beginning. Thinking about how many more steps lay ahead left me a little depressed. But I quickly pulled myself together. There was still a long way to go.