Chapter 103
The highway, an artery connecting the provincial cities to the royal capital, had been cleared of the earth and debris that had buried it.
The merchants immediately hurried off toward their destinations. This was their chance to make money.
We had used heavy machinery to remove the earth and debris, and the princess had called it a great deed and bestowed upon me the royal family's secret blessing.
Apparently, it was some kind of magic that increased my defensive power and allowed me to heal both internal and external injuries—making me difficult to kill.
In this world, where there were no doctors or medical science and people often died from minor injuries or illnesses, this ability was a godsend.
But I had been given such a grandiose title as 'Holy Knight,' a title completely unlike me. What was I supposed to do from here on?
Would I end up piloting a giant robot and fighting some incomprehensible being called the Great Demon King or the source of all evil in the vast universe?
My worries were endless, but according to everyone I asked, there was no Great Demon King—and there was no hero, either.
Apparently, the 'dragon' stood at the top of this world's food chain.
I had defeated lesser dragons and wyverns, dragon variants, and become a 'Dragon Slayer.'
In terms of my original world, I suppose I was a dragon slayer, but it was a fraud since I had defeated them with explosives and heavy machinery.
It was now past noon. If we set out now, my H○-Ace might be able to reach the foot of the pass.
But it might get dark along the way, and the merchants were on edge now that the highway had just reopened.
I did not want to get caught up in the recklessness of those people.
We decided to spend one night in the post town at the top of the pass.
The area around the post town formed a modest open space, and the town was enclosed by a wooden palisade.
However, houses had also been built on the steps outside the palisade. There was probably no choice since space was limited.
The palisade was simple, but apparently neither monsters nor bandits appeared here. The town was surrounded by cliffs, after all, so there was nowhere to hide or run.
The only monster around was the flying wyvern, but against a wyvern, no matter how high the walls were, they would be useless.
That wyvern had already been defeated by me.
I took the house and shed out of my Item Box and began preparing for our stay.
But there was an inn right in front of us, so I thought the princess could stay there instead...
"Are you trying to throw me out?"
That was her response. Well, if my house served as a tent, it would not be all that inconvenient.
We had delicious food, soft beds, and sheets so white and clean that I had never seen anything like them.
And there was even a bath. Apparently, not even a very high-class inn could offer all that.
As we prepared things, the merchants' wagons passed by us and headed down the pass.
"So long, boss!" "Come hold me again sometime!" "Take care!"
Naturally, we also said goodbye to the beastfolk hired by the merchants.
We would probably overtake them on the way even if we left tomorrow, though.
Melissa, the mage who had worked with us to remove the earth and debris, planned to return to the royal capital tomorrow.
She intended to negotiate a ride with one of the merchants staying in the post town.
Well, the job was over. We were heading to Sobana, but she had no reason to go all the way to the border.
Besides—
"When I return to the royal capital, I intend to visit some of the university's former students."
"Are you going around asking about your grandmother?"
"Yes. Everyone who took my father away from my grandmother has already died, and if what you say is true, I must go to Astrantia and apologize to her..."
"What about your father? Does he resent your grandmother too?"
"Rather than resenting her—I think the sadness of being abandoned by his mother has lingered."
"Then I think we need to uncover the truth after all."
"Yes..."
I did not think that old woman was lying. Melissa herself probably thought what I had said was more credible.
Before she died, the old woman must have wanted to see her son, who had grown into a fine man, and her grandchild.
Whenever I imagined the old woman reuniting with her family, my eyes grew misty. That had to be because I was getting old...
Since we had come to a somewhat spacious place for the first time in a while, Bell was out on patrol.
Animals that had been Tamed and fitted with tags probably would not be attacked, but I asked her not to go where too many people could see her.
"Meow."
She did answer me, at least, but I wondered whether she actually understood.
While I was doing that, wagons began leaving the post town in a flurry.
"Oh! A female merchant."
"You're right."
A woman was riding in the wagon and holding the reins. A child of about twelve was riding with her.
I could not make out the child's face, but judging from the clothing and build, it was probably a boy.
Female merchants were not unusual at street stalls, but it was rare to see one riding in a wagon and holding the reins.
However, Primula was watching the scene with a grim expression.
"From your perspective, Primula-san, is this a sight you cannot approve of?"
"Yes... Bringing a child into such dangerous work..."
But Marrow-san had apparently traveled to purchase goods with his daughter Primula as well.
"When we visited truly dangerous places, we had guards with us. We did not conduct business by staking everything on a single chance."
"Well, perhaps those two have some reason of their own."
"Perhaps..."
"There is land around the royal capital too, and quite a lot of it has not been cultivated. I think it would be better to increase food production around the capital."
"There is a reason for that."
The princess joined our conversation.
"The wind here often blows from east to west, but it collides with the mountain range that includes this pass, causing more rain to fall on the Sobana side."
Now that she mentioned it, I had not encountered much rain since coming to this world.
The torrential rain when the bridge collapsed the other day had been my first.
Rain clouds formed in the Empire collided with the mountain range separating Sobana from the royal capital and released their rain.
The other side of the mountain range had plenty of river water, and its underground streams made it easy to dig wells. As a result, a vast granary spread across the Sobana side.
"So if the Empire took Sobana, the kingdom would be left on the brink of death, huh?"
"Indeed. That is why it is only natural that you saved the kingdom."
"Is a torrential downpour really so unusual?"
"I do not remember rain heavy enough to wash out bridges or collapse a pass, but heavy rain does occasionally fall. The cause is the valley where this pass lies."
"Here?"
"Yes."
I thought about it for a while. Come to think of it, there had been a similar example in my geography class.
Air flowed along the valley, creating a different climate in that one area. In other words, moist air that should have collided with the mountains traveled through the valley and descended on the other side.
"The existence of a valley means that the mountain range is lower here. In other words—the rain clouds pass right through here, don't they?"
"Exactly! As expected, you are very knowledgeable! Even ministers and chancellors do not know this."
Primula looked puzzled, so I explained geography and climate to her.
"Then does that mean geography determines the climate to some extent?"
"That's right. For example—the larger a continent becomes, the less moist air from the sea can reach its center, which dries out and becomes a desert."
"That is exactly right. A desert stretches across the northern region between the Empire and the Republic."
It was apparently called the Fennel Great Desert. Beyond it to the north, another forest spread out, and then came the sea.
"Kenichi really is amazing."
Primula's eyes sparkled so brightly that they dazzled me.
"Lilith-sama is very knowledgeable too."
"Indeed! I used to spend my free time visiting the royal library! I know quite a lot from books! Hahaha!"
We had taken out the house and finished preparing for our stay, but there was nothing left to do.
Since I was bored, I went to look around the post town.
It was a cluttered, jumbled town with a haphazard feel. It looked heavily populated, but most of the people were merchants staying there, their attendants, and their guards. Apparently only about two hundred people actually lived there.
Some people were born here and died here. Perhaps any place became home once you lived there.
Prices were extremely high, but goods were available. The cost of transporting them this far was included, and since there was nowhere else to buy them, people bought them even at high prices.
It was like how canned juice cost so much at the summit of Mount Fuji.
The town's person in charge hurried over after hearing the rumor that the princess had arrived. He was probably what one would call the mayor.
He wore a green jacket, a white shirt, and black trousers. He had graying hair and a small mustache.
"Huff, huff... A-are you Her Highness the Princess?"
The man was breathing heavily because he had run over.
"Indeed! I am Lilith Lala Kadan, princess of the Kadan Kingdom!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Everyone nearby dropped to their knees at once.
"There, there! I will not trouble you, so you may leave me be."
"Um, will Your Highness be staying at headquarters...?"
"No, I have set up a house in front of the post town! You need not worry about that."
"A-a house, Your Highness?"
"This man possesses an Item Box, and it contains a small house like a tent."
The men had no idea what she was talking about and all exchanged glances. They might not have believed it even if they were told that a house was inside an Item Box.
"B-but, Your Highness, a wyvern has been roaming around here lately..."
"Oh, have you not received word? This man—the Holy Knight—defeated the wyvern."
"What? Holy Knight-sama?"
As expected, no one seemed to know what that meant.
"Lilith-sama, it seems that no one here knows about it either..."
"Well, it is a royal technique kept secret from outsiders."
It felt as though the royal family was intentionally keeping it from the public...
"Lilith-sama, what feat did the person who became a Holy Knight before me accomplish? I assume he saved the kingdom from a crisis, of course."
"I do not know the details either—but apparently he distinguished himself in the war against the Republic, the former Serobekia Kingdom..."
That was incredibly underwhelming...
He had not defeated a dragon or anything. Then again, apparently the first person to defeat a true dragon was an otherworlder living in the Empire.
His fame had spread all the way to the kingdom.
"In that case, what I did may actually have been more impressive...?"
"Indeed! I thought so too, which is why I bestowed my blessing upon you!"
But what had happened to that Holy Knight afterward? I decided to ask the princess.
"Apparently, he married a daughter of the royal family and lived a quiet, modest life."
"What? Does becoming a Holy Knight mean you can marry into the royal family?"
"..."
The princess looked away and pretended not to hear my question.
During her explanation of the Holy Knight, she had seemed about to say something before stopping. Was this what she had been about to mention?
Apparently, that Holy Knight never had children, his bloodline died out, and he faded into the pages of history.
Hmm... It was a very uneventful story. Even without anyone spreading it around, no one would remember it.
But although the story was dull, this ability was incredible.
If the previous Holy Knight had used this ability to treat poor people for free and become worshiped by the public, perhaps he would have remained in the people's memories...
But apparently it was not like that. He had been isolated under the guise of retirement and lived a quiet, modest life.
"Oh! That's right! We should show these people the wyvern you defeated!"
"Understood."
The people of the post town cried out in astonishment when the wyvern appeared before them.
"Ohhh!"
"T-this is certainly the wyvern that flew around this area as though it owned the place! Even before the pass was buried, it had already claimed several wagons as victims."
"Indeed! Everyone, you should thank this man!"
"Yes, Your Highness! Thank you!"
Oh, come on. I was so embarrassed that my butt was itching.
Afterward, I toured the town with the princess and Primula, while the mayor showed us around the post town.
Everyone else stayed behind at the house. Melissa was negotiating with a merchant for a ride to the royal capital.
The town appeared to have everything it needed. There was an inn, a brothel, and even a blacksmith who repaired wagons.
The unusual establishment was the bathhouse. It was called a bathhouse, but it did not have tubs.
Water was poured over stones heated with magic, creating steam—a steam bath, or sauna.
After sweating it out, you poured a large amount of cold water over yourself and called it a day.
Apparently, water was precious, so this was the kind of bath they used.
"Where does the water come from?"
"We draw it from the bottom of the valley."
They showed me the place where they drew water. Sure enough, a rope hung all the way down from a hut jutting out over the cliff.
The hut probably extended about three meters. From its end, an angled brace stretched back to the cliff.
Was this really safe? They used it every day, but I had no desire to go out to the very end.
"How high is it?"
"About ten kan—just under twenty meters, I believe. Drawing water every day was difficult, so we had that brought in, but..."
Beside the hut stood a cast-iron hand pump.
"Ah, that only brings water up from a little over three kan—five or six meters."
"Is that so?"
"Whether they sold it knowing that, or without knowing it... Besides, this is a highland, so the pump's capacity is even lower."
Well, it was not that high, so I did not think the difference would be all that significant...
"What does that mean?"
Primula asked, but there was no concept of atmospheric pressure in this world, so I had no idea how to explain it.
"It has to do with the weight of air, but... it is difficult to explain."
"The weight of air?"
"For example, water boils at a lower temperature at high altitudes, and that is related to this as well—although around here, I do not think the difference is very significant."
At the summit of Mount Fuji, the boiling point dropped to just under ninety degrees, which made it take longer to prepare cup noodles.
Well, there probably was no one eccentric enough to go mountain climbing in this world...
However, there was nothing I could do about this pump. There was no way I could bring out a pressure pump.
"Explain what you mean!"
"Really? If I explain it, are people going to call me a heretic and persecute me?"
"You are speaking of the natural laws of this world, are you not? Do not worry."
Trusting the princess, I bought a bowl and a test tube from Shangri-La and filled the bowl with water.
"Oh, that thin glass tube is used in alchemy, is it not?"
From the princess's words, I learned that test tubes apparently existed in this world too.
I filled the test tube with water, turned it upside down, and stood it on the water's surface. As expected, the water rose inside it.
"This is the principle behind a pump."
"Why does the water not fall out?"
"Because the weight of the air is pressing on the surface of the water. The weight of air is called atmospheric pressure."
"I see—atmospheric pressure. Then if we made the tube longer, could we raise water to an even greater height?"
"No. Even if you extend the tube, the water will stop rising at five or six kan, about ten meters. That is the limit imposed by the weight of the air. At high altitudes, the air is lighter, so the height to which water can be raised is lower as well."
But Primula, who had been listening to the explanation, seemed to realize something.
"Then if we put a lid on that container and pressed down on the water's surface with a weight, would we be able to raise the water to a greater height?"
"That's right, Primula."
That was the principle behind a pressure pump.
"Amazing! That could be used to pump water out of mines! When we return to the castle, I shall have Kaldon research it at once!"
Groundwater flowing into mines was a serious problem. Even if you dug a tunnel, the excavation became impossible if it flooded with groundwater and the like.
That was why draining water was such a major challenge. But would developing a pressure pump really go well?
Once the inspection was over, we returned to the house. The mayor came with us and was astonished when he saw my house.
I invited the mayor to join us for a meal, but he declined, saying that sitting at the same table as royalty would be too stressful for him.
Perhaps that was how ordinary people felt. Maybe we were a little strange for being so unconcerned.
To celebrate the completion of our major undertaking, I decided to try eating wyvern. If I could eat lesser dragon, wyvern should be edible too.
I took the enormous monster out of my Item Box, peeled off its scales, and cut out some large pieces of meat.
On closer inspection, it looked less like a dragon and more like an ancient pteranodon—a winged reptile.
Despite its size with the wings included, its torso was small. Lesser dragon seemed likely to be more satisfying to eat, but...
Since I had not bled it, I parboiled the meat first, just as I had with the lesser dragon, then put some in soup and grilled the rest.
Barbecue sauce would do for the sauce.
As I was cutting up the wyvern, the merchants began clamoring again, "Sell it to me!" But of course, I had no intention of selling it.
If necessary, I could simply say, "I am negotiating with the royal family, so I cannot sell it," and they would immediately back down.
The meal was ready: Anemone's bread and Primula's wyvern soup.
The princess's maids helped with the preparations as well.
Then there was the grilled wyvern. Since I had boiled it before grilling it, the meat was somewhat tough.
Myaree and Nyamena, who were sitting on the ground, dug in first.
I put some wyvern meat on Bell's plate too, and she began eating it happily.
"Wow! Delicious! This is better than lesser dragon, isn't it?" "It is, nya!"
"Really? I'll try some too..."
I put a piece of the grilled meat covered in sauce into my mouth. Hmm? It really was delicious.
Like lesser dragon, it was lean meat, but the flavor that lingered in my nose was excellent.
"I see. So this is wyvern meat."
"Is this the first time you have eaten it too, Lilith-sama?"
"Of course!"
"If we bled it properly and ate it medium-rare, it would probably be even better. Dragon steak instead of beefsteak."
People did not even use the word beefsteak much anymore, though. Was it a dead term?
It really was delicious. Perhaps forbidden sashimi would work too—but I was not going to try it.
I had no idea what diseases or parasites it might contain.
Everyone enjoyed the wyvern meat, and Melissa was savoring it too.
"Melissa, have you arranged your trip back?"
"Yes. Tomorrow morning, I will ride with a merchant heading to the royal capital."
"Then should I give you your luggage now?"
"Yes, please."
Come to think of it, there was something I had forgotten.
"Oh, right. What are we doing about your share of the wyvern?"
"My golem did more than simply stand there. I cannot ask for a share. Just having the achievement of defeating it added to my record is more than enough."
"Then I will enjoy it on your behalf."
But as she ate the wyvern meat, she seemed lost in thought.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Thank you for always preparing delicious meals and soft beds for me. If I had been forced to go on an expedition without you, I would have been battered to pieces."
Well, expedition food consisted of hard bread, dried meat, and wine. You slept on the ground, and a bath was an impossible dream.
"What is this all of a sudden? You are not acting like yourself, saying things like that."
"I know how to be polite! And I am sorry for involving your family in danger, even if it was on the royal family's orders."
"That was the queen's fault."
"You must have either made a very good impression on Her Majesty the Queen or a very bad one."
"Both possibilities are terrifying, so stop."
"Besides, my reputation will rise along with yours now that we have accomplished this great deed. I have every reason to be grateful."
I suppose that was true. For example, if you joined the hero's party after it successfully defeated the Demon King, you would be remembered in songs even if you had not done much.
"Be careful not to fall into the valley with the merchants."
"T-that is what you should tell the merchants! I do not want to ride with them either..."
Judging from her expression, it really seemed as though she was only riding with them because she had no other choice.
"Could you buy a horse and return by yourself? Nobles can ride, can't they?"
"In these clothes?"
Well, she had a point. Her shapely legs would be exposed, and she was not dressed for riding at all.
Besides, any merchant with a little money would have guards with them.
There did not seem to be many enemies around this pass, but once she reached the plains, she would have to worry about monsters and bandits.
No matter how great a mage she was, she was still a woman. She probably felt uneasy on her own.
Moreover, while magic was powerful, close combat and chaotic melees were difficult. Even in our party, Anemone needed the powerful front-line fighters Myaree and Nyamena for her magic to be used effectively.
After dinner, it grew dark, so we lit a fire for warmth and light.
Melissa's white legs showed through the slit in her black dress, glowing orange in the firelight.
While I was talking with her in front of the fire, Anemone came over and plopped herself down on my crossed legs.
"Here!"
She said that and hiked up her blue skirt, exposing her pale legs.
"You must not do something so improper."
"If you want to look at legs so badly, you can look at mine."
Anemone seemed to think I was talking to Melissa because I wanted to look at a woman's legs.
"Hmm. Your legs are pretty too, Anemone, but if you grow taller and your legs get longer, they will be prettier than that young lady's."
For now, I decided to flatter her.
Because I had acquired that strange ability, I could not touch Anemone carelessly either.
"You can touch me."
"No, no."
"Hmph."
Anemone puffed up her cheeks, but there was nothing I could do.
"But they are pretty legs, so perhaps I will touch them just a little."
When I gently stroked Anemone's legs, her expression abruptly changed.
"Faaah..."
"All right, that's enough."
"More!"
She said that and threw her arms around me.
"Faaah..."
"Hey! No, no."
When I told her that, Anemone moved away, but she kept glancing at Melissa warily.
"You do not need to worry. I am not going to steal a man like that from you..."
Melissa looked at Anemone's behavior with an exasperated, wry smile.
"Old Lady Snowflake seemed to like me. Does her granddaughter have different tastes?"
"J-just kidding."
She spat out those words and spread her hands. Apparently, she had absolutely no interest in me.
It grew completely dark, and the town, whose gates had been closed, glowed with dim orange lights.
But when the pass disappeared into darkness, the beastfolk pricked up their ears and swiveled them around.
Bell stood up too and stared toward the side of the pass leading to the royal capital.
"Myaree, Nyamena, what's wrong?"
"I hear something, nya."
Now that they mentioned it, I could hear something too...
"Hey! Help us!"
Four glowing eyes appeared on the dark highway. They belonged to two beastfolk men carrying someone.
"What happened?!"
"There was a carriage accident on the highway!"
They had been in such a hurry and were traveling so fast that I had thought an accident was possible—and sure enough.
"I have several mages who can use Heal. Leave them to us."
"That would be a huge help!"
I spread an air mattress from my Item Box on the ground and laid the injured on it.
There was a man, a woman, and one child—and was this the child who had been riding in the female merchant's wagon?
I did not care if the merchant suffered a loss, but human lives were at stake. I could not leave them there.
We began treating them.