Chapter 42
Chapter 42: Looking Forward After parting with Valetta and Valin who would soon return to Grisea Village, Kazura was led by Havel to perform an inspection of the river that flowed through the middle of Isteria . Currently, Kazura and Havel stood at an elevated place, where it was possible to survey Isteria’s cityscape and the river that flowed through the middle of it . Actually, he wanted Nelson or Zirconia to guide him, however, the people in question were working to their limit to procure the goods and personnel that Kazura had requested before, so they were in a condition where they simply couldn’t accompany Kazura in an inspection .
Isaac was also in the same situation . Maybe because he was running from place to place to procure the 3000 cloth bags with the dimensions that Kazura had ordered, Kazura hadn’t seen Isaac for some time now . Because of that, the one with empty hands was selected, that is Havel, to accompany Kazura in the river inspection . 「It is quite a big river . So which area is affected when the flood occurs?」(Kazura)「Umm, the water generally began to overflow mostly at this riverside, according to the map . It seems that the buildings are inundated each time the flood has occurred . In addition, there are several places where it is likely to flood, but they are mainly located in the sections where the tributary meets the main river . 」(Havel) Havel scanned the map of Isteria in his hand and then pointed at the river in the distance . The map was filled with writing at several places, that mentioned where and when the flood had occurred in the past and the extent of the damage . Kazura looked at the direction pointed by Havel, where soil had piled up at the riverside to serve as the levee . This levee might be used to defend against the flood, however, if large rain occurred and it becomes flooded then that meant that there was some kind of problem with the levee structure or the location . 「Even after piling this much soil the flood still happened…… Havel-san, after this could you check the doc.u.ments related to construction of this levees?」(Kazura)「Understood . Since I can’t browse the doc.u.ments with my authority, I will convey this to Nelson-sama afterward . 」(Havel)「Yes, please . Also, could you turn around for a moment?」(Kazura)「Eh? Ah, yes, I understand . 」(Havel) Because of the sudden request to turn around, Havel was a bit perplexed, but he obediently turned around . When Kazura confirmed that Havel had turned around he took out the digital camera from his breast pocket and took several photographs of the center of the river . 「Alright, you may turn back now . I want to have a closer look at the levee’s structure, so let us head to the river . Also are there any other rivers that pa.s.s through Isteria?」(Kazura)「There are two large rivers that flow at the west and the east from the city, they’ve also flooded several times . Do you also want to see them all?」(Havel)「Let’s see…… Since my inspection days are limited, I prefer to look around at the area where floods have occurred in the past . If there still time to spare then I will also inspect the rest . 」(Kazura) Actually, Kazura wanted to inspect all the river levees since it was important in his planned flood countermeasure . For certain measures he wanted to take pictures of them, however, he had to depart to Grisea Village in 3 days . For this reason, he needed to put first priority on surveying the place where floods had occurred before, and must postpone checking the other places until later . 「I understand . Since we need to travel quite a distance, let’s use a rata . I will quickly prepare it, please wait here for a moment . 」(Havel)「Ah, but I can’t ride the rata by myself……」(Kazura)「Please forgive me . Then I will quickly prepare a carriage . 」(Havel) Although Havel was rather surprised when he heard Kazura couldn’t ride a rata, he bowed to Kazura with a fresh smile and began to run . ✦✧✦✧ 「Huh?」(Maid) At one corner in the high-cla.s.s commercial district in Isteria, there was a maid who could be seen walking there . She was Eira, the personal maid of Lieze, the only daughter of Istelle House . Eira was currently captivated by a carriage that was stopping several meters in front of her . The thing that Eira’s eyes were focused on was not the carriage itself but a young man who sat behind the coachman . That young man alighted from the carriage and peered into the water channel that was crossing the commercial district . From the same carriage, another man got down . 「(That man, where have I……)」(Eira)「Eira-sama, is something wrong?」(Man) While Eira was looking at the man who was peering at the water channel, one of the two young men behind her asked . Those two men were Istelle House’s slaves, they mostly served as luggage carriers for the people who worked in Istelle House . The men were carrying boxes in their hand . The content was foodstuffs such as meat or vegetables . 「……Ah!」(Eira) Eira didn’t answer the men’s question, instead, after thinking for a moment and seems to remember who that man in the carriage was, suddenly yelled . 「(It’s the person that I crashed into some time ago…… I think the person next to him is the vice commander of First Cadet Training Unit, Havel-sama . )」(Eira) When her thoughts reached this point, Eira became confused . When she first met with the man, he was wearing a plain shirt and trousers, like the ones wore by the countryside peasants . However, right now, that man was wearing a fine robe that was usually worn by n.o.bles and was talking with a n.o.ble like Havel . Even more surprising, from the appearance of their conversation, she could see that it was Havel who was following that man around . If Eira was just a normal commoner then she might think that she had just mistaken that man for someone else and overlooked it, unfortunately, it was impossible for her to mistake someone’s ident.i.ty . Because, since in her every day job attending Lieze, each time Lieze met with a person, Eira would whisper the name of the person and their social status to her . The so-called 『Name Notifier Attendant』 . She was a person who held a special skill to be employed as such . To put it simply, she was a professional in memorizing someone’s name and face . 「(That’s strange . If he is a n.o.ble, then why he traveled while wearing such clothes back then? Was he traveling incognito? . . . . . . )」(Eira) While Eira was thinking about this, the man who talking while looking at the water channel, got on the carriage together with Havel and they began to go to other places . Truthfully, she wanted to directly ask the man, however, if he really was a n.o.ble then she mustn’t do this . Although Eira was the personal maid of Lieze, the Lord’s daughter, and was in quite a high ranked position, she didn’t come from a background of n.o.bility and was only a commoner .
Although she could begin addressing the n.o.ble to hear his name or status, she wasn’t in a position that would let her do this . 「Eira-sama?」(Slave) I needed to report this to Lieze after this, was what she thinking, when the men behind her once again called out to her . 「Nothing is wrong . Let’s return to the residence . 」(Eira) Eira answered the man and then began to walk towards the residence . ✦✧✦✧ At the time Kazura was observed by Eira, Valin and Valetta were inside the carriage heading to Grisea Village . A soft carpet made from some kind of animal pelt was laid in the middle of the carriage . Even when the carriage jolted because of the b.u.mps on the highway, the level of comfort was not that bad . There were four soldiers, each riding a rata, guarding the carriage surroundings, two in the front and two from the back . But the only people inside the carriage were Valetta and Valin . Inside the carriage, Valin was at a loss on how what to say to his daughter who was sitting with her back on the carriage wall, her hand holding her knee and her head tucked down between them . It had been 3 hours since they departed from Isteria, but Valetta had been in this state since then . He had tried to talk to her because he was worried however, her answer was basically only a「Yes」 or 「Sorry」 . 「(I give up…… In this situation, what would Sheeta do, I wonder . )」(Valin) Since he had never seen Valetta so downhearted, Valin sighed while recalling his late wife . Even four years ago, when Valin returned from being dispatched as a soldier in the war and told Valetta who was waiting in Grisea village that her mother killed in action, Valetta hadn’t become this depressed . Perhaps, at that time while seeing the appearance of her father apologizing and hugging her while shedding tears, Valetta had consciously decided to support her father rather than show her grieving appearance for losing her mother . In fact, after that Valetta always interacted with Valin with a smile that she always kept, whether it be farm work or house ch.o.r.es . No one could see that she was sad from losing her mother even for a bit . Valin didn’t know how long it took, but he was saved by Valetta’s cheerful behavior . But that Valetta had currently become this depressed . It was pathetic, however, Valin didn’t have any idea on how to deal with Valetta . 「Valin-dono」(Soldier) While Valin was worrying alone, one of the bodyguard escorts that was guarding the carriage from behind, rode his rata closer to the carriage and called out to Valin . 「May I sit beside you?」(Soldier)「Ah, yes, you’re welcome . 」(Valin)
When the man heard Valin’s answer, he nimbly dismounted from rata and tied the reins to the carriage’s tail . While the carriage still moving, he agilely jumped upon it and sat down . 「I also have a daughter, this year she will turn 16…… Do you want to drink?」(Soldier) The man pulled out a leather canteen from his breast pocket, after uncorking it and taking a single gulp, he offered it to Valin . 「Thank you very much . Do you live together with your daughter?」(Valin) Answering the man, Valin took a seat at the carriage rear beside the man and tasted the liquid inside the leather canteen . The liquid had a tint of sourness and his nose picked up a faint scent of citrus fruits . It reminded Valin of the same scent of herb tea that Kazura had made before . 「She didn’t obey me respectfully . She dislikes formal speaking . I dare say I was helpless in dealing with her, she was just like a brat until recently . 」(Soldier) The man spoke as if he was telling a joke whilst laughing lightly, Valin also laughed together with him . It seems that this man had become worried for Valin who began to be depressed after seeing Valetta become so downhearted and so he was accompanying him for a talk . 「My daughter married half a year ago . Now she is living at her husband’s house . Sometimes she would come to my house and deliver the herbs she collected, but since I can only see her once in 10 days, it’s kinda lonely . 」(Soldier) When the man told Valin about this, he turned his head around to take a glance at Valetta who was sitting inside the carriage . 「I can see that she has been feeling downhearted since the beginning of our ride, did something happen?」(Soldier)「No, I don’t really understand… . . Until we left Isteria, there nothing happened . 」(Valin)「……Isn’t the cause was because she was separated from the man who was staying at the Lord’s residence?」(Soldier)「No, Kazura-sama didn’t have any fault . But…… Umm……」(Valin) When the man pointed out the problem in a low voice, Valin remembered the time when she was separated from Kazura and made a groan . Kazura and Valetta were extremely close . It was to the extent, that they were looking like a pair of lovers, they were always together in the village and doing everything together . That’s why, when it was decided that Kazura would part from them for several days and Valetta had become terribly sad, it’s not like Valin didn’t understand her . However, no matter how he looked at it, her depression was too much . The usual Valetta would, even when something painful or sorrowful happened, would quickly cheer up and behave cheerfully . Furthermore, even though they were separated from Kazura this time since the person himself said that he would only stay in Isteria for 3 days, then they would meet again in 5 days . Although Nelson’s side had believed that Kazura is Greysior-sama, as expected maybe she was worried about Kazura, however, Valin felt that it was different in many ways . 「Well, if it is really a love affair, then no matter how much a father worried and interfered, the result wouldn’t be satisfactory . Maybe you should leave her alone for a while, and leave these things to the other females . 」(Soldier)「Yeah……」(Valin)
When the man mentioned female, Valin remembered the village girls that were close to Valetta . If Valetta is still downhearted even when they arrived at the village then he would consult with the girls about what to do . 「This must be rude, but is your wife is in the village?」(Soldier)「……No, she pa.s.sed 4 years ago . 」(Valin) When the man heard Valin’s reply, he sighed, and then shifted his sight at the road they were pa.s.sing right now . 「……Is it during the last war?」(Soldier)「Yes, on a hill near the border…… I think it is called Hero’s Hill now . At the last battle in that place . 」(Valin)「…… I too lost my big and lil bro at that battle . 」(Soldier)「……」(Valin)「……」(Soldier) These two fathers with daughter, without saying anything, were just looking at the scenery that elapsed along the way . ✦✧✦✧ Several kilometers behind Valin and Valetta’s carriage that was headed towards Grisea Village, there was a carriage covered with a dirtied canopy traveling on the road . Inside the carriage were about 10 men, lying down and just lazily talking to each other . Besides the man who was controlling the carriage, was a skinhead with an ugly countenance who looked forward with a glare . 「Boss!」(Man) Sometime later, from the road ahead a man riding a rata arrived . 「How is it?」(Skinhead)「They were guarding without any slack for anything to approach . Since I don’t know how many people are in the carriage, it would be impossible to hit them during the day . 」(Man) The man called boss, clicked his tongue at the man’s report . It was not something he wished to hear . 「I know that . Did you hear where those guys were headed to?」(Skinhead)「Perhaps, maybe a village located one day by carriage from here . I don’t really know it well but I don’t think it’s a big village . 」(Man) The rata riding man answered in hurry to the question filled with irritation . The man who was called boss then crossed his arms to think after hearing those words .