Chapter 48: When the Royal Capital’s Gates Open
Well, monsters, wild animals, and even bandits aren’t stupid.
There was no way they’d attack a noble’s entourage, especially one with a lavish carriage carrying the head of the family, and a line of soldiers.
The soldiers in this world are normally stronger than your average Strider, plus they have numbers and coordination.
Striders are just temporary hunters contracted for tasks like forest management, so even if they rebelled, they’d be suppressed by the soldiers. It’s like asking if a Matagi can beat a soldier? That’s the kind of comparison we’re talking about.
Also, the soldiers who are nobles, the “Knights,” are ridiculously strong. It feels like there are a bunch of first-class Strider-level fighters just wandering around. Damn, I can’t win against that…
And the Magical Power that those Knights possess can be unleashed as intimidation if necessary.
In other words, the soldiers and Knights who are on high alert, guarding the carriage with weapons in hand, are so scary that wild animals, monsters, and bandits can’t even approach.
So, in this world, the idea of a horde of Orcs attacking a princess’s carriage is just not realistic.
Therefore, surprisingly, nothing happened, and the journey just became about feeding Rosalinde…
And so, we arrived at “Royal Capital Geolia.”
Huge gate! Huge road! Huge buildings!
There are waterways throughout the city, with ferries going back and forth, giving it a flowery, metropolitan feel.
Basically, it’s pretty much like Paris.
If you’re thinking, “Isn’t Venice the city of water?” that’s not what we’re talking about right now. It’s just an image. Are you one of those people who complain on social media that all the castle towns in isekai anime look the same?
…I think I’ve mentioned every time that this world is medieval Europe-ish and has a small population.
No, seriously, there aren’t many people.
The population is sparse~♡.
But that can’t be helped. There’s not enough food, clothes, or buildings being produced…
Listen, the reason there are so many people on Earth today is because of the hard work of people like Haber, Bosch, and Watt, right?
With these old varieties of wheat, in narrow farmlands with dangerous monsters, and hardly any fertilizer, production can’t increase that much.
The town I live in, Midford, has a population of about ten thousand, and even including the surrounding villages and satellite cities, it doesn’t reach a hundred thousand, but it’s still one of the largest cities on this continent.
In this country, there are only about twenty cities with a population of over ten thousand, and the average town has a population of about three thousand.
And then.
So, what about this Royal Capital?
Wh-wh-what?!
A population of over two hundred thousand!
Wow, amazing! A super-class metropolis!
No wonder Count Missgancia wants to show it to his daughter at least once.
Midford is like Saitama or something in Japan, a nice mix of urban and rural, a comfortable place to live.
This Royal Capital is like the 23 wards of Tokyo? It seems a bit inconvenient to live in, but it’s overflowing with people and things, and it’s just, well, amazing.
And, of course, there’s a Checkpoint.
Obviously, you can’t just enter the Royal Capital with a free pass.
…But it’s not like they’re checking everyone with some mysterious item like a “Crystal of Appraisal!!!” or anything.
Magic Items in this world are basically weapons. Manipulating Magical Power itself is the essence of martial arts? So, only noble warriors who have trained since childhood or a very small number of Magicians can manipulate Magical Power~, that’s the deal.
So, well, the Checkpoint? Since we’re nobles, we just showed our family crest, went through a quick procedure, and the gate seemed to open smoothly.
“Please pass, Count Missgancia!!!”
With the gatekeepers watching us off while doing the pose of putting their fist to their chest, is that like the salute of this country? I asked Count Missgancia.
“…Can commoners get through the Checkpoint with bribes or something?”
“Fool. The gatekeepers are highly paid and are relatives of nobles. In the first place, the gatekeepers of the Royal Capital are like the face of the Royal Capital, you know? Besides, there’s no reason to appoint fools who would be swayed by bribes.”
“Huh, it’s more organized than I thought.”
“If it weren’t organized, the country would collapse immediately. In fact, the previous dynasty was destroyed by corruption, and the current dynasty is in the form of the prime minister, who was in a position to assist the king, taking over.”
“Huh, like the Carolingian dynasty. Is it like, because there’s not enough legitimacy to become king from prime minister, you use the power of religion…?”
“You know a lot, don’t you? That’s right, the current king’s bloodline was recognized by the Pope of the ‘Sanctuary Church,’ and he was granted royal authority by God.”
“…After that, a mysterious donation from the royal family to the church!”
“…How do you know that? Few nobles even know that.”
…Well, history is pretty much the same everywhere, huh?
This world has magic and Magical Power, but it’s not at a level that greatly affects the masses. Magicians are strong and smart, but it doesn’t matter if you can win in a local battle if you lose in the big picture, right? Conversely, it seems like there are no more great Magicians in this world who can turn the tide of the big picture alone.
So, inevitably, history is similar to that of Earth?
Of course, there are many small differences, and people are stronger and live longer, so it’s not exactly the same.
“What is the current king good at?”
“Don’t ask such questions. No matter how I answer, there will be those who seize on my words and grill me!”
Well, that’s true.
It’s not good to ask Count Missgancia in such a crowded place. Thinking normally…
The weight of Lèse-majesté is different, you know? It’s not like an era where you can endlessly diss the prime minister on the internet…
“My apologies. What is the king skilled at? Governance, war, benevolence…, or something?”
“If anything, it would be war. The war with the southern empire is slowly but steadily being won. He effectively allocates the state-owned knight order to areas where there is a shortage of troops, and thoroughly implements a policy of always surpassing the enemy forces locally through troop mobility. I can’t imitate that.”
Hee, good at war, or rather, good at maneuvering the army?
Edward III…, no, Philip II…?
Well, if he’s winning, then whatever. The direct damage will be to the south anyway. As long as there’s no harm to Missgancia in the north…
“…Do you think it’s okay if there’s no damage to Missgancia?”
“Well, yeah, but I guess it’s become a story of ‘Let’s ease the burden on the southern front,’ right?”
“That’s right.”
“Hee~, it’s tough being rich. You get asked for money…”
“Stop it. It’s a contribution to the nation, so I have no objections.”
Hmph…
Oh, we’re almost at Count Missgancia’s villa in the Royal Capital…