Chapter 65: Commercial Nation Aresgute
“Hey, do you know what happened in the Royal Capital?”
“Huh?”
We were in a waystation town located south of the Royal Capital. After secretly slipping out of the capital, we had flown south for about a day. Thanks to my improving condition and growing accustomed to flying, I was now able to reach speeds several times faster than when I first emerged from the Forest of Enchantment. However, the wind pressure was intense, making it difficult to maintain that speed. I wondered if there was a way to mitigate it. Perhaps Wind Magic could help… but more importantly.
I was approached while waiting in line at the city gate. A guard from a merchant’s carriage ahead of us had asked the question. I exchanged glances with Rio, but I was at a loss for words, overwhelmed by the sheer number of possibilities that could explain the situation.
“I left the Royal Capital early yesterday morning and made it here, but the area around the capital was enveloped in a blinding light. I was wondering what had happened.”
“Oh, I see.”
So that was it… I had thought the news spread quickly, but it seemed the Thunderbolt had barely registered in his vision. Still, it was surprising that it could be seen from that far away. Perhaps it had been a bit too flashy.
“I don’t remember passing you, but you must have come here after us from the capital, right?”
“Ahaha…”
Rio forced a smile, and I felt a jolt at the adventurer’s words. Sure, we had been on a straight path through the grasslands, but did he not consider that we might have taken a detour?
“Is that so? We were wandering through the grasslands, so we didn’t notice. Was it really that bright?”
“Really? Well, it was impressive. I think it was lightning, but I’ve never seen anything that intense before.”
After a moment of excited chatter, he waved goodbye and entered the town with the merchant. We showed our identification to the gatekeeper and were allowed inside without any issues. I felt a bit relieved, but I certainly didn’t want to encounter any trouble.
“It’s a small town, but it seems lively enough.”
“Since it’s a midpoint, I guess not many people skip it.”
As expected of a waystation, there were many upscale inns. We chose a moderately priced inn with a bath, and thus, our day came to an end.
“Nothing beats the comfort of a bed in a high-class inn.”
“Well, that’s to be expected…”
“I want to sleep on a fluffy bed even when camping.”
“Eh?!”
Rio shot me a look that seemed to say I was being unreasonable, but surely she preferred a comfortable sleep too.
“Well, that’s true.”
“Even large monsters can fit in the Dimensional Box. Let’s carry a bed with us!”
“Only if we could buy one.”
It was a moment of setting a goal, but Rio’s words brought me back to reality. I realized we would need to buy one, but it didn’t seem like they were sold in this town. There were plenty of them in the inns around, though.
“Ah, well, since we’re heading to a commercial nation, they might have good stuff for sale.”
“Right. Once we arrive, let’s do some shopping.”
“Then we need to earn some money for that.”
“Ahaha.”
We had plenty of items to sell in the Dimensional Box. I figured we could sell a little bit each time we passed through a town.
After two weeks of soaring above several larger towns, we finally arrived at a place where the border came into view.
“Shall we start walking soon?”
“Yeah.”
With the Wind Barrier activated, we could now fly at high speeds while conversing with each other. After selling some of our spoils in the previous towns, I believed we had accumulated a decent amount of money. I had stopped counting after we surpassed a certain amount.
“The commercial nation must be bustling with trade.”
“I think so, but I’m not sure exactly how lively it is.”
“Well, if they had large shopping malls like in Japan, it would be easier to understand.”
“Doesn’t seem like they have those.”
We landed on a less conspicuous part of the road and merged back onto the main path, imagining what lay beyond the border. As expected, there were many people coming and going near the border. The road continued through the grasslands, leading to a desolate land ahead.
It seemed that a massive rift in the earth separated the Arclight Kingdom from the Commercial Nation Aresgute. The average width of the rift was about five hundred meters. The section where the road was laid was narrower, with a gigantic bridge spanning fifty meters.
“Wow, that’s impressive…”
As the full view came into sight, Rio exclaimed in awe. The rift stretched along the horizon, continuing as far as the eye could see.
At both ends of the bridge were checkpoints for each nation, and nearby, there were areas designated for viewing the rift. We joined the crowd peering over the edge, but it was hard to tell just how deep it was. There was a similar viewing area on the opposite side, but it looked more luxurious. It seemed to reflect the nature of a commercial nation.
“Since we’re here, shall we check it out from the other side?”
“Sure. Let’s get out of the kingdom quickly.”
We pulled away from the viewing area and headed toward the checkpoint. The wide checkpoint allowed us to pass through without much of a wait, but we were charged an exit tax. Even so, the bridge was certainly impressive by Otherworld standards.
“There’s no railing or anything…”
While there were steps to prevent carriages from slipping off, there were no barriers to stop people from falling.
“Hahaha! Is this your first time crossing? Be careful not to fall! No one will come to your aid!”
A nearby adventurer shouted a warning as he walked beside us.
“Of course, I’ll be careful. I don’t want to die.”
Even if I fell, I could just fly, so there was no need to elaborate.
“That’s not it. This place is known as a suicide spot. Even if you accidentally slip, there aren’t many who will lend a hand.”
“What?!”
“See ya!”
Before I could process his words, the adventurer moved ahead.
“A suicide spot…?”
I glanced around the bridge, but fortunately, there were no people peering over the edge of the rift.
“Looks like we’re safe today.”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s hurry across.”
Nodding in agreement, we quickened our pace toward the other side.
“Welcome to the Commercial Nation Aresgute. There’s no entry tax on this side, so feel free to pass through.”
And thus, we stepped into the neighboring country.