Episode 72: Interlude (Radaeri Furatara)
Flattala City.
Located northeast of the Five-Lake Region, it’s a hub of exchange, connected to Wheat Hill City to the north, West Gate City to the west, East Gate City to the east, and the road leading to Iron Town and Telek Port City to the south.
Due to its characteristics, there are few people engaged in production industries, and many merchants such as inns, restaurants, and markets.
The city basically relies on imports from other cities for food, with only about one-third of the total population providing for themselves.
It was a town completely dependent on imports, where it was said that most citizens would starve to death if distribution was cut off.
Such Flattala City, in recent years, has been put in a difficult situation each time the Civil War situation worsens.
Even during the Civil War, caravans basically move. There are several rules, such as not directly traveling between hostile territories, but even so, distribution is the lifeblood of the country. Stopping this would cause the entire country to slowly necrose. Therefore, for several years, caravans came and went as usual.
However, as the Civil War dragged on, the number of caravans decreased.
There are several reasons for this, but the biggest one is forced conscription by those in power. Lords who were desperate due to continuous dispatch of troops often confiscated the cargo of caravans.
Compensation was naturally not paid, and some were even stripped of their belongings for resisting, and some were even executed.
Naturally, merchants stopped approaching territories that did such things. This stagnated logistics, and some lords started plunder wars as they became desperate.
As the war spread, damage began to occur not only to soldiers, and hungry soldiers sometimes turned into bandits. When it came to this, regardless of whether they were merchants or not, the people fled to safer lands.
As such things were repeated in various places, the figures of merchants disappeared, and eventually each territory became isolated.
Places with soldiers who could be mobilized could form escort caravans, but the cost was not insignificant, and the number of cities becoming impoverished increased. Places that could be somewhat self-sufficient were still okay, but cities like Flattala City, which relied on imports for food, were the worst.
Even so, Flattala City was still better off. Wheat Hill City was a major wheat-producing city and relatively easy to interact with, and West Gate City also had trade with ＜Weizenland＞ next door, making it easy for food to come in.
For a while, it was possible to trade enough food to prevent citizens from starving by continuing trade using escort caravans.
And so, one year passed, and two years passed.
Flattala City finally ran out of savings in gold and goods, and fell into a state where it could not even trade.
Originally, the Civil War was triggered by a power struggle between the three leaders of the Afrasia United Kingdom.
Tracing back to the source, this kingdom was once divided into three kingdoms.
The three countries, located in barren frontiers where even grass and trees did not grow, lived a poor life like nomads, but eventually the powerful families of the three countries gathered and lived near the current capital, and after various twists and turns, a consensus-based council of the three leaders was launched. This was the beginning of the Afrasia United Kingdom. The council was operated for several generations after that, but it gradually turned into a place for power struggles.
Originally, it was a country with few agricultural products or mines, and the only way it managed to earn foreign currency was through horse livestock farming using the scattered grasslands.
In addition, although the output was small due to lack of technology, the country had a large amount of Burnstone, a burning stone, buried in it.
It was inevitable that other countries would take notice of this.
In particular, the small southern nations with many mines were secretly trying to acquire Burnstone cheaply, or even for free.
As a result, the already strained parliamentary politics of the Afrasia United Kingdom became even more twisted, and eventually spiraled into a muddy, all-out battle over each other’s power.
As the Civil War dragged on, public order naturally deteriorated, and furthermore, forces in various regions declared independence on their own, causing conflicts and military clashes to erupt everywhere, and the national power, which was not high to begin with, was rapidly lost.
Once it deteriorated to this point, it became difficult for other countries to intervene. There were no forces that could be mobilized even if money was given, and even if they tried to dispatch troops themselves, another country might participate on that basis.
Because they did not want to fight a war with the armies of other countries within the Afrasia United Kingdom, each country checked each other and ended up standing by.
And so, Flattala City was forced to make a choice.
Strengthen the crackdown on citizens, force them to spit out wealth, and try to prolong life.
Comply with the demands from Wheat Hill City and sell off the right to govern.
Betray the country to ＜Weizenland＞ and become a vassal state. (It seemed that West Gate City already had a deep relationship with them.)
Any choice would be a thorny path.
Even if the wealth of the citizens was collected, it would only be a temporary extension of life, and there would be no next time. In the current deadlocked situation, there was no hope even if time was bought, and it would only incur the resentment of the citizens.
Subordination to Wheat Hill City would not be a bad story, but the Furatara family would at best retire, and at worst be exiled.
Moreover, because it would be treated as a subordinate territory, the treatment of the citizens would be harsh.
Surrendering to ＜Weizenland＞ would also be a betrayal of the country after all. At worst, they would be treated as traitors and a punitive force would be dispatched.
Even though it was during a Civil War, there was a high possibility that they would unite if a common enemy appeared.
As the situation worsened, Flattala City was implementing various measures to survive.
Expanding fields and growing crops.
Going to the forests around the Five-Lake Region and hunting.
Building ships and fishing in the Five-Lake Region.
Each of these had some success, but it did not seem possible to distribute food to all citizens.
No, fishing had a possibility, but there were few experienced people and limited means of transportation, and it would take time to solve these problems.
Time, that is, a large amount of food, was needed.
In such a situation, that caravan appeared.
It was a caravan from Telek Port City, which had long been thought to have perished.
When they actually heard about it, it was a delegation, and their destination was East Gate City, but Radaeri Furatara met with the advance messenger, hoping that it might be a breakthrough.
The messenger seemed to have visited before, and the servant happened to remember his face, so it was confirmed that he had definitely come from Telek Port City.
At first glance, the clothes he was wearing were very high quality. The horse was also healthy and very good. Furthermore, there was a suspicious person accompanying him, and he seemed to be leading a rideable Golem that he had never heard of.
His face was hidden and could not be confirmed, but even so, what was glimpsed was a very beautiful skin, so probably a woman.
Even if it was a man, if he was a Golem user and beautiful, he would be very popular.
She told them to treat the heralds, who were probably also acting as scouts, with courtesy, and Radaeri Furatara thought.
If they are going to East Gate City, their destination must be Forest Country (Lebresta). They must have prepared a considerable tribute.
Above all, that Golem user. According to what she heard, several people were traveling with her, and due to their strength, they had managed to reach this point safely even with a small number of people.
She received a warning that they were important business partners, but the lives of many citizens were at stake here. She actually intended to decide after meeting them, but depending on their attitude, she would not hesitate to plunder them.
Fortunately, they were a small number of people. The standing army of Flattala City was strong and experienced because they were escorting caravans. A group of about 10 people should be easily suppressed.
However, she would keep that as a last resort. It would be best if they could trade peacefully. The amount of goods she could obtain that way would be limited, but perhaps she could continue trading with Telek Port City.
If she could trade, ah, if she could monopolize it, she would no longer be taken advantage of in food transactions.
“Tomorrow. Everything is tomorrow. But, a Golem, huh? I don’t know how good it is, but I want it. …Well, the die has already been cast. All that remains is to grab the right number.”
And then.
The lord of Flattala City, Radaeri Furatara, said this about that day in her later years.
“That was the worst day of my life.
I was shot through with a weapon I didn’t understand, threatened with a knife, and to top it off, my prized clock tower was smashed to smithereens.
My aching shoulder was left unattended, and I was dragged out of the hallway as is.
Then, can you imagine?
In front of the mansion, there was an incredibly huge monster looking down at me.
And, I was thrown into its belly without any questions asked.
I thought I was going to be eaten and that was the end of it.
Moreover, I could see the outside from there.”
“My pride and joy, my soldiers, were being cut down, literally, by those Ringo Family girls.”
“Back then, I was prepared for us all to be devoured by that giant Monster and that would be the end of it.”
“And I was forced to watch it all from this VIP seat.”
“Well, you know the rest.
In the end, I was saddled with work until I died—and now?
Ho ho… well, I’m being allowed to do as I please. You know that very well, don’t you?”