Chapter 4 — Where the Chain Arrived

“Incredible. It’s absolutely astounding,” Zenjirou said in awe as he looked up at the four-masted ship.

It was Zenjirou’s first visit to the port since he had arrived in the city of Valentia. The ship, Glasir’s Leaf, was huge. In truth, its size was only in relation to this country’s common knowledge. The ferry Zenjirou had boarded during his elementary school trip was about twice as big, but the four towering masts of the ship couldn’t pass without comment.

The vessel was made entirely from wood, deck to hull. While it had been designed with practicality first, it was an amalgamation of functional beauty that would draw the eye of anyone who gazed upon it.

The impression it made on him was audible in his words.

“It is. Take a closer look, Your Majesty. This is the pride of our country, the Glasir’s Leaf,” Freya said with a proud smile from her position next to him, puffing her chest out.

The sea breeze was cooling, but the direct sunlight reflecting off the white stones meant that it was still plenty hot. Despite that, Freya showed no sign of giving in to the heat.

“It’s an incredible ship,” Zenjirou agreed. “Does it use two square sails and the same fore-and-aft?”

“Normally, yes. However, the advantage of the Glasir’s Leaf is that it can change its sails in a relatively short time, even at sea.”

The two of them were conversing while looking up at the ship.

“So, you can have all four sails as fore-and-aft when you have a headwind and all four as square when you have a tailwind?”

“Exactly. Of course, while it is possible to change the sails at sea, it still takes time and effort and is rather dangerous. So unless we are absolutely certain the wind direction will not change, we keep the paired configuration.”

“I see.” It was then that he finally looked at the princess standing at his side. “I notice you are wearing the same outfit again. Is it because you are close to the ship?” he asked.

Freya was clad in the same clothes as the first day they had met. She wore men’s pants and a shirt with a large, eye-catching collar. Atop that, she had both a long jacket and a thick leather belt. The only real difference between now and the first time they had met was the short curved sword that hung from her belt.

Of course, while she was cross-dressing, her wardrobe was the only manly thing about her. None of her womanly curves were hidden, and a closer inspection even revealed that she was wearing makeup. The fact that the outfit was half-hearted was much the same as well.

Freya read between the lines and understood his question of why a woman would wear such an outfit from his expression. He hadn’t gotten to ask it the last time they had spoken, but he would get his answer now as Freya answered with a laugh.

“Our country sees our ships as female,” she explained. “Thus, the only people allowed to ‘marry’ a ship and become her captain are single men. Even married male captains have to divorce their wives in name before setting sail, and female captains like me need to wear men’s clothes.”

“I see. A somewhat strange custom,” Zenjirou said before realizing that his words could be taken as mocking a firmly held belief as some superstition. He hurriedly added. “Not that I mean to make light of your customs, of course.”

She seemed somewhat amused by his panic and chuckled slightly before answering. “You don’t need to worry. I think of it as a simple superstition myself. A lot of sailors are rather superstitious, though, so these customs don’t really die out.”

“That makes sense. If the sailors actually believe it, then going against those customs could cause them to make mistakes they normally wouldn’t due to the mental strain.”

Freya gave a deep nod of agreement. “Correct. We have some rather excessive superstitions for captains too. While the sailors are off entertaining themselves in a port’s red-light district the captain is all alone and should ple—”

“Your Highness?!” came a yell from the now pale-faced warrior standing behind them, as the princess was on the verge of saying something rather inappropriate for her station.

Interrupting a conversation between royals was ill-mannered even for close associates, but it would be less inappropriate than allowing her liege to finish. It was already too late, in truth, but Zenjirou was well-mannered enough to pretend he hadn’t heard anything.

Freya’s own cheeks took on a rosy hue as she realized what she had been saying and cast her eyes downwards. “My apologies, Your Majesty. My time on the waves has loosened my tongue somewhat. I would appreciate you letting that pass.”

Zenjirou glanced at the sailors from the Glasir’s Leaf standing behind them and could understand why. These men were the embodiment of the phrase “ruffians of the sea.” Skaji was already extremely tall for a woman, but a fair portion of the sailors were even taller. They had light-colored hair and eyes like anyone from the Northern Continent but all had tanned complexions of burnished bronze. Their hair wasn’t particularly well-kept either, and they had wild beards. They had more defined features than those of this continent, and their deeply set eyes coupled with that gave them a practically menacing air. It was no surprise that a refined princess might pick up some rather coarse terms spending over 120 days on a ship with such ruffians.

Of course, I doubt she was the most reserved princess to begin with, Zenjirou thought as he recalled their lunch meeting. She had been fully involved in the negotiations. Unlike Zenjirou—who had left the preliminary work to Rafaello and simply picked his choices from a shortlist—Freya had carried out the entirety of the discussions herself. That was not the act of a princess, not even one in her twenties, he reminded himself.

It was just as those thoughts were going through his head that it happened. A clamor that almost seemed to echo within his mind sounded out across Valentia. Zenjirou didn’t know the exact meaning of it, but the volume made it obvious that it was no ordinary occurrence.

“Damian! What was that?!” he asked, turning to face the governor—the most knowledgeable person when it came to the city—as the sound made him start.

The middle-aged man immediately stepped forward and answered with a somewhat pale face. “Sir, that was the bell warning us of an attack. It was the eastern bell, so there must be some incident in the direction of the mountains, not the sea.”

Valentia was a port town on the western coast of Randlion. It had the sea to its west and mountains to the east, or more accurately, an elevated forest. Thus, if the alarm was sounding from that direction, the problem must be in the mountains.

“An incident in the mountains?” Zenjirou muttered. It had come completely out of left field. However, there was nothing he could contribute to the situation, so his decision was immediate. “I will return to the residence. Damian, I leave the situation to you. Rafaello, you will be our liaison. If Damian has need of you, however, you may delay your report to me. Ensure you leave enough men to protect the duke’s home.”

Essentially, he was saying, “I’m going to hide away, you deal with it, make sure you protect me as well.”

The statement was utterly blunt, but he knew he would only get in the way if he tried to throw his weight around in a situation like this with no real experience. The most he could offer was to let everyone do their jobs.

In fact, Damian looked relieved by his decision. “Understood, sir. Excuse me,” he stated before rushing off.

“Lord Damian, I will accompany you. Excuse me, Sir Zenjirou,” Rafaello offered. Naturally, his usual soft smile had vanished, and his expression was serious as he followed the governor.

Left behind, Zenjirou watched the men for a moment before turning to the princess. “As you heard, an unforeseen situation has occurred. I will be returning to the residence. Would you accompany me?”

“Very well,” Freya answered calmly.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

That evening, Zenjirou was in a room of his temporary abode as he finally received Rafaello’s report on the situation.

“My apologies for the wait, Sir Zenjirou.”

“There is no issue. I told you to prioritize the situation on the ground, after all. It seems things have calmed for the moment, though. Give your report.”

While he straightened in his chair and kept his tone as pompous as he could, Zenjirou was already mentally at his limit. He had followed his guards’ advice and remained in the innermost room of the building, but he had still managed to hear some of the conflict outside.

Shouts such as “What?!” and “Impossible?!” along with demands to “Move the wounded!” and questions like “How many have we lost?” made it obvious that there was a rather dangerous situation facing Valentia. On top of that, the soldiers had shifted from easily carried “self-defense” weaponry like their curved swords and short spears to combat gear with bows and long spears as they stood guard in the garden. To be perfectly honest, Zenjirou was just relieved that he hadn’t screamed shrilly in fear.

Regardless, he waited with bated breath for Rafaello’s delayed report. The fact that his usual smile had now completely vanished and the man was stone-faced made it clear how serious the situation was.

“To sum it up, this disturbance was caused by swarm raptors appearing in the farming district.”

The words that left the man’s lips were just as bad as Zenjirou had expected. Valentia was the largest trading port in Capua, a productive fishing port, and also a salt-producing region. All that meant that a commensurate number of people lived in the city, which in turn meant that they needed sufficient food to feed everyone. Therefore, there were a fair number of farms around the outskirts of the city.

One of those farms had been attacked by swarm raptors. Zenjirou’s breath caught in his throat before he took a deeper breath to compose himself and asked a short question.

“Our losses?”

“Significant. In terms of confirmed human casualties, we have lost twenty-one people. Cattle, particularly the relatively small and easily removed meat drakes are a complete loss. The majority of the draft drakes were also killed. The district will not recover on its own.”

While the human casualties were severe, a complete loss of livestock was almost worse in some respects. A village couldn’t continue without its livestock. Famine and poverty would be dogging the residents’ steps before long.

There were no laws that guaranteed the citizens any compensation in the case of a natural disaster. Any aid in these situations was at the regional lord’s whim. In Valentia’s case, that would be either its duchess, Aura, or else its governor, Damian.

Hmm, maybe I could allow it at the moment too? Zenjirou thought, remembering his current position as a proxy for the Duchess of Valentia for an instant before shaking the thought off. The situation was still developing, and it wasn’t the right time to consider compensation for the victims.

“Our counteroffensive? If you have enough time to report then I assume things have calmed down for now, but it seems unlikely the situation is resolved.”

Rafaello answered in the affirmative. “Indeed. Frankly, the counteroffensive was too delayed. By the time the men arrived on the scene by Lord Damian’s order, the only sign of the swarm raptors was their retreating figures. The men pursued them to the tree line but were unable to engage.”

In other words, the raptors had vanished into the foliage after their attack, and the situation had not been resolved.

“I see.” Silence reigned as Zenjirou pondered the situation. Eventually, he asked for confirmation from the man. “Rafaello.”

“Sir?”

“Have you heard about the incident on the salt road?”

“I have. Margrave Gaziel brought the situation to the table. It was initially entrusted to his son, Lord Xavier, but I had heard that General Pujol took reinforcements over. I also heard that the general judged it to be beyond his forces’ capability and requested further reinforcements from Her Majesty.”

It would seem that Zenjirou and Rafaello had the same amount of information, but Zenjirou pressed him further. “It appears the cause was a group of swarm raptors led by a specimen beyond even the local hunters’ knowledge. Do you think the situations might be connected?”

“I think the situations are too similar to call coincidence. The incident on the salt road and the attack here were both caused by swarm raptors. Also, the normal size of such a group would be around ten. I have heard that groups above twenty or thirty are seldom seen. Regardless, several people have testified that this attack was carried out by close to a hundred raptors.”

“A hundred?” Zenjirou echoed.

“Yes. Of course, the reports were from untrained farmers fleeing for their lives and so are not necessarily the most reliable. However, they all described the group as ‘exceedingly huge’ or ‘a hopeless number,’ so the group is certainly larger than ten or twenty.”

Getting a precise count of a group at a glance was a specialized skill. An average farmer at risk of death would not be able to manage it. That said, one or two reports would be one thing, but with the majority of the escapees claiming the same, it was natural to assume there were a large number of the creatures indeed.

“I heard the raptors on the salt road were also a rather large group. It seems more plausible that the raptors from there have moved here rather than two groups of similar size developing in two separate places,” Rafaello continued. “However, there is a considerable distance between Valentia and the salt road connecting the Gaziel March and the capital. Even a straight path would cross two or three mountains. Therefore, I would hesitate to say that one group has traveled this far.”

On the salt road, General Pujol and Xavier had already started to convey the information that the raptors there had been pushed farther into the mountains and could therefore cause large-scale territory disputes, but that information had yet to reach the capital.

Naturally, it also had yet to reach Zenjirou. Never mind the internet or phones, this world didn’t even have a public postal system.

Before the great war, Capua had had an information network via several users of teleportation magic that in some ways even surpassed modern technology. Unfortunately, the only user of that magic now was the queen herself.

“I understand. I shall send a dwarf wyvern to Her Majesty. Perhaps she has more information than we do. Even if not, she needs to be informed.”

“Please do, sir. However, we require a rapid decision. Frankly, waiting for a reply from Her Majesty is dangerous.”

The man’s unusually plain declaration was logical. The situation here would change by the moment. However wise Aura was, it would take time to get the information to the capital, so she could not give precise instructions from moment to moment.

Understanding the man’s point, Zenjirou hid his unease behind an expressionless facade and agreed. “True. It would be best to limit our exchange of information with the capital and decide ourselves. I am under the assumption that I am currently the highest political and military authority in the city. Am I mistaken?”

“No, you are not mistaken. Lord Damian would normally command the Valentian military, but you are currently here as a proxy.”

He had wanted to be mistaken, but contrary to his desires, Rafaello agreed with his statement. While Damian held the role of governor, Zenjirou was here as the queen’s proxy, which was a completely different matter. A governor had partial rights entrusted to them by the duchess, but a full proxy temporarily had—as the name implied—all the rights of the duchess.

The most obvious distinction was that if Aura in her role as duchess found fault with any of the governor’s orders, she could immediately repeal them but could not do so in the case of a proxy. This was because the appointment of a proxy meant that she temporarily lost those rights herself. Therefore, in order to halt any of her proxy’s actions, even Aura would have to go through the process of rescinding those rights.

The matter was somewhat complicated, but the chain of authority went from the Duchess of Valentia temporarily transferring all rights of the duchy to Zenjirou, and then Zenjirou assigning Damian as the region’s governor. Therefore, Damian was now his direct subordinate.

Resisting the heavy responsibility paining his stomach, Zenjirou thought, Normally I could just call Lord Damian and tell him to deal with the problem as he saw fit. The issue is that Princess Freya’s group is also here.

Knowledge of the situation would be with them before long, and he could easily imagine them seeking the right to bear arms in response. Even with the lesser knowledge of drakes in the North, they would be wary when they heard about the rampage of the swarm raptors. He couldn’t see them being willing to be understanding if Zenjirou said they would deal with it locally. However, given Zenjirou’s position, he couldn’t easily allow foreign forces to bear arms.

With Freya’s recognition as legitimate royalty, her guards were allowed sufficient weaponry to protect her even now, but allowing them weaponry for battle was another matter entirely.

The easiest method would probably be to have them participate in the fight against the raptors. That’d give them a valid reason, at least. Sending all her guards to the front line is putting the cart before the horse, though...

Having come to an idea that seemed promising, he addressed his aide, who was waiting respectfully. “Rafaello.”

“Yes, sir?”

“I assume Princess Freya has already heard about the situation. In that case, I assume that her guards will request permission to arm themselves for her protection.”

“I believe so too, sir.”

With that agreement, Zenjirou continued. “However, considering our position, we cannot allow foreign forces, even allied ones, to arm themselves in royal lands. We need a valid reason to allow them to do so.”

“We do.”

“Rafaello, truthfully, would allowing Princess Freya’s guards to participate cause any issues?”

Rafaello’s quick wit allowed him to divine Zenjirou’s aim from that question alone. “If I may speak frankly, it would indeed cause significant problems. While the Northern Continent’s warriors are certainly strong, they have very little experience in fighting against drakes on the land. Besides, even if they had such experience, their tactics would be too different. If they were to participate with different weapons, formations, and keywords, it would be easier if they were against us, I imagine.” He paused and then continued with what Zenjirou wanted to hear. “However, if we were to assign them to a single area rather than fully integrate them with our own forces, we should be able to keep any issues to a minimum. As they are unfamiliar with the area, we will assign them several guides.”

Of course, those guides would also be observers. That should keep things within expectations. Zenjirou couldn’t hide the relief from his voice, having been concerned about his hands being tied politically.

“I see. Then that sounds appropriate. Rafaello, I appreciate that this will be a burden, but inform Princess Freya of the situation. Once you have, I will request her cooperation.”

“Very well, I shall do as you command,” the aide answered respectfully with a bow of his head.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Later that night, Zenjirou was once more in the room where he had spoken with Rafaello that evening, but this time with Freya. The space was furnished with several silver candlesticks for entertaining nobles at night, and the candles within them flickered.

It had been over a month since his arrival in Valentia, and Zenjirou was fairly used to life away from his electricity in the inner palace. It was the first “bright night” he’d had in a while. While he had the hand-cranked lamp, it was—for all of its brightness—a very directional light. The white glow was perfect to illuminate his way but unsuitable for lighting an entire room.

Conversely, while the light from the candlesticks was insufficient, there were several arrayed around them, which lit the entire room dimly.

Zenjirou sat in that dim light and looked steadily at the blue-dress-clad girl before beginning to speak. “I assume you are already aware of the details from Rafaello, but there has been a somewhat unexpected development in Valentia.”

“I have,” she answered easily. “He explained that several midsize drakes called swarm raptors attacked.”

The princess showed no loss of composure and maintained a soft expression. It was almost a little disconcerting for the girl to be so at ease despite being in a foreign country with alarm bells ringing, requiring her to take refuge with no idea of what was going on.

Then again, it made some sense when one considered that she had set out on an unknown journey with no guarantee of survival. She was made of sterner stuff than most girls.

“Swarm raptors do not exist on the Northern Continent, do they?” Zenjirou asked, adding some idle chatter to keep the conversation moving.

The blue-silver-haired girl shook her head. “They do not. We have very few land-bound drakes on the continent, but those we do have are only the larger varieties. Not to mention they live in the heights of mountains, so very few of our citizens would ever see one.”

There was also the fact that the church revering ancient wyrms had designated those areas as “holy ground,” and it was all the more difficult for people to set foot in them. Freya naturally had no inclination to speak of such intricacies in this situation and kept her reply relatively inoffensive.

“That makes sense. Regardless, the current situation means that Valentia will be under martial law for the time being. It may lead to some discomfort on your part, but we would appreciate your cooperation.”

Freya was not foolish enough to act selfishly in this situation when she had already heard the details from Rafaello. “Very well. If there is anything that we can do to help solve this situation, please inform us. While we cannot offer a great deal, we will cooperate,” she offered, moving so fluidly into her response that it could only imply it had been preprepared.

Zenjirou also answered somewhat purposefully. “That would be appreciated. Gaining the aid of your brave warriors from across the waves would put my heart greatly at ease. Could I accept your offer and borrow several of your men? It pains me to admit it, but we can use all possible help to support the front line.”

“That is no issue. However, they are not tireless warriors from legend. I would prefer to split them in half and alternate the groups if you would be willing?”

“Of course. I can only praise your wise decision,” Zenjirou answered.

Both prince consort and princess smiled happily at each other upon forming this agreement. These were the conditions he had proposed via Rafaello, and Freya had accepted them.

Half of Freya’s guard would be sent to the front line, while the remaining half would stay behind for her protection. But as they would also form a relief troop for the front lines, they would be armed for combat during guard duty.

Naturally, it was important for the foreign side of things that even her guards be allowed to be heavily armed to act as relief. On the local front, with the numbers being halved, even if her guards were heavily armed, the Capuan soldiers remaining at the residence would be able to take them down if it came to it, so Zenjirou’s safety was assured. With them acting as relief to fight against the swarm raptors, even though their countries were not allied, it formed an excuse to allow her men to remain heavily armed.

Practically speaking, it was actually helpful for her to offer her soldiers as aid as well. The village that had been destroyed wasn’t the only one outside the city’s walls. Zenjirou had been telling the truth when he said that every soldier would be helpful.

With the discussion concluded, Freya looked towards the warrior standing behind her and issued her instructions. “You heard him, Skaji. Separate our men into two units. You will lead one while someone of your choice will lead the other.”

The statement seemed to be a surprise to the tall warrior. She blinked before saying, “Your Highness, I—”

But Freya refused to let her speak and bluntly spoke over her. “It will be fine. I will stay safely here, so go to the front line and display your skill.”

Her tone made it clear that there would be no rescission of her statement.

“Very well,” the warrior answered eventually, expressionless as she accepted the order.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Regardless of Skaji’s agreement, Freya’s guard would be working on a two-shift system. The two of them were now in a room in the duke’s residence, and Skaji would be guarding her overnight, with her favored spear’s butt resting on the floor.

Freya was sitting on the bed, wearing a relatively light dress that wouldn’t impede her, while Skaji remained in her leathers with her carved tusk spear ready as she sat on the sofa with one knee raised. They were both wearing clothing that would allow them to go outside in the event of an emergency and would likely continue doing so even through their sleep until the crisis was resolved.

They would ordinarily have long since gone to sleep, but the oil lamp on the table still cast its red glow across the room. The princess’s hair took on a slight reddish tinge in the light. She was only wearing a single layer of clothing in the form of her dress, and as she heaved a sigh on the bed, it was an almost fairy tale-like scene.

However, the words coming from the object of said fairy tale were all too real. “Skaji, if your group does well against these raptors, how much will we be able to leverage it, do you think?”

She would have to admit that she was perhaps counting her chickens before they hatched, but with her position, her thoughts were always focused on the future. If a person only started thinking about how to use their leverage once they had it, they could lose their chance to apply it.

The warrior pulled her favored spear in towards her chest as she answered. “Well, this is purely hypothetical, but if we were to kill the swarm’s boss, I assume you would be able to request that the negotiations advance a little further,” was her calm reply.

“Advance further, so that I may be able to bring them to the capital?” Freya verified.

“Yes,” Skaji answered curtly.

Freya’s negotiations thus far had been with Zenjirou—or rather through him to Aura, as she supported him—and would be completed in Valentia in order to allow the royal family to gain the most from the exchange.

Naturally, Freya understood Aura’s position as a fellow royal and would likely have made the same decision if she was in the same position. However, from her current position, she would rather negotiate with the nobility of the country as a whole rather than just the royal family. Multiple suppliers would lead to them competing for lower prices, but it also might lead to the availability of goods the royal family found difficult to obtain via the feudal lords. In that respect, it would be preferable to speak directly with those lords rather than negotiating through the royal family.

“Well, establishing trade is our main concern at present. If we’re too greedy, we could make it more difficult and come out with nothing.”

“True. His Majesty seems to be open-minded and willing to repay kindness with kindness. We should avoid garnering his displeasure,” Skaji agreed.

The Northern princess’s eyes widened in surprise somewhat at her confidant’s new view of Zenjirou. “Oh? That’s a rather significant change of tune? Have you reevaluated him?”

The warrior gave no sign of annoyance at her liege’s almost teasing tone as she nodded. “I have. Judging from his conversations with you and his interactions, he certainly seems able to think for himself. Therefore, I think it would be better to stay on his good side.”

Her opinion had been cemented by his reaction to the swarm raptors. How he had dealt with the emergency bell and his later meeting with Freya established that. Zenjirou had certainly delegated the tasks themselves but had unquestionably been the first to speak and give orders when the bell sounded.

A true figurehead with no decision-making power of his own would have waited for someone to say “Sir Zenjirou, it is dangerous here; please return to the residence,” and simply replied in the affirmative. However, he had taken the initiative and left the issue to Damian while actively deciding to return to the estate.

By itself, that demonstrated that he was well aware of his own position and was intentionally acting as a figurehead to avoid causing as much trouble as he could.

Unlike the warrior, Freya had not judged him that harshly to begin with and now nodded in satisfaction. “Agreed. It is fortunate that we have someone so sincere and relatable as the leader of our negotiations. I think it would be best to proceed conservatively until we conclude.”

Zenjirou’s only consideration was to fulfill his role without causing problems. He had no intention to act carelessly and betray Aura’s expectations or to gain fame and worsen relations with his wife. Because of these desires, he was a better negotiation partner for Freya as well. Freya herself saw her position as a weak one. If the fancy took them, Capua could forcefully take the broken Glasir’s Leaf and her freedom. Compared to the worst case, returning with even this modest trade was preferable.

“Indeed. Rest, for now, Your Highness. I will protect you from whatever may disturb you, be that a Southern drake, or some foreign soldier,” Skaji vowed quietly, spear in hand.

The princess smiled softly back and obediently lay down on the bed. “Thank you, Skaji. I trust you.”

In keeping with her statement, it was very little time before the princess was sleeping, defenseless.