Translator: Silver Editor: Namorax
LandfriaPart 1
We left the village shortly after that, and the next morning we picked up Chio from the hidden village before we returned to Raratoia and set off for Landfria.
Preparations for the journey has been finished the day before and each of us was carrying a luggage bag of what we deed necessary over our shoulders.
Even though I said that we werent carrying all that much, Ariane was an elven warrior used to spend days camping out in the forest during monster subjugation missions and Chio was a ninja that traveled light since her jobs took her all over the continent.
Are you guys ready?
Yeah. Yes.
Kyun!
When Ariane and Chio answered my question Ponta shook her tail and cried out impatiently.
Then were gonna use the villages shrine to transfer to Landfria.
Ariane started walking towards the center of the village as she spoke.
Chio and I quietly followed behind her. As I watched the two of them in front of , I rembered an important fact that needed to be brought it up.
Ariane-dono, is it alright for Chio-dono to be shown the shrine and its function despite not being an elf?
Ariane had shown
the shrine a couple days ago, and it housed the teleportation magic formation that had to be hidden from humans at all cost.
While Chio may be a Person of the Plains and Mountains, we were still revealing a major elven secret to her.
Though it was only for short periods, I had been shown the shrine because I was an elf, plus I was capable of using unassisted transfer magic.
Ariane tilted her head and started rubbing her chin as she thought it over.
Hmm, we already received permission from the village, though. From what Ive heard, the Fabunaha Kingdom has its own set of shrines within their borders. Although, I havent really looked into it
It wasnt just
that was surprised by what she said, even the usually stoic Chio was shocked by our conversation.
These small shrines allow instantaneous teleportation like Arcs magic? And these shrines are located in every elven village and in my peoples country?
I was also as disbelieving as Chio was, so I looked to Ariane for answers.
Those small transfer shrines were things that could topple this continents entire power structure. Their existence was sothing kept hidden from humans with extre prejudice. I thought only the elves had access to them.
It was the the first chieftain Evangeline that devised the shrine transfer network, and when Fabunahas first king founded the country she personally traveled there to construct several shrines herself.
That nation has had connections to the Great Canada Forest since its founding.
Huh? Then why do we need to take a ship the Southern Continent, shouldnt the networks be connected in so way?
Sothing about her story made
question the way we were going about this trip, but Ariane had an amazed look on her face when I asked about it.
Although theres been good trade relations since Fabunahas founding, its still a foreign country. Neither party can afford to have instantaneous travel between them.
Ah, I see.
I scratched the back of my head and chuckled at her reasonable statent.
Even if the Canada and Fabunaha were on friendly terms, having the networks connected carried the risk of one of them invading the other one.
In any case, if the shrine transfer network was brought over by the elves, then the advantage still favored Canada.
If the Fabunaha Kingdom had any type of governing body, having sothing like that would be a nightmare for national security.
There were various circumstances involved with this, but it wasnt particularly important right now.
The fact that Chio could use the shrine ant that we could get to the Southern Continent faster.
So can we head to Landfria now? Im a little excited to see how these shrines actually work
My eyes moved in the direction of the shrine as I spoke.
Behind the small shrine, a small stream flowed from the east to the west through the heart of the village that was reflecting the morning sun. The chirping of birds searching for fish resounded in the area.
Surrounding the small shrine was a simple wooden enclosure, though it didnt seem to function as a barrier in particular. It reached no higher than the waist, acting simply as a boundary line for the shrine.
The Shrine had the sa fused structure as the elders mansion.
The two warriors that stood guard in front of the shrines entrance took notice of us as we approached.
Ariane greeted them and shared a few words with them.
They had already been inford of our trip, so the two stepped aside and prompted us to enter the shrine.
She entered the shrine with a small nod, followed by , with Chio and Ponta bringing up the rear.
The tree the shrine was built in wasnt as wide as the mansions, but the ceiling was higher. The atrium was supported by thick pillars surrounding the tree.
In the center of the room was a slightly elevated, circular stage where the magical tool was installed, lit up by the illumination from crystal lamps.
Inscribed into the surface of the circular platform was a complicated and mysterious magic formation, and a faint luminescence was emanated by it.
There wasnt the slightest doubt that this belonged into a fantasy setting.
While Chio and I were fascinated by the shrines setup, Ariane spoke with a short man who had been waiting for us before she stepped onto the platform.
Arc, Chio, lets go. Step on the transfer formation.
Chio and I nodded at her request before stepping onto the platform.
Imdiately after we stepped on it, the symbol shined a white light so intense I had to look away as a floating sensation overtook .
When the lights faded and I looked around, I could see that we were in a completely different location.
The small man that had stood in front of the platform had been replaced with three elves Id never seen before.
The furnishings of the shrine we were now in werent all that different, but the scale of everything just felt bigger.
Two of the of the people watching us had weapons hanging on their hips and maintained their vigilance. The woman standing between them was wearing traditional elven clothes and showed a gentle smile.
She gave
the impression of a secretary.
Ariane-san from Raratoia? Weve been expecting you.
Yes, well be in your care.
After Ariane answered the womans question, she told us The elder is waiting for you, follow . and started walking out of the shrine.
Ariane followed after her with Chio and
close behind.
When we left the shrine, we were greeted by a new village.
Large trees dominated the area and I could see that all of them were the lined with non-residential buildings.
The brick road that was laid out sat in the shadows of those trees and a lot of elves were walking about, with the occasional People of the Plains and Mountains moving among them.
Chios eyes bulged when she saw this.
Quite a lively village
Since this village is a gate to Fabunaha, its larger than most in Canada.
Ariane looked back and replied to my comnt.
The secretary-like woman eventually lead us to a mansion and walked us through its main gate.
The mansion had the sa fused architecture as the one in Raratoia, but its shape was different.
It wasnt as tall as the neighboring buildings for one thing.
However, the trunk that made up the basis of the mansion was thicker than any of the surrounding trees, in fact, the building had a bottle-like shape compared to the rest of the trees.
When we set foot inside the mansion, its furnishings were completely different from those in Raratoias mansion.
The hardwood floor was arranged in an elaborate parquetry, and the walls were decorated with a diverse amount of gorgeous furniture. It reminded
of a human feudal lords mansion, rather than a lived-in elven ho.
Despite this mansion belonging to Landfrias elder, this was the first ti Ariane has been here, so she looked around the place along with Chio and .
Noticing what had happened, the had secretary stopped climbing the stairs that lead to the second floor and gave us an explanation.
Not only does this village conduct trade with the Fabunaha Kingdom, we also have relations with Saskatoon, who deals heavily in products from Rinburuto. Thanks to that, we have access to items other villages dont.
Oh, I see.
I continued to look around as I chid in.
The Rinburuto Archdukedom was the neighboring country to the Rhoden Kingdom and was the only trading partner of the Great Canada Forest.
This was the first ti Ive heard of Saskatoon. but it was probably the na of the village that handled the majority of the trade with Rinburuto. A variety of human produced items could be spread among the larger villages quite easily through the use of the transfer network.
However, this was an intercontinental port village that imported good via ship, so the village called Saskatoon might be located sowhere along the coast.
The more I thought about it, the more relying entirely on transfer magic to move large shipnts beca unfeasible.
If the magic was already being used for traveling quickly, then the shipping of goods should have been just as easy.
However, Ive spent the last few days walking around another village, and I hadnt seen the sa number of human items there that Ive seen here.
There might have been a severe limitation to the network, or maybe the costs were simply too high.
While I was lost in thought, I mindlessly followed the woman until she said Wait here. and disappeared into a back room.
The furniture in the room we were left in was different from what we saw on the first floor. With the simple wooden table that sat in the center of the room, it gave the impression of being a waiting room.
I sat on one of the chairs and pulled a leather canteen out of my luggage bag.
Ariane had a conflicted look on her face when she saw what I was doing.
Wait, why are you taking that canteen out now?
Well, its not like I can et the elder with my helt on.
I took a makeshift straw from my bag and placed it into the canteen.
Ariane stared at
for a mont before realization dawned on her.
I forgot Its scary how becoming accustod to sothing affects your mory. Youre not gonna change back halfway again, are you?
I stopped sipping the hot spring from the straw through the gap in my helt and tried to ease Arianes worries.
Everything should be fine Ariane-dono. I collected this water just this morning, so I shouldnt change back during the eting.
Despite the bit of pride in my voice, but Ariane still gave
a worried look.
Chio narrowed her eyes at
and signed before walking to the corner of the room and standing there.
There wasnt a lot of trust placed in
in this regard.
Kyun!
To cheer myself up I began rubbing the top of Pontas head. In the middle of being consoled by her barking, the secretary won peeked inside the room and called for us.
Nolan-sama is ready for you now.
After that brief statent, she lead us into the back room.
Apologies for the unexpected eting.
As soon as we stepped into the room a single elf called out to us.
The mans green-tinted, blonde hair was set in two braids that reached his lower back and he wore traditional elven clothes.
There was a soft smile on his face and the look in his light-green eyes reminded
of his older brothers, Caseys.
I understand that youve t my older brother, whose whereabouts have been unknown since he left the village I guess you never really know what connections youll have in this world.
Before we could even make a self-introduction the elder took complete control of the conversation. It took the secretary-like woman loudly clearing her throat to calm him down.
Ah, apologies. Im the elder of this village and the younger brother of the monster researcher Casey Held, Nolan Held Landfria. A pleasure to et you.
Nolan properly introduced himself as Caseys younger brother while smiling wryly. After moving to a small sitting area in the corner of the room, we began to talk about his older brother.
Since Chio had never t Casey she calmly sipped the cup of tea shed been given while Ariane and I spoke of our encounter with Casey.
When Ariane brought up how we were roped into helping Casey capture a live Sandworm, Nolan struggled to maintain a smile as he muttered: No matter how much ti passes, he never changes..
In a world that lacked telecommunications, parting with soone could be the last ti you see them, because there was no way to get in contact with them.
Even if it was only hearsay, anyone would want to learn that a family mber theyd lost contact with was doing alright for themselves.
After hearing how his eccentric brother was doing, Nolan slowly stood up and expressed his gratitude.
Once again, Id like to apologize for requesting this abrupt eting. However, because of this I was able to learn my brothers whereabouts and that he is doing just fine. Though I cant reach such a remote place, I will have so good news for mother and father.
Nolan bowed his head and thanked us again before moving on to the reason we ca here.
The ship youre scheduled to board should finish loading cargo today and will sail tomorrow. Until then, youre welco to stay in the mansion.
Id been prepared to board the ship today, so hearing that caused my shoulders to droop.
I see, so we wont be setting sail today.
Ariane, whos sitting next to , imdiately replied to my remark.
You dont normally co to the port on the day of the departure. How else would you know if there was a change in the schedule
I guess you have a point
I nodding at her comnt.
If I thought about it, public transportation was a hard thing to keep track of in my forr world. Even in a highly advanced society, sailing was heavily dictated by the weather and other unforeseen circumstances.
It was common sense that ships in this world would be allowed a bit of leeway in their schedule.
Since Ive been depending on transfer magic till now, it seems that Id lost touch with common sense for a bit.
After leaving Nolan, the female secretary led us to our individual rooms, where I placed my baggage next to the bed and stared out of the window.
It was still early in the day, so people were still going about their business beyond the mansions gate.
It would be a waste to just sit around till tomorrow, so I put down my sword and grabbed my money pouch.
When I left my room, I saw Chio and Ariane stepping out of their own guest rooms and locking eyes with .
You heading sowhere, Arc?
Ariane guessed my attention with a single look.
Yes, the day is still young after all. Since the ship wont be setting sail til tomorrow, I figured I should find sothing fun to do near the harbor.
Then lets go together. Id worry if youre left alone
When I answered her question, Ariane stared at
through half-closed eyes and suggested that I join them.
As I gauged her reaction, it felt strange to know that I was viewed as a troublemaker if left to my own devices.
Its strange.
All joking aside, Id probably get lost in the unfamiliar place like Landfria by myself so having Ariane along would be convenient.
I nodded at the suggestion and we left a ssage with soone working in the mansion before going to the harbor.
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