66: Vanderwaals Territory, Vandergant
Our carriage traveled across the land of Eustasia, along a well-trodden road, though not paved with cobblestones, compacted by carriages, horses, and human feet.
We spent two nights at roadside inns along the way. The six guards and coachmen split into three pairs, each sharing a double room, while Leticia, Ciel, and I shared a triple room.
Since there were separate beds, sharing a room wasn’t a problem. The inns were used by nobles, so the rooms were reasonably spacious.
While I wanted to cut costs, there were some expenses you couldn’t skimp on.
Thick walls and doors were essential in emergencies, and proper locks on the doors and windows, along with hired guards on the premises, allowed for a peaceful night’s sleep.
While not yet in my own territory, this was a regular inn, contracted with and supervised by the Vanderwaals.
Its reputation for service and safety made it popular with nobles and wealthy merchants, and it was one of our family’s sources of income.
Even so, perhaps because we were traveling, I couldn’t sleep soundly.
I felt like a small animal, constantly on edge, wary of something lurking in the shadows.
The family name I had inherited was the “Coldhearted Vanderwaals.”
We weren’t a beloved family.
A family needed, tolerated… resented, and even hated.
While my sister was a sound sleeper, I, her older sister, wasn’t.
Long ago, when I was a child, unaware of human malice, sleeping with my mother and Ciel, I hadn’t worried about my light sleep.
But after growing up, I couldn’t allow myself to be so dependent on Ciel.
Only when I was utterly exhausted could I sleep soundly.
…Ah, come to think of it, I had slept well at the ranch inn, holding Leticia close.
Would I ever experience such peaceful sleep again?
While I had been the cause of eternal sleep for others, I hadn’t experienced it myself. I didn’t know if I would find peace after my beheading, or if some eternal torment awaited me.
We were almost at our destination.
I turned to Leticia, sitting next to me as always.
“—Leticia, you’ve done your research, haven’t you? Tell me about the Vanderwaals’ largest territory, the one we’re heading to.”
“Yes, Elder Sister.”
My sister nodded, her expression serious.
“—Vandergant, a Vanderwaals territory. Centered around the capital city of the same name, it is the largest of the Vanderwaals territories, both in area and revenue, including the areas surrounding the royal capital and some smaller, scattered exclaves.”
Leticia spoke slowly, as if recalling the information, but her words flowed smoothly.
“Located in the northern part of the Kingdom of Eustasia, it comprises about one-tenth of the kingdom’s total land area. It includes mountainous and forested regions and borders several other countries. However, due to the steep terrain of the Berghorn mountain range, which also extends into other territories, there is no interaction with neighboring territories, except for the former Principality of Ruins.”
Geographical factors determined almost everything about a territory.
While advantageous for defense, it was a land with little incentive for invasion.
The Vanderwaals, originating from this land, needed weapons that didn’t rely on fertile soil. One such weapon was the poisonous—medicinal—herbs that thrived in the barren lands.
“The climate is cold. The main industries are dairy farming, livestock farming, and lumber. Agriculture is also relatively prosperous.”
Good.
My sister had done her homework.
Thanks to advancements in agricultural technology, the land wasn’t as barren as it once was.
“I hear the meat, especially lamb and pork, is delicious, and they also have an abundance of game, like deer and boar. Dairy products are cheaper than in the areas around the royal capital, and the cheese, in particular, is a popular local specialty, even in other territories and countries. I’d love to try it.”
…Hmm?
It seemed my sister’s research had… a certain… culinary bias.
While she wasn’t wrong…
What exactly had she been researching?
“…What kind of books did you read?”
“I mostly asked the servants at the mansion and the Royal Castle.”
…Firsthand information.
I had told her to do her research, so I assumed she had used the library at the mansion.
Her ability to gather information from a wide range of sources, her approachable nature… as expected of the [Protagonist] of [Moonlight Liberium].
“I didn’t know our kitchen used ingredients from Vandergant.”
Well, since it was our own territory, we had some ingredients ‘directly delivered’ along with the regular shipments to the capital.
“I hear they’ve been focusing on berries recently. They’re made into jam for transport, but the flavor changes slightly when they’re barreled. Bottled berries maintain their quality, but they require more care during transport, so they’re more expensive.”
Indeed, berries were a new product for Vandergant, and we were focusing on both gathering and cultivating them.
Since it was a recent development, it wouldn’t be in any books.
And the information she had gathered was surprisingly detailed.
“They eat them fresh locally, and even the jam is cheaper there!”
She seemed to have a personal interest as well.
“…That’s… sufficient. You pass.”
While her enthusiasm seemed to be focused on food, well, food was important.
With starvation no longer a major concern, people were starting to pursue flavor and added value.
Before the founding of Eustasia, when the continent was ravaged by war, cooking was considered a nobleman’s hobby.
While it wasn’t haute cuisine, cooking, along with ingredients, had evolved even among commoners.
Our territory wasn’t rich in mineral resources.
Perhaps there were deposits hidden within the steep, cold Berghorn mountains, but currently, no country had the technology to locate mineral veins beneath the snow-covered ground and mine them profitably in such harsh conditions.
We had no access to the sea, no ports… in the words of some, it was a ‘remote, rural backwater.’
Even so, our territory was one of Eustasia’s breadbaskets and the Vanderwaals’ largest source of income.
The tireless efforts of our predecessors, and, above all, peace, had allowed the region to prosper.
The guarantee that settlements wouldn’t be burned to the ground. Compensation for—and the thorough eradication of—banditry.
Demonstrating both profit and force, the fundamental principle of aristocratic rule.
Considering the many unstable regions on the continent, the stability of our territory was a blessing.
Leticia would inherit all of this.
The previous lords, including my father. And me, the current lord. My sister carried the Vanderwaals blood.
She had been officially recognized as the heir by the royal family, and she would succeed me upon my death.
The prosperity of the territory had been my duty.
But knowing that I had something to leave to my sister made all the duties I had fulfilled, all the loyalty I had sworn, feel meaningful.
“Come to think of it, I used to pick berries in the ‘back alley.’”
Leticia said casually, as if the thought had just occurred to her.
“There was a shop that bought them, so we’d go into the forest and pick them. We’d sell the good ones and eat the damaged ones ourselves… When we were hungry, we were very picky.”
Ciel and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
However…
“…In the areas around the royal capital, you need a permit to enter the forest and pick berries.”
Leticia froze, her smile unwavering.
“…Forget about that!”
She said cheerfully, still smiling.
So, it was unauthorized.
It seemed my sister had a minor criminal record, but I would ignore it.
Besides, the shops that knowingly bought those berries at low prices were also at fault.
――Small injustices, preying on the vulnerable, that wouldn’t even be discussed in the royal court.
Those small injustices, accumulating over time, created places like the “back alley”… and continued to plague its residents.
“Oh! A Vanderwaals flag!”
Leticia abruptly changed the subject.
I followed her gaze out the window and saw rectangular flags hanging at regular intervals along the road.
A yellow gecko emblem on a blue background.
Similar flags hung at the checkpoints on the borders of our territory.
Here, it meant—we were approaching the capital city of Vandergant.
“We’ll be arriving at the capital soon. You remember the main inspection sites, don’t you?”
“Yes! The city, the herb garden, and the Vandergant territorial army training grounds!”
Leticia counted them off on her fingers.
“—Good.”
All of them were [Event Trigger Locations] in [Moonlight Liberium].
Which event would be triggered depended on which location she chose.
However, since it wasn’t clear which of the three Capture Targets Leticia favored, I decided to visit all of them.
I would leave it to fate—and Leticia—to decide how the [Events] would unfold.
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