Chapter 45

We reported to the “Kingdom of Saxens Navy, Baden-Reinga Regional Unit, Bregantz Military Port”—a facility name so long it felt like a tongue twister. We were here to secure passage on a military vessel to the Royal Capital.

“I am Clara Ansbach, Knight Bachelor of Ebba-berg. I have come to request permission to board a patrol ship for my assignment to the Royal Capital.”

The master of the room nodded magnanimously at Clara-sama’s greeting. He sported a thick beard and numerous scars across his face, radiating the aura of a seasoned veteran. Though he looked to be over fifty, there was no sign of frailty in his physique or his voice.

“At ease. I am Baron Burkhard von Ramsen, overseer of the Bregantz Military Port. Please, make yourself comfortable, Dame Ansbach.”

“You have my gratitude.”

Clara-sama took a seat as offered, while we attendants, of course, remained standing.

“The patrol ship bound for the Capital is scheduled to depart the morning after tomorrow. Until then, you are welcome to make use of the officer quarters in this facility.”

This older gentleman was quite considerate. He clearly understood the financial constraints typical of the Knight Bachelor rank. If he hadn’t offered the quarters, we would have had to shoulder the lodging costs for four people plus a horse for two days. That adds up to a hefty sum. By letting us use the vacant quarters, he was doing us a huge favor. I could only describe him as a wonderful gentleman.

“I am grateful for your consideration, Baron Ramsen. Kota, the item.”

At Clara-sama’s signal, I presented the gift. To be blunt, it was a bribe, but not an overt one. In this world, such gestures are common practice—and even in Japan, bringing a souvenir to a high-ranking official who is doing you a favor isn’t exactly out of the ordinary, right?

“…Dame Ansbach, this… is a beautiful bottle.”

Glass bottles exist in Saxens, but they are mostly thick, green-tinted things. Clear glass exists as well, but the shapes are usually irregular and the price is astronomical.

“It is a spirit known as whiskey.”

“Whiskey, you say? Ah, the liquor said to be crafted in the far western island nation of Scottea.”

Well, the one we gave him was actually Japanese-made. It was a small 180ml bottle that cost about 900 yen back home. Just the right size for a modest gift.

“If you twist the cap at the top to the left, it will open.”

“Ho! How unusual!”

Baron Ramsen looked as delighted as a child. He definitely seemed like the type who enjoyed a good drink; he had the aura of a heavy hitter. And the moment he received the explanation, he twisted the cap open.

This is where the culture gap shows. In Saxens, it’s considered polite to open a gift immediately and verify the contents in front of the giver.

“What a fine aroma.”

The stern Baron’s face broke into a wide grin. With a practiced hand, he poured about half the whiskey into the small bottle cap. This, too, was nothing surprising in the Kingdom of Saxens. When the gift is a food or drink item, consuming it in front of the giver is considered the highest form of showing appreciation. It wasn’t just because the Baron loved booze… I think.

“Gwah!”

Maybe the alcohol content was a bit too high?

“…”

The Baron stared silently at the amber liquid. He looked genuinely stunned.

“Baron Ramsen? …Is something the matter?”

Clara-sama looked worried, wondering if something was wrong, but I knew the truth. We had stolen something precious. Yes—the Baron’s heart!

The Baron brought the cap to his lips once more and downed the remaining whiskey. Then, slowly and carefully, he screwed the cap back on tight and let out a long breath.

“Dame Ansbach, I do not know how to thank you for such a precious gift. I shall savor every drop.”

This sort of formal greeting usually wrapped up in a few minutes, but the Baron was in such high spirits that he chatted with us for over ten. Most of it was about alcohol, though…

A young man named Ingo guided us to the barracks. Apparently, this large dormitory housed about fifty soldiers. Bunk beds lined both sides of the long, narrow room, making it look a bit like a capsule hotel. For the next two days, Yoshioka and I would be staying here. Clara-sama was given a private officer’s room, while Fiene occupied the adjacent servant’s quarters.

Ingo was a private appointed by the Baron’s direct order to look after us. The Baron had clearly taken a real shine to that whiskey, as he was going out of his way to be hospitable. Ingo told us that normally, they wouldn’t assign a dedicated caretaker for guests of our rank. He was a slightly chubby fellow, but friendly and easy to talk to. I figured he was around the same age as Yoshioka.

“There are a lot of ships here,” I remarked.

The port we had seen earlier was packed with vessels of all sizes.

“Yeah. It’s called a military port, but they aren’t all warships. Plenty of civilian ships dock here too.”

Currently, there were eight warships stationed here with three hundred sailors.

“They started increasing the ships and manpower earlier this year. I heard there’s going to be another reinforcement next month.”

Ingo’s bright, smiling face clouded over with anxiety.

“Does that mean tensions with Ostrea are rising?”

“So you knew too, Kota? But it doesn’t look like war will break out tomorrow or anything. We haven’t seen any mercenaries around yet.”

To explain the Kingdom of Saxens a bit more: it’s an absolute monarchy with a mercantilist economic policy. The great powers send ships to the Western Continent—where the beastmen are said to live—to busily collect riches and sell their own goods. It’s very much like Earth’s Age of Discovery. Thanks to the wealth accumulated this way, the crown maintains a standing army and a noble-run bureaucracy.

The kingdom reportedly has about 10,000 standing troops. The Saxens army is formed by combining those regulars with nobles called to service, like Clara-sama, and their attendants, like us. It’s common sense in this world to hire mercenaries to fill any remaining gaps. Since mercenaries are usually the ones on the front lines, Ingo’s observation about their absence was proof that the war hadn’t quite started yet.

“Saxens likely wants to avoid a two-front war, having to deal with the Duchy of Ostrea on top of the Kingdom of Portand,” Yoshioka noted.

I agreed, but in strategy, you usually do exactly what your opponent hates most.

“But it’s not like Ostrea is going to take Saxens’ convenience into account. The question is, what is Ostrea’s goal? Ingo, if they were to attack, where do you think the Duchy would move its troops?”

Personally, the further away from Ebba-berg the fighting was, the better.

“I don’t know much myself, but my superior says the first spark will be at Maiwu Island.”

Maiwu Island is a small island in Lake Baden, about ten kilometers in circumference, housing a Saxens military fortress. It’s located right off the Ostrea coastline—essentially a knife held to the Duchy’s throat. If it came to it, Saxens would use it as a bridgehead to march into the Duchy.

“So it’ll be a localized conflict for now… looks like Ebba-berg won’t be involved.”

“Seems so.”

Ingo looked at us in disbelief as he listened to our exchange.

“You guys talk like it’s someone else’s problem!”

Well, it isn’t our problem yet. If Clara-sama gets orders to join the fray, then I’ll start taking it seriously.

“Sigh… I’m getting reassigned to Maiwu Island with the reinforcements next month…”

To cheer up the incredibly depressed Ingo, I cut out a gravure page from a magazine I had brought and gave it to him. The girl on the paper wore a light blue bikini, sitting by the water with a flirtatious smile.

“I-I’ll make this a family heirloom! I’ll use it as a lucky charm. I’m keeping this in my breast pocket forever!”

He seemed to perk up a bit. That charm is priceless. It’s the only one of its kind in this world, so take good care of it.