Step By Step! (10)

Without even knowing the continent was in an uproar, the shout of triumph from a persistent human who had reached the very edge of the Forest of the Demon Dragon echoed out.

“I can see the endaaah!!”

For a moment, Wijel and Demina—and all the beastkin—rejoiced at the shout, but then they hurried over when they saw the man stagger and slump down with a thud.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine for now. I yelled too hard and the sky spun for a second…”

I knew there were side effects to medicine, but as I felt how the stamina recovery potion’s effect dropped the more I drank, I dumped what could be the last recovery potion into my mouth and asked.

“Just in case—would it be wiser to stop down here, or to push out all the way to that boundary?”

At the question, Wijel and Demina—and even Hare—studied the situation seriously and asked back.

“What decision do you think would be best, my lord?”

“Honestly, I think neither option is bad. The pros and cons are clear.”

“What are they?”

“First, if we set up a kind of foothold inside the Forest of the Demon Dragon where only beastkin can reside, it becomes easier to manage this bridge. But on the other hand, since it’s an area humans can’t approach, there’s the condition that the beastkin have to move cargo from there into the forest.”

“Then what are the pros and cons of the outside?”

At Hare’s question, I thought for a moment, then opened my mouth.

“That land definitely has an owner, right?”

Only the Forest of the Demon Dragon belonged to no one. Just like the Ingrad Domain, there was a high chance that place, too, was the territory of another country. Which meant they meant they might pick a fight over illegal facilities, or try to slap on taxes and the like.

If conditions were similar to the Ingrad Domain, it would be an environment where humans could hardly live—but that was separate. If, internationally, they latched onto us demanding money, the Terakan Empire and the Ingrad Domain’s positions would inevitably collide.

When I explained that, the three of them said it would indeed be awkward.

In the end, it was a situation where I asked even though I already knew the answer.

‘Up to the Forest of the Demon Dragon boundary… that’s within the allowable range I can imagine.’

But it was also a part I worried about—was there a new answer? Then Hare asked an interesting question.

“Can’t we just extend the road all the way outside and make that kingdom manage it?”

“Why?”

“Because even if they control this place, it’s nothing but a loss for them, right?”

“Ah—because they can’t come to our side, monsters and all?”

“Yes. But think carefully. What if they tax the goods we hand over, or let the royal family trade directly at a slightly discounted price? I thought that even if they take on a big risk, they might welcome us.”

It was convincing. Bluntly speaking, controlling this place brought them no profit. If, instead, they could receive the civilization of the Central Continent—which could be called another continent without exaggeration—by land, that would surely be an enormous benefit and profit for the people of the Northern Continent.

“You know what you asked about, my lord? Golems.”

“Yes—why?”

“Golems can be freely shaped. So if we make horse-shaped golems that can move on their own, attach multiple wagons and cargo carts, hire drivers to go back and forth, and just collect transport fees—wouldn’t a lot of money roll in?”

She was right. The total number of medals I received was seventeen.

I didn’t know what she meant by giving that many, but I thought it was not a small number. And even without Ghost Coin, if we put beastkin to work, operating golems wouldn’t be difficult.

“For the medals, we could lease or sell them for a huge sum.”

“Transferring them is up to you, my lord, so it won’t be a problem, but I think leasing is better.”

As the discussion with Hare got serious, the Wijel siblings—who looked uninterested in the thinking side—drifted off and went back to standing guard nearby.

I let out a small laugh at the sight, but what Hare was saying now was important.

“Operate golems, lease out medals… and we can collect transport fees? That sounds pretty good.”

“Right? And what if we build a port at the bottom of the cliff, so we can also move close by sea?”

“The sea… true, we can’t raise a bridge because of the depth, so that would be better.”

“But there’s one important problem.”

“What’s important?”

“That kingdom thinks beastkin are like monsters. Negotiating with them is extremely important.”

“Don’t tell me… they’ll try to kill you if they see you?”

“Yes. To them, we’re nothing more or less than monster-like creatures that can speak human language.”

I realized it was a serious problem. Even so, I was curious why Hare was suggesting extending the bridge outward.

“Do you think negotiations are possible?”

“I thought it might be possible with your capabilities, my lord. Moreover, the Northern Continent is severely lacking in food resources. If we show there’s room to improve a few harsh conditions, I didn’t think it would be hard just to open a channel for talks.”

Come to think of it, I recalled how the Seorin Tribe and other rather weak beastkin groups living nearby had been on edge and then migrated en masse toward the Ingrad Domain, and I fell into thought.

“We’ll need to gather some information about that kingdom…”

“I know it well.”

Hare’s words made me wonder just how much this woman had wandered the world.

First, she said the kingdom’s name was the “Briden Kingdom.”

It was a kingdom belonging to the Three Rivers, and though their temperament was rough and blunt, their defining trait was that once they “acknowledged” someone, they showed boundless trust.

The more I listened, the more I felt they resembled Earth’s “Vikings.” She said their navigation skills were excellent and they possessed various ironworking techniques, so their technology itself was an advanced civilization.

However, she also said that when they forged truly important pacts, they placed importance on sealing them with blood, and sometimes a man or woman from Briden was sent as the other party’s partner.

Hare said that to avoid that, it was customary to present a large amount of wealth commensurate with it.

“I’m not thinking about marriage.”

“Don’t human nobles form blood ties over great gains?”

“I’m not that kind of typical noble. So in the end, it means we have to solve it with money… roughly how much do you expect?”

“I don’t know. Wouldn’t the value of the compensation change depending on the content of the deal?”

It was both tempting and ironic, and strange. Still, it would be a shame to let the opportunity slip, so I figured I’d try later. After confirming my stamina had recovered, I began the finishing work.

Since we hadn’t negotiated anything yet, we decided to finish inside the Forest of the Demon Dragon for now, and after some work, we built a slope leading down to the ground and said to everyone.

“All right—back to the port!”

It was a one-month schedule. I had planned not only the work, but also the return, and around the time it became exactly one month, it would be when the Lilith Trading Company would bring their ship.

First, I told them the port’s location, then negotiated for them to purchase iron ore and transport it, so they would be coming first—and at that time, we were also set to receive the ship as a transfer.

If word got out that the whale beastkin were cooperating with us, that information would reach the Dust of Sands Trading Company too, and they would realize what we were trying to do in many ways—but I thought it was fine.

Because even if they knew, they wouldn’t be able to do anything about us anyway.

Kadan Lilith, the head of the Lilith Trading Company, had decided that this time he would personally make the trip because of the big deal his daughter had brought back, and he was out at sea.

“We’ll reach the destination if we move a little farther… but do you truly think there will be a port there?”

At her father’s question, Galea Lilith nodded as if it were obvious and spoke.

“He spent a fortune. Unless he was simply throwing gold coins into the sea, I think there will be a port, even if it isn’t very large. And I heard he has the Aptitude of Construction.”

“It is a rare talent, but… that its capability isn’t all that great… is something everyone knows.”

“You’ll understand when you see it.”

“What made you think that? Wasn’t it only once?”

“It’s a fascinating domain. Truly… enough to stay in your memory for a long time.”

Kadan Lilith watched the front with a serious expression at his daughter’s words. Then a voice came from atop the mast.

“I-I can see the port!”

Thinking the sailor wasn’t lying, Kadan Lilith took out a spyglass and looked toward the distant coast. And there truly was a structure that looked like a port. After confirming a lighthouse and a few other structures, Kadan turned to his daughter with a suspicious look.

“Just in case… is that lord some kind of extraordinary mage, or something?”

“No. He looked quite ordinary. Why?”

“…It seems he prepared the port for quite a long time… but would that much material… have existed in the Ingrad Domain?”

Wondering why her father was acting like this, Galea took the spyglass and looked—and she saw many beastkin moving things around, doing something so it could function as a port.

But then something struck Galea as odd.

She knew beastkin were, on average, tall, but she had never seen adult male beastkin whose heights differed by several heads. Thinking it strange, Galea observed them more closely, and with a sudden suspicion, she asked her father.

“Was it the whale beastkin who were said to be the largest among beastkin?”

“That’s right. It would be them.”

“Aren’t they rather rough and aggressive?”

“They are, but they are a race that still interacts with humans. Compared to other beastkin, you could call them gentle. Why do you ask?”

“…There are a ton of people I’m guessing are whale beastkin at the port… it looks like well over a few hundred.”

At his daughter’s words, Galea watched Kadan thinking seriously, then continued.

“It looks like they’ve noticed us too. A lot of people are watching this way from the hillside.”

Hearing that, Kadan issued orders to the fleet.

“Tell them to prepare to make port, and just in case, have the lead ships equip close-combat weapons!”

‘Just what kind of person… is Viscount Ingrad, who is shaking the continent…?’

Kadan fell into a grave contemplation.