Inspection Of The Territory

Days had passed busily since then, and it was now Friday. We were currently in the middle of our school lunch break. As usual, Kent, Caro, Josette, and Rachel were eating lunch behind the school building.

“Kent-san, are you free tomorrow and the day after?” Caro asked me.

“I don’t have any particular plans, why?”

“I’ve been tasked with inspecting a newly acquired territory tomorrow and the day after. I was wondering if you might be willing to accompany me…”

Caro made the request looking somewhat apologetic.

“I could never say no to a request from you, Caro-san.”

“Thank you very much. This territory was originally Baron Kroise’s, but due to that recent incident, it was transferred to my father. However, my father has a mountain of work at the castle, so he asked me to go check on things in his stead. He left the method of inspection entirely up to me, so I thought I’d like you to come along since it’s a good opportunity.”

“Caro, you’re suffering from a ‘Big Brother’ deficiency, aren’t you? A trip with an overnight stay… must be nice,” Rachel teased.

“I would love to accompany you as well, but my schedule… ugh,” Josette added, looking regretful.

And so, it was decided that I would spend Saturday and Sunday traveling with Caro.

Early the next morning, Caro arrived at my house.

“Good morning, Kent-san. I’ll be in your care for these two days.”

Caro was wearing the commoner’s clothes she had received from Marie-san. It seemed Baron Frederick had left the inspection method entirely to her; she could have gone officially as a noble or traveled incognito. This time, Caro chose the latter as a good excuse to spend time with me, pretending to be a commoner couple on a trip so as not to provoke the people of the territory. I was also prepared, wearing clothes I’d received from Marie-san.

Caro and we headed to the stagecoach station. From the station, stagecoaches—which carry unspecified people to various destinations—are in operation. From here, it would be a half-day journey to the territory.

“Let’s see… there it is. The stagecoach bound for Sampto.”

“Ho there, young couple. This carriage is bound for Sampto; are you getting on?” An old man organizing the passengers at the station spoke to Caro.

“Yes, for two people. Is that alright?”

“Yeah, there’s still plenty of room. The fare is one large silver coin per person (10,000G).”

“We’ll take it, then.”

Caro handed the man two large silver coins (20,000G).

“Right, thanks. We’re departing soon, so get inside and wait.”

“Thank you for your help.”

Caro and I climbed into the carriage. The interior had seats facing each other, capable of seating about ten people. We sat in the vacant spots. There were already four people who looked like merchants and one young woman who looked like a swordsman.

“Stagecoaches are quite expensive, aren’t they?”

I felt the fare for my first stagecoach ride was a bit high.

“That’s true. If it were just for transport, it would be expensive, but stagecoaches come with guards, so there are labor costs involved,” Caro explained.

“I see, that makes sense.”

“Oh? Is this perhaps your first time on a stagecoach?”

Suddenly, the young woman who looked like a swordsman sitting across from us spoke up. Though I say young, she looked considerably older than us.

“Yes. We’re going on a two-day, one-night trip starting today.”

“A trip as a couple? That’s nice. But Sampto doesn’t really have any tourist attractions. I don’t think there’s much to see there,” the female swordsman said to Caro.

“True, there are no tourist resources. However, I heard that because the previous lord’s rule was terrible, the place is quite neglected. Since such a place is within reach of this city, I’ve been curious for a while to see how bad it really is—partly to learn about the world.”

“That’s a rather unusual perspective. Well, while the territory itself is neglected, the public order isn’t bad, so you should be able to look around safely. You’re quite the studious one.”

The female swordsman sounded impressed.

“Alright, it’s time! We’re heading out!”

At the old man’s shout from outside, the stagecoach departed for Sampto.

The carriage was traveling on unpaved roads, so the ride wasn’t very comfortable. Five guards were stationed around the carriage.

“Do monsters or things like that ever show up?”

“Monsters? I’ve heard stories, but I’ve never seen one.”

Since this was an ‘other world,’ I thought monsters were a staple, so I asked Caro. Apparently, there are no monsters in this world.

“If there are guards on the carriage, doesn’t that mean there’s some kind of danger?”

“Yes. Apparently, bandits show up sometimes. That’s why we have guards.”

“You say some interesting things. If there were monsters, I’d certainly like to meet one,” the female swordsman across from us said, overhearing our conversation. The merchants riding with us laughed along.

(Did I just set off some kind of weird flag…?)

I had a bad feeling.

However, my anxiety proved unfounded, and we arrived in front of the town of Sampto without incident. The stagecoach stopped just before the town.

“Hey, you lot, get out quickly. We’re doing the entry procedures now,” a soldier guarding the entrance said with a very overbearing attitude. We were half-forced off the carriage.

“Now, write your names here. Also, have five silver coins (5,000G) ready for the entry tax.”

The soldier lined up all the passengers and began the process.

Caro wrote her name first and paid five silver coins. I did the same.

“They take a tax just for entering the town, huh?”

I asked Caro once we were back in the carriage.

“Yes. Since there’s not much value in tourism here, this policy isn’t about making money from tax revenue. It’s likely either to prevent residents from leaving the town or to keep outsiders out. The amount is set high compared to other places; we don’t need a system that prevents people from coming and going freely.”

Caro spoke with a hint of anger in her voice. I suspected that the entry tax for this town would be abolished or reduced in the near future.

Finally, the female swordsman finished her paperwork and returned, and the stagecoach headed for the station inside the town.

When we arrived at the station, Caro and I got off. After spending half a day in a jolting carriage, the fatigue had built up, and we both took a deep stretch.

“You’re staying at the inn here today, right?”

“Yes, that’s the plan.”

“I see. Well, we might meet again then.”

Leaving us with those words, the female swordsman went off somewhere before I could even ask her name.

“Well then, Kent-san, let’s secure an inn first.”

Guided by Caro, I headed toward an inn.

“Excuse me, do you have room for two today?”

“Welcome! Yes, we have space. We can prepare either separate rooms or a shared room; which would you prefer?” A middle-aged woman at the front desk asked.

“What do you want to do, Caro-san?”

“There’s no need to even ask; we’ll share a room. I told my father I was coming alone, and while I do have work to do, my main goal is to spend time with you, Kent-san.”

It seemed the answer was already decided.

“Oh my, how youthful. I’ll get a room for two ready then. The stay is one large silver coin (10,000G) for both of you. Meals will be settled separately.”

I paid the inn fee.

“Thank you. Your room is on the second floor, so please make yourselves at home.”

I took the key, and we entered the room. It was reasonably spacious, with two beds sitting side-by-side.

“Kent-saaan!”

Having put down her luggage, Caro—who seemed to have been holding back—immediately clung to me.

“Ever since I went back home, I’ve been so lonely because we couldn’t be alone together! Haa… you smell like yourself, Kent-san.”

Caro said this while nuzzling her cheek against me.

“What should we do? Want to do it now?”

“I want to, but I have to do my work first…”

Caro pulled away from me looking regretful. She took out a small pouch containing writing materials and began her preparations.

“Oh, right. If it’s an inspection, this might be useful.”

I took out my terminal and purchased a budget-model smartphone. After finishing the initial setup, I handed it to Caro.

“It’s small, but it looks like the terminal you have, Kent-san.”

“The usage is pretty much the same. You can’t use communication functions, but you can take photos and things with this. Like this…”

I took a two-shot photo with Caro.

“Wow! Kent-san and I are in it! Are you giving this to me? Thank you, Kent-san!”

“I’ll set up fingerprint authentication so no one else can see it. Give me your finger for a second.”

I took Caro’s hand and registered her print.

“Now, it won’t open unless you put your finger on it.”

“You can even do things like that? Oh, it’s true! The screen changed when I touched it.”

With the inspection preparations ready, we headed out of the inn.

Sampto was a small town with a population of about 1,000. Agriculture was the main industry, with no others of note. The area around the inn was well-maintained, and I got the impression that it was far from the “neglected” state Caro had mentioned.

“Caro-san, is this town really neglected? It looks like a normal small town to me.”

“Yes, you might think so if you only see this part. It seems Kroise put effort only into the center of the town. He probably wanted to show off to other nobles who might occasionally visit. Nobles generally don’t go anywhere outside the center unless they have business.”

“I see.”

Caro answered my question, took several photos, and recorded the details of the inspection in her notebook.

“It seems to have all the basic shops.”

“True. It might be due to the entry tax, but the prices of the goods for sale seem a bit high. Still, it doesn’t look like this area needs much work.”

We walked around the town center.

“Let’s see, this is the Town Head’s mansion.”

In a location slightly removed from the center, there was a somewhat grand mansion.

“It’s impressive compared to the surrounding houses, but it pales in comparison to your house, Caro-san.”

“The Town Head is still a commoner, so it’s a bit unfair to compare it to my home.”

Caro spoke with a troubled expression.

“You people, what are you doing staring at my house?”

While we were looking at the mansion, we were suddenly addressed.

“You’re outsiders, aren’t you? Do you have business with my home?”

“We’re just visiting this town on a trip. We saw a large house and were just looking; we don’t have any particular business…” Caro explained.

The person who spoke to us was a girl who appeared to be a bit younger than me. She was taller than Caro, who was naturally short. Standing together, it was hard to tell who was the older sister.

“Um, you said ‘your house,’ so this is the Town Head’s house, right? Does that make you his daughter?”

“That’s right. I’m Verna. What are your names?”

“I’m Caro. Nice to meet you, Verna-san.”

“I’m Kent. Nice to meet you, Verna-san.”

We introduced ourselves to Verna, who claimed to be the Town Head’s daughter.

“Caro and Kent, I see. Fine, since you’re so curious, I’ll show you inside.”

“We have things to do now…”

Caro tried to decline, but Verna forcefully pulled both of us into the house.