hotmtlnovel Chapter 127
Chapter 127
127. People Need Goal To Strive For, Isn’t It?
“This! Feidar! My apologies, Craft-dono. I may have coddled him a bit too much.”
“Well, I’m not too worried about it.”
It’s just a child talking. No need to stress, no need to stress...
Besides, what he’s saying isn’t entirely wrong.
But that’s exactly why I don’t want to create more fools like myself.
At that moment, the door clicked open, and a maid stood there. Kyle and the Holy Knight guarding him entered the room.
Feidar froze again.
Kyle slightly furrowed his brow as he noticed the three of us standing.@@@@
“What’s going on?”
“Oh, just saying hello. It’s nothing.”
“I see.”
Genelis immediately knelt before Kyle.
“Nice to meet you, Pioneer-sama. I am Genelis Ing. I’ve come as invited.”
“Thank you for traveling such a long way. I am Kyle Golden Dawn von Elixir, the one entrusted with ruling this land. I’ve been granted the title of Pioneer Count by His Majesty.”
“For someone so young, you are indeed impressive.”
When Genelis tapped Feidar’s leg, the young man, who had been standing rigid with tension, hastily knelt.
No matter how bold he acts, he still gets nervous in front of a high-ranking noble.
“I-I-It’s an honor to meet you! I’m Genelis’ grandson, Feidar Ing! Please, please, remember me!”
“Yes, I look forward to working with you. Please, take a seat.”
Kyle graciously guided them to the sofa.
Perhaps due to his age or frequent meetings with important people, Genelis seemed calm, but Feidar was so nervous that his right hand and foot moved together.
After a bit of tea and small talk, Kyle broached the main topic.
“Genelis, I have a question for you. Is it possible to perform an emblem aptitude test for everyone participating in the coming-of-age ceremony?”
“What?”
Both Genelis and Feidar’s eyes widened.
Well, that’s understandable.
“That is...”
“Of course, we will provide ample compensation.”
“It’s not a matter of money...”
“I understand there might be a reason why it’s difficult to do so. Could you tell us what that is? If it’s something we can solve, we’re willing to help.”
Genelis sighed.
“A solution... I doubt it.”
“We’ll handle the coming-of-age ceremony and festival preparations, but we have a new request for the production guild.”
“A request?”
“Yes. We’d like you to construct a bridge over the massive river flowing north of Golden Dawn.”
“So, the survey of the opposite shore is complete?”
“Yes. With the help of the Adventurers’ Guild, we’ve investigated the political situation across the river and found a region dotted with small nations.”
Small nations.
Of course, I’ve heard of them. I’ve even spoken with someone who lived there.
The region is said to be a collection of small countries with various cultures, where people are still skirmishing with each other.
“If we build a bridge there, won’t it provoke a war?”
“Well, it turns out there are no nations along the river.”
“Really? I’d have thought settlements and countries would be near water.”
“Yes. But the small nations are concentrated much further north. Recently, they’ve had frequent large battles and monster attacks, so people and resources are gathering in the most powerful nation among them.”
“A strong nation?”
“Yes. It’s said that if you travel far enough north, you’ll reach the sea, and there’s a maritime nation where nearly everyone learns the sword.”
“That’s impressive!”
When we think of nations, we usually think of the Maugarian Kingdom, the Dubatten Empire, or the Zebius United Kingdom.
Geographically, the small nations are sandwiched between these three countries.
To the west is Zebius, to the east is Dubatten, and with Kyle’s pioneering, Maugarian now expands to the south.
Though the small nations could serve as a crucial hub, their location in dangerous frontier lands and their unstable political situation have left them mostly isolated.
Initially, Kyle’s ultimate goal as a Frontier Count was to develop the road leading to the Golden Dawn.
Now, as Pioneer Count, his mission from the kingdom includes establishing trade with the small nations, and if possible, military agreements.
King Van prioritizes the extermination of monsters that threaten humanity, believing that all humans, including demi-humans and beastmen, must unite.
But a massive river, completely unexpected, blocked the way, making it impossible for trade caravans or even a single wagon to pass.
Furthermore, dangerous aquatic creatures and monsters lurked in the river.
A skilled adventurer could cross by boat, but only a small number of people could manage that. This made establishing any real contact impossible.
This is why we must undertake the seemingly impossible task of building a massive bridge.
Kyle pulled out a map.
It was a hand-drawn map, incomplete for a lord’s use, but it must be the fruit of hard work by adventurers who risked their lives during the survey.
Kyle pointed to a small country far north of Golden Dawn, near the sea.
“We’ve secured permission from the strongest nation in the small nation group to build the bridge! We must complete this difficult task!”
Cold sweat ran down my forehead. I knew how challenging this would be.
I swallowed hard, then smirked.
“Leave it to me.”
Kyle smiled brightly.