Hakai no Miko

In the sunshine of the burning summer sun, the wheat fields glowed bright deep greenery.

It is the first wheat grown in a field plowed by the direction of an Ethereal Horse. And it would have been a joy for the pale horse, as the wheat grew.

But now there was no smile on the face of the pale horse looking at it, and a harsh expression had been engraved.

That was due to the contents of a report given by Michena in the city of Bornis before visiting the pioneering site.

"Insufficient funds"

To Michena, who said so at the top of the opening, the Ethereal Horse asked why.

Until now, we have been talking about not having to send taxes to Wang Capital anymore, so there is no problem investing in pioneering and technological development, but it is not the same story that there is a lack of funds where we have just started.

"I'm sorry, Master Soma. My reading was sweet."

When he made a bitter look and bowed his head deeply and apologized to Michena, the Ethereal Horse, with all sorts of thoughts, uttered words of comfort without further recourse.

"I have no choice. It's my fault that taxes are down."

In addition to taxes that make people pay for wheat and other harvests, the main taxes collected in the city of Bornis include the person-to-person tax, which should also be called the resident tax imposed on the city's inhabitants, and the customs duties and passage taxes collected the next time goods and people enter the city.

In addition to directing significant tax cuts in respect of taxes among these, Aoima thought that because of his own bad reputation, city dwellers had also reduced headcount taxes and passage taxes because they had escaped or merchants had not leaned on them.

"No. Tax revenues were roughly as expected"

But Michena says it's not.

Tax deductions, as well as headcount and toll tax deductions, were within Michena's assumptions. Rather, with regard to the headcount tax, residents' advocacy measures, such as the recognition of the freedom of eviction of the city before and after the "Bornis showdown" of the Ethereal Horse, were successful, thanks to fewer dwindlings than expected, about as much as expected.

Then when the Ethereal Horse asked what was wrong, Michena bit her lip gently with regret.

"Gebor's Merchant Guild has hit me..."

In order to collect taxes, it was reported that wheat yields in each pioneering village were examined in advance, almost as usual. So Michena was thinking about the budget by deducting tax breaks from her regular harvest.

And it is true that the wheat harvest was as usual.

It was Michena's calculation that even burying the loss of tax cuts and revenue cuts would sufficiently bribe the budget for development and development requested by Ethereal Horse.

"But they bought that wheat."

Wheat paid as a tax is put in the city's grain depot for much of it as food. At this time, surpluses and the amount of wheat left in the warehouse for the previous year were often bought out by merchants.

However, because the Ethereal Horses are at odds with the Holmeer Country, they were bought and beaten by Jebor merchants who anticipated no wheat buyers other than themselves for less than half the price of the regular year.

"What happens to the salary I plan to pay you all?

The first thing Ethereal Horse worried about first was the salaries of officials and soldiers.

The pioneering business and technological development should be stopped at worst, but if we have to withhold salaries to everyone, it will be a big deal.

"I can rather afford wheat to pay as a salary. But the salt..."

At this time, salaries for government officials and soldiers are basic, in-kind payments, unless they also struggle to secure food such as battlefields and local fortifications.

And that was usually paid for with wheat and salt.

Regardless of the wheat that serves as food, the modern man may wonder when he hears salt is his salary. But salt, which was an essential ingredient in living and a condiment that determined the flavour of the dish, and in an era when there was no refrigerator, was also a preservative for preserving food, was of great value.

It is a famous story, for example, that in ancient Rome the salaries of soldiers were paid in salt (salt), which became the source of the soldier (soldier). In addition, in the "Vieritica rock salt pit" in Poland, which became a World Heritage Site, the rock salt that could be collected from it was responsible for a third of the financial resources of the Kingdom of Poland and was even called "white gold".

From this we can also see that salt was of great value in ancient and medieval times.

"Salaries increase the percentage of wheat, but you can't do without salt at all. I really had to sell wheat, even though I knew it was being bought down, for the money to buy that salt and the charcoal and iron ore that Master Doverin and the others demanded, and I did a lot of painful work."

In the city of Bornis, which has no sea, salt relied on imports. So no matter how much they knew they were going to buy, they had to sell some wheat and use it as a fund to buy salt.

"If we try to secure the funds we had planned, we have to sell more wheat. But how much will they buy next..."

There, the matching doverlin pinches his mouth.

"A merchant blows up a fight?

Even if the Ethereal Horses are the rulers of this Bornis. Doverlyn did not fall to the heart (f) to set up such blatant buying beatings against its rulers.

Dvarin, who partitioned one of the workshops in his homeland and also traded with a human merchant, knows well how stubborn they are. Such a steadfast merchant seemed to have some intention rather than just the greed of the moment, as he set up a buying beating on himself who was nevertheless building a force in the land.

That's what Michena was feeling, too.

And she was speculating that might be Jebor's merchant guild intent.

"Perhaps it means a return of interest and pressure by the guild"

Jeboa, the maritime state, is a state located in the southwest direction of Bornis.

It is a peninsula that protrudes into the inner sea of Benes, and has a large port where merchant ships crossing the inner sea of Benes bring down the rice noodles, a country that has long flourished through maritime trade. It is a well-known fact that although the merchants are strong and still hold the king as a kingdom, the king is a puppet of the merchant guild.

This merchant guild, but it's only an organization where merchants have come together to defend themselves. For this reason, moving in the interests of some merchants is not the first.

At any rate, it is the top ten luxuries in Jeboa, known as the "Ten Commissioners," who decide the operating policy of the Merchant Guild, but they are also commercial enemies of each other, and it is a daily tea business to pull each other's feet inside the Guild.

If such a Jeboa merchant guild suggested (and did) to the grain merchants to buy and beat, it can only be assumed that this city of Bornis is doing some harm to the merchant guild as a whole.

And Michena thought that was because the Ethereal Horse virtually blocked the trading route from Jeboa to the Holmeer country.

That's what they said. The Ethereal Horse was surprised.

"Hey, wait a minute! I didn't interfere with the deal!

In any case, Aoima was thinking of bringing in merchants by abolishing the city's toll tax in order to become Nobunaga Oda's Rakuma Rakuza. Now I had just taken control of the city of Bornis, and I thought the caravan's legs were so far away from the insecurity.

Yet I argued that it was outrageous that I was blocking a trading route, and Michena answers even though she can't seem to tell me.

"I was wondering if that was because of your lord's declaration of abolition of slavery..."

Numerous slaves were used for carrying cargo at this time. But because the Ethereal Horse had abolished slavery, such caravans had been unable to pass through the city of Bornis.

"I mean, because of me, the merchants of Jebor can no longer go to Holmeer to sell things..."

No matter how bad habits the Ethereal Horse may be, it is an untrue truth that industry and transport in this age were supported by the existence of slaves. Suddenly the evil that obsoleted it erupted unexpectedly.

"Then rather put it backwards, can't we put pressure on the merchants from this one?

If we are to say that we are blocking the trade route, Dvarin suggests that we should instead use it as a handbill to negotiate with the merchants.

"I think that's hard"

With that said, Michena spread the map over her desk.

"It wasn't much of a big deal, but they say there's an illegal bridge around here"

Michena refers to a place down south of the city of Bornis.

"Apparently, the merchants in Jeboa are trying to make this bridge and the road leading there a trading route to the city of L'Oma"

At this time, it was the prerogative of nations and lords to bridge the river.

Because rivers often become borders of countries and territories, illegal immigrants and smuggled imports become rampant when they are bridged there on their own.

More than that, however, there is a great reason why restricting the means of crossing the river forces us to cross our own bridges, from which we obtain significant transit taxes. In this city of Bornis, the toll tax was a valuable financial resource, also because there was a bridge across the river in the city.

But it is a great hassle for people living in that area to go all the way to where there is a bridge of lords, even though it only crosses to the opposite shore in front of them. In that case, small bridges were sometimes built without permission by the hands of people in the area. Many of those bridges were often silent, unless the lords also considered the convenience of the region and became big on it.

This time, it was one of those bridges that the merchants of Jeboa looked at.

"Then why don't we crush it?

If the merchants of Jeboa were to rely on another route to put pressure on us, it was Zug who made the noise that we should lose it.

"If Lord Soma orders, we can clear Zoan's legs by the end of the day, right?

But the Ethereal Horse shook his neck sideways at Zoog's suggestion.

"I don't want to turn to my enemies as far as Jebor as I am hostile to Holmea"

Even though they don't think it's good enough, if we do that much, we'll be totally hostile to Jebor. In a situation of conflict with the Holmeer State, I do not want to turn to the enemy even to Jeboa behind it.

"But then, aren't we just going to be made good by those guys who are unilaterally saying Jeboa and stuff like this?

Zoog blurred as he seemed angry, but that was a common sentiment for everyone on this occasion.

"Let's be patient now. We're not strong enough to turn and fight our enemies."

In the words of the Ethereal Horse, those who were on the spot were all bitter faces.

But the Ethereal Horse goes on to say even more.

- Not yet.

That was a complacent word to say that we could always be strong.

There was a small grin in everyone's mouth at the words.

"I also think it would be better not to make things rough with Jeboa."

Michena also agreed with the opinion of the Ethereal Horse.

"But the problem is salt. It's okay for the moment, but as it is, it's going to interfere with the lives of the people in the city."

Besides, once again, everyone looked difficult and thought about it.

But when Hufu and the Ethereal Horses look up, something's wrong with Zoan and the others. They glance at each other as they look at each other.

Looking back at herself obliquely wondering if Shemr was the same, only she was staring at Gallum with a rugged eye. Garam, who is stared at, also seems to wander into his sister's gaze.

"What's wrong, Shemr?

When the concerned Ethereal Horse asked, Shemru leaked one sigh before saying, as he would say, "Oh man."

"If it's salt, there is."

A big twist goes up in that statement.

"Heck, it's a fang of glory! That's Zoan's secret living on the plains!

It was a gallam that rushed to blame Shemr, but it was like affirming the very existence of salt.

"What do you mean," fangs on fire "? Soma is one who will be king of the clan, even if he is. What do you need to hide in that soma!

Ask Galam, who clogs his sister's objections with words, if the Ethereal Horse really has salt. Gallum then even admitted while holding his forehead to say he had a headache.

"Naturally. We Zoan, we must not live without salt."

Exactly, if you ask me. Besides, the meal that was served when I was in the village of Fang Clan tasted like salt. Zoan, who had no deal with humans, had salt, so he should have gotten salt from somewhere else.

"But from where...?

Naturally, there is no sea in the Plains of Sorbiant. Yet the Ethereal Horse did not know how to obtain salt.

Gallum, who can no longer hide it, reveals it.

"I can pick it from the mountains, it's a salt stone"

"No way, rock salt?! You can pick rock salt!

The Donnas Mountains surrounding the Sorbiant Plains were created by the surface of the southern and western plates colliding on the central plates of the Serdeas continent. In the process, massive amounts of sea water trapped on land became huge rock salt layers, and Zoan and the others found something that came out near the surface due to crust fluctuations, making it a valuable source of salt.

"Mr. Gallam. How much is that? Can't you supply that rock salt to this city?

In response to a question that Ethereal Horse had hoped for, Gallum put his arms together for a while and thought about it before answering.

"I didn't actually see it either, but they say it's enough to feed Zoan on the plains for a thousand years"

I don't know the exact amount, but it seems to be quite something. Gallum stabbed the nail "but" at a pale horse who was happy that this would solve the salt problem.

"The salt stone is controlled by the [family of eyes]. It is not a matter that can be decided in my presence on this occasion. - But let's ask the witch-head to do it from me via Shunupa."

At Gallam's request, Shnupa had just sent a use to his family, and a short while later a quick reply was received from the witch's head.

At the same time, however, this was tentative and was accompanied by a message that he would like to meet and discuss it in person at the Zoan festival "Boloro", which will take place on the day of the next fall. But for the Ethereal Horse, who someday wanted to have a direct dialogue with the witch head, that was a ship offer across the street.

Anyway, the Ethereal Horse, whose purpose was to supply salt thanks to Zoan's rock salt, instructed Michena to refrain from selling wheat for a while.

But this only solved the salt problem. It's not like we were able to solve the lack of funds yet, due to the buying and beating of wheat in Jebor's Merchant Guild.

It is not enough, no matter how much money we have, to build our own forces.

Dwarves and others are struggling for me, especially at the request of Ethereal Horse, who wants to entertain a new industry in the land, but it will require enormous funds and resources.

But now we all had no idea how to make money in the city of Bornis without the products I said this yet, Ethereal Horse.

Although I visited Pioneering Village for this reason, the only problem that occupies the back of Ethereal Horse's brain was how to solve this lack of funding.

"Hey, Soma! Isn't that pipipi?

The Ethereal Horse, vaguely looking at the wheat fields with a difficult face, was called upon by Shemr to look up at the sky.

Then one bird was seen flying from the direction where the city of Bornis was located through the blue skies that exited. No, that's not a bird. It is a species Harpuran, supposedly born of birds by the god of birds.

"Dear Soma!

It was the girl with the same short hair of cobalt blue who landed on the ground with her arms powerfully twisted into cobalt blue, which became a shining wing. She looks like a young girl when a human sees her, but she is still a clean adult woman.

Her name is Pipi Tot Gigi. She is a woman who is currently the leader of seven harpuans under the Ethereal Horse.

Pipi said to the Ethereal Horse after making sure he lay down his big wings on the ground and gave his own thanks to Harpuran, who lay on one knee and drooped his head.

"Dear Soma. Lord Eladia wants you to return to the city as soon as possible."

The Ethereal Horse thought of the elf beauty that remained in the city of Bornis. As far as the Ethereal Horse knows, Eladia is a woman with a calm and calm atmosphere, not someone who imitates the noise without darkness. Ethereal horses thought this was not a good idea to come all the way over to tell them they wanted Pipi to hurry back to the city.

When asked what the hell had happened, Pipi stood up saying a word "excuse me," he lifted his right foot, roughly high, and stuck his toe in the slight gap between the clothes he had been able to forehead and his upper body.

Besides, the Ethereal Horse looks out for him unexpectedly, then hurries to turn his face aside.

That's not because I was surprised by Pipi's physical flexibility.

It is because of Harpuran's unique pedigree costume worn by Pipi.

Naturally, Harpuran's arms are big bird wings. For one thing, the wing angle (the protruding part of the joint where the wings fold) has a sharp hook-claw thumbnail, which is used to climb tall trees, cliffs, etc., and is powerful but not suitable for fine work. Also, the foot is the foot of a hook-clawed bird, so this one is similar or stopping by.

For this reason, Harpuran is really no better at handling tools or producing things than any other species.

Such a harpuans' pedigree costume is that they emptied a hole through their head in the middle of a wide, longitudinal cloth, draped the ends of the cloth in front of and behind their bodies, and tied them with a rope that was rounded around their hips. And, no matter what, underwear doesn't.

If you stick your foot in the pocket of such a racial costume, you naturally see its thin breasts.

All that or the parts of the cloth that hang in front of and behind the body are extremely short so as not to interfere with the tail feathers of the buttocks that spread during excretion or flight. For that reason, if you raise one leg like you do now, you will see it to a very difficult point.

Yet the Harpurans are indifferent to such things.

That's because Harpuran, who was not good at making things and had tropical habitats such as dense forests in the South, had no culture to say he would wear clothes in the first place. Due to increased contact with humans in recent years, they also began to wear clothes, but have yet to feel resistant to exposing themselves to nakedness.

"Master Soma? I'd like you to take this."

I was prompted by Pipi, who was cleverly standing on one leg, as I offered him something round the parchment I grabbed with my right leg, and the Ethereal Horse tried not to look down just to be, and received it.

But that's how they finally handed it to me, but of course the Ethereal Horse can't read the letters of this world. I turn to Shemr, who stands next to me looking for salvation, but she was also appealing to me to shake her head left and right in full and not be able to read the letters herself.

"Which. Lend it to me."

It was Marcronis, who was accompanying the inspection, who said so and received a letter from the pale horse. He led the squadron as an assistant squadron leader, so he could read and write letters to the extent that they were usually used.

Marcronis, who glanced at the texts written all the time, shouts a small and surprising voice, "Wow."

"A merchant who wants to help us is coming to the city."

That sounded gospel to the Ethereal Horse. At a time when funds were scarce, the merchants' offer of assistance was also tantamount precisely to salvation from heaven.

"Okay. Let's go back to the city now!

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆

"Welcome home, Master Soma"

Elf's beautiful princess Eladia had bothered to welcome the Ethereal Horse back to the city of Bornis in just a few minutes.

However, it appeared that the Ethereal Horse, which had descended from the carriage that Shemru manipulated, with two dragon-riding carriages, with this body (ho) before Eladia, could not even reply properly.

As was the case when he went to find out where to build the position just before the Bornis showdown, but apparently Shemr has a habit of running wild when he lets him hold the reins. Shemr, who took the Quran of the Ethereal Horse and said, "Hurry up," showed no less outrage than before.

To the pale horse, who was also in an irresistible state to reply to Eladia, whom he welcomed thanks, Eladia offered the water put in the wooden jar, as he had foreseen it.

Drinking that water and taking a breath, I finally had enough room for the Ethereal Horse to talk too.

"Mr. Eladia, did the merchant come?

"Yes, now we keep it between refrains"

That being said and just a gentle smile and a token of grace, Eladia is blessed with an eye catching elegance and grace.

"Okay. I'll get you ready in a minute, so please let me know while you look at it."

However, it was rare for Eladia and did not instantly answer the words of its pale horse.

She said that she felt serious when she wondered if she had put her finger on the thin one for a while.

"Dear Soma. Don't do that."

Even now, we keep our guests waiting a long time. Making people wait any longer for me to offer assistance because of this can make my heart certificate worse. The Ethereal Horse, who thought so and was in a hurry, looks at Eladia's face in surprise.

And Eladiah told him to teach.

"Even if Master Soma is the Lord of this Bornis. Don't let the Lord lightly meet visitors without any prior notice."

"But..."

The Ethereal Horse still doesn't think he's such a great person. Instead, he is a kind of person who feels ashamed or illuminated in such a reclining way. Either way, Eladia was also wondering what was in the mind of such a pale horse.

Eladia smiled flutteringly, as if the flowers were opening.

"We are well aware that Master Soma is one who does not like the void. We like that very much."

So change the tone to something harsh.

"But sometimes it's also important to put up such a void. That's not all that Soma can take lightly. Therefore, the righteousness of Master Soma will also be belittled."

To Eladia's words, the Ethereal Horse felt flat on the side. What she says is best.

"Mr. Eladia is right. - What should I do?

The Ethereal Horse honestly admitted his mistake and asked Eladia for advice.

This is the strength of the Ethereal Horse.

He doesn't think he's a good person. For that reason, if ignorance was pointed out, there was a measure of honesty in acknowledging it and accepting advice.

And Eladia narrows her eyes slightly so that she can see even the eyelids.

"So Master Soma is very busy, so let's stay in the hall today. Originally, I would welcome a dinner party hosted by Master Soma, but I think it would be better if you stopped for some reason as well."

It is the courtesy of the Lord of his house and territory to welcome guests who have deliberately visited from afar with a grand feast. But Eladia dares not to.

"It is also rude not to open a welcome feast at all. Therefore, I think it would be better to have a personal welcome feast and entertain Master Marcronis as an understudy."

"Wow, me?

Suddenly, Marcronis was surprised when he was given his name. He was in the former National Army of Holmea, only an assistant squadron leader with a grumpy civilian ascent. I never had the experience to entertain a guest.

But many human beings look down on the Fae as subhumans. If a merchant was such a person, it could be taken as an insult for a person of another race to merely deal with him. Then, so far, the Ethereal Horse faction did not have the right people to bring human guests. Other than Marcronis, it's Michena at best, but even more dangerous in her.

"Rest assured. Dear Marcronis, you can just hammer me properly. If anyone asks you anything, say, 'Ask me that, Master Soma, and I'll help you later.'

From Eladia's mouthfeel, Aoima realized that it wasn't just because she was a visiting guest without touching.

"Mr. Eladia. Could it be something?

"Yes, Master Soma. Something's bothering you."

And Eladia affirmed that pale horse's guess.

"I don't have any certainty, but I don't really see that man as a merchant."