Ardis decided to accept the offer, while looking at Marida's story as if she was planning something.
Ardis and Michelle can't just move around to get a lot of food.
It is not the same as procuring condiments and the like in a mostly self-sufficient hideout.
To ensure the amount of food that 3,000 people eat every day, some sort of organized sourcing route is absolutely necessary, but Ardis now has nothing but a marida chamber of commerce.
The price of food will be set aside for six months, and the purchase of heavy iron ore will also be underwritten, which is a bad condition.
Given the time it takes to transport food through the gate, Aldis cannot afford to do this alone.
Well, that's what this is all about.
The story came to an end without much trouble.
The duration of the escort is ten days.
That's why Ardis can't be held for long.
But it is also true that maridas take some time to procure food.
In addition, it is not today or tomorrow that we plan to bring food in and out at the same time as the Lorna we left in Glock Village.
In any case, it was necessary to stay in Lattin for a few days, so there was nothing wrong with that.
Nicole, the guard behind the marida, reached out to Aldis as he saw the story coming together.
Nice to meet you, Aldis. If you were here, it would be easier for me. "
Aldis, who also held his hand, asked just in case.
"Are you serious?
"No, it's a wish."
I guess so.
We pulled back, laughing bitterly at each other.
When Marida asks for something like this, there's no doubt that dreams are involved.
Both Ardis and Nicole have abandoned the meaningless prospect that nothing will happen during the escort period.
"Come on, you. You're as old as ever. How old are you this year?
I don't know, I don't know myself.
"The first time you saw me... eight years ago? Sure, it only seemed like a rush back then... I don't think it's been eight years."
"I'm often told. But you shouldn't talk like that in front of a woman. I can't do that because every time I talk about a sorceress I know, I get involved."
Remembering a sorcerer named Orpheria who is sensitive to the topic of his age, the only female marida on the scene lays down in a conversation between two people from the side.
"Mr. Ardis? Are you implying that I'm getting older?
Ardis blamed Nicole, staring at him with strange pressure.
Look at that.
"Ha ha ha, I see."
"Ny-ko-lu?"
"Don't worry, miss. No matter how old she is, she's beautiful now. Unexpectedly enough to want to take it away and be my wife."
Nicole laughed at her, but then Marida made her ears red in the words that came out of her mouth.
"Nh....! Nicole... what are you doing...?!
Nicole waves another topic to Ardis with such a marrida.
"Well, where are you hiding now?
"Hiding... Well, I live in a surrounding village."
The foundation of Ardis' life is still in the hideout at the foot of Mount Canovis.
Grock Village is also frequently visited, but Ardis will not interfere except for food support.
The village of Glock has already formed an autonomous organization that brings together refugees.
At the centre are the guards and servants of the Duke of Nyerestelia, led by Moore.
Among the pioneer representatives who originally lived in the village of Glock, Elmer, who was seconded from the hideout as the representative of the clergy, and the refugees who came from the King's City and the Nilesterian Territorial Capital, there were also promising people and people who held public positions.
Among them was the owner of the Seragi Pavilion, which Aldis had made a permanent residence in King's Landing.
The owner of the saragi pavilion is also Merrill's father, who is a sign daughter.
When I found my father and daughter among the refugees for the first time in two years, Ardis felt a strange nostalgia.
It seems that when the King's Landing fell, the Minervas helped him and Salte healed his father's wounds.
Aldis himself does not intend to interfere in the operation of the village of Glock.
The only two demands were to welcome Elmer as a priest and to create a warehouse where villagers would not be allowed to enter for food.
"Hmm, I see. If there's anything you need to know, just let me know. Calvus has a bit of a tightness. I think we can do something about citizenship."
"Calvus? Union of Cities and Nations?
Oh, I'm from Calvus.
Calvus is the largest population and military city in the Union of Cities.
Economically, it is a top-headed city state and a leading ally of the federation.
However, it is located on the west side of the continent, and the Church is more influential than Lattin.
It will be difficult for Ardis, who has been made an enemy of the church, to live in peace.
"Okay, I'll remember that. I might ask you for something."
Nevertheless, Ardis returned an unmistakable answer, saying that it would not be necessary to be generous.
"Oh, leave it to me."
Thus, Ardis arrived at Marida's escort after the 10-day deadline.
"Charles"
During the escort period, Ardis was assigned a room on the second floor of the Chamber of Commerce.
Late in the night when people slept, Aldis opened the window of the room and called out the name of the slug and the girl.
"I'm here."
Words that come back from the darkness are as short as they are defeated.
Then came a girl dressed like a town girl, everywhere.
Without making you feel like this is the second floor of the building, you enter the room flat across the window frame.
"Did you find anything delicious in the stall?
"... the pie wrap of rabbit meat was exquisite. And the noodles on the Oriental Spice Soup are quite delicious."
I see. I'll have to eat it during my stay at Lattin's. "
Aldis is intrigued by the recommendations of a girl who has gourmet strangely in the past two years, laughing bitterly at the taste of Charles.
"So, how well does Lattin know about the Empire?
"I'm vigilant. But on alert, the original force is too different. There's a strong view that you can't win if you're attacked."
Well, that's true.
So far, the Empire has not extended its hand beyond the kingdom.
It occupies a vast area of the coast, including the King's Landing, except around independent Tria.
Growing enemies meaninglessly is bad from both sides of the political spectrum, and even if we win, we can't afford to maintain the occupied territories.
For the time being, the Empire should give priority to incorporating and stabilizing the territory of the former Nagras kingdom into its own country.
However, it is an undeniable fact that the expectation perhaps includes the aspirations of the Aldis.
There is no guarantee that the victorious Empire will not enter the Union of Cities.
The suspicion aroused when Marida asked Aldis to escort her this time.
"Can you check on the assumption that the Empire will attack?
"What are you doing?
"Lattin's defensive posture and vigilance network. And whether the royal nobles are ready for the night escape."
Running away at night?
"If you know you can't win, you'll try to escape when it's time. How well prepared we are to find out about Lattin's ability to gather information."
"... we can't all do it."
"You just have to watch a few high-ranking nobles with a lot of bad reputation."
"Okay."
Suddenly Charles nodded his gaze toward the wooden door, the entrance to the room.
Aldis looks at the same, but we've noticed the presence of humans approaching the room a long time ago.
The small sound of footsteps stopped in front of the door, and the tongue and knock echoed inside the room.
With a gesture to stop Charles from leaving, Ardis said, "It's open," floating a magical light near the ceiling.
"I'm sorry I'm resting. Let me ask you something....."
The person who opened the door saw Charles and cut off his voice.
"What's wrong, Nicole?
"Ah, no... What, my mistake? Are you sure you're taking it in?
"I don't know what you're mistaken for, but this one's with me. His name is Charles. They followed me to Lattin to gather information."
"Ahh... is that what this is all about?... uh, is that okay?
Once convinced, Nicole asks Aldis again.
"It doesn't matter. Charles is familiar with Marida, and she's been moved apart from the guards."
"Then you should tell your daughter from the beginning. It would be a waste of money for the inn."
"I wonder what kind of kettle I would use instead of the inn because it's about marida."
That's true, too.
Nicole, who is familiar with the character of Marida, understands just that.
"So, what do you want to hear?
"Ah, that's all I need to hear from you."
Perhaps Nicole wanted to hear about the man who broke into Aldis's room, that is, Charles.
By uncovering who Ardis was without the intention of hiding it, the matter itself was lost in the first place.
"That's not why you're here, young lady. I'm Nicole. It'll be a short while, but thank you."
"I don't plan on making faces in the future."
Charles returns an unfriendly reaction to Nicole, who made friendly contact.
Wow, I'm bored.
Nicole shrugs her shoulders deliberately.
Well then, I'll do it. Sorry I'm late at night. "
Turning his back just as he was done, he closed the door and walked away with one hand raised.
The next day, Aldis accompanied Marida to the central market in Lattin.
The price is rising subtly.
As Marida says, the value of various products, including groceries, is rising.
Of course, the impact would be small compared to the territory of the Empire, which would have procured supplies from the country to invade, and the territory of the former Nagras kingdom, which became a battlefield, but the value was certainly rising even though it was not even 10%.
"Can I see it's still going up?
That's right. Until the chaos in the old kingdom subsides, the upward trend will continue! "
Marida continues at her usual pace to Aldis, who is about to slap her tongue.
"Well, if you finish the escort properly, I won't be relieved because we'll cover the price increase."
It's going to be a lot of money, okay?
What the marida is asking for as a price for food is one hundred and eighty gold coins for a month.
But now that the market price continues to rise, it is expected that the difference will be quite large if it is three months or five months away.
If you succeed, you will end up in a deficit.
Good, good, good.
"I don't know what I can do...."
Marida is a merchant.
He is also a veteran who has been cutting up large stores in Lattin for many years.
Until she swallowed the enormous financial burden, she asked for Ardis' escort.
That meant that Marida was expecting difficulties or enemies that would require Ardis' skill.
It is possible that Lattin will be exposed to an invasion of the Empire.
But the other day, he didn't intend to defy the Empire from the front.
If so - you may want to say that you can protect not only lives, but also the Chamber itself, including assets and employees.
Five days have passed since the purpose was left unclear.
After all, the fire came suddenly without warning.
From Lattin's point of view, convoys raided the coast to the south and soldiers landed one after the other.
They started marching in formation and headed north.
The number is about 5,000.
But it wasn't the Empire's flag that the army was flying for Lattin.