Novel Bin Chapter 35
While rocking at the walking Rata’s back, Kazura put his feet on the Rata’s side to balance himself . Thanks to the saddle he wouldn’t fall down, but since there was no stirrup, it was hard to brace his feet . If he would be riding like this for a long period of time, then it would be quite tiring . 「Kazura-sama, if riding in the Rata is unpleasant for you, then we will quickly prepare the wagon for you, so do not hesitate to inform us . 」(Havel) Havel, who led the reins, made an immediate response to Kazura’s words and forwarded a proposal to him . However, what he meant by preparing the wagon, was by making the soldiers carry the tent and supplies themselves . If Kazura replied, “prepare the wagon!” They would surely execute this order, but there was no doubt that the soldiers would look at him with cold eyes . Compared to that, although it was more or less tiring, jolting atop of the Rata’s back seemed much more comfortable . 「Ah, no, it is fine like this...... Umm, but there is something that I want to know . 」(Kazura) While softly refusing Havel’s proposition, Kazura took this conversational opportunity to ask several question for Havel . 「Yes, you can ask me anything . 」(Havel) Havel, who was pulling the Rata’s rein, looked up to Kazira with a sociable smile . While having a somewhat good impression of him, Kazura continue his talk . 「Previously, I had heard that all off Arcadia is suffering from a large scale drought, but is there any other problem in this country besides food shortage?」(Kazura) Although Isaac and Havel only entreated Kazura to help them relieve the severe famine, there wouldn’t be any harm to know beforehand if there were any other major problems . On the occasion that Isteria’s feudal lord, Nelson, acknowledged that Kazura was Greysior, then it would be inevitable that he would be consulted not only about the famine but also about other problems . In that case, to have some understanding about the domestic situation so that he could think of some countermeasure might be not something bad either . 「Other problems beside food shortage... Sometimes, heavy floods happened and caused a big problem . Every year, we lifted up prayers and offerings to Suipsior-sama and request him so that the flood won’t happened, however the difference between when the wishes were heard and when it didn’t were very extreme . We not only pray to Suipsior-sama, but we also maintain the river so the damage from the flood wouldn’t increase, but it would be useless when the heavy rain fall . 」(Havel) Hearing Havel’s story, Kazura recalled the story about flood that Valetta told him before . In Valetta’s story, at the rainy seasons, the river would be overflowed and a flood would happen, but this occurrence seemed to not be limited only to Grisea Village . For the flood to be a major problem inside Arcadia, then that means that the flood control technology was undeveloped so they couldn’t successfully formulate a countermeasure for it . To lift up prayers and give offerings to the god of water, Suipsior, to deal with the condition, was, to Kazura, a useless unscientific countermeasure, however this was the norm of this world . 「Flood, is it? . . . . . . This is really a big problem . Is there still any other problem?」(Kazura) 「Yes, other than the flood, there is a strange disease that broke out amongst the sailors......」(Havel) Thus, while Kazura was in the middle of travelling to Isteria he heard many things from Havel who lead the reins . His head was filled with preparation for the countermeasures of the various problems that occurred in the Arcadia . ✦✧✦✧
Kazura received explanation from Havel about the various problems that were occurred in Arcadia while rocking atop the Rata for 4 hours . The unit that Isaac commanded had stopped marching to pitch the tents . The sun had greatly slanted in the sky, maybe in 2 hours the darkness would soon envelop everything . While en route, they had several 10 minute breaks interposed between travel, however since Kazura was always atop the Rata, he grumbled that his buttocks hurts . After Havel helped him get down from the Rata, Kazura stretched his waist while rubbing his buttocks . Valetta, who followed behind him, approached him together with Valin and give him a leather canteen with water . 「Kazura-san, you must be tired . Here, please drink some water . 」(Valetta) 「Thank you very much . Riding a Rata is surprisingly tiring......」(Kazura) Kazura, who was completely exhausted after riding for a long time, gave his thanks to Valetta as he received the canteen and gulped down the water . At Kazura’s surroundings, the soldiers unloaded the tent and cooking implements from the wagon and then began to make camp preparation in a hurry . 「Kazura-sama, it is about the meal......」(Havel) Waiting until Kazura finished drinking the water and had a breather, Havel, who was waiting beside him, began to address Kazura . 「We are deeply sorry, but the only things that we can provide right now are just bread and dried meat from the provisions for marching . We are humbly asking for forgiveness, since the meal is something that similar with the soldiers . . . 」(Havel) 「Ah, I do not really mind by that . Thank you for your work . 」(Kazura) Kazura replied with a smile towards Havel who submit the report with an apologetic tone . Kazura himself thought that this was an opportunity to taste what was called army’s food . Rather than worrying about the quality of the meal, his curiosity of what kind of food was consumed by the army of this world was greater . 「Thank you very much . Then, I too will go help preparing the camp, Kazura-sama and his group please wait a moment in this place . 」(Havel) Havel spoke so and joined the nearby soldiers to begin setting the camp . Kazura’s group then needed to wait until the soldiers finished setting up the camp . 「This is the first time I eat an army’s food, but to even get furnished with bread and dried meat, the army seems to get a preferential treatment for the food . 」(Kazura) While seeing Havel setting up the tent, Kazura expressed his thought . Valetta and Valin also nodded for it . When they stayed at the lodging house previously, the meal at that place was only an ultra thin soup with little vegetable on it . Compared to it, the army’s food was a feast . Of course, it might be a mistake to compare the meal from that place with the army’s, but even by noting it, the food contents that Havel mentioned before was still quite lavish . To be able to eat bread and meat, this was very much different from what peasants usually eat .
「When I was in the army in the past, they indeed provide bread but they never provide dried meat even once . This unit’s soldiers are nobles’ sons, so they might be getting preferential treatment . 」(Valin) 「Eh? So you mean this unit’s soldiers are all nobles?」(Kazura) With an expression that this was the first time his ear picked up the word “nobles”, Kazura asked back to Valin . Valin and Valetta had noticed the ornamentation on the soldiers’ short sword . They had noticed from the first time the soldiers arrived at Grisea Village that they were nobles, but Kazura who lacked such background knowledge didn’t notice even a bit . Well, Valin and Valetta didn’t inform Kazura that the soldiers were nobles and Kazura had not even thought in the slightest that all the soldiers were nobles . 「Yes, from the family crest on the ornament on their short sword that the soldiers carried in their waist, we judged that they are nobles . Since the noble soldiers are the subordinate of Isaac-san and Havel-san, then I believe that they are all nobles with higher rank than the soldiers . 」(Valetta) Hearing Valetta’s explanation, Kazura shifted his gaze towards the short sword that the soldiers wore on their waist . Then after watching carefully, surely there was a gorgeous ornament hanging down from their short sword, each ornament was different from one soldier to another . 「Who could expect it...... I completely didn’t notice it . Even if they are nobles they joined with the military, furthermore there are a lot of people training as a soldier . 」(Kazura) 「They are indeed soldiers, but the soldiers of this unit are regarded as commander candidates . I heard that they will gain experience in this unit for several years, then they will be the commander for the troops gathered in their own territory, or serve as the commander for the army possessed by the House of Istelle . 」(Valin) While hearing the explanations from Valin, Kazura nodded “I see . ”To sum it in other words, this unit was something like a gathering of military cadet . If this was true then the content of the food being somewhat generous was a natural course of event . Afterwards, the soldiers who carried Kazura’s luggage, like the carry case, arrived and placed them near Kazura, but no soldiers were especially talking with Kazura’s group . Kazura’s group themselves were chatting about the recent situation of Arcadia while observing what happened around them . Kazura’s group was talking for about 1 hour . The sun that was shining in the sky, had touched the horizon and its body sunk down below it . As expected, Kazura also felt that 「It seemed to take quite a long time」, but just as he thought about this, the tents finally began to stand one by one . At the same time, they began to prepare the meal for dinner, so there was a delicious scent of something being cooked wafting through the air . 「Kazura-sama, we are sorry to make you wait for so long . Your tent has been prepared, so please let me guide you to it . 」(Isaac) Thereupon, from amongst the working soldiers, Isaac, who had a tired expression on his face, came towards Kazura . Kazura somewhat noticed, after seeing the soldiers’ working appearance, that the soldiers in this unit weren’t really all that skilled . If Kazura observed the soldiers’ face, everyone were still young, there was no one who looked older than Isaac . Although he didn’t knew in detail, but Kazura conjectured that the soldiers that belonged to this unit might be newly assigned as commander candidates . 「I understand . Can Valin and Valetta also join with me?」(Kazura) Kazura asked a question towards Isaac who tried to guide him . Isaac thought for a moment before he gave a quick glance towards Valin and Valetta, who were beside Kazura, and quickly began to talk . 「...... Yes . If it is what Kazura-sama wish for, then I will surely make preparation for it . 」(Isaac) Kazura nodded to Isaac’s answer and so he took his carry case from the ground .