Chapter 106: On the way

The wagons on which the subjugation team is riding on goes out of the Capital through the main street of the city. It’s not done so as to appeal to the people but because it is the only street which is wide enough to let big wagons pass through. With a glimpse outside of the carriage, I saw the usual variety of races seeing off the convoy from the roadside with eyes that were neither full of admiration nor contempt. Hopefully they’ll be greeted with applause and praise when they return.

The wagon went on a road that is in a different direction from the way towards the city. The ride is very uncomfortable. The younger ones, Matis, Martin and Boris seemed to be doing well but the older ones, Sandro and I, could only complain about our lower backs and butts. Miss Frederica also grumbles that her butt hurts. I wonder if there is also a concept of sexual harassment in this world… Anyway, I didn’t dare hold her because it could be considered as sexual harassment. I should prepare a cushion or something like that later on.

We had a short break before the sun passed midpoint. We hurriedly got out of the wagon and did some stretching. I heard a cracking sound in my lower back. It is quite painful. As there was a river nearby, we fetched water by ourselves. There are already many soldiers in the river. Some of them were washing their faces downstream.

Marius and his men can be seen upstream. It seems that they too, are having a hard time traveling in a horse-drawn wagon with chains tightly pulling the passenger cabin. He is constantly rubbing around his waist. I wonder if it would be better if the wagons had leaf springs. Well, it’s not in my intention to spread that, comparing the previous world and this world, the first one is one with advanced technology after all.

I went back to the wagon, took some dried meat out of the luggage and nibble on it. I’m not going to do any physical activity today so I can just chew on this slowly to quench my hunger. That should be enough to last me until dinner. The others also did the same outside the wagon. However, Miss Frederica, who is currently inside the wagon, is not eating. She is flipping through something, perhaps she’s looking over the inventory of the supplies.

“Will you not eat? You may get car sickness in the wagon so it’s better if you eat something. If you’re too hungry, your head won’t work that well either.”

“I forgot to bring mine.”

When I asked her, Miss Frederica just answered that and she did not say anything else.

“Is this your first time in this kind of work?”

“Yes. I usually calculate tax withholding.”

Generally, a desk work huh. It looks like she’s still young so I guess she didn’t think much of it. I took another piece of dried meat and offered it to Miss Frederica.

“Young people have to eat properly.”

“No, that’s… Eizou-san’s consumption arrangement will be messed up you know.”

“I’ve already took it out. Besides, I also brought some extra so it’s fine. Feel free to take it.”

Miss Frederica was still reluctant, but when I firmly recommended it again, she said, “Thanks then”. She looks like a squirrel chewing on it slowly. She nibbled on it for a while and then her eyes opened wide.

“It’s a dried meat but it’s delicious!”

“Well, it is a special product of my Eizou workshop you see.”

I smiled and replied to Miss Frederica, who cried out in admiration. In fact, the dried meat I brought this time is not only salted but pepper was also added on it. The dried meat is specially made from the black forest’s deer meat. If I were to sell it, it will surely fetch a good price. But since I am a blacksmith, I have no plans on selling it and it will be for our consumption only. I ate mine while watching Miss Frederica happily chewing on the dried meat.

After a little less than an hour break, we boarded the wagons and then we proceeded on our way again. I don’t feel that good but I could endure it until evening. After half a day has passed, we started talking more, perhaps because the initial tension between us has now disappeared. Right now we are having a conversation about each other’s job. It seems that Sandro-oyasan and his men are running a large restaurant in the Capital. He was laughing when he said that they would give me better food if I went there. I asked him if it was okay for him to take a week off from work, he said that the other store will help him for a while. I can somehow see oyasan’s popularity.

Matis seems to be one of several groom in the Eimurl family. He usually takes care of the horse on which Marius is riding today. It seems that the old man, Matis’ superior, is dedicated to this expedition. In his usual slow tone, he said that he had been there before Matis came so it was only natural that he should be in charge.

Miss Frederica, as she said earlier, is involved in a tax-related job. She is not a tax collector, but her job involves in the collection of taxes. It’s completely a desk work to be exact. It seems that she was instructed by her superior to join here when they were discussing about the formation of the subjugation team. The chain of command is under Marius, but the country manages it. The materials for the subjugation team are provided by the country as well. And since there will be disbursements for the materials, it would be inconvenient for the commander to manage it directly.

As for me, I said that I am just a blacksmith living in a remote area. That I wholesaled my goods to Camilo’s store and I came here with his help. Well, if I said that I was invited directly by Marius, I will no longer be considered as a ‘normal’ blacksmith.

Long before the sun went down, we found a suitable place to camp so we decided to camp there today. Soldiers unload the luggage from the wagons loaded with tents and stove. Sandro-oyasan and the others are also in charge of setting up the stoves while Miss Frederica manages the consumption of ingredients. Matis took care of the horses that were tired from pulling the wagons the whole day, and each of them appears to be busy in each of their own works.

I was the only one who had nothing to do. I thought about helping them but if I didn’t do it well, I would just get in their way so I just went to the horse that had eaten the fodder and finished drinking water.

“We got nothing to do huh……”

“Brrrr…”

We watched such scene together.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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