Shall We Stop By
On the way to the capital after spending a night in Eminira—
“So this is where the new town is being built? It looks small, and I don’t hear any work going on,” Logan asked Meyer as he spurred his horse along.
“This area is for keeping a rare monster. The new town itself is about twenty minutes ahead.”
“A rare monster? What kind?”
“Varshe.”
“Varshe? You mean the one said to be a legend…” Logan fell silent.
“Varshe don’t like meeting people, so I can’t introduce you, but let’s at least stop by the new town,” I suggested.
“Wouldn’t it be better to hurry on ahead?”
“It’s fine. We should let Marcus and the others know about this too, so let’s stop.”
At the new town’s gate, a knight was standing watch. When he saw Logan and Thomas on horseback, he called out, “What’s this, you two rejoining the Knights Order?”
“They’re here because I asked them. Sorry, but could you let us through?”
“My apologies, Young Master Reinhardt. Please go ahead. Lord Ignart is also here.”
“Thanks for letting me know. I’ll go greet Grandfather as well.”
From deeper in, steam from the hot springs billowed upward.
“That steam will mark the center of this town.”
“Isn’t this town going to be as large as Eminira?”
“Maybe so. But it’ll have things you can’t find anywhere else, something unique that draws people here. I hope it becomes a place many will visit. First, let’s greet Grandfather.”
As we rode on, a manor came into view, with houses beginning to spring up nearby. We reached the manor, handed off the horses, and went inside. I asked the butler to take Logan and Thomas to the reception room, then went to Grandfather’s study.
“Grandfather, it’s Hardt. May I come in?”
“Come in. What brings you? Returning from Lux Village?”
“Yes. From here, I’m planning to head to Helios Village with Logan and Thomas.”
“Logan and Thomas are here too? I’ll see them,” he said, rising from his chair, and we went together to the reception room.
When Grandfather entered, the two men stood up from the sofa.
“It’s been a while. You both look well. I’ve heard about Lux Village’s growth. With Marcus and Logan managing things, I’ve felt at ease. Sorry to drag you along with my grandson’s selfishness this time.”
Grandfather… my selfishness? I thought this was good for the villages too.
“Not at all. Before long, we won’t be able to venture into the forest as often. A promising new venture is something to be grateful for.”
“I see. If you’re not in a hurry, take a dip in the hot spring. It’ll wash away your fatigue. Only here and the Westland manor can you enjoy such a bath.”
At Grandfather’s suggestion, we decided on the spot to spend the night in this town. Logan and Thomas chose to stay at the knights’ barracks instead of the manor, likely wanting to catch up with acquaintances.
As for me, I thought I’d take it easy in the baths with Atre and Lucas.
The next day, we set out for the capital.
“Man, those hot springs… I feel like all the tiredness is gone. I even bathed again this morning,” Logan said. Thomas nodded in agreement.
“See? Once the new town’s finished, you should bring your families here. The idea is to make it a place Westland’s people can easily visit for fun. Inns and meals will be reasonably priced, though there’ll be high-end lodgings too. I also plan to have carriages running daily from the capital and Eminira.”
“That sounds wonderful. Then we’ll work hard to make this venture succeed, so our villagers can take turns visiting.”
“Today we’ll be staying in the capital. You should meet the two beastkin living at the manor—they’ll be people you’ll be seeing often from now on.”
“They hold important posts in Helios Village, I take it. We’d be honored to meet them.”
What do you think about this chapter?
