“I was surprised. You’re a great swordsman for a frontier Captain of the Guard. Your skills could rival those of a knight serving an influential aristocrat.”
“Well, the Captain of the Guard was originally a knight from an influential aristocratic family.”
“Hey, don’t say unnecessary things.”
Al spoke to Chuck, who had fought valiantly. In response, a nearby guard spoke up, and Chuck hurriedly intervened to stop him.
“Is something the matter?”
Caro said to Chuck.
“Do I have to answer?”
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
Chuck asked Caro.
“Well, it’s not something I need to hide, but actually…”
Chuck began to speak.
“Originally, I was a knight serving a certain upper aristocrat. However, I got involved in what you might call an affair with the noble’s wife. When that came to light, I was banished. I ended up in this town, and since I didn’t have any particular job, I started working as a guard, and before I knew it, I had become the Captain of the Guard.”
“I believe adultery is unforgivable, but you’ve been through a lot.”
“I appreciate you saying that.”
Caro offered words of sympathy to Chuck’s story.
“But the amazing thing about the Captain of the Guard is that his current wife is the woman who was that noble’s wife.”
“Hey, don’t say unnecessary things!”
The previous guard spoke up, and Chuck, looking embarrassed, made him stop.
“That’s amazing.”
Caro said, looking surprised.
After that kind of exchange, Kent and his companions decided to enter the guardhouse and convey their purpose for this visit.
“Actually. The reason we came here this time is that we heard that you weren’t coordinating well with the Mayor and others, so we came to confirm the details.”
“I see, so that’s what it is. Following the Lord’s decree, we have improved our attitude towards the citizens, but we received no instructions regarding coordination. If the Deputy Lord could mediate, I don’t think there would be any problem?”
As Kent got to the main point, Chuck replied. From the guards’ perspective, it seemed they had not been coordinating as before because they had not received any instructions.
“Understood. In that case, it seems easy to deal with. As long as I am here, there should be no problem with coordination, but further discussions will be necessary for the future.”
“That will be fine.”
The discussion between Kent and Chuck ended, and Kent and his companions left the guardhouse and went out into the town.
“It seems a little more lively than the last time we were here.”
“Yes. With the abolition of the entry tax, people can enter the town more freely, so I think that has created a flow of people. However, unless there are goods that can only be obtained in this town, it will be difficult to increase the number of people beyond this.”
As Caro said, this town is located off the main road, and travelers and merchants do not stop by on their way to their destinations. If people don’t have a specific reason to visit this town, it is difficult to increase the overall numbers.
“I want to say let’s build a hot spring facility… but I used that idea last time…”
“Huh? A hot spring facility? I love baths. Let’s definitely build one.”
Caro reacted to Kent’s casual remark. If there were natural hot springs, it would be fine, but if they had to dig, they had no tools, and even with Kent’s terminal, excavation was impossible.
“Sorry… it might be a little impossible. Let’s think of something else.”
“What a shame. I thought Kent would be able to do something…”
Caro looked very disappointed.
Perhaps out of habit, Kent and his companions unconsciously walked into a bakery.
“Welcome.”
There were a few customers in the store, and the shopkeeper said while attending to them.
“Kent, the prices are much lower than the last time you were here.”
“That’s true. If they lower it this much, won’t they make a profit?”
The last time they visited this bakery, the flat bread was sold for 120 G, but this time it was less than half price at 40 G. Based on his brief experience managing a bakery, Kent immediately noticed the unusual price difference.
“I believe it was sold for 120 G the last time I was here, but why is it 40 G now?”
Kent asked the shopkeeper, as it seemed impossible to sell at a lower price than Tiol’s town just because distribution costs had decreased.
“Actually, the price of flour has plummeted… or rather, it was brought in in such large quantities that they were willing to take it for free. It seems that the flour produced in this town was intended to be supplied to Tiol’s Flour Union, but their plans fell through, and all of it remains in stock. The farmers have enough to eat and a large surplus left after deducting their taxes. Since flour has no other use besides making bread, there were no buyers, so they decided that rather than discard it…”
“That’s a waste.”
Caro said after listening to the shopkeeper’s story.
“Kent, can’t something be done?”
“Is flour not used for anything other than making bread?”
“Well, I’ve never heard of it being used for anything else.”
Hearing the shopkeeper’s answer, Kent was once again prompted to think about the extremely poor handling of flour in this world.
“Flour is a versatile ingredient…”
“Oh, really? This is the first time I’ve heard that.”
When Kent spoke, Caro looked surprised.
“You might not have noticed because you’ve only had finished products, but…”
Kent taught Caro about the many dishes that use flour, which he had introduced before.
“I’ve eaten various things without realizing it…”
Caro seemed to be in a state of mild shock. Then, they bought some bread sold for lunch and left the store.
The three of them sat down in an empty spot in the town square, and Kent and Caro observed the flow of people while nibbling on the bread they had just bought. Al had been silent for a while, slowly drinking mineral water.
“Al, you haven’t said a word since just now, is your stomach hurting?”
“No, it’s not like that. On the contrary, I feel more energetic by basking in the sun?”
“Is that like photosynthesis?”
“Yes, photosynthesis.”
Kent, who was worried, spoke to Al.
“Kou-gou-sei… what is that?”
Caro asked, looking puzzled. Kent went on to explain photosynthesis to Caro in detail, how plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen by absorbing sunlight. Incidentally, Al, having absorbed Kent’s knowledge and skills during their contract, understood without needing an explanation from Kent.
“Is that so? So, oxygen is needed to burn things. And plants play such an important role. Then, is it not good to cut down trees and develop indiscriminately?”
“That’s right. However, even when developing, it is possible to coexist by planting trees along with it, so I think it’s best to plan carefully.”
“I see, that’s helpful.”
Caro took notes so as not to forget the previous conversation.
After a light meal, Kent and his companions looked around at the shops, investigated prices, and decided to return to the Mayor’s house.
