Novel Name:

 

chapter: 184

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes.

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Passing a barrier

 

Since we were moving first thing in the morning again today, Coachman (Gyosha) and I both got up and had breakfast together. Around me, people who were probably in the same situation were having breakfast and leaving without it.

 

Then Camillo returned. He looks both refreshed and not so subtle.

 

「So, how did it go?」

 

I ask Camillo. Of course, we are not talking about the level of a whorehouse.

 

「Oh. I've corroborated some of the information. It'll determine which city they're in.」

 

「That's generally good information.」

 

「Just .......」

 

「Just?」

 

Camillo pulled an “I’m sorry” face at me and said in a hushed voice.

 

「It looks like the decision is coming a little quicker than I thought.」

 

「My goodness !」

 

「We'll talk later on the road.」

 

「Ah.」

 

After Camillo shovels down a meal at the inn, the three of us go outside together. Yesterday it was almost dark, so we could not see it clearly, but the mountain is showing its shape. The border should be in those mountains.

 

We got into the wagons and headed out of town for the border.

 

The horse-drawn carriage takes you along the only street that seems to be the only one in this area. There are no more forks in the road, and the mountain is getting closer and closer. By the looks of it, the city we stayed in yesterday is almost a front line base.

 

Eventually, the carriage arrives around the foot of the mountain. A wooden fence at what appears to be the border, and a reverse bush has been installed. Nearby is a stone fort from which one seems to be able to see into the surrounding area. A soldier with a bow on his back stands on what appears to be a viewing platform.

 

Horses were tethered to the perimeter of the fort. In an emergency, they would probably use that to chase or send a messenger.

 

Where the fence breaks off, there is a simple gate, which looks like a barrier in a period drama from a previous world. No, well, the actual function is a barrier.

 

The only difference is that the guards standing there are heavily armed, the flags around the fort and the gate with the Imperial coat of arms fluttering in the wind.

 

There was a line of people waiting for the transit check there. Normally, there should be a reasonable line of people passing from the imperial side to the kingdom side but there are few there. It looks like it's true that you are banned from leaving the country.

 

However, it seems that it is taking a lot of time to check the luggage to make sure that there are no hidden residents of the empire.

 

Normally, we would have to pass through here on the way back, but since neither Coachman nor Helen, not to mention Camillo and me are Imperial citizens we would probably be fine. I would like to be able to go there and back.

 

We get in line to enter the empire. The line gradually advanced and then it was our turn. The guards call out to us.

 

「State your purpose for entering the country.」

 

「I am a peddler and I am going to tour the city and do business. Here is the proof. 」

 

Camillo pulls a wooden bill from his pocket and hands it to the guard. The guard confirmed the content, nodded back to Camillo and now approached me.

 

「What about you?」

 

「I’m a blacksmith from the north named Yoshimitsu, I fix and Make things like sickles and hoes.」

 

「That's my business, too.」

 

Camillo takes over my explanation. Camillo said this would work but I have never experienced anything like this. I didn't travel abroad in my previous world either.

 

Just in case, my name is a pseudonym. However, I don't have a proper family register and even if I did, I don't have such a thing, so it's really just a precautionary measure.

 

「……」

 

The guard stares at me and I give him an affectionate smile, which I'm not very good at.

 

「Okay, you can come through.」

 

Bowing to the guards, inwardly relieved, the carriage began to move forward.

 

 

 

「Yeah, that was a near-miss.」

 

「This is the only free road here and the mountains are close enough to facilitate like that but other ones don't usually have them.」

 

「Is that so?」

 

「What do you think the city has exterior walls and gates for?」

 

「I see, indeed.」

 

There is the fence too, but it function as the barrier that is on an occasion. The real function seems to be to detect an invasion from the kingdom here, stall it, buy time, and call for reinforcements by sending fast horses to hold out in the meantime.

 

However, it is not impossible to bypass this fort. By taking the risk of crossing the mountains, it is possible to go from the empire to the kingdom and vice versa without passing through the barrier. In fact, some may have tried to do so. I have no way of knowing what happened.

 

「So how's that intel working out for you?」

 

When the street was empty, I asked Camillo.

 

「The whorehouse girl told me that in the last few days, many "peddlers just like me" have passed through here.」

 

「So you were talking about how it might hasten the uprising.」

 

「Yes.」

 

「But won't the empire be suspicious if weapons suddenly start coming in?」

 

「Because that's part of it. If we finish up before the Empire's investigation is over, we can catch them off guard.」

 

「I see.」

 

I'm not a big fan of these schemes. In my previous world, I had no desire at all to get ahead. I wonder if I should have read the Chief's comic book about being reincarnated as a Knight Commander.

 

「So, I'm sorry to break it to you but I know the city they in and I'm going to try to get there as much as possible today without staying in the city. We need a break, so we'll be out in the field. 」

 

「Okay.」

 

「I'm sorry. Hey. 」

 

When called upon, coachman-san nodded and put the whip in the horse. Thanks to the suspension system, the carriage in which we were riding was going along the streets at a very good speed, even at a slightly higher speed.

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