”Alice, did you get your answer?”
I asked Alice through the cage.
Alice looked me right in the eye and nodded.
”Yes. I still haven’t decided if I want to serve you or not, but I want to be …… free.”
”I see.”
”So you’ve made up your mind to stand on your own feet for now.”
”Then you must tear the chains off your own hands.”
”…… Yes.”
”The chains: ……”
”I have to kill Aldo.”
”Muzio. I’d like to give you something in return.
I went to Muzio and asked him.
He said he didn’t need anything, but that would mean that our country was ungrateful.
The Equus must have sacrificed a few lives.
”It’s really okay,” he said. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be king. …… Well, if I had to say anything, I’d say expanding trade.”
”Trade. …… Okay, okay.”
The demand for woolen goods and horses is growing in our country.
Expanding trade is in the interest of both parties.
”Anything I can do, just let me know.”
”Okay. …… I want a slave.”
”Slaves?”
”Why do you want slaves?”
The industry of the Equus people is nomadic.
”I don’t think slaves are necessary. ……”
”The Gauls are good at weaving, aren’t they? I think the main industry of the Roselle Kingdom, in particular, was woolen cloth. If you have any soldiers who were engaged in the woolen industry, give them to me. Yeah, I’ll pay you.”
All right. If there are any, I’ll hand them over to you. I don’t need the money. ……
It’s called “repaying.”
”Well, I’m not going to force you to do anything if you refuse to do so.”
”It’s not like I’m going to lose money on it.”
”But woolen cloth. ……”
It’s true that it’s more profitable to turn wool into fiber and then sell it after it’s been processed into products than to sell it directly.
It’s a good idea to develop an industry that you’re good at, rather than getting involved in agriculture.
There’s one more thing.
”What?”
Muzio said with a serious face.
You know the Lupus and the Alice, don’t you? I don’t have the power to do that right now, so I’m just going to fight them off. …… In the not too distant future, I’m going to give them the boot. And when I do, I need your help.
”All right. Okay, until then, we will strengthen our cavalry. It’s not good to rely on you guys all the time. Export horses, please.”
”All right. I want you to export ironware from your side.”
Muzio and I shook hands firmly.
I was wondering if you were going to tell me about the …… stirrups.
Well, you don’t have to ask me.
Stirrups have gotten a lot of publicity in this war.
Maybe in ten years, all the cavalry on the Adelnian Peninsula will be using stirrups.
I can’t help it, though, technology is what it is.
After the meeting with Muzio, I returned to the camp and found Ialu there.
He had finally returned from King Faldum’s country.
”Ialu! You’ve done well.
I praised him.
There were three things that Ialu had accomplished.
Turning King Zordias’ country against King Evil’s country.
To make King Faldum’s country declare war on the Kingdom of Rozel.
To make King Gilbed’s country declare war on the Kingdom of Rozel.
If it weren’t for Ialu, we wouldn’t have been able to get through this siege.
”Your achievement is first-rate. You will be rewarded with a medal.
That’s it! Thank you very much. But is that okay? I didn’t defeat the enemy general. ……”
”It’s okay. War is not only about killing each other.”
”There are also battles that don’t use weapons.”
”It is more important to fight such battles.”
”We are righteous and our enemies are evil.”
”It’s important to advertise that.”
I want you to come with me.
I understand. I will live up to the king’s expectations.
How are you feeling, Prince Carlo?
Well, not bad. …… Well, it’s depressing to think about the future rebuilding of the country. The plundering of Rozel kingdom has ravaged the land.
Carlo gave a bitter smile.
It will take a lot of hard work to rebuild the tattered land in the future.
To be honest, I feel a little sorry for them.
I still think that war should not be brought within the country.