The Klein Kingdom contingent gasped as they witnessed Fritz’s speed, having cut down four sheepa in the blink of an eye. Even the female knights, who had been somewhat intimidated by his massive frame—standing 190 centimeters tall and weighing 96 kilograms—were no exception.
"...Lord Fritz is wonderful," they whispered among themselves.
Gloria could only offer a wry smile as she overheard her subordinates’ chatter. Her own interest, however, lay in the longsword hanging at his side. Spurring her horse forward to pull alongside him, she wasted no time in asking about the weapon.
"Lord Fritz, that is quite the sword you have there."
Fritz took the compliment to mean his swordsmanship. "Ah, the knights of the Shouro Empire prioritize mounted combat, you see."
"No, I meant the blade itself..."
"Hmm?"
Gloria candidly explained that she was struck by its incredible sharpness.
"Haha, is that all? This longsword isn't anything special. What you saw just now... well, I just hacked through them with raw strength."
"N-No, even so, a blade would normally bend or snap if it didn't have exceptional durability."
"...Is that how it works?" Fritz looked genuinely puzzled.
"Lord Fritz, have you never broken a sword before?"
He answered without a moment's hesitation. "Never."
"What..."
Gloria was stunned into silence. She had broken many swords over the years—more than a dozen, in fact. She had snapped them during training and shattered them in battle against magical beasts. Of course, most of those had been dull, low-quality blades, but still.
"If you don't mind, I would like to take a closer look at your sword later."
"Sure, I don't mind at all."
Satisfied with his response, Gloria eased her horse back to her original position in the middle of the column. Bringing up the rear was the expedition leader, Captain Bernardo.
The adjutant pulled up beside the returning Gloria. "Vice-captain, you and Lord Fritz seem to be getting along quite well."
"Hmm? I just had a question about something that was bothering me."
"...Is that really all?"
"Yes, really."
"...That's good to hear."
Gloria caught the faint smile on the adjutant’s face and wondered, Oh? but she decided not to press the issue. Just then, Roland’s voice rang out.
"Those people over there are from the Ugon Settlement!"
Two or three figures were visible in the far distance.
"I'll go ahead and talk to them! The rest of you, please stay here!" Roland shouted, galloping forward.
"Wait, I’ll go with you," Gloria called out, following him. She reasoned that a female knight would be less likely to spark hostility than a man.
Closing the 500-meter gap, they approached the individuals from the settlement.
"It's me! Roland!" Roland gestured for Gloria to halt while he moved closer on his own.
The three men were holding things they had clearly just dug up from the earth.
"Are those ground bee nests?"
The men nodded silently at Roland’s question, though they clearly remained wary of the knight standing behind him. Sensing the tension, Roland moved to reassure them.
"There’s no need for alarm. That person is my guard. You have my word on that."
He gestured toward the giant golems and the rest of the knights in the distance as he explained their presence.
"We're here to scout a route from the Klein Kingdom through to the Kingdom of Egerea. Oh, and we’ve brought some sheepa as a gift."
"Sheepa, you say?!"
"Yes, and we have plenty of other goods as well. Would you be willing to guide us to your settlement?"
Roland continued to soothe and explain until the villagers finally relaxed. He then turned back to Gloria with a request.
"Gloria-san, please go back and inform the captain. These men will lead us to the settlement. Tell the group to follow us at a distance of about a hundred meters."
"Understood. I will trust your judgment."
Gloria watched the friendly exchange between Roland and the villagers for a moment before turning her horse around.
The rest of the trip went smoothly. Though they moved slowly to match the guides' pace, the settlement was closer than Roland had remembered. They arrived at their destination, the Ugon Settlement, shortly after 3:00 PM.
"So, this is the Ugon Settlement."
The group received a warm enough welcome. As Roland had expected, the fresh sheepa meat spoke volumes. The settlement had a population of about a hundred people living in wooden houses. Aside from the slightly rustic craftsmanship, the place looked much like any village in the Klein Kingdom. Their clothing was a bit worn, but otherwise no different from what was worn by the people of the Allied Kingdoms.
The knights, led by Captain Bernardo, set up camp on the outskirts. They kept the Golias units at a distance to avoid intimidating the locals.
Roland immediately went to meet the village chief, a sixty-seven-year-old man named Lariarg.
"Chief, it has been a long time."
"Oh, Master Roland. It’s been three years, hasn't it?"
"I suppose it has. You look as healthy as ever."
"Haha, life out here suits me well."
After the initial pleasantries, Roland steered the conversation toward the heart of the matter—his specialty.
"We have two objectives for this journey."
"I see. Let's hear them."
"The first is to establish a highway connecting the Klein Kingdom and the Kingdom of Egerea."
Lariarg nodded in agreement. "I understand. As things stand, there's no way to travel between those two nations without going through the Celuroa Kingdom."
"Exactly. And the second is the purchase of food supplies."
"Hmm? What do you mean by that?"
Since the intent wasn't immediately clear, Roland elaborated. "At the end of last year, both the Klein Kingdom and the Celuroa Kingdom suffered poor harvests. To make matters worse, the grain they did harvest was ruined by mold."
"What? Truly?"
"Yes. Their stockpiles are expected to run dry before March."
Now Lariarg understood the situation. "I see. So you wish to secure food from us as well."
"In a sense. Our main goal is the road, as it seems the Kingdom of Egerea and the Kingdom of Elias were spared from the bad harvests. But we would like to buy what we can here."
"I understand. Though you must realize we don't have endless reserves ourselves."
"Of course. We’re specifically interested in buying honey and citran."
"I see. The usual items, then—just in larger quantities."
"Your perception is as keen as ever."
With that, Roland’s role was finished. From that point on, Captain Bernardo took over the direct negotiations.
"We intend to hunt sheepa and send the meat back to the kingdom," Bernardo stated. He was a skilled negotiator and avoided using an overbearing tone, which helped Lariarg feel at ease.
"Hmm. I only ask that you be careful not to overhunt them."
"We are well aware of the risks."
Both Lariarg and Bernardo knew that overhunting would deplete the population and eventually come back to haunt them.
"Furthermore, we would like to hire a guide to lead us south."
Roland would be heading back from this point with the honey and citran, as he only knew the terrain this far.
"There is no road to the south," Lariarg said regretfully.
"We anticipated that. That’s why we brought the giant golems." Bernardo explained how the units could trample through brush and clear paths through the forest with ease. "We have all the necessary food and gear. If someone joins us, they would only need to bring their personal effects."
"Hmm. It sounds like there might be value in such a trip."
The Ugon Settlement would also benefit from a southern trade route. With that shared interest, Lariarg and Bernardo settled in to discuss the finer details.