"We have arrived."
The carriage came to a halt, and Cindy gave her report after exchanging a few hushed words with the coachman.
"Umu."
Giving a small nod, I stepped down from the carriage.
Since we were traveling incognito, I hopped out without waiting for a footstool so as not to give away my station.
The carriage was inside a post town. Once Cindy and I disembarked, the driver steered the carriage around to the back of the inn before us—toward the stables.
The bustling post town, filled with a steady stream of travelers coming and going, was bathed in the hues of dusk.
Gazing at the sunset and the departing carriage, I asked Cindy:
"Is that driver your subordinate?"
"Yes, he is."
"He's skilled. Here is a hundred Rien; give it to him later."
With that, I took out a leather drawstring pouch filled with coins and handed it to Cindy.
Taking it with both hands, Cindy looked at me quizzically.
"Thank you very much....Um,"
"Hm?"
"Why give it now, if I may ask? Wouldn't you be able to tell how skilled a coachman is right after boarding?"
She asked carefully, her face full of curious wonder.
"Certainly, in terms of ride comfort, he proved his skill right away."
"Then...?"
"Everything happens for a reason. Why do you think this post town exists in this exact spot?"
"Eh?"
Her eyes went wide, completely stumped by the question.
"Um... my apologies, I do not know."
"I suppose that was a bit unfair of me. There isn't just one reason. The pace of travelers on foot, of freight wagons, of courier horses—where those various travel paces intersect, a post town is born. Naturally, the more types of travel paces that align, the more people make use of it, and the larger the post town becomes."
"I see..."
"And what do those travel paces actually mean? Broadly speaking, it can be rephrased as the distance one can comfortably cover during the daytime. Pushing forward recklessly into the night always carries risks, after all."
"...Ah!"
Cindy looked up at the twilight sky, realization dawning on her face.
"That is the point. To maintain a sensible pace and arrive right at dusk without overtaxing the team. That alone proves his skill."
"I see! To know even that... you truly are amazing!"
"It seems that when I am left to my own devices, I push myself far too hard. So I was made to learn it."
I shrugged, speaking in a teasing tone.
After I personally ran super express courier horses on several occasions, Henry and Oscar gave me an earful, telling me to better understand what I had just explained—delivered in a polite, roundabout, yet utterly uncompromising tone.
With our conversation concluded, Cindy gasped as if remembering her task and hurried into the inn.
Judging from the exterior, the inn looked like it had an attached tavern, so I thought about dropping by later tonight to gather information—it was right at that moment.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
Cindy's furious shout echoed from inside the inn.
Though I had known her for decades, this might have been the first time I had ever heard her yell with such fierce indignation.
Having waited outside, I stepped through the front door.
Across the counter, I saw Cindy bearing down on a bearded, middle-aged man—presumably the innkeeper.
"What's wrong?"
"Ah! M-My apologies. We had reserved a room in advance, but—"
"I am so terribly sorry! Another guest arrived just a short while ago, you see—"
When I asked, Cindy offered an apologetic explanation.
When the innkeeper cut in with his excuse, Cindy's temper flared right back up, and she snapped at him.
"That wasn't the arrangement! I explicitly told you to keep the room open in advance, didn't I?! I gave you the money, too!"
"O-Of course, I will refund your payment! So please—"
"That is not the issue here!"
"Now, hold on."
Cindy was about to tear into the innkeeper even further, but the moment I intervened, she cut off her shouting instantly.
Because she halted so abruptly, the innkeeper seemed to grasp our dynamic in a flash, and he began groveling to me far more than he had to Cindy.
"I am truly, truly sorry!"
"Never mind that; tell me the details. What happened?"
"Y-Yes, sir! The thing is... an important official from the capital arrived, claiming he's heading to Enlil Province on public business. At first I refused him, but he threatened that if he couldn't get proper rest and his mission failed, I'd be executed for obstructing official duties..."
"I see. That must have been difficult."
"...?"
Seeing me respond with such calm understanding, Cindy was the one left stunned.
Her face twisted into a look of sheer astonishment, the likes of which I had rarely seen from her.
I immediately understood why she wore that expression.
"There is no basis anywhere in Imperial Law for imposing the death penalty over a matter of that scale. However, in this world, injustice often runs rampant."
"Yes..."
"The tricky part is that mere intimidation of that degree is not considered a severe crime—did he lay hands on you?"
"N-No. Nothing like that..."
"Then at most, he would face a docked salary or a slight demotion."
As I spoke, Cindy found herself unable to retort.
We had known each other since we were young; Cindy knew all too well how strict I was regarding the letter of the law.
Intimidating commoners was certainly a crime, but not a grave one.
And as for getting in my way, since I was traveling incognito, he was entirely blameless regarding any offense against the Emperor.
Cindy wore a look of utter vexation.
Offering her a faint smile, I turned back to the innkeeper and offered a word of comfort.
"You've had a rough time."
"I-I am so very sorry!"
Flustered, the innkeeper bowed his head again and again.
"Let us review the situation. I presume our best room was commandeered, but are there truly no rooms left at all?"
"N-No, sir. We still have two private rooms available, but... they are our lowest-tier accommodations—"
"Don't be ri—"
"Those will do."
"Eh?"
About to snap, Cindy was caught completely off guard by my acceptance.
"We are not on a sightseeing trip. As long as there is a roof over our heads and a place to rest our bodies, that is enough."
"Understood..."
"Thank you so much! Ah, of course I will return your advance deposit! You don't need to pay for tonight's stay, either."
"There is no need to go that far. Pay the man."
"Yes..."
Though visibly reluctant, Cindy settled the lodging bill with the innkeeper just as I instructed.
She received the refund for the premium room she had originally booked, paying the rate for the cheaper rooms instead.
Meanwhile, I surveyed our surroundings.
Beside the counter was a door, beyond which drifted the faint, lively hum of patrons.
That was likely the tavern. I was just about to head inside to gather information as planned—when it happened.
"Kyaaaah! S-Somebody, help me!!!"
"—?!"
Cindy, the innkeeper, and I snapped our heads upward at the exact same moment.
The scream had come from the upper floor.
"Lily?!"
The innkeeper shouted what sounded like a girl's name, vaulted over the counter, and dashed up the stairs.
I sprinted up behind him, with Cindy following hot on my heels.
The three of us charged up the stairs all the way to the top floor.
While the lower floors were lined with several doors each, the top floor featured only a single entrance.
A private suite occupying the entire floor—a common setup.
"S-Stooop it!"
"Lily!"
The innkeeper kicked the door open and barged inside.
Within was a reasonably spacious suite.
Inside that room—or more precisely, atop the bed in the far corner—
A middle-aged man was pinning down a young girl.
Her clothes were disheveled, but it appeared things had not yet crossed into irrevocable territory.
"Father!"
"Lily!"
"Hey, hey, what's the big idea? The innkeeper? Learn to read the room, damn it."
The man pushed himself up and turned toward us.
The girl scrambled up in the same breath, practically tumbling off the bed as she fled, and hid behind her father.
"Don't you dare interfere with me. Do you even know who I am? I'll have you know—"
"Imperial Law, Article 127."
Murmuring the words, I took a step forward.
Catching sight of my side profile, the innkeeper and his daughter stared in shock, while Cindy's eyes lit up with fierce excitement.