Someday Will I Be The Greatest Alchemist?

Chapter 402: Exploring the port city

My first impression of Samandour Kingdom of the country was that there was something strange about it. I don’t know where that malaise was coming from, but it felt crooked.

Samandour Kingdom, like Valkyra Kingodm and Lomaria Kingdom, shouldn’t have any racial discrimination.

「Sure enough, the amount of Beastkin and Dwarves here are on par with Valkyra Kingdom, but……」

「They look gloomy.」

「Yeah.」

It wasn’t surprising to see Beastkin slaves. There was a constant number of criminal and debt slaves even in Valkyra Kingdom and in Lomaria Kingdom. But we could see that even the Beastkin who were not slaves also had dark expressions.

「Also, we saw many mercenaries in the town we passed by on the way here.」

「Yes. On the contrary, I didn’t see that many knights and soldiers.」

Maria must have thought that was strange. Certainly I didn’t see knights and soldiers much either.

「Oh yeah, I had heard something from Papeck-san. That Samandour Kingdom doesn’t have much of a regular army.」

「So does that mean that when they keep the number of soldiers down by hiring the necessary amount of mercenaries that they need?」

It was efficient, but it made sense why the towns and villages had such a mood. Mercenaries do not pledge their allegiance to king or lord. Their priority lies in their own interests. Such people would not protect their country.

「There is little racial discrimination because it’s a trading nation, so I thought they would be more free, but because of the disparity in the economy, the slums were more horrible than I expected in larger cities.」

「The growing inequality of wealth and the expansion of the slums is a problem in any country, but with Valkyra Kingdom and Lomaria Kingdom’s expansion in to the Savage Lands and the revival of Sydnia as of late, there’s an indefinite need for manpower, so the slums have been reducing……」

「It seems to be at an incline for Samandour Kingdom.」

Sophia is so diligent. Aside from being my escort, she learns the state of affairs of our surrounding countries. The source of her information, even I don’t know.

Will this country not invest on the development of the Savage Lands? I told the higher ups of the country that the area outside the Sanctuary were off limits. Well, the forts used during the war were used as development base and the frontlines against monsters. Yep, it’s totally not off limits.

「Normal merchants from Samandour Kingdom would come all the way to the Sanctuary’s outskirts to trade, but the companies led by nobles weren’t able to advance.」

「So is it really that? They must have sold munitions to the Sydnia and Triria which had lost face.」

「Right? Samandour Kingdom was built upon trading, that much I understand, but in terms of mood……

「I know, right? They purposefully sold goods for attacking the vicinity of the Sanctuary, and on top of that, they resupplied the march several times.」

「Master! I can smell the sea!」

As Sophia talked about troubling things, Kaede who was riding on Tsubaki’s back shouted to tell us what was ahead.

「Ooh, the sea.」

「The South Sea is enjoyable once in a while as well.」

Down the gently sloping road, we could see a port city lined with white buildings, and a glittery blue sea stretched beyond it.

「I’m excited to go shopping. We have to buy souvenirs for everyone in the Sanctuary.」

「I’m interested in southern fashion.」

「Sea means fish nya.」

Maria was looking forward to shopping. She should have already bought quite a lot at the capital in Gnomstoll Kingdom though. In girl-like fashion, Akane wanted to browse for clothes. Maybe because she’s only been having meat ever since leaving the Sanctuary, she was excited to have fish dishes.

「Takumi-sama, did Samandour Kingdom have any potion ingredients or maybe medicinal plants endemic to this area?」

「Hmm, not really, no.」

「That’s a shame.」

Oh yeah. Marine products were a specialty of Samandour Kingdom’s port city, but that wasn’t a sales point for us who live in the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is able to export fish because of the Mermaids, so of course we had plenty of opportunities to eat it. Laeva showed interest in the medicinal plants and potion materials that Samandour Kingdom imports from the surrounding countries.

Perhaps because Tsubaki stands out, there was a bit of a commotion as we were entering the city, but we’ve safely arrived at Samandour Kingdom’s port city at the southern tip at last.

「Apart from the country itself, the lines of white houses with orange roofs and the blue sea are really beautiful.」

「Yeah, the color of the South Sea is somewhat different.」

Blue skies, a sea-side townscape, a gentle salty breeze brought by the tide.

Mmmm, this feels so nice. We were in a good mood, but am I loved by trouble? Tsubaki who was pulling the carriage leisurely had stopped in her tracks.

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