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“Our exploration team has headed very far up north, and yet we still haven’t escaped this ice world. When are we going to reach the northern end? Or do we have to consider the possibility that this frozen land continues indefinitely?”
“No way, right? Didn’t the scholars at the Imperial Academy say that the end of the world exists without a doubt?”
“You’d best not pay too much attention to the rambling of those 『Fortunetellers』. Whenever they are proven right, they kick up a huge fuss, but when they’re proven wrong, they become as silent as fish.”
Our exploration team had been dispatched by Count Bulldon and Viscount Hart to investigate the northern lands. As such, we single-mindedly headed north on dog sleds across this challenging land of ice, weathering the biting cold, blizzards that would reliably occur twice or thrice per day, and the hardship of securing food.
But even amidst such a cruel environment, the dogs lent to us by the Philip Dukedom were doing fine. We just had to make sure not to run out of food for them.
I wonder what we’ll find at the end of this ice world. The scholars affiliated with the academy in the capital stated that there’s a wall that reaches all the way to the ceiling of this world over there. They believe our world is surrounded by walls in all directions. For a period of time, you could also find scholars who theorized that this world was placed on top of the shell of a huge turtle and that the ocean’s waters would fall to the 『Bottom of the World』 after reaching the world’s edge. But as they were unable to refute scholars who asked why the oceans haven’t run out of water by now, given that water was supposed to constantly drain from the world’s edge, the theory of the world being surrounded by a wall has become the leading theory nowadays.
However, the only ones arbitrarily declaring so were the scholars and the church people. In the first place, many people wonder why we can’t see anything resembling a wall if we assume that such a high wall is covering this world. I also think that they’re trying to hide something.
The scholars say you cannot see the wall from a distance, but somehow I cannot trust their words, or rather…we’re currently heading north across this frozen continent, and yet we couldn’t spot any signs of such a wall.
Given that we won’t be able to reach the end of the world if we don’t head much farther north, we simply can’t see the wall yet, or the scholars’ theory is fundamentally wrong. The truth is unclear yet, but as might be expected, the members of this exploration team are gradually growing exhausted. I think it’d be necessary for us to temporarily withdraw to our base camp along the beach at the southern tip. If we want to go any farther north, it won’t be possible unless we expand the exploration team’s scale.
“Let’s tell Count Bulldon and Viscount Hart that it’s going to be dangerous to head further north with the current size of our exploration team.”
“True. Any further than this…”
“We have spotted something that looks like a living creature ahead! It’s a huge, white bear! It’s gigantic…very likely a monster!”
“Retreat!”
It seems like the area north beyond here is a monster domain. We’re a group specialized in exploration under difficult circumstances, but we aren’t specialists when it comes to killing monsters. Besides, many of our team members excel in astronomical observation, surveying, and survival. If I allow such precious personnel, which cost Count Bulldon and Viscount Hart a lot of time and money to nurture, to die here, the Empire will be driven into a very disadvantageous situation regarding map creation, compared to the Kingdom. Thus, going any further north is impossible. Or we’d need to at least be accompanied by reinforcement with a high level of combat proficiency.
“Retreat! Guard unit, to the front!”
If the white bear chases after us, I’ll have the guard unit stop it. They can be replaced, but the same cannot be said about military specialists. When push comes to shove, I’ll have them act as shields. That’s their job as guards and also the order they got from the imperial army.
“The bear isn’t coming after us.”
“Did we leave the monster domain?”
“So it seems.”
This place has nothing but frozen ground, so it’s difficult to tell the boundary line of the monster domain. I guess it’s only reasonable since it’s not like the monsters were so kind as to draw a line for us.
“Anyway, we confirmed that there’s a monster domain in the northern part of this continent. Even if we’re going to continue the exploration, it won’t come to pass unless we contact the Empire’s government and request reinforcements.”
“Indeed. Let’s get back to the base camp as quickly as possible.”
We don’t know what we’ll discover at the northern edge of this continent, but we’ll need more troops here to find it out. And the initial schedule has been delayed quite a bit too.
The Empire expected to claim the territorial right by creating a detailed map of this northern continent. Now that this has been delayed, it’s possible that the Kingdom will dispatch an exploration team, too.
Thanks to Margrave Baumeister, the southern exploration and development is proceeding smoothly for the Kingdom. I hear they’re also in the middle of planning an eastern exploration.
“If they even make a move on the northern continent due to this…”
In the end, it was a dumb waste of time to have a civil war. But, because of it, the right to command the northern expedition has been centralized underneath the emperor, so it’s not like all of the civil war has been bad. It should also be possible to sufficiently recover.
“At any rate, we’ll hurry back to the base camp and get them to send us reinforcements.”
“That’s the best option, I guess.”
＊ ＊ ＊
──The expedition of the northern continent has reached an area believed to be a monster domain, and thus the exploration team put a temporary stop on the expedition, returning to their base camp. They are requesting reinforcements from the Empire’s government to go on with their exploration.
We mustn’t allow the Helmut Kingdom to steal a march on us.
──From Count Bulldon and Viscount Hart to the Empire’s government.
“I see. A monster domain with an unclear boundary and a huge, white bear monster. Send reinforcements to them right away. Make sure to include a somewhat larger number of magicians,” ordered Peter.
“As you command, Your Majesty.”
“Now then, I guess I’ll also head over to the base camp on the northern continent.”
“Your Majesty?”
“I mean, the vacation we have agreed upon beforehand hasn’t ended yet. Oh, right! I should treat myself to the very first sightseeing tour on the northern continent. Maybe that place has something interesting. Let’s invite Wendelin and his friends.”
“Your Majesty, why would you deliberately invite Margrave Baumeister-dono and his party?”
“So that they won’t steal a march on us, obviously.”
I was in the middle of a rare vacation, but I suppose it’d be asking too much to hope that no problems occur in the meantime. Being the Emperor is hard work, as you won’t really be able to take a proper break as initially planned.
The exploration team, dispatched to create a map of the northern continent, encountered a monster and returned. It was a choice where it was better not to try the impossible, but because of it, it’s possible that we won’t be able to make a strong claim on the northern continent.
I’ve decided to dispatch reinforcements as quickly as possible, but…
“Luckily, His Highness Wald is in the city. The young nobles of the Friendship Deepening Delegation and his retainers are good personnel too.”
“You have a point. They should have quite the number of magicians with them. Don’t tell me…!”
It’s a coincidence, right?”
Mark, that’s what you call reading too much into things.
But His Highness came to the imperial capital after chartering a magic airship. If I send out reinforcements, he’ll likely smell it.
“His Highness Wald, huh…?”
“Yep. Even you fell for his trickery, didn’t you, Mark?”
His Highness Wald’s silliness of spinning his wheels to become Wendelin’s friend is just one side of him. You shouldn’t underestimate that man as a politician.
“It’s very likely that he’ll get involved with the northern continent. For this reason, I’ll play with Wendelin and his friends around the base camp along the southern coast.”
Doing that will prevent His Highness Wald from using Wendelin, Doushi, or Burkhart-dono. All of them are excellent, but they stand out too much. They won’t be available for the northern exploration where I can see them.
“His wives too.”
“But, wouldn’t it be better to detain them in the capital instead then?”
“We’ll prepare everything for it so we can do that if it’s absolutely necessary.”
It won’t be a problem if the reinforced exploration team grasps the details of the northern continent while I’ll be having a good time with Wendelin and friends at the southern beach. But, it’s also possible that a crazy monster…like a dragon or such could appear. And if that happens, it’d probably be a good idea to request its subjugation from Wendelin’s party just like during the civil war. It’d be a somewhat lame excuse, but I could at least insist on this being a work request for adventurers. Since His Highness Wald won’t be able to do anything about it either in such a case, it’s highly likely that we’ll be able to obtain dominance on the northern continent.
“Still, it’s definitely a pain.”
“Well, that place is a world of extreme cold, after all.”
“It sure would be nice if it had some resources to exploit for us.”
Given that it’s so cold, we can’t expect much of it in regards to colonization. The Kingdom, which managed to discover arable land in the south, has an overwhelming advantage here.
“Having said that, we cannot afford to simply give up on the northern continent either.”
“Otherwise the Empire would be sandwiched by the Helmut Kingdom in the north and south, huh…? Though I think the Helmut Kingdom won’t meddle with the northern continent either since it’s too cold for people to live there…”
“I get where you’re coming from, but I don’t think His Highness Wald is actually interested in the northern continent itself, you know?”
“Why would he plan to make a move on the northern continent then?”
“Well, that place could hide legacies from the era of the Ancient Magic Civilization.”
Duke Nürnberg had used a device to block movement and communication magic during the civil war. Such a device hasn’t been found in the Kingdom. Maybe it has only been discovered in the Empire due to a regional difference, or a huge amount of Ancient Magic Civilization legacies are also locked up in the thick ice of the northern lands. His Highness Wald probably wants to check that.
“So he’s afraid of the Empire monopolizing those excavated items…?”
“I’d say it’s very likely, yes.”
It’s not like we’d honestly tell the Kingdom, if they asked us if we found any unknown items on the northern continent. In the first place, even if we told them, they probably wouldn’t believe us anyway. In their position, I wouldn’t put any trust in such words either.
“It’s quite possible that His Highness Wald wishes to see the northern continent with his own eyes while he’s still the crown prince. I suppose we should move to the northern continent as soon as possible so as to be capable of dealing with whatever might happen.”
“While ultimately using a tourist visit as a pretext, right?”
“If the enhanced exploration team is successful, it’ll end with us having some fun with Wendelin and his group on the northern continent.”
At least it’d be great if it could pan out just like that.
Wendelin, you won’t get angry, even if I deceive you a bit, given that I’m the emperor, will you? I mean, you’re Margrave Baumeister, a high authority of the Helmut Kingdom, after all.
＊ ＊ ＊
———– End of Part 1 ———–
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