<– Previous Chapter | Glossary | ToC | Next Chapter –> | Jump to Volume 24 –>>
“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 ———–
“The northern ice continent with its monster domains, huh? Considering it logically, it’d make much more sense to prioritize the search for the southern and eastern continents because the profits would be higher, especially given the difficulty of ruling the northern continent. But…”
As far as the Empire is concerned, they cannot afford not to make a move on the northern continent, but the same doesn’t apply to the Helmut Kingdom. It’d be a different matter if the northern continent were a land full of fertile land with a mild climate, but in reality, it’s a freezing hell. As such, it doesn’t have enough value to warrant worsening our relationship with the Empire by forcibly occupying it, but if that place hides many legacies of the Ancient Magic Civilization, such as those used during the Empire’s civil war, we cannot turn a blind eye to it either.
“Fortunately, I’m in the imperial capital right now.”
It’s a coincidence, but there are some superb folks among the young nobles who are participating in the Friendship Deepening Visit, and quite a few of them are employing magicians as retainers. There’s also the magic airship we chartered to get here.
We should head to the northern continent right away, dispatch an exploration team to the wall, said to exist at the end of this world, and search for relics of the Ancient Magic Civilization while drawing a detailed map of the region. If there’s something like a device capable of blocking Flight, Teleport, and Communication like the one used during the civil war, the Kingdom can’t ignore it.
It wasn’t a ship of the Royal Air Force, but the crashing of a magic airship was a huge blow for our Kingdom.
“Right now, while the Empire is struggling with the survey of the northern lands, it is the perfect opportunity.”
Taking the monster domains on the northern continent into account, outstanding magicians will be necessary to travel across that land. However, I won’t get Wendelin involved in this. If I were to do it, His Majesty Peter would quickly suspect something. Besides, I believe His Majesty Peter will also keep sidelining him while coming up with some suitable excuses for it.
“We will form an exploration team, but we need someone who can act as a showpiece.”
“What do you mean by showpiece?”
“Someone who can be the keystone of the expedition team’s combat power. If he joins the team, the Kingdom should be able to survey the northern continent first.”
“He…? Oh, do you possibly mean…!?”
“Yep, it’s just as you suspect. I will get Father to ask him for us. Originally, he hadn’t been participating in the Friendship Deepening Delegation. He took part in His Majesty Peter’s secret wedding ceremony after being called over by Wendelin, but he should be free right now.”
“Do you think he will join the team, though?”
“I’m sure he will.”
An untrodden land of ice, blizzards that occur every day, coldness that seems like it could freeze your body solid by just standing around, and huge, white bear monsters; there’s no way that he, who is an adventurer through and through, would refuse participation in the exploration of an unknown continent.
“We will dispatch the exploration team north with him as leader. The magic tool guild’s young folks should have developed Magic Sleds, if I remember correctly. Have those provided to all team members.”
“You’re not going to use dog sleds?”
“Those belong to the Duke Philip family. Even if we try to use them, we won’t be able to win against the Empire since our country doesn’t have much experience with sleds to begin with. If I remember correctly, the Empire’s exploration team is commanded by nobles who are experts in cartography and surveying within the imperial army. We will also contact Minister Edgar. To produce a perfect map of the northern continent.”
“Ah, so you want to use it so that you can claim the northern lands are part of the Kingdom’s territory, right?”
“That depends on the Empire.”
The imperial domain would be between our Kingdom’s heartland and the northern continent. Managing detached land is troublesome, and colonizing that frozen land is difficult, too.
“I’d rather say we will sell the rights to the northern continent to the Empire to get them to owe us, which would put us in a superior position.”
If the northern continent possesses mithril and orichalcum mines, we could claim those alone for us…but I guess it’d be asking too much to hope for something like that.
“The planned program of the Friendship Deepening Visit is going to end very soon. We will pretend to return to the Kingdom while actually heading to the northern continent by passing through the Empire’s north, where no people live. Then we’ll set up a base camp at the shore of the northern continent’s southern tip. I’ll take command over there.”
I’m sorry, Your Majesty Peter, but I’m the crown prince of the Helmut Kingdom. Please understand I shall seize the northern continent for the Kingdom, if the Empire is going to take its time with the conquest of that region.
At present, I cannot use Wendelin, but His Majesty Peter should undoubtedly take him along to the northern continent. If push should come to shove, I’ll make full use of him as a noble of the Kingdom.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Comrade Otto, it’s way too cold, isn’t it?”
“Don’t be such a wimp, Comrade Keitzel! Our friends, who endorse our ideals, found these wonderful, warm clothes on the market, specializing in wholesale stock from bankruptcies and liquidations. Moreover, we also learned how to block the cold by releasing heat from our bodies through magic.”
“It looks like some monster has shown up, but I’ve never seen that bird. Is it unable to fly? It’s heading our way on two legs, even though it’s so big. That’s kind of scary.”
“We just need to defeat it with magic! This is a trial for us demons who forgot how to fight with magic.”
After landing on the continent far up in the north, we headed for the legacy of the Ancient Magic Civilization said to be hidden at the North Pole, but we were hit by blizzards every day, and the temperature rarely ever went above minus 40° Celsius.
However, the ice wasn’t our only foe. The land possessed so few landmarks that we’d inevitably get lost if we didn’t constantly check our bearings with a compass. Moreover, we were repeatedly attacked by huge white bears, bipedal birds, strange animals with fins but no limbs or fur, and silver tigers with a total length of more than ten meters. We made free use of the magic we learned and continued northwards while defeating all those creatures.
“It’s nice that we have a magic bag, but if only we had a vehicle on top of that.”
“Comrade Keitzel, none of our friends had the financial leeway to provide something like that. And above all that, none of us has a driving license either, right?”
Recently, the elderly have been grumbling that the estrangement from magic cars has been growing among the young demons. Furthermore, they have slanderously criticized young demons who didn’t even get a license.
But, before spouting all that crap, those older demons should first make sure that the young demons can secure jobs that allow them to buy magic cars and pay the expenses to repair and maintain those cars. Those crooked old fools are all just talk, who only think about spending their remaining years leisurely while not giving a damn about the future of the demons! We young demons won’t be deceived by those pieces of shit any longer!
“At any rate, we demons cannot afford to rely only on magic tools for everything. The demons of old traveled everywhere by flying themselves. I hear some of the outstanding magicians among the humans do the same. Moving with your own power without depending on magic tools is the very first step to regaining our old virtues as demons.”
“You definitely have a point. Once we become superb magicians…”
“We demons are individually strong to begin with! The excessive dependence on the corrupt social system and collusions has created today’s decline! Come and let us grab those legacies of the Ancient Magic Civilization!”
“But, it seems like the humans are targeting those as well.”
“The probability is certainly high, but I believe in the conviction and power of us ten!”
“Right.”
“We will do our best!”
Even if there might be only a few of us, we’ll definitely secure those legacies at the North Pole.
“In the first place, the humans are stupid savages who blabber some nonsense about this world being surrounded by a wall from all sides. Moreover, I hear that some of their scholars were banished from the scientific society for stating that this world is supported on the shell of a huge turtle. It’s unthinkable that we demons could ever lose to savages who are incapable of understanding that this world is a globe.”
“Is that really true?”
“Yeah, I was told so by a supporter of a former bureaucrat who participated in the negotiations with the humans. Then again, he retired as he got fed up with the level of idiocy of our politicians.”
And those inferior humans are even dumber than our idiotic politicians. We will get our hands on the legacies of the Ancient Magic Civilization and use those to be reborn as strong demons who can rule over the humans.
“The exploration is going well, so we will very likely reach the North Pole first. Let us hurry while training ourselves on this journey.”
“I have started getting used to defeating monsters with magic.”
All of us ten are outstanding magicians. Unlike humans, who tend to immediately crowd everything with large numbers of people, our way of continuing the exploration with a few selected elites is a lot more efficient.
It appears that two human countries are competing for control of this continent. In that case, they’ll have to create a precise map to prove that they visited all parts of the continent, but we don’t need to do anything like that. We’ll be fine as long as we recover the legacies of the Ancient Magic Civilization buried underneath the ice.
“Being hidden underneath the ice of a continent like this, which cannot be inhabited by humans or demons alike, must mean that incredible legacies, which are going to enable us to control the whole world, should be sleeping there. We must make sure to get our hands on those so that the humans don’t steal a march on us.”
The strong, intelligent demons will rule over the weak, stupid humans whose only strength lies in numbers. If we handle it like that, this world won’t ever degenerate into a mobocracy either. Obtaining those legacies is definitely the first step to us conquering the whole world.
＊ ＊ ＊
“This is…the northern land of ice, huh…? At the shore of the southern tip, it seems like you can at least see a sandy beach and rocks. But I guess it’d be dangerous to travel north in a magic airship…”
“True. According to reports from the exploration team, which returned after encountering a monster domain, the lands are ravaged daily by fierce blizzards. A magic airship would be in danger of crashing, and I’d like to avoid losing such a valuable asset. The exploration team has been using sleds pulled by wolf dogs, which were raised in the Philip Dukedom.”
“I see (it’s like the Antarctic expeditions on Earth in the past).”
Several days after the secret wedding ceremony between Peter and Emela as well as Therese and I finished, we returned to Stadtburg, the royal capital, after the Friendship Deepening Delegation completed the whole program. Doushi stayed with us for those days, but for some reason, he said he’d take the crown prince’s airship to head back to Stadtburg.
If he were to head back with my Teleport, he could shorten the travel time by close to two days, but…maybe Doushi wants to build a closer relationship with His Highness Wald?
After seeing them off, we planned to return to the Baumeister Margraviate, but then Peter suddenly invited us on a trip to the northern continent. I wanted to turn it down since I have work to do at home, but once I consulted Roderich through the MHCD, he gave me permission for some reason. I’m not so naive to think that this was a coincidence. Something must have been going on behind the scenes, but even while having such a hunch, I boarded the magic airship chartered by the imperial government.
And just now we arrived at the base camp, which the Empire had set up in the southern part of the northern continent.
“Look, Wendelin. Can you see that place over there?”
“Over there? Are they in the middle of building another base camp? Has the Empire already dispatched a new exploration team?”
“No way. In that case, they’d stay at the same base camp as the previous exploration team. It looks like the place over there is commanded by His Highness Wald.”
“His Highness? Is the Kingdom making a move on the northern continent too…?”
“Seems so. It appears they heard the information that the Empire’s exploration team retreated due to a monster domain. They judged that they’d be able to obtain some sort of profit if they made a move now. Or…”
“Or what?”
“Many magic tools of the Ancient Magic Civilization, which had been discovered in underground ruins within the Empire’s realm, were used militarily during the previous civil war. I guess they decided they might find something on this northern continent, too.”
“Hmm, that makes sense…”
This allowed me to understand the situation a bit better. As a matter of fact, His Highness Wald hadn’t returned to Stadtburg but instead went to the northern continent after faking that his airship was traveling south for some time. And the Kingdom also began building a base camp on the northern continent. But, since the area where one could land a magic airship on this continent was extremely small, they had no choice but to build their camp in a place that would quickly be discovered by the Empire.
“It seems like Doushi is over there as well. No wonder he hasn’t come with us, even after we invited him. And I believe he’s going to join the Kingdom’s exploration team.”
“Figures.”
Doushi loves stuff like this. I’m sure he happily joined the exploration team.
“Hmm, this might turn into a competition. I’ll urgently reorganize the exploration team and have them depart.”
I guess it’s going to be an exploration contest with the nation’s dignity on the line. It definitely resembles the Arctic expeditions, which in the past turned into a competition between nations on Earth.
It’s not like both countries will cross swords, but the one that first creates a detailed map of this continent will be able to claim ownership of it. This is natural for modern states. After all, no one will take you seriously if you claim ownership over land without even knowing that land.
“Wendelin, you can take it easy and rest.”
Even though I’m a noble of the Kingdom, I guess I’m treated as neutral. From Peter’s point of view, he simply doesn’t want me to join the Kingdom’s expedition team because it will be better for the Empire.
“They do have Doushi, though!”
“Our exploration team will be accompanied by an elite unit of magicians, too. I don’t think it’s that much of a handicap for them to have Doushi. In the first place, even if he works hard alone, it’ll be pointless if the other exploration team members can’t keep up with him, correct?”
“I suppose you have a point…”
If it’s Doushi, I’m certain he can push his way forward as usual, even on this ice hell of a continent, but losing the other team members on the way would be silly. Their goal isn’t the obliteration of monsters, but the creation of a map after grasping all the details of this continent, so the teamwork of the exploration team will be more important than the individual combat strength of the team members. It’s the field where Doushi is the weakest.
“But, why did you invite me to this northern continent, if you don’t want me to participate?”
“It’s just a safety measure. After all, this is an unknown continent. Who knows what sort of atrocious monsters might crawl around on it.”
So he’s saying, we’ll have to deal with any crazy threat or danger that puts both countries’ exploration teams at risk.
“Me too?”
“Burkhart-dono, you’re a veteran, so I’d like to ask the same of you as well. But, that’s still better than traveling the icy lands of this continent together with Doushi, wouldn’t you say?”
“True words. It’s a bit too cold here for my taste.”
If he joined the exploration team with Doushi, who still acts like a child at times like this, Burkhart-san would quickly get exhausted, I’m sure. In that case, it would be better for him to help me when something happens.
“So you have taken His Highness’s exploration team into consideration as well, Peter?”
“Well, the relationship between both countries would plummet if something happens here.”
“But, His Highness is trying to obtain the rights of the northern continent.”
“We’re also sending out an exploration team, so we don’t intend to lose, but if we should lose in the end, we can just buy the rights back from the Helmut Kingdom. If we buy them after official negotiations, the northern continent will become imperial land. It’s an icy continent where hardly anyone could live. At present, it’d be hard to overcharge us for this, don’t you think?”
Even if the Kingdom were to steal a march on the Empire, they shouldn’t be interested in developing this place right away, as they prioritize the southern exploration and reclamation. Moreover, since the northern continent would be several thousand kilometers away with the Empire in-between, it’s very likely that they’d find it challenging to rule this place. The management of detached land is troublesome and only produces costs.
“The northern continent is going to become part of the Empire either way. In that case, it’s smarter to pay attention to safety and station you here, Wendelin.”
“I see…”
I’m a balancer and a rapid-response force that will be dispatched immediately if anything happens to the exploration teams of the two countries.
“In that case, I suppose we’ll leave the exploration to the folks who are so eager about it and instead try to have a good time on this frozen continent. Even though it’s cold.”
“That’s fine, isn’t it? I didn’t bring Emela with me, so I’ll try to produce results with the second exploration team.”
The northern continent seems similar to the Arctic…but, since it actually possesses land mass, it should be closer to the Antarctic, I suppose? Well, whichever it is, either way is fine with me.
The exploration teams of both countries are targeting the northern end of this world while betting the honor of their nations…I believe that this planet is a globe, so an end of the world cannot actually exist anyway. In the first place, I think it’d be correct to describe this as them aiming for the North Pole…
“If you say it’s okay for me to spend my time leisurely, I’ll gladly take you up on that, but this place is so damn cold…”
Elise and my other wives will be okay, but we won’t be able to bring the babies here. An intensely cold region is hard on babies, and it’s very likely that they’ll end up catching colds.
“For the time being, I’ll invite my wives.”
“It’d be great if we could reach the wall at the end of the world. So far, no one has reached it, so if the Empire’s exploration team achieves this, it’s going to be an outstanding accomplishment that will leave its mark on history. For me as emperor, I’d like to pile up such smaller accomplishments to boost the morale of our nation after the civil war.”
“What wall?”
“How unexpected. I heard you’re often reading books, but you don’t know about the walls? Walls, which cannot be scaled by anyone, exist in the northern, southern, western, and eastern ends of the world.”
“I see…”
Given that Peter is saying it so confidently, such walls might actually exist for real…but that’s not possible, is it? I think this planet is as round as the Earth, but maybe it really has walls in the cardinal directions because it’s a Western fantasy-like world. But Peter claims that no one has ever reached those walls, so ultimately it’s nothing more than a theory, isn’t it?
“(…Anyway, I’ll call my wives over)”
I’m no scholar, and exploring this ice hell by going north would mean the temperature would drop even further, so I don’t want that. Let’s not think too much about this matter.
I decided to call my wives to the Empire’s base camp at the southern coast of the northern continent and make a little sightseeing tour out of it.
＊ ＊ ＊
———– End of Part 2 ———–
<– Previous Chapter | Glossary | ToC | Next Chapter –> | Jump to Volume 24 –>>
Translation Notes:
Pingback: Hachinan tte, sore wa nai deshou! – Volume 23 – Chapter 4 – Part 1 » Infinite Novel Translations