Lord of Caldera - Chapter 221

Chapter 221: Chapter 221

Once they’d ridden some distance, Toby turned to Sylas. “Where to now, my lord?”

“Well…”

With some time left on his year as a knight, he had a few months remaining to complete his duties. But before that, there was something he wanted to do.

“Let’s head west and pick up Max.”

Sylas and his companions retraced their steps to the Hernning estate, where he had initially begun his journey to the North. The western landscape looked much the same as before, save for one noticeable difference.

“There are hardly any monsters around,” Sylas remarked.

“Think it’s because the elves have quieted down?” Toby suggested.

“That’s part of it, but…”

Sylas recalled the events from a few months prior: Count Valdemar had captured an elven princess, causing the elves to launch a brutal search across the forests, disrupting monster populations and scattering beasts far and wide. It had made traveling through the lands difficult.

It’s a relief that it ended well, he mused. Valdemar, consumed by greed, had been executed by the elven duke, and Ray, who had been adopted by the count’s family, had taken over the estate. Trade with the elves had also been reestablished.

“Still, this quiet is unusual,” Sylas said. “Even if the elves have calmed down, the West has always been teeming with monsters.”

Back then, the monster surge had been odd, but it wasn’t as though the West had ever been free of them. Now it was eerily still.

Ray, a Westerner, nodded in agreement. “Normally, we’d have encountered a few by now. I don’t even sense a hint of anything nearby.”

“Maybe something else has happened,” Toby suggested.

“We’ll find out soon enough at the Hernning estate,” Sylas replied.

If anyone would know, it would be Ray’s younger brother, Leon, who was currently managing the estate. After some time riding, they finally arrived at the Hernning estate, only to be met with a surprising sight.

“Look here! The finest uncut jewels from the North! You won’t find these anywhere else!”

“Try the finest wine from the South! Even the elves love its taste!”

“No imitations here! This item was sent straight from the capital for His Majesty himself!”

Sylas stared at the bustling marketplace before him, momentarily at a loss for words.

After watching the bustling market for a while, Sylas turned around and spoke.

“What… is this?”

“Well, I’m not sure.”

“…”

Toby scratched the back of his head at Sylas’s question, unsure how to respond. Ray looked similarly at a loss for words. It was understandable. It had only been half a year since they left this domain, and the memories were still fresh in everyone’s minds.

‘Strict security, sharp-eyed knights, an atmosphere close to wartime readiness.’

Even now, the place reminded them of the frontlines of the Great War. But now, what was this?

It felt more like a trade city far behind the frontlines rather than a militarized zone.

“Sir, please have mercy.”

Sylas couldn’t believe it; now there were even beggars here? With a bewildered expression, he pulled out a silver coin from his pocket. The beggar, seeing the coin gleaming in Sylas’s hand, lit up and knelt immediately.

“Th-thank you, sir!”

“Enough with the thanks. I just have a few questions for you.”

“Ask me anything, sir!”

“What on earth happened here? This place wasn’t this noisy before.”

The beggar scratched the back of his head, looking a bit sheepish.

“Well, even if you call it ‘before,’ I only came here three months ago…”

“Fair enough. Back then, even beggars would run away from this place.”

Even in this world, beggars were common. But there was one condition for beggars to appear: the place had to be safe enough for them to survive.

Beggars don’t linger in places where life is harsh and danger abounds. They’d have trouble finding any open pockets, and it would be hard to preserve their own lives.

In Sylas’s view, the Herning estate—and, by extension, most of the West—fell into the latter category.

‘So now there are beggars here, too.’

On closer inspection, it wasn’t just one. He could spot beggars asking for alms all around.

For the territory to change so drastically in just half a year, something significant must have happened.

“Even if you haven’t seen it yourself, tell me anything you’ve heard. What’s been happening in the West these past six months?”

“Well, that’s thanks to the trade with the elves, sir. Ever since the Herning family opened a trade channel with the Elf Grand Duke six months ago, trade has become possible.”

The beggar explained that, as a result, merchants had flocked to the West, creating the bustling scene they were now witnessing.

It was half the answer Sylas expected. After all, his goal was to invigorate the West with trade with the elves.

“But still, this is too much of a change in just half a year.”

The beggar cocked his head, hearing Sylas’s muttering.

“Sir, do you not know how expensive elven goods are?”

“How much are we talking?”

“It varies, but for some items, you’d be looking at five chests of gold coins. I’ve heard you can get double that price if you sell it in other regions.”

“….”

Sylas understood immediately. With that kind of profit, it made sense that people would come flooding in from all directions. Wealthy merchants attracted goods from other regions, and as people and money gathered, the change was bound to happen within half a year.

“Why is it so expensive?”

“Well, I wouldn’t know that much, sir…”

For an ordinary person with no information, this was probably the extent of their knowledge. Sylas pulled out another silver coin from his pocket and handed it to the beggar.

“Thanks for your answers.”

“Oh, thank you, sir! May blessings be upon your path!”

Ignoring the beggar’s blessings, Sylas moved on. The lively atmosphere of the street could rival any famous trade city of the Empire.

“It seems Leon has more talent than I thought.”

“Well, it might not just be that young man’s doing, right? There’s also the Elf Grand Duke.”

“What would a lifelong isolationist know about trade?”