It was the third day of the trip. The carriage finally arrived in Alona City before sunset.
“I’m glad nothing happened along the way. Let’s relax and do some sightseeing for the next two days just like we planned,” said Mina.
Zen and Elysia were delighted, though after Keel had climbed into the carriage to avoid scaring the citizens, his giant body had wound up halfway on top of them, so their smiles were slightly strained.
Alona City had a population of about three thousand. According to Catalan’s categorization of administrative districts, it was a small city that just barely met the requirements to be designated as such.
Nazalf Prefecture was along the Ezwaz Highway, which was an important traffic route between the north and south, and it was blessed with land and maritime trade since it also faced out onto the Giovanni Sea. In comparison, the scale of Alona Prefecture was more appropriate for a remote region.
Not only was it a place filled with forests, it also had many marshes that hindered its growth. However, that made it suitable for the cultivation of rice, which had long sustained the population, and animals like birds and freshwater fish were caught in abundance in the marshes on the outskirts of the city.
That meant that, even if they weren’t economically wealthy, they didn’t struggle for food.
Zen, Elysia, and Mina noticed something as their carriage headed down the main street in Alona City.
The city was alive with many stalls, street performers, and troubadours uncommon for this remote country, as well as people distributing sweets to children.
“Is this a festival?” Zen wondered.
“Do you know about this, Miss Mina?” asked Elysia.
“Well... This didn’t happen last year.” Mina cocked her head, puzzled. If this was a long-established festival, then it was definitely strange that it hadn’t been there last year.
They ascertained the reason after arriving at the inn.
“The festival to celebrate the prefectural governor’s birthday started yesterday,” a young female employee told them as she guided them to their room.
Stoga had taken up his post shortly before this time last year, so he’d just let the opportunity pass by, but this year, he’d sent notices in advance to the citizens. With the prefectural government office spearheading the event, they’d made the preparations to organize this festival.
“I see,” Zen said, showing that he was listening while taking care to not make his voice sound strained. To be honest, he felt conflicted.
If Stoga had been a noble, it wouldn’t have been unusual to hold a festival in his dominion and have his citizens celebrate his birthday on a grand scale.
However, as a prefectural governor, he was a government official. It was questionable for him to imitate a noble. There were limits to how desperate for attention you should be.
While even more unpleasant feelings bubbled up inside Zen, the woman gave him some unexpected information.
“The new prefectural governor is popular, so everyone is happy to celebrate him.”
“He’s popular?”
“Yes. Taxes have become much lower since he was appointed, making everyone’s lives easier. Also, they all like how lively things are with festivals being held whenever there’s an opportunity—like the one we’re having now.”
“I see...” This time, his tone had gone flat, and he had to cordially correct himself and say, “I mean, that makes sense.”
Elysia looked inquisitive, seeming to catch this subtle nuance, but she didn’t voice her question aloud.
For now, the three of them arrived at their room. (Incidentally, they’d reconvene with Keel later as usual. They’d had the inn take care of their carriage, and the coachman would stay at another reasonably priced accommodation.)
This inn they’d be staying at for four days in Alona City was leagues more luxurious than the one they’d stayed in yesterday. It had once been a noble’s estate and garden before Catalan’s founding and had been reformed many times until it had become the inn it was today.
This was obviously the best inn in town. In addition to its gorgeous appearance and interior design, its historical feel and style were impressive.
In particular, the entire fifth floor, which was the topmost floor of the building, was a multibedroom suite that Cummel had gone out of his way to reserve for them. There was one bedroom per person, and you could relax in the communal living and dining rooms.
The view of the garden from the windows was also incredible. There was such a splendid array of color in the flower beds, it made it difficult to believe it was winter. It also made it easy to forget that this was actually a city.
Granted, this place was located a fair distance from the center of the city, and whether guests considered it inconvenient or peaceful depended on their preferences. Zen was of the latter opinion, so he liked it a lot.
“They’ll make dinner in our room, so we can take it easy and enjoy,” said Mina, who’d stayed here last year.
“Wow! That’s great!” Zen exclaimed.
“That means we won’t need to worry about getting involved with strange people again,” Elysia chimed in.
Zen and Elysia were pleased. Tasty food was an important part of enjoying a trip. Aside from the last dish of loaches, everything had been delicious at the inn yesterday, but there was a special vibe about this inn that made them feel like they could expect something even better.
“This city has many local specialties too,” Zen explained. “The marshes nearby are blessed with nature. I heard the waterfowl you can catch there, like ducks and sandpipers, as well as an endemic carp species called Alona carp are extremely delicious. I think you can catch blue cranes too, though hunting them is normally prohibited.”
Elysia listened keenly with her eyes sparkling at Zen’s great knowledge. However, knowledge was only just that. They wanted to get a real taste for themselves too.
While they waited for the spread of exciting new dishes to appear on the dining table tonight, they invited Keel in through the window.
“I’ve told the inn about Sir Keel, so he can move around freely on this floor,” Mina explained to Zen as she brushed Keel’s bushy white fur. She’d taken care to ensure that the chef who’d come to make their daily meals and the employees who’d enter to clean wouldn’t be paralyzed in fear upon seeing the enormous wolf. It was a huge relief that they wouldn’t have to hide him every time someone came in. And Keel himself was probably happy to be able to have a good sleep wherever and whenever he wanted.
“However... I do apologize. I thought they’d definitely be frightened if I told them he was a wolf, so I said he was a dog. I hope that doesn’t offend you, Sir Keel.” She sincerely apologized to Keel like she was talking to a human as she stroked the back of his ears.
As if Keel were saying, I don’t mind, and you shouldn’t either, he licked her cheek in an understanding way. It probably tickled; Mina laughed innocently.
Well, Keel is actually a vanargand anyway. If he got offended over things like that, then even claiming he’s a wolf would be an insult.
However, Keel was smart, and although he was still an immature vanargand, he was mentally an adult. No matter what people thought he was, he wouldn’t bat an eye.
Mina’s thoughtfulness and the lie she told had probably been the right decision.