LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 198
198. Having A Past You Don’t Want To Talk About, Isn’t Wrong, Isn’t It?
The Dawn Bridge completion ceremony.
A large banner displayed those words.
It’s a festival.
You might think it’s strange to hold such an event at a time like this, but the Imperial Army and monsters have been sluggish, and they won’t be coming here anytime soon.
While it might be an emergency for the higher-ups, for the residents, it’s just another day. Most of the residents of Golden Dawn were involved in the construction of the Dawn Bridge in some way, so if they didn’t hold a completion ceremony, the residents would surely complain.
Now, let me explain a bit about the geography.
To the north of Golden Dawn, the administrative city of the Elixir territory governed by Kyle, there’s a massive, long river flowing east to west, with a width comparable to a lake.
…Recently, it was named the Dawn River, so from now on, we’ll refer to it as the Dawn River. Of course, it was named by His Majesty the King, that guy Van.
When I asked why it didn’t have a name until recently, I was told, “No one had ever properly reached that area, and since no proper survey had been conducted, there was no reason to name it.”
Well, that makes sense.
Anyway, a bridge has been built over the Dawn River, one of the major obstacles that made travel to other countries extremely difficult. There’s no doubt this is a historic achievement.
That’s what Jabil-sensei taught me.
Well, I kind of get it too. It’s an amazing bridge!
“Fool! You understand nothing!”
“Huh? Did I say that out loud?”
“It’s leaking out!”
Hmm. Apparently, I sometimes let my inner thoughts slip out. I need to be careful.
“The completion of the Dawn Bridge includes two historic achievements.”
“One is… its scale, right?”
“Indeed. It’s a construction of unprecedented scale in history, and it’s also the first structure ever built over such a complex and difficult-to-navigate river.”
Jabil-sensei prefaced his explanation with “probably,” but she believes it’s the largest single structure in the world.
The bridge is wide enough for ten carriages to line up side by side, stretching all the way to the horizon. Yeah, that’s an insane scale.
Not only were most of the people who migrated to Golden Dawn assigned to the project, but they also brought in a large number of workers from the royal capital using transfer gates. The construction likely involved over 500,000 people.
Thanks to alchemically hardened stone and Leafan’s technology, along with the protection from the Adventurer’s Guild, the construction speed accelerated. As a result, it was completed in less than a year.
“I get that the Dawn Bridge is amazing, but what’s the other historic achievement?”
“You were muttering about it earlier. It’s the fact that we can now travel to other countries without relying on special means. Of course, there are still many obstacles on the other side.”
“Ah, I see. But it’s still connected by land, right?”
“Indeed. Nowadays, we have steam-powered ships using water evaporation medicine, but before that, there was no way to cross such a large river.”
“Couldn’t magic handle it?”
“Yes, that’s why communication with other countries was handled by a select few adventurers and elite members of the kingdom who could solve such problems with magic.”
“Ah, I see.”
I always wondered why we hardly ever heard about other countries, but now that I think about it, it makes sense.
“One of the exceptions was Kyle-sama’s father, Margrave Orthros Gandarl von Veil Road, the Frontier Lord.”
I leaned closer to Jabil-sensei’s ear so the people around us at the ceremony wouldn’t hear.
Though, with all the noise from the festival, I doubt anyone would notice.
“Tch! Too close!”
“The fact that the Frontier Lord is a dragon knight is basically a secret, right? Without exceptions like flying through the sky, traveling to other countries would have been difficult.”
Jabil-sensei covered her ear and backed away from me.
“M-my ears are off-limits!”
What’s off-limits about them?
“Anyway, without special means, traveling between nations is difficult… Wait, isn’t there some kind of academic conference held every few years?”
Jabil-sensei glared at me while covering one ear.
“Indeed. It’s a system I created, but it was a huge ordeal. The only time the scholars from the three great nations—the Maugaria Kingdom, the Dubatten Empire, and the Zebias United Kingdom—gathered in one place was just once…”
“What!?”
I was genuinely surprised. I always thought they met every few years.
“That time, it was held in the Dubatten Empire, but moving important figures all the way to the empire while protecting them… You’ve done some frontier exploration, so you can imagine how difficult that was, right?”
“…It must have been an unimaginably dangerous and long journey.”
“The Maugaria Kingdom used… a certain method… to send their head court alchemist, Batista. Well, after presenting at the conference, he became my disciple.”
“As expected of you, sensei.”
She puffed out her chest proudly, which was kind of endearing.
“…Are you thinking something rude?”
“Not at all!”
I didn’t say it out loud, did I!?
Jabil-sensei sighed and continued.
“Well, never mind. From the Zebias United Kingdom, the second court mage, a witch named Margaret, attended.”
“A witch?”
“Indeed. She bore the Witch Crest. It’s colored, which means she’s incredibly powerful. Her abilities are a mix of a magician and an alchemist.”
“That’s rare.”
Jabil-sensei nodded.
“Her abilities were undoubtedly exceptional, and her skills were solid, but…”
She hesitated.
“Well, let’s just say that abilities and personality don’t always go hand in hand.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t even want to remember!”
She shouted it out like she was spitting it out, so it must have been something she really didn’t want to recall.
“Margaret’s eccentricities were truly troublesome!”
“I’m curious.”
“Well… it’s a long story. Even the adventurers escorting her were quite something.”
“To cross so many dangerous areas to reach the empire, they must have been incredibly skilled.”
“Indeed. Margaret was escorted by an A-rank adventurer.”
“What!? A-rank!?”
That’s amazing. For various political reasons, A-rank adventurers are rarely recognized.
That means they were on par with Raidock. No, actually, without that level of skill, it would have been impossible to travel all the way from the distant United Kingdom.
“He was a real handsome guy, and his party was entirely made up of women.”
“Ugh.”
I couldn’t help but react. Jabil-sensei gave a wry smile and shrugged.
“The conference itself was very meaningful, but the difficulty of holding it was too great. After that, we resorted to exchanging papers instead.”
“That’s understandable.”
It’s easier to transport documents than to escort people. Sending an A-rank adventurer every time would be a strain on both national defense and the budget.
“Indeed. The discussions themselves were so valuable that I’d love to hold another conference.”
“It’ll be fine.”
“Hmm?”
Jabil-sensei, who had been shaking her head, looked up at my words.
“Golden Dawn is almost at the center of the three nations. The Dawn Bridge is complete. We have steam ships. If we can improve the roads, travel will be much easier compared to before. If we defeat the Imperial Army and sign a peace treaty, we could hold another conference.”
Jabil-sensei looked impressed.
“I see. You’ve started using your head a bit, haven’t you?”
“Well, I am an alchemist, you know?”
“Keep improving.”
For some reason, I feel like I was subtly insulted…
As I tilted my head in confusion, Leafan, who had joined us at some point, chimed in.
“I think it’s your daily behavior.”
I don’t get it.
“Anyway, the ceremony’s about to start!”
“Oh, it’s finally time.”
The bridge was adorned with long decorative ribbons.
After Kyle’s speech, there would be a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and among those chosen to participate were me, Leafan, and Jabil-sensei.
Also invited was General Shingen from the Mizuho Divine Kingdom, who made significant contributions to the bridge’s construction.
There were other important figures invited, but I didn’t know most of them. Apparently, they were nobles who funded the project, but Zaid handled that part, so I don’t know the details.
Of course, King Van was also present.
But this time, Kyle was the main focus, so Van was technically just an invited guest.
That guy Van is at the castle almost every day, so saying he was “invited” feels weird!