Dungeon Time Attack for Stimulation?

"… Hey."

"What?"

Alexia came out to the driver's seat, grabbed my shoulder, and spoke up.

I turned to answer.

"The road is properly paved, isn't it."

"Yeah. Basic, but there's stone laid down and reinforced so it won't crumble."

As we traveled toward Ateil, the road became paved partway through.

This was the road Alexia had leveled and hardened with magic on a previous trip.

I'd confirmed earlier that, though the magically packed earth had been incredibly solid, it was gradually eroding under rain and wind.

I'd assumed it would eventually disappear entirely, but it seemed they'd repurposed it as a foundation before that could happen.

"I have mixed feelings about it, but at least it saves me from having to make another road. Maybe we can relax in the carriage now."

"That's the Duke for you. Pragmatic, or maybe just never misses an opportunity."

Road construction was one of the most vital elements of urban planning.

The better the surrounding roads, the more traffic flowed, and the broader the trade network grew.

That was essential not just for a city but for an entire nation to prosper.

I'd heard rumors of cities that fell to ruin because their rulers neglected flood control and road maintenance in favor of luxury.

The roads laid by the empire that once unified the continent were called the King's Road, and even after that empire's fall, they continued to support the prosperity of today's Kingdom and Empire.

History was a continuous thread.

Ever since Alexia had created this road, the number of merchants using it had noticeably increased. It was probably only a matter of time.

A pleasant breeze and the sound of mule hooves clopping on cobblestone.

Here alone, it felt as though the succession struggle roiling the entire Empire didn't exist. Utterly peaceful.

The wind felt a bit dry. Perhaps it was the dry season.

We arrived in Ateil without incident. At the Duke's estate gate, I informed the guard that I had goods to deliver to Duchess Lecreune.

Even though I was now acquainted with the Duke, our stations differed; I couldn't see him right away without being summoned.

I'd given them the name of the inn where we were staying, so a messenger would come in due time.

Security seemed heavier than before, too.

I inspected the cargo again just to be safe. Only a few pieces had minor damage to their packaging or boxes.

I'd brought spares, so it wasn't a problem.

The damaged goods, I could just give to Azu and the others.

"Then I'll take some right now. The soap at public baths is cheap junk, all worn down. I hate it."

"There's sand in my hair, so I think I'll head to the baths too."

Finn grabbed a bar of soap from a damaged box and left without delay.

Elza followed after her.

About the only work left was purchasing iron ore, and there wasn't anything for them to help with.

So, somewhat haphazardly, it turned into free time.

"Sir, when you meet with the Duchess, may I accompany you? Just to say hello… If it's not possible, that's fine."

"Of course. It's nothing at all. Don't worry about it so much."

"Thank you very much."

Orleans bowed deeply.

She'd been under Duchess Lecreune's care before, so perhaps she just wanted to see her at least briefly.

I didn't know how the Duchess felt about it, but she'd seemed kind-hearted. She'd probably remember Orleans's name at least.

Eventually, Alexia and Azu headed off too, so I took Orleans along to purchase iron ore.

Thanks to the sea routes opening up, it was cheaper and more plentiful than in the Kingdom.

I loaded as much as the carriage could hold.

On top of that, I stuffed the magically expanded pouches I'd brought.

Good thing I'd brought extras. The more I could carry, the more profit there was to make.

"They mistook me for your little sister…"

"And called you cute at that. Didn't feel bad."

"It's flattering, even if it's just flattery."

If I really had a little sister like Orleans, I'd probably dote on her terribly.

Orleans said it bashfully.

Her words were curt, but the look on her face suggested she was just hiding her embarrassment.

The city was abuzz with rumors of Crown Prince Kelves.

Having changed from his childhood name Sam for the succession struggle, he was now charging toward the imperial throne.

Most of the major contenders had either submitted or been defeated.

Among the remaining candidates was the name of Alexia's former fiance.

He'd declared in front of Alexia that he would become Emperor, and here he was, actually among the contenders.

But he couldn't beat that Crown Prince.

Kelves was no ordinary young man.

Using a word like destiny might cheapen it, but he had the aura of someone destined to become Emperor.

On the way back from the purchase, I stopped by a market and bought a huge fish to have delivered to the inn.

Fresh, thanks to the nearby sea.

This wasn't a pleasure trip, so we couldn't play tourist too much, but at least the meals could be extravagant.

We stopped by a public bath on the way back, met up with Azu and the others, and returned to the inn.

The fish was grilled whole with salt and reduced to bones in no time.

The next day, still no summons arrived, so I had Azu and the others take on a light day-trip quest for exercise.

Monster hunting and dungeon exploration required minimal upfront investment once you were prepared.

Vigilance was essential, but Azu's team could handle anything at a safe-enough location.

With good risk management, you could earn steady pocket money while occasionally hitting the jackpot. A good line of work.

We targeted a small dungeon nearby and challenged them to clear it in a day trip.

On the fourth day, they finally made it to the deepest floor and back.

The bottom level yielded a small gold nugget, and combined with the magic stones, they'd made a decent haul.

Having a time limit on the clears proved to be good stimulation; it seemed to serve well as stress relief.

"I thought repeating the same thing would get boring, but when you're racing to clear it within the day, it's actually pretty fun."

"That's because you keep getting better at it. Familiarity breeds boredom, usually, but not when you're making progress toward a goal."

The summons from the Duchess came the day after that.