Chapter 38 – The King’s Highway
Chapter 38
The King’s Highway
Date: Day 27 of Harvestmoon. 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.
The road became closer and closer.
Each step brought them nearer. The details becoming clearer. What had been a distant ribbon of brown was now a distinct path.
Their pace was slow but steady. The road was there. It wasn't going anywhere.
Elise was still humming and whistling her melody. The tune drifted through the air. The sound of someone at ease.
Hyoren followed behind her. Relaxed. His body moving on its own. His mind free to wander. He found himself enjoying Elise's melody. The simple pleasure of walking behind someone he trusted. Someone who had become important to him.
When the suns started to descend, their golden and silver orbs beginning their slow journey toward the horizon, the two finally arrived.
They crested the last small rise. And there it was. The King's Highway. Right in front of them.
"Woah..."
Hyoren stopped. His breath catching. His eyes widening.
"The road is much bigger from close."
He was amazed. The scale of it was impressive. From a distance, it had seemed like a simple path. A dirt track. Nothing special. But up close, it was massive. Wide. About fifteen meters in width—four carriages could stand side by side with room to spare—built for commerce and movement of goods and people.
It wasn't as populous as Earth's roads. Not the constant stream of vehicles he was used to. But there was life here. Someone passed every few minutes. Sometimes a traveling merchant. Wagons loaded with goods. Drivers calling to their beasts. Sometimes a solo traveler. Walking alone. Sometimes a knight patrol on horseback. Sometimes a mail carrier. Rushing from place to place to deliver messages.
"The road is..."
Hyoren stepped onto the surface. His boots meeting the compacted earth.
"...smooth and wide."
He stood in the side of the road. Looking down. Looking around.
It was not paved with stone. Certainly not asphalt. It was definitely a dirt road.
But it was more robust. More smooth. More strong. There were no carriage wheel tracks. No horse hoof prints. No ruts. No depressions. No evidence of the traffic that passed over it daily. It was as smooth as modern asphalt. Or even smoother.
"This is a dirt road, right?"
He looked at Elise. Confusion on his face.
"How is it still flawless without holes, tracks, and other damage?"
He crouched down. Running his fingers over the surface. Feeling the texture. It looked like dirt. It felt like dirt. But it was dirt so compacted. So compressed. So dense. The consistency was almost like stone.
The roadside also had raised compact dirt. A ridge running along the edge. Hard as stone. Serving as a marker. A boundary. Differentiating the road from the ground surrounding it. It was like a typical modern road. Or even better. Even modern roads made from asphalt sometimes got potholes. Cracks. Damage. But this was made from dirt. And it was flawless.
Hyoren stood. Turning to face Elise. She was watching him. An amused expression on her face. A small smile playing on her lips.
The question came out. Seeking explanation.
Elise chuckled. A soft sound laced with entertainment in her voice.
"Why the confusion, Hyoren?"
She tilted her head slightly. Teasing.
"Well, to answer your question..."
She gestured at the road. At the surface beneath their feet.
"This King's Highway is made and maintained by Earth Magic Engineers."
Hyoren's mouth formed an O shape. The pieces falling into place. He repeated the words.
"Earth Magic Engineers..."
Elise continued her explanation. Her voice taking on a teaching tone. Patient. Informative.
"They compact the dirt and strengthen it. Making it as hard as stone."
She tapped her foot on the surface. The sound was solid. Firm. Like tapping on rock.
"Then periodically maintain it every year to make sure there's no holes or broken parts."
The implication sank in. Hyoren nodded slowly. His mind working out the logic.
"I see…. Magic. Of course it's magic."
He looked down at the road again. Seeing it with new eyes.
"Instead of using machinery and bringing materials such as asphalt, stone, and other things..."
He spoke his thoughts aloud. Working through the comparison. The contrast between this world and his old one.
"They use magic. And use the dirt which is already there. Just compact it up to make a road."
He shook his head. Amazed. Impressed.
"It saves time and cost. While making better roads than Earth roads."
He paused. Taking it in.
"Fascinating…"
He turned around. Examining the road more closely.
"Even the shape is slightly angled to the side."
He noticed the subtle slope. The gentle incline from center to edge.
"To make sure when raining, the water will flow outward. And I can see visible lines dividing this road into four sections."
He traced the lines with his eyes. Faint depressions in the surface. Barely visible. But there.
"Damn..."
He shook his head. Impressed by the design.
Hyoren nodded in understanding. This world of Kresneger has its own ways of solving problems—magic technology. Different from Earth. But effective. Perhaps even more effective.
Elise watched him. Seeing that he had already understood it. She smiled.
"Let's go?"
She gestured down the road.
"I want to reach a nearby Waystop before the suns are set."
Elise started walking toward the west. He caught up quickly. Falling into stride beside her.
She glanced to her back over her shoulder.
"Make sure to stay on this side of the road, Hyoren."
She pointed at the sections. At the lines.
"Middle section of the road is for fast carriages and fast horses to pass."
As if on cue, three carriages convoyed past them from behind. Zipping by. The sound of wheels on compacted earth. The thunder of hooves. The rush of wind. They moved at speed. Not slowing. Not stopping. Using the center lanes. Passing quickly.
"By law, if we got hit by a carriage on that section, it's our fault."
Her voice was serious. Warning.
"And the carriage owner may sue us for hindering their journey."
Hyoren nodded. Understanding the logic. Seeing that the lines dividing the road indeed had a purpose. Just like modern roads. Lanes. Sections.
He looked to the front. Then to the back. Observing.
Travelers on foot or slow carriages were indeed staying on the side parts of the road. Walking and trodding on the edges. Leaving the center clear. While fast carriages ran on the middle sections. Using the designated lanes.
"I see… That is indeed dangerous."
He spoke his thoughts. Thinking about the implications.
"Being hit by a carriage is already scary enough. But needing to pay the cost of treatment AND pay the carriage owner too..."
He shook his head.
"Harsh."
He paused. Seeing the other side. The logic. The reason.
"But it is indeed effective."
He looked at the road. At the traffic. At the organization.
"It will make journeys smoother between cities. Logistics and transport secured. Economy would move fast."
He smiled.
"There are similar laws in my old world regarding roads."
He looked at Elise. At the road. At the system around him.
"So it's amusing. Even though the world is different, some things have similarities."
Hyoren quickly caught up to Elise. The wide road made sure they could walk side by side without hindering anyone.
Elise smiled beside him. A soft expression.
"Fufu."
A light laugh.
"Is that so?"
Then they continued their journey. Walking side by side on the King's Highway. The road stretching before them. The suns descending behind them.
***
They continued walking on the King's Highway.
The road stretched before them. The compacted earth beneath their feet was smooth. A vast improvement over the forest floor.
With Elise at his side, Hyoren walked forward. His steps were easy.
At the same time, he also scanned the surroundings. His eyes moving. Observing. Taking in everything. The travelers. The wagons. The landscape. The world around him was new. Every detail was worth noting.
A pair of knights on horseback appeared ahead. Patrolling knights. Their armor catching the sunlight. Their mounts steady. They ran past the travelers on the road.
As they passed, Hyoren looked more carefully at them. Studying their equipment. Their insignia. Their bearing. The armor was well-maintained. The horses were strong. The knights themselves sat tall.
"Hey, Elise."
He spoke without turning. His eyes still following the receding figures.
"Those knights. Are they Barony Knights?"
He recalled her earlier mention. Knight patrols. Protection on the road.
"And that red coat of arms. Black wolf holding sword using its jaw."
A black wolf. Clamped the hilt of sword, like going to use it to slash enemy. Set against a red background.
Elise saw the passing knights. Watched them disappear down the road. Then nodded.
"Yeah, Hyoren… They're Baron Akela's Knights."
She adjusted her ponytail. The wind had loosened some strands again.
"Must be patrolling the territory."
She gestured at the road around them. At the peaceful scene. The travelers. The farmers. The merchants.
"As I said before, this territory is safe. And if we need help on the road, we can wait for one of those knight patrols to ask for help."
Hyoren nodded.
"I see."
He processed the implications. He was about to enter a city. A frontier city. Under the rule of a baron. He should probably know more about the person he would be living under.
"Baron Akela."
He spoke the name.
"Now that I'm going to enter Akela City, maybe I should know more about him, Elise..."
He looked at her. A question in his eyes.
Elise looked at him. Nodding slowly.
"Yeah. That might be necessary indeed."
She thought for a moment. Organizing the information. Deciding where to start.
"Where to start..."
She mused aloud. Then found her beginning.
"Baron Akela's name is Guts. Guts Akela."
The name was sharp and strong.
"He was a Silver Rank adventurer before retiring to inherit the house."
Hyoren's eyebrows rose.
"Silver Rank? A noble?"
The two concepts seemed at odds. Elise smiled slightly.
"Well. It's not rare for nobles to become adventurers too, Hyoren. Some noble sons who can't inherit territory usually aim for adventurer. As they can bring glory and quite stable profession too as long as they have the ability."
She gestured vaguely. Painting a picture.
"And with noble education and resources, by the time they're adults and become adventurers, they've got a great start."
Hyoren was fascinated.
"I thought nobles were lazy. Only eating people's tax. Not contributing. Just... corrupt."
He shook his head.
"So it seems nobles in this world are not like what I thought."
Elise smiled. Amused by his way of thinking.
"Is that knowledge from those weird literature from your old world?"
She teased gently.
Hyoren scratched his cheek.
"Well. Yeah…"
Elise then continued her explanation. Her tone became more serious.
"There are a lot of corrupt nobles like you describe. But there are more honest nobles in Kingdom of Altaria."
She paused. Emphasizing the next point.
"One of them is Baron Akela."
Elise continued. Returning to the main topic.
"And back to him. It seems, as a Frontier City tasked to monitor the dangerous Forest of No Return..."
She gestured back toward the east. Toward the forest they had escaped.
"The tradition of this house seems to send their sons to become adventurers first… Weak Akela’s Heads are not tolerable. As they need to lead the knights to fight the Goblin King's army from time to time."
Hyoren nodded. Understanding.
"I see… That was understandable, Elise."
He looked back toward the forest. The danger that lurked there. The threat that the barony faced.
"If the territory is dangerous, the leader needs to be strong too."
A weak leader would mean death. Destruction. The goblins would overrun the city. The Forest of No Return would claim more victims.
They walked on. The road stretched before them. Other travelers passed. Coming and going.
They overtook a slow and small wagon. Full of wheat. Golden grain piled high in the bed. Pulled by a donkey-like creature.
On the driver's seat, a middle-aged man sat. Weathered face. A farmer's hands. Beside him, his daughter. Perhaps in her teens. Her face bright. Smiling at something her father said.
Must be farmers going to sell their produce to the city. Bringing their harvest. Their livelihood.
It looked peaceful. The daughter was smiling. Laughing at some joke. The father was relaxed. Content. There were no indicators of poverty. No grim faces. No signs of struggle. No fear in their eyes.
Indicators that the territory was indeed safe.
But then, the creature pulling the wagon piqued Hyoren's curiosity. It was truly like an Earth donkey. The same shape. The same size. The same long ears. The same gray-brown coat.
The difference was the legs. They looked stronger. More muscular. As if built for endurance.
"Hey, Elise."
He pointed at the creature. Subtly. Not wanting to draw attention.
"What's that creature that's pulling the farm wagon?"
Elise glanced at the donkey. Studied it briefly. Then back to the road.
"Oh… That's a Strong-leg Donkey. It's a domesticated monster."
The word caught Hyoren's attention. Monster. The creature pulling a farmer's wagon was a monster.
“A monster, Elise? Are they not going to attack humans?”
Elise smiled. This otherworlder truly lacked the common sense of this world. She had a lot to teach him..
"Not all monsters are actually harmful to humanity. Some of them are tamed. To help us."
She nodded at the donkey.
"That donkey is used widely as a farm animal. As its strong legs won't tire even if they work for days."
She held up a finger. Adding another point.
"And they're cheaper to maintain compared to horses."
Hyoren nodded. Fascinated. The world continued to surprise him. Monsters weren't just enemies. They weren't just threats to be hunted.
His mind moved to other creatures. The horses he had seen. The ones pulling carriages. The ones ridden by knights. They looked like Earth horses. But were they monsters too?
"How about those horses, Elise?"
He gestured at a passing carriage. The horses pulling it.
"Are they monsters too?"
Elise nodded. Matter-of-fact.
"Of course. They're one of the first monsters humanity tamed."
She looked ahead. Recalling information.
"They come from different sub-races. But all are considered horses."
She pointed at the horses pulling a nearby carriage.
"hose we often see, as they are used widely everywhere… They are called Earth-Hoof Horses."
She explained their nature.
"They can manipulate the ground with their feet, so they can run faster and easier on unpaved ground."
Hyoren looked at the horses with new eyes. Not just horses. Monsters.
Elise looked up. Trying to remember others. She counted on her fingers.
"Then there's the Battle Horse. Usually armies utilize them as cavalry. They're strong. High endurance. And they have thick hide."
Another finger.
"Then there's the Fire-breathing Horse. As the name implies. It can use magic. But they are hard to tame as they are wild. Only powerful knight rode them."
She lowered her hand.
"There are a lot of variations of them, Hyoren..."
The world was vast. Unknown. But Hyoren decided to learn more about this world. As he needed to live in this world. He was putting the pieces together. Understanding the world of Kresneger.
"So there are a lot of domesticated monsters too?"
Elise confirmed that with a slight nod.
"Of course, Hyoren. Most monsters are dangerous and hunted. But some are useful for us if we know how to raise them."
She explained the history.
"We used to need someone with a Taming skill to tame them. But as knowledge about monsters became more understood, some more docile monsters got domesticated without relying on the skill."
It made sense. The same process that had occurred on Earth. Domestication. Selective breeding. Generations of working with animals. Turning wild creatures into companions. Into tools. Into livestock.
Hyoren's mind went to Earth. To the animals there.
"It's actually the same for Earth."
He tried connecting the worlds.
"There are a lot of dangerous animals such as bears or tigers. But some other animals got domesticated."
Dogs. Cats. Cows. Horses. The list went on. Humanity had learned to live with animals. To partner with them. To use them. To love them.
But a new kind of skill piqued his interest.
"So there's a Taming skill too, Elise?"
Elise nodded.
"Yes. It's actually one of the hardest skills to get. But it's very powerful."
Hyoren wanted to know. Wanted to learn.
"So how to get it, Elise?"
Elise shrugged. She admitted her ignorance.
"To be honest...I don't know."
She shook her head.
"There's no tamer in Akela. And I don't have any tamer acquaintance."
She looked up. Thinking. Recalling.
"But if I recall correctly, in big cities, there will be a Taming Guild who can teach you about how to get the skill."
Hyoren nodded. Taming interested him. The possibilities it offered. The potential. Taming a dragon. Becoming a dragon knight. It was a fantasy staple.
He filed the information away. Another item on his list. Another goal for the future.
"I see. Such as magic. It seems taming also requires me to go to some kind of school, huh… I guess that would be shelved... for now."
Too many priorities. Taming would wait. Establishing himself would come first.
They continued walking the King's Highway again. Side by side. The suns continued their descent. And the road stretched on before them.