Finally, the Magic Railway was opened to Lebon. Earl Simpson invested a considerable amount of money to rush the completion of the railroad tracks.
This will make things much more convenient.
Next will be the extension of the line from Lebon to Polymer.
Today is the opening ceremony of the railway in Lebon. The venue is at the station building built on the outskirts of town, and people were already crowded there.
It’s a simple but quaint station.
The walls are plastered with white and the reddish-brown roof tiles stand out against the blue sky. A kiosk was also built at the station on my advice. In addition to newspapers, we also had some of the island’s specialties, but today they were sold out in just five minutes.
This is also thanks to the effect of the ceremony.
Oh right, we also created a commemorative silver coin in collaboration with Earl Simpson.
It is a silver coin commemorating the opening of the Magic Railway, and is engraved with a picture of the Magic Train on the front and the coat of arms of the Simpson and Dantes Barons families on the back.
It uses 5,000 crown coins’ worth of silver.
Commemorative coins are probably unfamiliar to most people, but there were many who wanted one as well. We decided to sell it in a limited edition of 1,000 copies, but it also sold out in no time.
It seems that it even already has a premium and is being traded at a price of more than 6000 crown coins. I’ve also been getting a few inquiries from time to time about it.
The islanders were also presented with commemorative silver coins. Mio-san, as a railway employee, was particularly pleased and said she would treasure it for the rest of her life.
People cheered when the train driven by Mio-san pulled into the station.
Earl Simpson and I greeted the crowd and together, we cut the ribbon that hung at the turnstiles.
The memorable first train from Lebon to Gandalcia was so booked that ticket sales were sold by lottery. Well, there are only 30 seats, so it can’t be helped.
By the way, the fare from Lebon to Gandalcia is set at 200 crown coins. Normally, there is only one round trip per hour, but there are a lot of people today, so we decided to make three round trips.
“The train is departing from Lebon, passing through Kaido Station, and bound for Gandalcia Island. The doors are closing now.”
The Magic Railway departed as scheduled.
At the train station on the island of Gandalcia, we were ready to meet and greet them. The islanders are lined up in one place and are waiting for the first train. Even Silver and Lucio are in the line.
Speaking of Silver, he’d done a great job the other day. Some guppy poachers came to Gandalcia Island, but Silver somehow managed to capture them. Since he was able to avoid Alexei-oniisan’s magic attacks and fight back, average thieves are no match against him.
Since then, Silver has been roaming the island looking like a guard captain. According to Char, who is his interpreter, he wants to be called Captain Silver Season from now on.
Could it be that he had come to keep watch to make sure no suspicious people entered the island today?
It felt like I am being a bit cynical, but Silver is a smart horse, so I think it is not impossible.
✲✲✲
Three days had passed since the opening ceremony, but the Magic Railway is still bustling. Excited by the sight of their first railway, customers were gather in the railway incessantly.
The first railway in Japan in the previous life was between Shinbashi and Yokohama. It was in the Meiji era, but I wondered if it was like this then too?
Entering the mountains of Gandal with the moon as a companion on the journey♪
When I came back from my morning patrol, I saw Lucio and Silver grazing side by side. Lucio and Silver are on good terms. As for their personalities, Lucio is quiet, and Silver is active. Lucio is more clingy. Well, Silver only clings to me or Char after all.
Silver patrols the island, and when there are bad guys, he happily defeats them. His specialty is a back kick. Even if his opponent is armed, he doesn’t mind, as he will block the attack with his horseshoe and then deliver a front kick.
Recently, I got a warhorse armor for Silver. He asked me for it. Through Char, he communicates what he wants.
It wasn’t on the list for points exchanged, but when I consulted with the others, Upa was able to get it from somewhere. He must have used some connections from his days in the military.
Silver has placed his armor on his wand and transform into battle mode when he needs to fight. His strength is so strong that both Char and Upa recognize him.
However, he has a kind side, and he even brings apples that grew in the forest as souvenirs for Lucio. They get along really well.
Silver’s catchphrase is, “If Alexei comes, I’ll blow him away.”
It’s a lot of trouble, so I’ll ask big brother not to come.
Just as I was thinking about that, Alexei-oniisan showed up. I really had a hard time stopping Silver, who is trying to kick him.
But I’m really surprised that Alexei-oniisan can show up on this island without a second thought. He sealed off the island before and he’s acting pretty shameless if it’s the right term for it.
Well, I’ve come to realize recently that Alexei-oniisan doesn’t seem to be trying to be mean to me.
But why did he do such things? Well, it’s simply because he was born selfish. Perhaps it was inevitable since he was born as the eldest son of a noble family that even the king was hesitant to go against with. It must be unbearable for the people around him, though.
So, I think because of that, he doesn’t seem to feel any remorse or shame.
Sigh, it’s really troublesome though.
“How can I help you today?”
“Hmm, before that, give me a glass of cold white wine. It’s too hot.”
There he is, he’s being brazen again today.
Even so, I am still dealing with the Earl of the neighboring territory. So in order not to be rude, I signaled to Upa and asked him to bring a glass of wine to him.
Brother Alexei, who drank the wine with gusto, asked for a second glass, and then he’s finally ready to talk.
“Mm, that’s really delicious.”
“Thank you very much for that.”
“Cedie, I’m here because of the magic railway. Do it to Belucca too.”
The topic was so sudden that I couldn’t quite take it in.
“If it’s done, the economy of Belucca will develop even more, and so will yours. It’s not a bad idea, isn’t it?”
It’s a condescending way to say it, but it’s not wrong. With the opening of the Magic Railway, the flow of people and goods will increase even more.
However, there are a few problems.
Especially if it is Alexei-oniisan…….
“Of course I don’t mind. But what about the funds for the extension of the railway track? I don’t have money to do it.”
“What!? Didn’t you build the railway tracks through Lebon?”
“It was funded by Earl Simpson.”
“Is that so……? That…. but this will be good for you, right? Can’t you do something about it?”
“This will be good for you” he says.
What a typical toxic brother. How dare he say that, when until recently, he had banned my business in the Dantes territory.
Alexei-oniisan is the type who gets increasingly arrogant, so I need to be clear about the money.
My goodness, I must have done something wrong in my past life to have to go through all this hardship at the age of thirteen.
“Alexei-oniisan, if you want to have a magic train to Belucca, you will have to pay for the tracks and stations. And also, we will have to split the cost of the magic stones required for operation.”
“What!?”
That’s not surprising you know!
When I explained how the profits would be divided, my eldest brother looked even more surprised.
“My share is so small!”
“Earl Simpson and I have come to terms with this division.”
“Is this kind of tyranny even allowed!?”
What a super dreadnought boomerang!
Alexei-oniisan got angry and left. Emma arrived just as he had left.
“I just passed Earl Dantes on the way here. Are you in trouble again?”
Emma looked worried.
I shrugged my shoulders and explained the purpose of my eldest brother’s visit.
“We, the merchants of Belucca, will be grateful if there will be Magic Train.”
“I’m sorry, but I think it’s going to be a long way off.”
With the amount of money offered by Alexei-oniisan, there’s no way we could build a magical railway.
“Oniisan is just too greedy.”
“Speaking of greedy, the most greedy merchant in Belucca was banished the other day.”
“Oh? Such incident happened huh.”
“It’s a merchant named Avon Shylock, who rose to power by bribing Earl Dantes.”
“He is giving bribes to Alexei-oniisan? How could he be caught then?”
Knowing Alexei-oniisan, I’m sure he would have gladly accepted the money and won’t exile him. Once he gets exiled, he won’t be able to take bribes on a regular basis.
“Well, you see, Shylock was lying about his income and he committed massive tax evasion.”
I see. That’s why my brother got angry. He hates having his income compromised.
“They had been on good terms up until then, but they had a big fight. Earl Dantes accused him of tax evasion, and Shylock seemed to think that since he had given a bribe, he should be given a little mercy. In the end, the Earl collected the back taxes and banished him.”
My goodness, what a troublesome bunch.
I really think they were both just as bad.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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