Heisen's Eye

Chapter 83

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Captain's POV
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Baron Vionne's fief isn't one that stands out in the Kingdom. It has an average income, average trade, average population. It is simply another area of land in the Kingdom.

That's probably why its large income increase was able to go unnoticed. If a fief with a low income was to suddenly become average, it would be hidden through all the others.

This wasn't the case for Count Poin's fief, but it was just coincidence that a new gem mine was found in his land around the same time this business was founded between the two of them.

Thankfully, the Baron's fief was close to Richt, so riding to it shouldn't take more than a day.

I'm planning on reaching the edge of it by night, which is unlikely, considering I left an hour or two past midday.

A saving grace is that the sky looks clear, so I don't have to worry about any sudden rainfall or similar that could hinder my journey.

From where I'm riding on my horse, I can see the fief, but I still have to head down the cliff I'm on.

It isn't a piece of land that looks incredible, everything about it seems to scream 'average' to me.

On the outskirts were fields of farmland that slowly became more scarce as you got closer to the outerwalls of the fief.

On the inside, I could see many, many houses that clumped together, with several large streets running down and across, each linking up at the top where a large estate sat.

It wasn't larger than the Palace, but it was definitely bigger than the building Count Poin had in the Captial.

But, from up here, I couldn't see much else. I still had a few hours of riding left before I could make out specific details.

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I slow my horse down to a trot as I reach the road that leads into the fief, passing by the farmlands I saw from the hill, waving at the several farmers that worked tirelessly.

The road lead up to a large, wooden gate that was wedged between the stone walls.

At the bottom of the gate, where the road intersected the wall, there was a smaller gate with a pair of guards standing by it.

They call out to me as I get closer, probably for a search.

"Sir, please slow down, you are approaching Baron Vionne's fief, Serti." (Guard 1)

"I know, I'm on orders to search it." (Captain)

"Whose orders?" (Guard 2)

"Hmm... That's a secret, but I can show you this." (Captain)

I pull a piece of paper out, holding the orders I was ordered to do, with the King's seal located at the bottom.

It wasn't me directly telling them I was on orders from the King, but I'm sure they could figure it out.

"...! O-oi, aren't those..." (Guard 1)

"Y-yeah, I think it is..." (Guard 2)

"Do you want to ask him...?" (Guard 1)

"Do you want to ask him?" (Guard 2)

"Right... Ahem, then good sir, right this way, haha..." (Guard 1)

He turns to me and starts rubbing his hands together, maybe to mask his trembling, and opens the gate for me.

I don't pay much more attention to them as I ride through, looking for a stable.

While the horse may be able to find its way back to Richt, it has still been riding for a few hours constantly, and I need a ride back.

It doesn't take long for me to spot one, and thankfully it was close to the gate of the fief.

I leave the horse there and begin walking around town.

It seems that the opinions I had from up on the hill were right, the fief was completely average.

There was nothing special in the streets, nothing special in the shops, nothing special about the people.

It just seemed like I had entered another town.

Of course, the large estate that stands ahead on the main street was certainly not normal, but it was surprisingly easy to ignore it after a bit.

But the noise of the main street, with all of its merchants and shops, masked over my own thoughts, so I left to find a quieter area, which I did after a few minutes of walking.

It was a surprising change, but a needed one. I felt like I was going to get a headache if I was there for much longer.

But this place... Doesn't seem much better.

It feels like it has an aura of melancholy. As if the place itself was sad.

It wasn't broken down, or slums like at all. It looked much like the main street without all of the people.

People do live here, since I can see candle light glowing from under the windows of many of the houses, but they seem to not want to come out.

Whether that be out of fear, the fact that it's night or a mixture of both I'm not sure, but it's not likely that I'll be able to lay my eyes on any of the residents in this area today.

For now, though, I am extremely tired. It has been an exhausting day, with confiscating Count Poin's items, going through his income, then being sent here.

Coming to a conclusion, I once again start looking around the fief in search of a good inn.

Sadly, however, even after a good 20 minutes of searching, I could only find severely over-priced ones, which is likely a product of this fief's precious low income.

But I succumb to the expensive prices as the exhaustion from the day takes its toll on me mentally.

I make my way to the room I was given and lay down on the bed.

Finding myself unable to get up, I simply run my mission through my head again, making sure I don't forget anything for the next day.

Sure enough, after going through it several times, sleep finally takes grasp of my consciousness.

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Author Notes
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Done. Finally.

To be fair, this "horse-riding" chapter was much better than the one I did back at the start of the Alzibria arc, and I actually slightly enjoyed writing this chapter, though it doesn't have a very big word count.

But who cares, I just hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you'll continue reading!