The rumor of the defeat of Ferelden allied Nobles didn’t become official, but it seemed to have steadily permeated to everyone.

We only heard a little of the story from the simpleton, Irijina. Now, we got the full story.

In these times, travelling peddlers aren’t all that rare.

Since the public order couldn’t be called good even as flattery, the major companies assembled caravans and increased their numbers, which reduced the risks.

And then, there were also small merchants on the individual scale that would dare to take the risk and aim for profits.

A peddler’s social status was assured through a license issued by the Merchant’s Guild, the Feudal Lords of various places, or even the Church. That's I am aiming for.

Watergate region Abram is in a distance that would take a week from Arkland by horse carriage, and is a large city in the vicinity of the area.

It is a city that a person called Margrave Lubreo Lambert rules, and is the biggest within this vicinity……it seems.

Even so, if one were to look over the entirety of the country I was raised in, even if it is called a large city, its size is average, and it seems that there are still other cities that are larger than this. 

I had seen White City that was a lot bigger than this. Ivanna said Olga City and several cities in Federation were bigger than this. The two girls from Negara mentioned several cities there were bigger than this. Even Sylvia said her hometown was bigger than this.

Even though I made a gentle expression, after about one hour after entering Lothering Town, my behavior was probably the very picture of a country bumpkin.

"Hiro, if you keep on looking around restlessly like that, you won’t look like a merchant."

That was the third time I was chided by Sekrit like that since we entered the town.

She wasn’t in her usual  outfit, but was wearing clothes that made her look like a travelling minstrel. Ivanna wore plain clothing. The three kunoichi were sneaking backyards of the town while other girls stay at Sandal Village.

I was in a merchant’s outfit and Sekrit had the appearance of a poet.

Since she really was my subordinate, I said "shouldn’t you wear a merchant-like outfit." to her, but since she anticipated that I clearly wouldn’t look like their superior once we entered the town, this time she purposely changed her outfit.

That decision alone seemed to be the correct one.

The image of a well-travelled female poet and a bodyguard travelling together with a bumpkin peddler might be rare, but within this busy town, it wasn’t something that looked that strange.

Well, in actual fact, Sekrit isn’t all that accustomed to traveling, but she was far better at it than me.

Once we stayed at the inn with just the three of us, they guessed on their own that we had that kind of relationship, and I was grateful that they didn’t look into it all that much.

If this were a rural town, it wouldn’t turn out like this.

It could be seen in their eyes that they would meet you with a barrage of questions like where you came from or what kind of relationship you had.

True to its name of Watergate region, Abram had a large river running through the center of the city. Appropriate for a region with a deep relationship with water, the one that gathered the most faith in Abram is the church that associated itself with purity.

In Watergate region Abram, these abundant water resources are put to practical use, as there are a great number of waterways that run through the city and town, as well as water wheels that use them for power. And then, the gigantic water gate that controls it all at the source is probably the main feature of this town.

Also, several large waterways run from Lothering towards surrounding farming villages. And downstream from Lothering, there is a belt of rich cultivated land that spreads out as a remote region……is what I know from my knowledge, but then again, it’s different after seeing it with my own eyes.

After arriving at the town, there was a thin waterway and so many water wheels that I didn’t know what they were used for. It looks like there are many ways to use them other than for grinding.

According to what I’ve heard, Watergate region Abram originally only had urban areas only on one side of the river which Abram City, but after Lothering came under the rule of the current Margrave Blare, large-scale riparian works were performed, and as a result, the city spread out to the other side of the river that was undeveloped in those times.

Since it had expanded this much from all of his work, the person called Margrave Blare is probably a great man in his own right. Doing various things, after we did a light look around the town, we secured a place at an inn in an area that looked like it had good public order and took a rest.

When the three of us went down to the bar and got a meal, I listened in on the contents of the conversation at the neighboring table.

"It looks like the Church is finally going to make a move."

"The combined forces of nobles couldn't defeat Arkland Dukedom."

"That's because the nobles are plotting against each other."

"Marquis Eamon Guerrin and his whole male heir were killed in the war."

"He still got the son from the young wife."

"No. That child is too young. He must be at least eighteen years old to be the Marquis."

"My friend who came from Denerim listened to the royal declaration. That young wife, Isolde is the new Marquis of Redcliffe, one of the great nobles."

"Without Eamon Guerrin, who is going to be the most influential among the great nobles?"

"Either Marquis Brumerush or Marquis Raeven."

"And the discarded Hero of Ferelden, Count Loghain is reappointed as the King's advisor. As expected of the queen's father."

"He use the chance when the nobles are in turmoil."

"But Loghain defeat the strongest man in Ferelden."

"No. It didn't count. It was two against one. Loghain joined forces with Marquis Bryland against Duke."

While I am a bumpkin, I was originally in the service business.

I’m experienced if it’s about having harmless and inoffensive conversations with business counterparts, and I bore in mind what a peddler might have an interest in talking about.

"Excuse me, may I ask you a question? I’ve just arrived in this city not too long ago, but are you having a somewhat dangerous conversation?"

"Oh, what is it, brother?"

"No, well, I overheard you talking about a topic like a war would be happening. ……As a novice peddler, that kind of topic worries me."

"What’s this, bro, you’re away from home…… Moreover, to be travelling together with such a pretty girls, I’m so jealous."

"No no, they are just people that I just coincidentally ended up coming here together with. I am unfamiliar with this area, and am having her help me out. Are you all people of this town?"

By the way, neither Sekrit nor Ivanna is able to initiate this sort of colloquial conversation, and this comes as a huge surprise to me. That must because they were among the higher ups in their youth.

In exchange for treating these men to drinks, I am able to hear some fairly good information from them.

About how Margrave Blare, who is the ruler of Lothering , is of old age, and that his biological children generally died young.

About how his few remaining blood relatives just aren’t popular with the common people.

About how his niece that is entrusted to the government affairs.

In the end, we still couldn't find ways to access into Abram City.