「Umm … … That 『station』 that you mentioned it is some sort of place to stay for the night, right?˩

「Yes, that's true. Horses are animals, and they have to take a rest when they become tired. In some cases they might have to be switched out altogether. Furthermore, it's impossible for the coachman to drive the carriage all day without tire; and it's the same for the pa.s.sengers, they will surely get tired after sitting in the carriage all day. To rid everyone's fatigue, stations are erected along the highway.˩

「In other words, stations are a place where there is a lot of human traffic, right? I was wondering if those places would be quite developed, to the point where they could even be regarded as a town. Am I wrong?˩

Hearing Kouta's question, Noel suddenly realised what Kouta meant and shook her head.

「Oh, so that was the case. Umm… … Am I wrong to guess that you were thinking that there would be towns the size of Rarkia established along the Alex Road?˩

「Yes, that's it. Was I wrong?˩

「Although I don't know where Kouta-sama originates from… … but for all I know, no one in the Orkena continent would establish a town near a highway. If that's the case, are you not from the Orkena continent? Are you from the Degas continent?˩

「Umm, yes, you could take it like that… … No one would establish a town near a highway? Why?˩

Kouta did not say that he was from a parallel world and decided to use vague wordings as an answer. A place with a lot of human traffic would gather traders that sell essentials to these places, which would in turn promote the establishment of restaurants and bars to fill the traders' stomachs, and then more traders would come forward to sell meat, vegetables and fruits to these establishments.

「If I had to answer… … When tourists increase, then it would be easier for 『outsiders』 to slip in? Wouldn't that be bad news?˩

「… … That may be true.˩

「Of course if the place has guards like those in Rarkia then it would pose no problem, but small towns are seldom able to afford such defensive measures. Also, ignoring high speed  carriages and stationed carriages, personal carriages like those used by traders… … well… …. They will eat 『them』 up.˩

「Eat? What do they eat? … … Wait, who are the ones eating?˩

「Vegetables planted along the road, by the traders, and the horses.˩

Noel mimicked the motion of eating with a cute 「om˩ .

「… … That's theft.˩

「Exactly. Furthermore, there's no way for the farmers to constantly look out for carriages that may or may not pa.s.s by. Thus, that's the reason why inns that act as 『rest stops』 are erected next to the highways. At Helun, there are at the very most a few inns, stables, and bars … …˩

At this point, Noel turned her head to look at Kouta with flushed cheeks.

「And… … That's all, nothing to 『look forward』 to. I-if that's the case. Umm. T-then, the thing you're looking forward to… … is t-that… …˩

「Stop, that's enough. Let's just end that topic here. Continuing will be a bad idea.˩

Kouta quickly used a hand to stop Noel who became as red as a lobster and even produced a 「uwaauwaa˩ sound, and continued on.

「Just now you mentioned high speed carriages… … and 『stationed carriages』? Since you mentioned them, are there any differences between the two?˩

「Y-yes! Umm, the 『stationed carriages』 are the carriages stationed at each station. Although the horses are slow, they are very cheap. On the other hand, the high speed carriages are the ones that set off at dawn and only stop at night. They are faster due to them stopping only when necessary, but they are more expensive since they have to change tired horses while on the road frequently. Incidentally, there is also 『express carriages』. They don't stop anywhere along the way.˩

「They don't stop anywhere? What about rest?˩

「They have 2 coachmen driving the carriage, and there is also a mobile stable towed along behind the carriage. When a horse tires along the way, it would be switched out with another horse from the stable. The horses are often worked to death.˩

At that point, Noel dejectedly looked downwards.

「Poor horses… …˩

「Miss Noel sure is gentle… … I get it, from today onwards, I will not use the express carriages no matter how rushed for time I am.˩

「T-that's… … A-although I am happy that you said that… … Umm, express carriages are really expensive. One may not be able to ride it even once in their entire lifetime, so… ….˩

「… … Oh, so you're telling me to not worry? I understand.˩

Noel didn't dare to say something like 「for a plebeian like you, there's no way you can afford it in your entire lifetime!˩ , but what she said certainly hinted that. Although it left a sour taste in his mouth, Kouta decided to ignore it. If he took it to heart, he would lose.

「I-I didn't mean… … Well, you could take it that way… … b-but it's not like that! Umm… … Ah! T-that's right! Express carriages are only available on the Alex Road! If that's the case, then if Kouta-sama leaves the Alex Road… … Aaaaaaah, why does this explanation feel wrong?˩

「… … That's enough. You can stop now. That said, express carriages are only available on the Alex Road? ˩

「Y-yes! As I said, express carriages are a little 『special』. If the road is not as wide as the Alex Road, then the carriage itself would be bigger than the road.  Ah, the roads here are commonly around the width of two carriages.˩

「What about the ones smaller than that?˩

「Then they would just simply be called 『alleys』. To reach Rond de Terra, we have to take a turn at the Nario Station into the Rond de Terra Road.˩

「So that's how it is… … Umm… … If you don't mind me asking, Miss Noel, have you ever gone to Rond de Terra before?˩

「Eh? Rond de terra? Umm… … I'm really sorry, I have never gone there before… … That is to say, if you have any questions about that place, I don't think I can give an answer—˩

「E-educated? It's nothing like that! For Kouta-sama who dares to wear weird clothes that look like they're from some rundown village out in public in broad daylight, I may look like I'm educated, but in reality I'm not!˩   (T/N I feel like bad for Kouta lol)

「Weird clothes… … Why do you insult other people out of the blue with no warning? Are you doing this on purpose?˩

「I-insult? Did I say anything wrong?˩

「… … I guess there's no bad intent behind it. Hmm, like the explanation about roads and alleys, and the direction to Rond de Terra… … Normal people wouldn't be able to explain  in such detail, would they?˩

In Kouta's perspective, his words were compliments. However, Noel awkwardly averted her gaze.

「… … What is it?˩

「Umm… … Although it may seem like I'm very familiar with the topic… … but I had only read about them at the last minute. Uh, and this is also the first time I'm on a high speed carriage… … ˩

Noel shyly smiled with a red face. That cute appearance that suited her age, made Kouta slightly relax.

「… …Read? You learnt those things from reading books?˩

「Eh? Y-yes. I thought that not knowing anything would be embarra.s.sing, so I bought a copy of 『Carriage Weekly Digest』… …˩  (T/N if any of you got a better name, let me know)

「Let's ignore the naming style of that magazine for now… … Eh? Miss Noel, you know how to read?˩

Noel, having heard Kouta saying that with a dumbfounded face, furrowed her brows as if to say 「I'm angry!˩  and said;

「Do you take me as some country b.u.mpkin? I may not look like it, but I'm a native Rarkia-born! Plus, I also studied at a private school! Of course I am literate!˩

「Private school? You studied at a private school? T-then… … Miss Noel, don't tell me you're the young lady of a rich family?˩

「Luckily my family holds the t.i.tle of quasi-baron… …But, private school? Even the children of vegetable vendors are able to study there, not to mention the children of n.o.bility?˩

What Noel said hinted to Kouta; 「isn't this common sense?˩   and Kouta was stunned.There was this phrase called 「literacy rate˩ . It is the percentage of people that can use their mother tongue in reading and writing for daily use - for example, in j.a.pan it would be j.a.panese- among the total population. To put it simply, it's the 「amount of people above the age of 15 that is able to read and write j.a.panese˩.  Some people may have already guessed it but the literacy rate of j.a.pan is indeed close to 100%.

(T/N 99%, but close enough)

The literacy rate of a country is closely related to the level of primary education of that country, and often times its importance can rival that of the country's military might. Although there might be some exceptions, but if we were to speak in relatively simple terms, a country where even a child could speak and write fluently is a country that can be regarded as a first-world country.

「…  … Forgive my ignorance. But, even a child of a vegetable vendor could study there, is it? Asking this may be weird, but can they afford the tuition fees?˩

「It is ok for the monthly tuition fees to be paid using a 『small gift』. Where I studied, the children of vendors would use the products from their parents' shop to pay for their tuition fees.˩

「Trading goods for tuition, is it? Although this is good news for the students, but how would the teachers survive?˩

「Most teachers are hermits that have quite good family backgrounds in the first place. My past teacher, for example, had pa.s.sed down his bookstore, that is quite big in Rarkia to his son and was living in relative seclusion after retiring. He was quite happy to get vegetables as payment for his teachings, much more than money.˩

Kouta pieced what Noel said together in his mind, and came to the conclusion that it would be something like bored retirees trying to occupy their free time by volunteering as a teacher.

「That is some dedication to community services… …Everybody loves helping others, don't they?˩

「Helping others indeed… …  But, here in Flame, we have a type of n.o.bility called the 『Alex n.o.bles』. ˩

「The Alex n.o.bles? By 『Alex』 you mean—˩

「The founding Emperor Alex that constructed this Alex Road beneath our feet. Emperor Alex greatly encouraged the founding of schools and even awarded the teachers with certain achievements the t.i.tle of 『n.o.ble』. They might be n.o.bles, but the t.i.tle cannot be pa.s.sed down, and neither will they get any land nor monetary reward… …However, those who have the t.i.tle of  『Alex n.o.bles』 will be addressed as 『Master』*. Even the high n.o.bility would bow down to their 『Masters』. ˩

(T/N "Master" as in "sensei", like "Master" Wugui from Kung Fu Panda. Not what you hear in maid cafes)

「Those who succeed seek fame, right?˩

So that's how it was. This didn’t seem like a bad idea. However, whether the idea was wise or not was another matter altogether.

「Emperor Alex was pretty awesome, wasn't he? Not only did he build an empire that dominated the entire Orkena continent, he also kick-started the construction of roads, and even enriched the country's primary education system, right?˩

「Not only that! For example, the printing methods for the production of books to be used by schools were also invented by Emperor Alex. He also invented the 『Alex style』 of drama, and also a type of instrument that mimics the sound of a person singing according to the beat, also called 『Alex』! And also other numerous achievements! He is the great emperor that established the greatest empire on the Orkena continent!˩

「T-too close! Miss Noel! You are a little too excited about this!˩

Kouta used his hands to s.h.i.+eld himself from Noel who suddenly leapt out from her seat towards Kouta while screaming at the top of her lungs.

「… … He seems quite similar to Leonardo da Vinci, huh. Orkena's version of a superhuman?˩

Since Alex was an individual who lived a thousand years ago, there would definitely be some exaggerations about him. Even so, his contributions were quite astounding.

「Yo! Yo!˩

Out of the blue, Noel began to shout loudly. To be honest, it just sounded weird no matter how you listened to it.

「… … What is it?˩

「Born in Flame, grew up in Rarkia ———! ˩

「… …˩

「The evil empire! Has sent a warning! Rise up everybody! The time is now!

The world! Is within our palms! Our brothers in arms!

Express your emotions! I will persevere! The new era of the country! Will come!˩

Noel crossed her arms in from of her chest, her fingers making a symbol similar to that of the famous 「Fleming's rules˩ , with a delighted expression on her face. Kouta, sitting opposite of Noel, was dumbfounded.

「… … What was that?˩

「『Alex』, the famous song that is sung by all citizens of Flame during festivals, no matter age or gender.˩

「… … It must be quite lively.˩

「Yes, of course! There are actions accompanying this song too! Kouta-sama, would you like to learn them? It's like this! Spread apart your thumb, index finger and middle finger and then, draw a circle with your hand away from your chest! Yo! Yo!˩

(T/N ultimate cringe)

Kouta averted his gaze from Noel who did this while smiling brightly. While thinking of how everybody did these actions, Kouta's eyes began to moisten at the corners. Even the elderly would shout 「Yo! Yo!˩  while swaying their bodies?

「… … We shall talk about this another day if we have a chance. Honestly, I'm sure that even Terra would become so lively.˩

Seeing Kouta solemnly reject her suggestion while shaking his head, Noel puffed out her cheeks in anger.

「… … Anyways, Kouta-sama.˩

「What is it?˩

「Umm… … Rond de Terra does not have any historical buildings, does not have any tourist attractions, nor are there any chambers of commerce. Simply put, it's just a rural countryside… … Kouta-sama, why did you want to go to Terra?˩

Although Noel hesitated a bit at first, she threw out her question at Kouta with vigor.

「Hmm… .. If I were to be honest about this, it should be 『an a.s.signment』?˩