The Bride-Hunting Tale: I’ve Failed 20 Marriage Proposals Already. I Don’t Need Titles Like Dragon Slayer or Hero Who Saved the Nation—All I Want Is a Cute Wife!
The Marquisate of Lestar, located in the vast forests of the far northwestern reaches of the Empire.
It’s no lie that it’s a remote frontier backwater, but even so, more than 15,000 people live across the territory, and about twenty villages dot the area around the central town.
Well, from the perspective of the Empire, which boasts a population of over forty million, this is definitely a small domain. Although in terms of sheer land area, it’s among the largest you could count on one hand.
My beloved town of Lestar isn’t like the typical rural settlements you’d expect along the frontier. Unlike the camp we passed earlier, the town is surrounded by sturdy stone walls, giving it the appearance of a fortified city.
There’s a moat along the outer side of the walls, filled with water drawn from the nearby river. Incidentally, an intricate network of canals also runs through the town itself, all fed by the same river.
Abundant water supply is another great feature of this territory. Yeah, I should definitely highlight that point.
When our carriage arrived at the gates of the city wall, they opened without question, allowing us to pass right through.
“Oh my… It’s much better than I imagined. Ah— sorry.”
Looking out the open window — left that way so we could enjoy the scenery — Lady Sallyfe couldn’t help but blurt out her honest reaction with an awkward smile.
I suppose she was expecting something like a completely run-down hick town. That’s only natural; no need to dwell on it.
“It’s actually quite lively. Not just because ‘Fork’ came back, I assume?”
Of course not — my people wouldn’t be that sentimental.
Over ten thousand people live in this town alone, and most of them are naturally loud and boisterous, so the streets are always bustling.
Along the wide main road leading up to the lord’s manor on the inner side of town, rows of shops line both sides. You’ll find stores selling daily goods, fruits, grains, and even seasonings like salt, as well as shops offering decorative items. The only thing missing are butcher shops.
“Are there no meat vendors here?”
I nodded in response to Lady Sallyfe’s surprised remark.
“Most of Lestar’s residents are hunters by nature. Near the western gate, there’s a plaza where they exchange the meat from their own hunts with others’ catches.”
When hunters return from the wild, they usually bleed and gut their prey on-site before bringing it back to town.
They use the western gate to enter, and just inside lies the meat market.
Since individuals prefer different kinds of game, and eating the same kind of meat constantly gets boring, people trade meats with each other there. They also give organs or unused parts to those raising rigums — a local beast of burden.
In addition, merchants who come into town gather there to buy pelts, medicinal ingredients, minerals, and herbs.
“How fascinating! I’d love to see that sometime.” “I wonder how the trading works…” “Yeah, maybe another time.”
I gave a vague reply to Riss and Lady Sallyfe, who were clearly intrigued by my explanation.
It’s not really a place suitable for noble ladies to visit.
Not because it’s unsafe, but because returning hunters often come back covered in blood, and the appearance of the freshly hunted animals they bring back can be pretty gruesome.
I’ll wait until they’ve settled in a bit and built up some tolerance before showing them around.
Inside the slowly moving carriage, Lady Sallyfe seemed to have relaxed considerably. She looked curiously at the streets, chatted and laughed with Riss, and occasionally asked me questions.
She was particularly surprised by how large the town was for a frontier settlement, and how spacious each individual house appeared.
I explained that originally, they had tried creating farmland within the city walls, which occupied a large area, but the soil wasn’t suitable, so the farms were quickly abandoned. Instead, the large, physically strong locals with big families ended up building spacious houses, and that’s how it turned out — prompting laughter from her.
A quarter-hour after passing through the gates, we finally arrived at the manor house at the end of the street.
That said, it doesn’t look any grander than the other homes — simply a bit larger. It’s not a castle or a luxurious mansion, just an ordinary residence. Though the garden is rather expansive.
“Well then, thanks for the ride.” “Not at all. We were heading this way anyway to make deliveries. When we head back to the Imperial Capital, someone else will take their turn, I’m sure.”
Please don’t say things like “doing this as a favor for picking up the heir to the lord.” I knew this would happen, though.
We got off the carriage in front of the house and parted ways with those who had accompanied us.
The ducal carriage that had carried our luggage was unharnessed, and one of the Lestar soldiers casually took it by the reins and began pulling it toward the town office by hand.
Probably distributing the souvenirs there.
The Duke’s knights were clearly astonished that a single soldier was pulling the heavy carriage unaided.
“There’s a lot here that’s different from what I imagined. Seems like rumors aren’t reliable after all.”
Riss muttered thoughtfully, but what concerned me more was Lady Sallyfe’s reaction.
After all, a Marquis holds a high rank within the Empire, yet here was a rough, rustic town with a simple home indistinguishable from commoners’.
…Could she possibly feel disappointed?
As I nervously observed her expression, Riss whispered beside me with exasperation:
“In the provinces, even noble families at the rank of Baron or Viscount often live much like commoners. In the capital, they might try to keep up appearances, but life in the countryside tends to be modest.”
Is that really how it is?
Well, judging from Sallyfe’s and former Baron Bosche’s expressions, they didn’t seem particularly bothered, so perhaps Riss was right.
“In any case, we’ve got plenty of room, so please relax and stay as long as you like.”
With those words, I opened the gate and invited Lady Sallyfe and the others inside.
The delegation from the Ducal House included two knights and two maids, who entered with us, while the rest went to a nearby inn. Obviously, there wasn’t space for everyone.
As I walked ahead toward the building, thinking about these things, suddenly, from both sides, shadows leapt out — swords raised and swung downward just a dozen paces from the entrance.
“Ah!? Fork!!”
A scream-like cry rang out from Riss.