The emperor's birthday celebration starts in less than 2 weeks. We would be setting off tomorrow to get there in time.
During the emperor's birthday, no one was able to teleport to the capital. They had to show their loyalty by traveling there manually. Even though Sofenia is close, we were still a 10 day journey from the capitol by carriage.
For the nobles that lived all the way on the border, It would take them over a month and a half. Most of them had already set off a long time ago. Some were even staying in the inns in our city to rest. They would also set off again very soon.
All the nobles in Sofenia are currently in a frenzy. Servants ran all over the place preparing food and other necessities that such a long journey would take. There were also tents, makeshift beds, and other things being prepared for when one had to sleep in the wilderness.
The same thing was the case for our estate. The maids and butlers were scurrying about, carrying things to and fro the mansions. They were stocking the line of 5 carriages that we were going to take.
The first carriage carried a lot of miscellaneous items. Anything from brushes and oil for maintaining weapons to extra pots and pans for cooking. There were also extra changes of clothes for the guards that would be accompanying the family. The first carriage was just for basic storage.
"Do you need something young master, young miss?" asked one of the free maids who spotted Risa and me.
We had just finished our afternoon training session and had eaten our lunch. Given that tomorrow was the day we set off, I decided to take the rest of the day off. Right now, we were just observing the servant's work while sitting on a bench.
"Hmm. Ask the kitchen to send over some chocolate cookies." I said.
'"As you wish." the young maid nodded and then hurried off. I took a glance at Risa who was cutely enjoying her candies while admiring the clear sky. I knew she would get hungry soon so the cookies were for her.
I also was in the mood for some chocolate. The bloddiness that happened earlier this day was fulfilling but at the same time depressing. I needed something to perfectly adjust my mood. Sure, the cute sight of Risa eating like a hamster with puffed cheeks is good for my soul but I needed more. Chocolate would help.
While waiting for the cookies, I directed my gaze back to the carriages. This time, I focused on the second carriage. There were many nicely wrapped, boxed, and jarred food being placed inside.
This was going to the food carriage. There were going to be over 3 dozen guards, 2 dozen servants, and around 7 family members traveling for over a week. We needed to make sure that there was more than enough food for us all.
The third carriage was left alone and so was the fourth and fifth one. The third carriage will be where our parents and Risa would ride. The fourth one would be for me and Celes. The 5th one is for 3 elders who were going to join. The 5th carriage was massive. It was double the size of mine.
My parent's carriage and mine were already bigger than most carriages as they fitted with prime luxury. The elders got an even bigger carriage since they were going to be sleeping inside them. Unlike our normal carriages, their carriages had full sized beds inside.
There would also be 2 more carriages. One massive one for the servants and guards to rest in shifts. That one would be much bigger than the elder's carriage just because it needed to hold so many people.
The 7th and final carriage would be carrying expensive gifts for the emperor and other royals. We would also send some gifts to the relatives we had living in the capital. It had been a while since I had visited some of my cousins.
Neigh!! Neigh!!
I could already hear the horses that had been brought out from the estate stables. We soon spotted them walking in the distance. They were being prepped and groomed for the journey.
'Brother, horsey! Can I ride!?" Risa spotted them too as she jumped off her bench and ran. She asked for permission but never received it.
She didn't care though as she knew I wasn't going to say no.
"Ah." I sighed and got up myself. I ran after her.
...
...
...
The day went by quickly as I helped Risa ride horses for the entire afternoon. She hadn't formally received lessons yet. I did however promise to help her practice during our journey. She seemed to like riding horses quite a lot.
"Yaaaawww!" Cleles yawned while we walked to the entrance of the estate.
It was already the next morning. It was time for us to head out.
"Couldn't sleep because you were excited?" I asked.
"Yeah! I can't wait to see what a capital city is like." Cles said with excitement. She had an expectant look on her face as her eyes twinkled with anticipation.
"I wouldn't get excited so early. The journey is going to be rough." I said with exasperation. As I already said, I hate long carriage rides.
They are so boring and devoid of any fun or entertainment. They are also so miserably slow.
"It won't be so bad. I will keep you occupied," she said with a proud look.
'What do you mean?" I ask, confused about what she was planning.
"Unlike you, I have never seen the sights that lead to capital. Your job on this trip is to explain and introduce me to everything." she explained.
Shit! The only way I was able to survive carriage rides was by sleeping or keeping quiet the entire way. She was going to make me run my mouth like a machine. I didn't want that.
'Na, no way I'm doing that!" I cross my arms and refuse. I had already done it once on our way here from the SSS.
That was a miserable ride where all I could do was constantly explain things to her. Only when we got closer to the city and the sight became tangent did things calm down.
"You can't refuse." Celes came closer to me and grabbed my left arm with both hands. She held it tightly.
'Let go." I asked her while I struggled to loosen her grip.
"Nope. I can't let my guide run away." she said while smiling. She brought her face closer to mine and said softly into my ear 'It's not like you can run from me."
She was right. No, my mana was gone, there was no way in hell that I could get away from her. I couldn't even sit in any other carriage and the same was for her. The two of us were stuck together on this journey.
Unless... a brilliant plan appeared in my mind as I knew just how I could survive this journey in peace.
"Ahem!" Our thoughts were interrupted by Mother.
We had already arrived where the carriages had been parked and fully prepped. My mother stood there with her arms crossed as she frowned at Celes.
Celes quickly took her arms off me and she she saw the scary glare my mother gave her. Cels made a goofy smile in embarrassment and looked away.
"Haa..." Mother sighed at the girl's behavior and shook her head. It wasn't considered proper by nobles to for a woman to make such close contact with an engaged man. Commoners on the other hand didn't really care.
My mother is a commoner turned noble so she understands both sides of behavior. That's why even though she frowns upon Celes, she never says anything to her.
"Whatever, you two get on your carriage. The elders and everyone are ready. We will do a couple last checks then head out." She said with frustration.
It seems that she was quite busy with making sure everything was in place. She didn't have time to deal with us.
The 2 of us nodded and then scurried towards the 4th carriage. It was an elegant carriage with a soft green color., courtesy of the special wood used to make it. It had silver linings and engravings all over.
There was even the custom symbol of a green pill that was drawn on the doors. At the front of the carriage sat the coachmen, one of our guards.
He was doing the final check on the horses to make sure they were ready to depart. There were 6 horses in the front. It was a necessary amount given the speed we needed to travel at.
"Keep up the good work Alec." I said to the guy. He was always the one who steered my carriage. I had gotten familiar with him over the years.
"Thank you young master." he said while bowing politely. He then went right back to work. He's as diligent as always.
Celes and I opened the carriage doors and went inside. As soon as we entered Celes had begun her questions.
"Why do the carriages in the back need so many horses?" she asked.
She pointed out the window so I turned around and took a look. The extremely long carriages, much longer than limousines on earth, were being paired with at least 30 horses.
This was the case for the elder's and the servant's carriages. Given that they were 3 times longer than our carriage, you would assume they only needed to have 18 to 24 horses at most.
"The material on the longer carriages is much more robust for structural purposes. Long carriages have stability problems so tougher and heavier materials were used. They weigh a lot more than they look." I explained to her.
"Oh. Why can't we ride one of those then? I want a bed in my carriage too." she complained.
"Those carriages are extremely expensive. Especially the elders. We can only afford so many." I told her.
I explained to her that the elder's carriage was fitted with special stabilization enchantments. These enchantments caused the interior to feel no bumps.
This allowed the riders to sleep in. The servant's carriage might be big but they were going to fit over 10 people at a time. Plus, they didn't have the stabilization magic in there to allow them to sleep.
That is why the rest of us were going to camp at night. It would be impossible to have a comfortable sleep on a bumpy carriage ride.
"How much does one of them cost?'' she asked, referring to the elder's enchanted carriage.
'Haaaa..." I took in a deep breath as the price came to mind. "I hope it doesn't shock you." I said to her.
Celes had made a fair bit of money during her mercenary years and was rewarded generously for her participation in the school's war. Still, she doesn't have any idea what being RICH really meant.
"Go ahead, I can handle it. I spent tens of your gold coins on the bakeries. Carraiges shouldn't be much more." Cles said with confidence.
She indeed spent a lot of money on baked goods back at school. It was all my money. She actually bought all her food with my money.
"If you say so." I looked at her with a serious expression. "That carriage is 500,000 gold coins."
And her expression froze. Her eyes widened as she stared at me for a good minute. Not a muscle on her face or body moved as she just stared. After a minute her jaw started to loosen.
An expression of pure awe mixed with confusion appeared. Her eyes were lost their glint as if lost in an endless quagmire.
500,000 Zlatan Gold Coins.
For perspective, the average person with a decent job only made around 20 gold coins a year. This amount was more than enough to feed, house, and raise a family 4.
It would take the average person 25,000 years to earn that much money. The gap between the rich and the poor was like an insurmountable canyon no matter where one went.
Celes hadn't spent more than 80 gold coins of my money on food in 3 years. She already found this to be an extravagant expense. It was obvious that her brian started to malfunction when the number spent on a carriage was 4 digits higher than the money she had spent during her entire life.
As I left Celes to deal with the shock. The line of 7 carriages started moving. We swiftly escaped they confines of the estate and entered the city streets. It didn't take us long to exit the city as our horses were top-tier at speed. They were specially bred for that purpose.
Once we had gone past the fortified walls, we came to a slow stop. We were waiting for the Zocarten family and a couple other noble clans who would be joining us on the journey.
It was always safer to travel in large numbers, especially with a war over the horizon.