It takes two days by carriage to reach Lancaster City. After safely completing one of those days, we stopped the carriage to take a short break.
At a makeshift rest stop between stations, we let the horses rest and the coachman caught some sleep to recharge his energy. Meanwhile, we…
“High Priestess, let go of this!”
“Where do you keep trying to go?”
“I’m going to the Hero, okay?”
“You stubborn little… Just stay still!”
…were having a pointless argument.
…But why does the High Priestess keep calling Chloe a “stubborn little cat”?
Sure, Chloe has a cat-like face, but isn’t calling someone that usually reserved for women you don’t like?
“Then why don’t you just go sit next to the Hero, High Priestess?”
“…What?”
“Why, can’t you do that? Well, I’m going, so goodbye… *cough*!”
“…Stay here.”
…That’s gotta hurt. Grabbing someone by the scruff of their neck like that.
Seems like it hurt quite a bit, as Chloe teared up and hissed at the High Priestess.
“You violent High Priestess!”
…Now I kinda get why the High Priestess calls her a cat. The way she gets all feisty does resemble a cat.
“Violent? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just held Chloe back.”
“Then grab somewhere else!!!”
I was worried the coachman might wake up from his deep sleep because of their bickering.
“…You two, the coachman might wake up. Keep it down.”
“…Okay.”
“And High Priestess, stop grabbing people by the scruff of their neck. It hurts a lot from the receiving end.”
“…Hmph.”
The High Priestess turned her head away sharply.
…Why’s she pouting like that? It doesn’t suit her. The sulking High Priestess leaned slightly against the carriage wall, still avoiding my gaze.
“Goodnight, everyone.”
“Goodnight, Hero.”
“…Goodnight.”
…Even when she’s sulking, she still says goodnight.
#
*Thud!*
“Ouch!”
Suddenly, the carriage stopped, and I banged my head hard against the ceiling.
Ah, damn, that hurt like hell.
“Pfft♡ Hero, you’ve got a bump sticking out on your head~♡ Like a rhino♡”
“Then stop staring and heal me….”
“Just kidding~♡”
…But I think there’s actually a bump. I can feel a slight swelling near the top of my head.
“I think I really have a bump.”
“Huh?”
The High Priestess, who had been smirking, looked startled and reached out to touch the top of my head. After checking, she sighed in relief.
“It’s just a little swollen. Don’t scare me like that.”
“Heal me.”
“No.”
What a mean woman.
“By the way, why did the carriage stop?”
At Chloe’s question, the High Priestess and I exchanged glances. Both of us were silently asking if the other knew.
…Guess no one knows.
“… …!”
“…! … …!”
I think I hear voices outside?
“It’s a bit noisy outside.”
“I’ll take a look.”
I peeked my head out of the carriage window and saw a group of people blocking the road. They were men with thick, unkempt beards, wearing tattered and worn-out clothes.
And they were…
“Get out and hand over everything you’ve got! Unless you want to die, hehehe!”
…spouting some cliché lines I’ve heard somewhere before.
What is this…
It’s like a scene straight out of an old novel—a bandit ambush unfolding right before our eyes.
…Author! Just how old-fashioned are you…!
While I was marveling at the author’s old-fashioned tendencies, Chloe, who had also peeked out, spoke up.
“Bandits. Judging by their appearance, they’re probably mountain bandits.”
“How can you tell?”
“Look at their thick beards, hairy arms, and tanned skin. That’s how mountain bandits look.”
…That’s just stereotyping.
Upon closer inspection, I noticed a few of them carrying baskets used for gathering herbs or wild plants. Seems like they really are mountain bandits.
“So, what do we do? Should I go and…”
“Hero, it’s harder to subdue someone than to kill them~. If a clumsy Hero like you accidentally kills someone, it’ll be a big mess, so just stay put~♡”
“Then will you handle it, High Priestess?”
“Well, I have no choice~♡ I’ll do it instead of the clumsy Hero…”
“I’ll do it!”
The High Priestess and I both turned to look at Chloe. If the High Priestess handles it, it’ll be over in no time, so why bother?
“If the High Priestess takes care of it, it’ll be over quickly.”
“I need to show that I’m useful too, so that even after I graduate and come back, the Hero will accept me, right?”
…Were you really thinking that?
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I’ll be fine! By the way, it feels nice that the Hero is worried about me.”
Chloe gave a sly smile. What’s so great about that…?
Anyway, it wouldn’t be bad to see Chloe’s skills in action. I caught a glimpse when she fought the Ogre before… She melted its face, didn’t she?
And I was curious how a mage would handle this situation. What will Chloe do?
As Chloe stepped out of the carriage, the bandits noticed her and laughed.
“What’s this, a kid?”
“Hey, kid! Go drink some more of your mom’s milk! Oh, and hand over everything you’ve got first, hehehe!”
…What kind of laugh is that? It reminds me of a Troll’s laugh.
Chloe confidently walked up to the bandits and asked,
“First, let me ask you something. Are you planning to surrender?”
“Surrender~? Hey, guys! This little girl is asking us to surrender, what do you think?”
“Hahaha! What a funny kid! Boss, I think we need to teach her a proper lesson!”
“It seems so!”
“Up close, she’s quite pretty, isn’t she? Let’s catch her and sell her! It should be quite profitable.”
Are the bandits in this world into human trafficking too? Scary, so scary.
“Just as I thought? I asked out of courtesy.”
Chloe raised her finger. And then she started drawing something in the air. And seeing that, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.
“…Huh?”
What Chloe was drawing in the air using mana was a character I’ve seen somewhere before. I don’t know what it means, but that… looks like a Chinese character?
“High Priestess, what is that!?”
“It’s a Rune character. A special character needed to use magic.”
“…What?”
“Rune characters. By the way, writing Rune characters without any tools… Chloe is quite something. No wonder she’s a student at the Royal Magic Academy.”
…Rune characters? No matter how I look at it, it’s a Chinese character.
“…Is it hard to just write Rune characters?”
“Of course. Look at those complex shapes. Does it look easy to you, Hero~? Even active mages usually use tools like wands or staves to write them.”
…Chinese characters do have many strokes and are complex. There are also characters made by combining other characters. To think that Chinese characters are set as the basic Rune characters for magic… what kind of Magic Thousand Character Classic is this?
But if Chinese characters are the basis of Rune characters in this novel’s world, maybe I can use them too?
Despite how I look, I did attend a Chinese character academy in elementary school. I’ve forgotten most of it, but I still remember quite a bit.
I should ask Chloe about it later.
“D-damn it! This kid, is she a mage!?”
“F*ck, we need to interrupt her casting quickly!”
The bandits also rushed to stop her as soon as Chloe started drawing Chinese characters, or rather, Rune characters.
But Chloe drew the Rune characters effortlessly, like a calligraphy teacher writing, and in an instant, the completed magic was activated.
“Binding Swamp!”
The bandits’ footsteps halted. It wasn’t that they stopped themselves, but the ground beneath them turned into a swamp-like substance, gradually pulling them down.
“Ugh, agh! Boss, my feet are gone!!”
“Get a grip! Your feet aren’t gone, they’re sinking! Calm down and get out!”
“I won’t let you do that.”
As Chloe gestured upwards, the swamp-like ground stretched out and grabbed all the bandits’ limbs. And as she lowered her hand, the swamp threw the bandits to the ground.
“Argh!”
“Ugh! I didn’t expect a mage…!”
Wow…
I was honestly impressed by how she subdued a group of bandits with just one spell. Elite indeed. Not your average skill, huh?
“Chloe, you’re amazing. You’re still a student, but your skills are impressive.”
Clapping and admiring her, the High Priestess spoke.
“Hmm, maybe Chloe is more useful than a mediocre Hero~♡”
“…What?”
“Hero, you’re worse than a girl younger than you~♡ Pfft, mediocre♡ Weak♡”
Haha, damn girl. Same as always.
But I felt something slightly different from the High Priestess. A look of dissatisfaction. Why does she say such annoying things and then give me that look?
…Annoying.
I quietly raised my hand and placed it on the High Priestess’s forehead. She looked at my hand with a puzzled expression, and I just…
Snap!
“Ouch!”
I flicked her forehead.
“…Hero?”
The High Priestess looked at me with an extremely flustered expression. This kind of expression from her is quite rare.
…Actually, it’s kind of cute?
Smiling lightly at the High Priestess holding her forehead, I said.
“That’s for being cheeky.”
“…Huh, what?”
“You were being cheeky earlier.”
When I looked at her with a dissatisfied gaze, the High Priestess couldn’t say anything. If she has a conscience, she wouldn’t be able to argue since she started it.
“Hero, what should we do with these bandits?”
Chloe, who had returned to the carriage, asked me. How long does the magic last?
“How long does that magic last?”
“It lasts until I dispel it.”
“Then let’s leave them like that and inform the city guards when we get to town. They’ll take care of it.”
Saying that, I looked at the High Priestess, and she nodded in agreement, still holding her forehead.
…Did I flick her too hard?
#
The coachman, grateful for being saved from the bandits, drove the horses without rest. Thanks to that, we arrived in Lancaster City about one or two hours earlier than planned.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Oh, no, thank you. I’m really grateful for being saved, noble sirs.”
Arriving at the inn, we got off the carriage and exchanged greetings with the coachman before stepping outside. As soon as we left the inn, we saw a wide boulevard and many people coming and going.
The boulevard was filled with the sounds of street vendors calling out to customers, people chatting happily, and street musicians playing their instruments, all blending together to create a joyful noise.
Similar to Habsburg City, but with a different vibe.
“So this is…”
Lancaster City.
