Chapter 105

On the morning of departure, the gathered party members all seemed thoroughly prepared in various ways.

Freide, as seen before, had a fur coat reinforced with metal draped over her academy uniform. Beneath the coat’s hem, a large saw and a chain-linked throwing axe swayed incessantly from both sides of her waist.

“A chain axe? You’ve brought out another peculiar weapon.”

“Well, who knows what kind of monsters we’ll encounter? We need to prepare means to attack enemies that don’t come close, like flying ones.”

Freide jingled the chain and laughed.

“Can’t you just jump up and slash them?”

Damien threw the question at her.

“Fight in mid-air against winged enemies? Admirable courage.”

“Ah, now that I think about it, you’re right.”

Damien nodded at Freide’s answer, seemingly recalling the time he got hit and fell.

Still clinging to the idea of jump attacks, huh, Damien? Those are only effective against medium or large monsters, you know. Maybe when you reach a higher level, but for now, hold back a bit.

Damien was wearing armor he had procured himself, not the academy uniform. Lately, he seemed to feel the necessity of protective gear, as he wore sturdy steel breastplates and shoulder guards over quilted armor. His limbs were also reinforced with thin iron plates, and a newly forged black iron greatsword was slung on his back with a leather belt.

“Originally, there’s someone else to deal with flying enemies, right? Your childhood friend.”

“Ah, you mean her?”

Milia, who was adjusting her attire, looked up.

In contrast to Damien’s heavy armor, her outfit looked quite light. A white shirt made of tough fabric with black pants, brown leather gloves, and boots.

The leather strap of the quiver on her back pressed diagonally across her chest, accentuating her figure. Although Milia herself didn’t seem to seek such attention, her slightly reddened face kept fidgeting with the strap.

She looked practically unarmed.

If she took a solid hit, she’d be off to the afterlife in no time. Is she trusting her frontline comrades?

At least her right shoulder was well protected by a metal pauldron. If that part got injured, she wouldn’t be able to draw her bow, so it makes sense.

She still carried a dagger at her waist in case of close combat, but…

Will that dagger ever be of use? I doubt it. It seems more like a decoration now.

“Right. You’ll handle the ranged attackers and flying ones. That’s why you have the bow, right?”

“Ah, yes! I’ll do my best!”

“Take care, Milia.”

At Damien’s words, Milia nodded happily. She seemed so pleased, as if she’d wag her tail if she had one.

Milia with a tail… It might be cute, but… No, come to think of it, if she had a tail, Freide would probably beat her to death.

I, too, was fully armed for the first time in a while.

At my waist were the black iron sword and Durandal. On my hip was the sheath of the ice blade, and on my back, a bow and arrows. Plus, a dozen throwing daggers.

Every step produced a faint clinking sound, the black iron scales on my armor clashing against each other.

The glossy fur of Boris, once alive, now felt soft and warm to the touch.

—

There was only one change from the original plan.

Nigel couldn’t come with us.

It wasn’t her intention. It was Marquis Ludwig’s order.

According to the letter from the Marquis, troops under the First Prince were dispatched to deal with the outbreak of corpse monsters in the western part of Einfeldt territory. That’s the request I had put on hold.

Whether the First Prince volunteered to boost his reputation or it was Isabella’s directive to weaken his forces wasn’t mentioned, so I don’t know.

Anyway, because of that, Marquis Ludwig also decided to join the battle with his guards and some private soldiers. If the First Prince’s army were defeated or, worse, if the prince himself were to die, the Marquis would be in quite a predicament.

Thus, Nigel was also scheduled to head to Einfeldt with the Marquis. If this were Randenburg, it might be different, but the Marquis, temporarily visiting the capital, didn’t have many forces to mobilize urgently, so he couldn’t afford to leave a master like Nigel idle.

I readily sent off Nigel, who bowed his head in apology.

—

“Shall we get going then? Damien, do you know how to drive a carriage?”

“Huh? Well, I know how, but am I the coachman?”

Damien pointed at himself, looking a bit bewildered.

Well, who else is going to do it?

Freide is the sponsor, so naturally excluded. Hiring another coachman would be an unnecessary expense, and who would want to follow us to a place that’s practically a demon realm?

You can’t suggest Milia do it if you have a conscience.

Me? I don’t know how to drive a carriage. And I don’t plan to learn.

“Of course. Did you think you’d just sit in the carriage all day with two women by your side?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

Damien hesitated.

Well, if you put it that way, anyone would hesitate. Unless you’re really thick-skinned.

“Then, good luck. You’re the only one I can trust.”

From the outside, it looks like three women and only one man. Naturally, the lone guy gets the short end of the stick. Remember that, and don’t even dream of a harem.

Reluctantly, Damien nodded and sat on the driver’s seat.

It wasn’t exactly a luxurious carriage. After all, there was no need to spend a fortune on a carriage rented for just half a month.

Inside the long wooden box, there were wooden planks sticking out on either side serving as seats. At least there were blankets on the seats, though they didn’t seem to offer much cushioning.

In the center of the carriage were supplies for half a month: sleeping bags, simple rations, and camping gear. Above, three arched metal railings were lined up, covered with a thick waterproof tarp to block the sun.

The structure was semi-open, with only the ceiling and sides covered, leaving the front and back wide open. It reminded me of the cargo compartment of a 2.5-ton military truck I’d ridden in before.

“Seems a bit… crude.”

“Is it? Isn’t this normal?”

Milia asked back. Well, this must be a normal carriage. It’s just that the ones I’ve ridden before were top-of-the-line.

“I deliberately chose this one. It’s good to get used to it. You can’t always travel in expensive carriages.”

Freide, who was boarding the carriage, glanced at me and said.

“It’s familiar. Just haven’t seen one in a while.”

“Right, even the eastern barbarians should have the ability to make carriages… they do, right? Or not?”

“Do you think the Ka`har are monkeys? They have that much at least.”

They’re called barbarians because of their savage behavior, but their level of civilization is at least medieval. Though they’re a bit behind the Empire, especially in magitech.

—

The journey was more boring than expected.

No bandits attacked, and we didn’t even run into any traveling merchants. Well, it’s always been like that.

All day, we endured the pain in our buttocks while riding the carriage, and when it was time to eat, we’d find a nearby water source, get off the carriage, and cook some simple stew. After an hour of rest and light stretching, we’d get back on the carriage.

At night, we’d park the carriage by the side of the road, light a campfire, and crawl into our sleeping bags. The four of us took turns keeping watch for an hour and a half each.

We did stop at a small village once. We enjoyed a proper meal and restocked our supplies.

I had to keep my face covered, though. Living like this is more inconvenient than I thought. I should find a solution someday.

“Right now, we only have two twin rooms left. Is that okay?”

The innkeeper was a grumpy middle-aged man.

Only two twin rooms. Well, that’s how it is in small village inns.

It was a bit awkward. It meant one of us three would have to share a room with Damien.

Well, there’s only one way then.

“I’ll share a room with Damien, so Milia, you can share with Freide.”

“Ha-shal-leur…? Wait, hold on…!”

“That sounds better.”

Milia and Freide’s reactions were polar opposites. Milia, flustered, waved her hands, while Freide nodded as if it were obvious.

“Uh… is that okay?”

Damien also seemed a bit hesitant.

Of course, it’s fine. You’re sleeping on the floor anyway.

If you want to break your back, try climbing into the bed.

“What choice do we have? It’s better than sharing with Freide or Milia. I’m used to it from my days on the plains. All my subordinates were men, after all.”

Actually, I slept alone in a large tent, but saying this should make it sound plausible.

“Just sleep on the floor. Unless you want to get hit by my sleep-talking.”

“Of course, I was planning to sleep on the floor.”

Thinking the sleep-talking was a joke, Damien smiled slightly and nodded.

“Freide, senior…? Is this really okay…?”

Blushing, Milia glanced between me and Damien, then cautiously leaned over to whisper to Freide.

“Then do you want me to share a room with him? I don’t want to sleep on the floor in an inn, and I don’t want to die in bed either.”

Freide’s decision was firm.