Chapter 15

I was standing at the entrance of my room, doing a final check to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything, when I heard Egon-san calling out.

“Kota, Akito! The village folk have come to see you off. Hurry up and get out here!”

Egon-san had a vibrant voice that didn’t show his age at all.

This morning, both Jutta-san and Egon-san had thanked me for the thermal underwear. They said they’d had an incredibly comfortable night.

“For the first time in ages, I didn’t have to get up to pee even once in the middle of the night!”

He offered that highest of praises in a booming voice.

When I stepped outside, several villagers had gathered. Since I was something of a minor hero in the village now, I figured everyone had come to see me off.

“Master Akito!”

“Hey, the Saint has come out!”

…Eh?

They were here to see off Yoshioka, not me? And “Saint”?

“What’s the deal, Yoshioka?”

“Well, while I was exploring the village alone yesterday, I relieved an old lady’s neuralgia.”

Long story short, Yoshioka had happened upon an old woman dragging her leg in pain and cast Recovery Magic on her. Word spread like wildfire, and the injured and sick from all over the village had swarmed him.

“And so you treated every single one of them?”

“It felt great to be useful, Senpai!”

Must be nice!

“Sage’s Egg” must be nice!! I want a Skill like that too!!!

“Master Akito, we look forward to your return as soon as possible.”

“May you be safe. May the God of Space-Time watch over Master Akito.”

One after another, the villagers crowded around Yoshioka to give their regards.

Fine. Whatever. I wasn’t jealous. Not one bit.

“Kota-san.”

As I was sulking by myself, Ria and the others approached.

“We all made travel charms for you. Please take them with you.”

“Thanks, Ria, Zotto, Noel.”

This kind of human warmth really hits home!

“Kota, your friend is incredibly popular! Is it true he can use Recovery Magic?” Zotto asked, his eyes sparkling.

“Yeah. He can use all sorts of other magic, too.”

“Whoa! Is he stronger than you, Kota?”

Th-That was…

“H-Hey, I’m pretty amazing too. Watch this!”

With that, I clung to the wall of the manor and climbed straight up to the second floor.

“Ohhh! Kota, that’s awesome!”

Hehe. The “Gecko Hand” Skill was a huge hit with the kids (well, the boys). When I leapt from the wall to a tree and slid smoothly back down, the look in Zotto’s eyes was pure adoration.

“How was that, Zotto?”

“Cool! You’re super amazing, Kota-san!”

“Did you see that too, Noel?”

“Mm-hmm. Like a bug. It was weird.”

…Noel, smiling as always, had no malice in her words. Because there was no malice, it was all the more cruel.

“We are departing.”

Clara-sama mounted Blitz, so I started the bike’s engine. I revved the throttle a few times; the machine seemed to be in top shape.

“And so, we set forth!”

Clara-sama raised her hand, and the crowd parted to see us off.

Farewell, Ebba-berg.

We began our journey in high spirits.

Horses have roughly four gaits: walk, trot, canter, and gallop. Their speeds are approximately 6.5 km/h, 13 km/h, 20 km/h, and 40 km/h respectively.

Blitz was alternating between a walk and a trot. I kept the bike’s pace matched to Blitz’s.

Fortunately, the snow on the road was slushy, so I didn’t skid, but the splashing muddy water was a real pain. If I hadn’t been wearing rainwear with excellent waterproofing and breathability, it would have been a miserable experience.

Our plan was to head west from Ebba-berg first, eventually hitting the Reinga Road, one of the main highways of the Kingdom of Saxens.

Our scheduled stop for tonight was a village called Kattenstrokt, located just before the main highway.

It was a journey of roughly 49 kilometers.

“Kota, I see a stream over there. I shall let Blitz drink. Let us take a break as well.”

“Understood. I’ll go on ahead and get things ready.”

I twisted the throttle and put on a burst of speed.

It had been about three hours since we left Ebba-berg. Normally, my rear end would have been screaming in pain by now, but thanks to Yoshioka casting Recovery Magic on me at regular intervals, I was holding up somehow.

“Finally, a break. Let’s boil some water and have a drink.”

“I bought a whole variety of beverages, you know,” Yoshioka said. “We’ve got Japanese tea, coffee, black tea, cocoa, and hot lemon. I’ve even got milk and various soft drinks tucked away in my Spatial Storage. I even prepared a stovetop espresso maker, just in case.”

A gourmet otaku really leaves nothing to chance. I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy started doing latte art out here under the cold open sky.

Before Clara-sama arrived, we hauled out our gear and started boiling water. Since we had the supplies, I decided I wanted a caffè latte. Yoshioka had even brought a shaker-style milk frother. Was he planning on opening a cafe in this other world or something?

“Whoa, easy there.”

I took the reins of the late-arriving Blitz to calm him down and led him to the water.

“Good job, Blitz.”

Blitz gulped down the river water, his throat pulsing with every swallow. While he drank, I wiped the sweat off him so his body wouldn’t get chilled. Blitz had grown completely accustomed to me; he let me touch him without the slightest hint of wariness.

“Tired, Blitz? You did great. Tell you what, I’ll give you a little treat. Yoshioka!”

“What’s up, Senpai?”

“Cast some Recovery Magic on Blitz. He’s gotta be exhausted too, right?”

“Good point. Alright, Blitz, hold still.”

As Yoshioka’s fingers glowed green, Blitz’s breathing steadied almost instantly.

“How’s that, Blitz?”

When I leaned my face close to his, Blitz happily licked my cheek. Since he’d just finished drinking, his muzzle was soaking wet, leaving my face a total mess. Still, I didn’t mind. I’d really bonded with the big guy.

“It seems you and Blitz have come to understand one another.”

I turned around to see Clara-sama watching us with a smile.

“Yeah. Blitz is smart, so he seems to grasp exactly what I’m trying to do.”

Blitz let out a soft snort—brrrpt! It was as if he were saying, “Of course I do!”

“Hehe. But isn’t it a bit unfair to favor only Blitz? I, too, am looking forward to this ‘caffè latte’ you mentioned.”

It wasn’t just Blitz; Clara-sama had opened up quite a bit as well. She wouldn’t have engaged in such lighthearted banter before. Perhaps being away from her territory made her feel a bit more liberated.

“I’ll have the best caffè latte of your life ready in a moment.”

I left the espresso to Yoshioka and poured some lightly warmed milk into the shaker-style frother. This was the type where you screw two containers together. There’s a fine mesh screen between them, and shaking it up and down creates a creamy foam. I worked the frother with the flair of a bartender snapping a cocktail shaker.

The espresso seemed ready as well.

“Senpai, pass me the milk.”

Yoshioka used a toothpick to draw a heart in the latte foam. That brat actually did it!

I presented the caffè latte to Clara-sama, accompanied by a single piece of chocolate.

“Please, enjoy.”

“Y-Yes, thank you.”

Gulp.

Clara-sama’s slender throat moved as she swallowed the liquid, which was brimming with a rich aroma.

“…”

For a moment, Clara-sama’s body went rigid. Then, in silence, she took a second sip, and a third.

“It’s delicious…”

Her voice was small, but the murmur was filled with deep, heartfelt sincerity.

“Would you like a refill?”

“There is more!?”

“Yes. Please, drink as much as you like.”

“I… I see. I was quite thirsty. I believe I shall have another cup.”

Clara-sama had clearly taken a massive liking to the caffè latte. After serving her seconds, we received permission to join her and had our own drinks.

Clara-sama seemed to have fallen completely under the spell of the chocolate and latte combination. Whenever she ate something delicious, a look of fresh wonder and joy immediately washed over her face. Watching her was just plain adorable.

Maybe next time I’d try serving cocoa with a splash of orange liqueur. I was sure she’d be surprised again and show me that expression.

I was beginning to feel a secret pleasure in finding new ways to amaze Clara-sama.