90 — Chapter 90

The next day, Alice and I were looking for a carriage.

Dowal Crown was quite a distance away, so we needed transportation.

…Well, technically it would have been faster to cut straight through the forest, but since Alice was with us, I had to accommodate her.

However, that meant taking a long detour to avoid the Great Forest.

The problem was, there were very few carriages traveling from the Duchy of Elk to Dowal Crown.

“We really can’t find one, can we?”

“It can’t be helped. It’s far, and there are plenty of dangers. If there’s no direct trip, we’ll just have to hop on one going part of the way.”

“But that will cost so much more money…”

Alice was a real penny-pincher.

Though, I suppose that was only natural for her.

“I have Aoi looking for one as well, but it’s probably best not to get our hopes up.”

“Ryu, how did you get to Elk in the first place?”

“I walked through the shallow parts of the Great Forest back then. I didn’t use a carriage or anything.”

“I see…”

Alice had probably been hoping to use one of my previous connections to get there, but unfortunately, I didn’t have any.

“Master Ryu, I have found a carriage.”

“Wait, seriously!?”

To my surprise, Tiamat had actually found one.

This woman really could do anything.

“However, it is not a transport carriage, but rather a merchant’s wagon that we would be sharing. It may be somewhat inconvenient; would that be acceptable?”

“That’s more than enough, Aoi. Thanks. I assume there’s a condition for them letting us on, right?”

“Yes. In exchange for the ride, they would like us to act as guards until we reach Dowal Crown.”

“I see. You told them about Ril and the others, right?”

“I informed them that there were three familiars.”

“Then let’s head to the merchant’s place. Come on, Alice.”

“…Aoi really is incredible,” Alice muttered, having been fully prepared to transfer between multiple carriages.

We immediately followed Tiamat to meet the merchant.

I was concerned that the wagon didn’t seem to have much cargo, but I was shocked when I saw the man himself.

“Ryu, I’ll be in your care for the escort this time.”

“Mark! This carriage belongs to you?”

“Yes, I was finally able to buy my own carriage with the earnings from last time. Moreover, it was made in Dowal Crown, so it’s incredibly sturdy.”

Mark boasted as he spoke to me.

He seemed genuinely happy; usually he wore a professional merchant smile, but right now it was a genuine grin.

“Mark, it doesn’t look like you have any cargo. Are you traveling empty?”

“I came here to sell, not to buy this time, so there’s no cargo on the return trip.”

I see. I had an image of merchants immediately buying whatever looked like it would sell in their own country, but I guess it’s not always like that.

“Well then, please get on. We’ll be departing immediately.”

Mark gripped the reins, and we set off in the carriage toward Dowal Crown.

As we jolted up and down in the wagon, a single problem arose.

『I feel sick…』

『This is… my first time experiencing this. *Ugh…』

『Papa, help…』

My wives were suffering from motion sickness.

Since it was their first time seeing a carriage, Ril and the others had said they wanted to try riding in it, but they were already screaming in misery.

Out of feminine pride, they weren’t actually throwing up, but their faces were pale and they were completely limp.

Their breathing was shallow, and honestly, I was starting to get worried.

“What do you want to do? Want to come inside me?”

『『『Yes.』』』

In the end, all three retired and entered my body.

“What was that just now!? They went inside Ryu…”

“Ah, that’s just a skill Ril and the others have. I don’t know the details, but apparently they can get in there somehow.”

“Oh.”

She seemed to accept the explanation for now.

The only familiar who remained unfazed was Tiamat.

“Are you alright, Aoi?”

“Yes, I am used to it.”

Did she mean the nausea, or just carriages in general?

“More importantly, Master Ryu, have you noticed?”

“You mean the person who’s been following us?”

“Eh!?”

Apparently, Alice hadn’t noticed.

There had been a mysterious person tailing us since before we left Elk.

I suspected their target was either me or Alice…

“Check if it’s someone you know, Alice. I can’t see them clearly with the naked eye, so don’t you have something? A tool or magic to see distant objects?”

“How did you even know they were there from a distance where they can’t be seen with the naked eye…?”

“Presence. I can feel their presence. Just check for me.”

Reluctantly, Alice pulled out a tool. It looked like a pair of glasses.

“Do you know the distance?”

“Roughly five hundred meters straight back.”

Alice put on the glasses and touched the rim while staring in that direction.

After a moment, she pressed her hand to her temple.

“Looks like an acquaintance.”

“Yes, it was the Captain.”

“That was the Captain?”

When I enhanced my vision using Physical Ability Enhancement, I saw a traveler on horseback.

So that was the Captain.

“He’s… surprisingly plain-looking. For a member of the Hero’s party, anyway.”

“The Captain’s main job is information gathering, after all. He says he doesn’t mind since he never stands on the front lines.”

“So even the Hero’s party has people working behind the scenes. Anyway, why is he following us? I thought Alice would be enough for surveillance?”

“Maybe he thought I was out of my depth?”

I could sense something like surveillance magic coming from Alice, but apparently that wasn’t enough.

To think the head of the Intelligence Department would personally come out on a field trip—just how much were they on guard?

“Ryu, should we try to shake him off?”

“No, there’s no need. He isn’t hostile, and I’d hate for the horse to get spooked and be unable to run if monsters show up, so let’s just leave him be.”

I replied to Mark, who had been eavesdropping, and our journey continued.

Bandits would be easy to handle, but there was no telling what would happen with monsters.

For that reason, we had to be careful with the horse’s stamina.

“We’ll be taking a break soon. Let’s have lunch.”

When the sun was almost directly overhead, Mark announced he was letting the horse rest.

We had lunch in a nearby field.

“Ril, are you guys okay?”

When I stepped down onto the grass and called out, they slowly emerged and started rolling around on the turf.

『I’m fine now.』

『The ground is so nice~!』

『I hate being in there…』

They started doing whatever they pleased.

Ril rolled around, Ouka started to nap, and Karin perched on my shoulder.

Man, this sight is kind of healing.

“Ryu, food’s ready!”

“Coming! Hey, you lot come on too. It’s time to eat.”

Alice called out to me.

Ril stood up immediately and started walking, while Ouka somehow climbed onto my shoulder.

Since it was too much hassle to point it out, I didn’t say anything and went to eat the meal Tiamat had prepared.

“I’m always sorry for the trouble, Aoi.”

“This is my duty.”

I couldn’t thank Tiamat enough as she ladled out the soup.

I definitely won’t be able to sleep with my feet pointed toward her.

“This soup is truly delicious.”

“Ryu, you really are living a life of luxury. Traveling with someone who makes such delicious food every day.”

“That’s certainly true. I only realized just a moment ago that I was traveling with such a beauty.”

“Huh? Aoi, weren’t you traveling together from the start?”

“That’s right. When I first met them, it seemed like just a two-person journey with Ril.”

Mark and Alice were chatting away.

It seemed like the two “normal” people had hit it off.

“Aoi, would it be alright if we had a sparring session later? I feel like my body’s been getting dull lately.”

“Understood. Then, a little while after lunch, shall we move around a bit? What will Lady Ril and the others do?”

Upon hearing Tiamat’s words, the three of them immediately bolted.

Do they really hate it that much?

“Wait, Aoi, are you going to be okay? Ryu isn’t exactly normal, you know.”

“Thank you for your concern. Lady Alice, please rest assured; I was once Ryu’s combat instructor.”

“Eh?”

I wondered what that “Eh?” from Alice was supposed to mean.

It was only natural that she didn’t know Tiamat was an outlier herself, so it couldn’t be helped.

When Mark and Alice stood there in a daze after watching our light sparring session after lunch, it seemed they realized that even “lightly,” she was an outlier. I couldn’t help but wonder what the Captain, watching from afar, was thinking.