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“You’re supposed to die in just one more year, so what’s the point of going on a journey?”
‘Ah…’
“At this rate, the journey will probably kill you in far less than a year.”
‘It’s that woman’s voice again…’
“Everyone you meet from now on will be disappointed once they learn you’re defective, just like your family was.”
‘Shut up… please be quiet…’
“Then wouldn’t it have been much better to just stay quietly in a warm mansion bed from the start? Even if your family found you nothing but a burden?”
‘…Enough already…’
“Cut it out already!”
“Uwoh!?”
The middle-aged man sitting next to him jumped at Jonah’s sudden shout.
“Wh-what’s wrong, kid? Bad dream?”
When the man timidly spoke to him, Jonah realized he had been dozing on the luggage deck of the stagecoach—and that he had been shouting in his sleep.
“S-sorry about that…”
“Don’t worry about it. Look at you, you’re soaked in sweat. Here, drink this.”
As Jonah bowed in apology, the man broke into a wide grin and offered him a canteen.
Just as the man said, Jonah was drenched in sweat.
“Thank you very much.”
Taking the canteen, Jonah took a sip of water.
It had been a week since leaving the imperial capital, yet Jonah was continually tormented by the woman’s whispering voice in his dreams.
Such a thing had never happened while he lived in the Langheim mansion.
Moreover, the woman had never once shown herself in the dreams.
Every time, only her voice spoke to him from utter darkness.
Still, the owner of the voice was surely an unparalleled beauty… or so he thought.
“By the way, kid, you look to be about ten years old? Traveling all alone this far from the imperial capital must be tough…”
“Ah, ahaha…”
When boarding the stagecoach, Jonah had hidden his true identity.
Instead of his real name Jonatan, he called himself simply “Jonah” and claimed to be visiting distant relatives so a child traveling alone wouldn’t arouse suspicion.
He had been questioned at first, but when he showed the letter Günter had prepared “just in case,” they finally believed him.
The friendly middle-aged man sitting beside him was a merchant, heading to a rural town called “Zwerg” in the grain belt of the Estraia Empire for business.
Taking the opportunity, Jonah decided his “relatives” lived in Zwerg as well and was heading there too.
“Well, compared to the imperial capital there’s nothing particularly rare, and if I had to name a highlight it’d be the scenery, but it’s a peaceful, nice town. I’m sure you’ll like it, kid.”
“Really…!?”
Jonah’s onyx-black eyes sparkled at the merchant’s words.
To Jonah, who had run away from the Langheim house, everything he saw, heard, and touched was fresh and endlessly exciting.
He had originally planned to visit the legendary places written about in books, but now he felt that could wait.
He had no doubt that many wonderful things awaited him ahead.
Three more days of being jostled in the carriage.
“Wooow…!”
Seeing endless waves of green grain stretching to the horizon, Jonah let out a cry of admiration.
Just as the merchant had said, the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful, and Jonah’s heart trembled with emotion.
“Hehe. Pretty impressive, right?”
“Yes! It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever seen anything like this!”
“Is that so, is that so!”
Watching Jonah frolic with joy, the merchant’s face broke into a wide smile.
The sight of a child honestly delighted truly lifted one’s spirits.
“Once we get this far, we’ll reach the town of Zwerg by evening. The view stays like this the whole way, so take a nap if you get bored.”
Indeed, just as the man said, no matter how far they went, the green scenery never changed.
After a while, even Jonah seemed satisfied and lay down on the luggage deck for a nap.
And then—
“Hey, kid. We’re here.”
“Fua…”
Woken by the merchant, Jonah rubbed his eyes and sat up.
Compared to the imperial capital or the towns in Langheim territory, it was quite small, but Jonah instantly fell in love with the old townscape bathed in the evening sun.
“Here, kid, take this.”
As they alighted at the stop, the merchant handed Jonah a wooden tag.
The front bore a crest, and the back was inscribed with “Ottmar Trading Company.”
“I’ll be staying at the inn at the end of this street until my business is done. If anything happens, come find me anytime with this tag.”
“Ah… thank you so much!”
“You got it! See ya!”
The merchant waved casually and parted ways with Jonah.
“Now… what should I do?”
Because he had claimed to be visiting relatives, he couldn’t stay at the same inn as the merchant.
Sleeping outdoors was an option, but after the unfamiliar stagecoach journey, Jonah’s wish was to sleep in a proper bed if possible.
As Jonah folded his arms and tilted his head in thought—
“My… there’s a child here dressed in rather unusual clothes.”
A girl’s voice came from behind him.
Jonah slowly turned around—
“Where have you come from?”
A single girl with her arms crossed asked him.
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