Episode 116

Two days passed, and we were set to depart for Rilnam.

Everything was already prepared, so there was nothing to panic about when the day of departure came.

On the morning of departure, I was doing a final check.

That said, I wasn’t carrying any luggage at all.

At first I thought I’d need a change of clothes and such, but that worry was unnecessary.

Apparently the Rilnam manor already had clothes in my size ready.

So unless there was something I personally wanted to bring, there was nothing I had to prepare.

This is what being a noble is like, I thought in surprise.

If there’s anything you need, the servants will prepare it for you.

So besides preparing a small amount of money for myself, I didn’t bring anything special.

When I finished getting ready and left my room, a servant was waiting.

After bowing, they spoke.

“Lord Faik. Are you ready?”

“Ah, ah… did I keep you waiting?”

“No, not at all. There’s a carriage prepared in the garden, this way please.”

Smiling politely, the servant went ahead.

…This kind of special treatment—or rather, the usual way nobles are treated—never seems to get comfortable no matter how many times I experience it.

When people bow and fawn like that, I feel like bowing and fawning right back.

I forced down the inclination to lower my head, followed the servant, and went out into the garden.

In the garden, a carriage for us to board was already prepared.

When Alicia, who was waiting near the carriage, noticed us, she came trotting over.

Alicia was dressed in something that looked easier to move in than usual—probably travel clothes.

She stopped in front of me and smiled.

“Faik, did you sleep well last night?”

“No problem. Are you okay, Alicia?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

There was no falsehood in the way Alicia smiled.

As we waited with Alicia for a while, Lord Goral arrived.

He approached and pierced us with his usual sharp gaze.

“Both of you, I’m counting on you.”

“Yes, leave it to us.”

I nodded firmly to Lord Goral.

I had to do my best so that Alicia wouldn’t get hurt.

After the conversation with Lord Goral, we boarded the carriage.

Refy boarded with us, and two more soldiers accompanied us.

They were our escorts. Additionally, two carriages would travel alongside ours to protect us.

There’s always a possibility we’d encounter and fight monsters along the way.

The door closed, and after a moment the horses neighed and the carriage slowly began to move.

Looking out the window, I watched the manor gradually recede.

We moved slowly through the town for a while, and once we left the town the carriage steadily picked up speed.

A cool breeze came in through the window and brushed my cheek.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve been outside the town like this.

…I did go outside when I fought the Horned Dragon, but there wasn’t enough presence of mind to really notice it then.

As I looked out like that, Alicia, who was sitting beside me, said,

“It’s been a while since we’ve ridden in a carriage together like this.”

She said it almost as a murmur.

When I turned to her, our eyes met. If it wasn’t just my imagination, her expression brightened even more, which made me happy.

Seeing Alicia’s expression made my mouth soften into a smile as well.

“Before… was it when you took me out of the court?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Compared to then, Faik’s expression looks more lively.”

Was I really that way back then?

Well, it’s partly thanks to being with Alicia now.

While we talked a little about the past, what I was curious about was Rilnam.

When there was a lull in the conversation, I brought up that topic.

“By the way, what’s going to happen to the Rilnam dungeon?”

I hadn’t asked what they’d decided to do about it since then.

Lately I’d been holed up in the forge, making swords.

I wanted to have some stock ready for when we returned.

Because of that, I hadn’t asked about what they’d do with the Rilnam dungeon or what the plan was once we arrived at Rilnam.

“For now, it seems the plan is to destroy it.”

“Is that so? Was there some negative effect?”

“Yes. Apparently the monsters around it have mutated. It’s not that dangerous yet, but if they become more vicious it’ll be a serious problem.”

In that case, destroying it does seem like the right choice.

Naturally, that concern turned toward Alicia.

“I see. So Alicia will be entering the dungeon too, right?”

“It seems I’m about the only one who can use healing magic. We could ask adventurers if we looked, but it’s not the kind of dungeon that warrants that.”

She can use healing magic, huh.

Being a ducal family, they could probably get as many people as they wanted if they put out a request.

At the very least, money wouldn’t be an obstacle.

Even now, there must be people elsewhere fighting far more dangerous monsters.

It’s unrealistic to summon those people for a dungeon that’s not very difficult.

“…I see. Alicia, can you fight fairly well?”

“To a degree. Dungeons have ranks—did you know about that?”

“Well, somewhat.”

Like adventurer ranks, they’re classified as F, E, D, C, B, A, and S.

The closer to S rank, the higher the difficulty of the dungeon.