Departure From The Royal Capital

After a one-week preparation period, the day of departure from the royal capital had finally arrived.

A carriage had been prepared by the royal palace. Since he was technically traveling as an ambassador, royal knights were assigned as escorts.

His Majesty had laughed, saying that putting escorts on Vim would only hold him back, but apparently, this formality was necessary.

There were two types of carriages, one bearing the royal crest and the other bearing the crest of the Abel house.

Vim had become quite a celebrity in this country. The crests were displayed clearly so anyone could tell at a glance that an S-rank adventurer was riding inside. Anyone attempting to attack a carriage with Vim in it would have to be an utter fool or someone completely ignorant of who he was.

“Lord Vim, I will be accompanying you on this journey.”

Standing there was Sir Camil, the captain of the Third Order of Knights.

“Sir Camil, it’s been a while. I’m relieved it’s you.”

Vim had fought alongside Camil once before during a slime subjugation. When it came to swordsmanship, there was likely no one in the kingdom who could surpass him.

“No, no, Lord Vim. With your strength, you would be perfectly fine even without us,” Camil said with a bitter smile.

“That’s not true. Having more people reduces the likelihood of being ambushed in the first place.”

While a larger group required proper coordination, bandits generally tended to avoid targeting large parties of travelers. Of course, that was merely a general tendency, so letting one’s guard down could still lead to disaster.

“This is our first time meeting, isn’t it? I am Camil, in charge of the Third Order of Knights,” Camil said, turning toward Misa.

“Nice to meet you. I am Misa Fulmen.”

“I look forward to working with you.”

With that, the two shook hands.

“Well then, shall we head out?”

Vim offered a hand to Hana and Misa, helping them into the carriage before climbing in himself.

From here to the imperial capital of Gryphinto, the journey would take about two weeks if everything went smoothly. Arriving within three weeks would be a perfectly acceptable outcome.

With a slow start, the carriage began to move. The rhythmic clattering of horseshoes striking the ground echoed as the carriage gradually picked up speed.

“It looks like it’s going to be a long journey,” Hana, sitting next to him, murmured.

“Is this your first time crossing the border, Hana?”

“Yes, it is my first time crossing the border in this manner.”

“Then you have something to look forward to. It’s my first time visiting Gryphinto as well.”

Hana had lived as a slave for a long time and had been afflicted by a deadly poison, so she had never had the chance to cross borders. Vim, too, had spent his entire time working as a court mage in the Empire, so he knew little of other countries, save for Leoria.

The Empire was a nation centered primarily on military might. Because of that, he was quite curious about the Gryphinto Empire they were heading toward.

“I hear Gryphinto is a country with deep religious devotion to the gods,” Misa said, sitting on the side opposite Hana. Vim was currently sandwiched right between the two of them.

“Heh, cultural differences are always interesting.”

Perhaps due to Leoria’s nature as a meritocracy, there weren’t many people with a deep faith in the gods there.

With growing anticipation for the new land awaiting them, Vim and his companions departed from the royal capital of Leoria.