Clip-clop, Clip-clop.
“Whew… I never expected him to be quite that troublesome. Honestly, I think getting ambushed in the middle of the night would’ve been easier.”
“I completely understand how you feel, Shun-san. He’s a cowardly man with a rather spiteful personality. I met him once in the Royal Capital, and I can’t say I came away with a particularly good impression, either.”
At the moment, Sue and I were taking a break inside the carriage, sitting beneath the kotatsu.
I was more mentally exhausted than physically tired, so I am peeling and eating some mandarin-like citrus fruit we had picked up at a market in the Western Margrave’s territory.
Ahh… The pleasant tartness is soaking right into my body.
Sue seemed just as mentally drained as I was. She’s quietly relaxing while nibbling on the same mandarin-like fruit.
For the time being, Ao is the one handling the reins, while Shiro and the others are once again learning how to drive the carriage from her.
“Do you think there are any nobles ahead who might try pulling something unnecessary?”
“Hmm… We might be fine for most of the journey, but surprisingly, I think the area just before we reach the Royal Capital may be more troublesome.”
Sue gave me her assessment of what lay ahead.
Even if the lord of a territory is a good person, there is no telling what might happen along the road. After all, animals and monsters could also appear without warning.
“Ah! Wolves!”
“Take this! Take this!”
“We got them!”
I could hear Shiro and the others shouting energetically from the driver’s seat of the carriage. Looks like they had already wiped out the entire pack of wolves in no time at all. Come to think of it… there really weren’t many animals or monsters out there that could match Shiro and the others in strength. Maybe dealing with other people really was going to be the biggest headache after all.
“Still, you don’t often get a carriage journey this comfortable. The carriage barely shakes at all, and we can just relax here beneath the kotatsu.”
“Indeed. It’s extremely comfortable. I do feel a little sorry for the army traveling with us, though. They have to make do with old-fashioned carriages and horses.”
“I think it’s fine. We’ve had our share of hardships, too. You could say this is our reward.”
And so, Sue and I spent the rest of the journey relaxing inside the carriage until we reached our campsite. Once we arrived, I helped with preparing dinner, while Shiro and the others began taking care of the many horses.
“Does that feel good?”
“Hihiiin”
“It says it feels wonderful.”
“Then I’ll go make the next horse all nice and shiny!”
Shiro, the others, and Ao went from horse to horse, cleaning the army’s mounts one after another. The soldiers still handled the more delicate care, such as tending to their hooves, but even so, the horses looked like they were enjoying every moment of it.
Sue is also using tools and magic to groom our own horses, and they seemed every bit as pleased.
Meanwhile, I finished preparing the food I had made together with the rear-support unit. Tonight’s menu was grilled meat and stir-fried vegetables.
“Still, I never expected we’d be able to eat such an extravagant meal while camping out.”
“Oh, come on. All I did was grill some meat and stir-fry some vegetables.”
“Somehow, though, it tastes incredible. I suppose that’s what you get with a first-rate chef.”
For some reason, I ended up having dinner next to Tory-san. But honestly, I’d rather not eat a meal consisting of nothing but hardtack and dried meat, either. We have little Fran and Horn with us, after all, so we need to make sure everyone gets proper nutrition.
“We’ve already left the viscount’s territory behind, so I doubt we’ll have any trouble involving nobles for the next few days. Besides, this highway is the main artery connecting the Marquis’s territory to the Royal Capital. Every lord along the route is constantly instructed to keep it properly maintained, so we shouldn’t encounter many animals or monsters, either.”
“Which means that the fact we encountered wolves several times in the Viscount’s territory is proof that they weren’t maintaining things properly.”
“Exactly. I’ve already reported that to the Royal Palace, along with what happened during the day. He’ll likely face some sort of punishment.”
Even without Tory-san saying so, maintaining the roads was clearly one of the nobles’ responsibilities.
We had hardly encountered any animals or monsters during the rest of our journey. If someone was incapable of properly managing their territory because of some ridiculous sense of pride, then I suppose replacing the head of the household was a very real possibility.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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