Category: Isekai Nonbiri Sanpo Tabi

As we drew closer to the Royal Capital, the scenery gradually changed. The fields and forests became fewer, while houses and other buildings began appearing more and more frequently. Naturally, there were also more people traveling along the highway.

“But we’re going pretty fast!”

“We’re really moving fast!”

“So fast!”

Ao is driving today, with Shiro and the others sitting beside her in the driver’s seat. They’d already finished their studying for the day, so Shiro and the others seemed to be in particularly high spirits.

“If we keep this pace, we should reach the military facility on the outskirts of the Royal Capital as early as tomorrow.”

“Well, at this speed, there’s no doubt we’ll make it.”

Sue and I were taking it easy inside the kotatsu today. We spent the time discussing what we would be doing once we arrived.

“After we hand over the people under escort at the military facility, we’ll go to my family’s estate. After that, I have a letter entrusted to me by Emilia-sama, so we’ll head to the Royal Palace.”

“Uh… don’t tell me the person that letter is addressed to is…”

“His Majesty the King, Emilia-sama’s father.”

“Haha… So we’re going to meet His Majesty the King immediately after arriving in the Royal Capital?”

But we had something to deliver, so there really wasn’t much we could do about it.

“If possible, I’d also like to visit Telma and Casey’s estate.”

“Well, we do have quite a few things to discuss with them regarding this incident.”

There was also the matter of Telma-san and Casey-san, who had returned to the Royal Capital ahead of us. We needed to explain the situation to their families properly.

“Also, nobles from all over the kingdom will be gathering in preparation for the New Year, so I imagine we’ll be quite busy with parties and other events toward the end of the year.”

“Come to think of it, Fina from the Northern Margrave’s territory said she absolutely wanted to meet us.”

“In that case, we’ll also need to visit the people from the Church who helped us back in the Eastern Margrave’s territory.”

Just meeting up with everyone we knew was already looking like quite a lot of work.

The hot spring trip could be done in two days and one night, but aside from that, it looked like we’d be staying in the Royal Capital until the New Year celebrations were over and all the nobles returned to their respective territories.

“Also, my brother’s child is turning five, so he’ll be able to keep Fran and Horn company.”

“Your brother?”

“Technically, he’s my mother’s elder brother’s grandson. He’s my first cousin once removed, but since he’s older than me, I’ve always called him my brother.”

I see. Sue’s father was unknown, and her mother had already passed away.

Being in the Royal Capital might put her in a somewhat awkward position. Still, Sue was much stronger mentally than she had been when we first met. Maybe she was strong enough now to face whatever difficulties came her way on her own.

“Oniichan! It’s almost break time!”

“Got it.”

“Hehe.”

Shiro leaned out from the driver’s seat and called out to me. Seeing Shiro brimming with energy, Sue couldn’t help but smile.

There were plenty of things waiting for us, but first, we needed to deal with whatever was right in front of us, one thing at a time.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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The next morning, after Tory-san contacted the relevant parties, we set out once again. Apparently, through the army, the Adventurer’s Guild would also be conducting an investigation into adventurers with disciplinary problems. They were also planning to investigate people with criminal records.

Of course, we remained on our guard as we continued along the road.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

“We should reach the Royal Capital in another three days.”

“Since we didn’t make any detours, we’ll be there before we know it.”

Today, Shiro and I are taking turns driving the carriage. Fran and Horn are studying with Sue and Ao inside the kotatsu.

Lately, Fran and Horn had been able to concentrate on their studies quite well. Even compared to other five-year-olds, Horn in particular seemed to be exceptionally bright.

“Shiro, are you doing okay with your studying?”

“Yep! I’m doing it this afternoon, so it’s fine!”

Shiro had also started setting aside specific times for studying and sticking to them, which was quite a big step forward. She was really starting to feel like a good big sister to Fran and Horn.

“Shiro, what do you want to do once we get to the Royal Capital?”

“Hmm… I wanna stay at Sue-oneechan’s house!”

“Yeah. We’ll probably end up staying at Sue’s estate while we’re in the Royal Capital.”

Sue is the daughter of a baron, so she had only planned to spend a single year working as an adventurer. We’d already accomplished our original goal of meeting the Southern Margrave, and Sue was planning to retire from adventuring by the end of the year.

Well, with all the trouble involving the underground organization and the Human Supremacy Church, the future was still pretty uncertain.

“What kind of quests do you think they’ll have in the Royal Capital?”

“Maybe they’ll have jobs cleaning big mansions!”

“Hahaha. I’d really rather not clean an entire mansion…”

Personally, I’d be perfectly happy with something simple, like gathering medicinal herbs. Still, first things first. We’d have to check what kinds of quests were available at the Adventurer’s Guild in the Royal Capital.

“Hmm… Other than that, I kinda want to go traveling somewhere again.”

“Now that we’ve got such a nice carriage, it might be fun to go somewhere.”

We didn’t necessarily need a quest as an excuse, either. A leisurely trip to visit some hot springs sounded pretty nice. Fortunately, we had plenty of money, so travel expenses weren’t exactly something we had to worry about.

Just then, Shiro climbed inside the carriage.

“Hey, hey, Sue-oneechan! Are there any hot springs near the Royal Capital?”

“There’s a popular hot spring town within a day’s trip. If we have some free time after we arrive in the Royal Capital, why don’t we all go together?”

“““Let’s go!”””’

I never would have guessed there was such a popular hot spring town right outside the Royal Capital. Even a two-day, one-night trip would be more than enough time to get there and back.

Maybe we really should start planning that hot spring trip.

“Then what other places are there?”

“There’s a large lake near the hot spring town. It’s connected by a river to the Southern Margrave’s territory.”

Come to think of it, our very first job had been cleaning out a warehouse along the canal. Thinking back on it now, I couldn’t help feeling a little nostalgic.

The day passed peacefully, with no attacks during the night. And when we all went to bed, we spent some time talking about where we wanted to go.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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However, even after we left the marquis’s territory, we kept running into members of the underground organization wherever we went.

“Hmm… Is this their ‘even a blind arrow will hit something if you fire enough of them’ strategy?”

“Shun, you do have a way with words. Though, in their case, their arrows are so poorly aimed that even firing a hundred of them wouldn’t make a difference.”

Tory-san and I were talking over lunch, but every time we arrived in a town, we’d run into another bunch of guys dressed head to toe in black. At this point, it was starting to feel like deliberate harassment.

“There are several routes from the Western Margrave’s territory to the marquis’s territory, but there’s only one road from the marquis’s territory to the Royal Capital. So they may have been lying in wait in the towns along the way after we left the marquis’s territory.”

Sue, who is eating grilled meat beside me, explained why the attacks had suddenly increased.

Even so, the attackers were so incompetent that they weren’t remotely a threat.

“Can’t they at least attack us while we’re asleep or something? Even when they ambush us in town, they’re practically announcing their presence. It’s easy to tell because they’re practically leaking bloodlust everywhere.”

“Indeed. The army’s reconnaissance units are far better at concealing their presence. With these people, it’s almost as if they’re asking us to find them.”

They had a decent level of skill, but whether they had actually received proper training in conducting attacks was questionable.

And we got our answer that very night.

Piiiiii!

“Hm? What’s going on?”

I was sleeping inside the carriage at our campsite for the night when the sudden sound of a whistle rang out. Still rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I climbed out of the carriage with Sue and Ao, who had woken up at the same time.

“What happened?”

“Another group of men dressed in black attacked us. There were five of them in total, but we’ve already captured every one of them.”

Oh, they’d already captured all the attackers?

That’s the national army for you. Just to be safe, I used Search Magic, but there was no one else hiding nearby.

Tap, tap.

“Hm? Ao, what’s wrong… Ah!”

“Did you notice it too, Shun-san? I never would have expected it to be that person…”

When we saw the attackers being held near the campfire, Sue and I were absolutely stunned.

“Shun, do you know that guy?”

“Yes. He’s that narcissistic-looking adventurer who picked a fight with us in the Southern Margrave’s territory. If I remember correctly, he was involved in an incident involving a bladed weapon, and his adventurer’s license was suspended.”

Tory-san had asked me about him too, but the person being restrained was none other than that narcissistic, overly suave adventurer who had tried to force his way into our party back in the Southern Margrave’s territory.

Still, this might finally give us a way to narrow down who was behind the attacks.

“The dark organization and the Human Supremacy Church may have been recruiting adventurers with disciplinary problems. In fact, the underground organization approached adventurers who participated in the tournament back in the Northern Margrave’s territory.”

“So they figured adventurers with criminal records and poor conduct would be easier to lure into doing dirty work. We should probably make an inquiry with the Adventurer’s Guild.”

It made perfect sense for a criminal organization to recruit criminals. And if they were only using them for grunt work, they could simply throw them away once they were no longer useful. In that sense, maybe the underground organization was becoming more organized.

For us, though, it was still nothing more than an endless string of annoyances.

“Tory-san, what are we going to do with these guys?”

“We still have room in the carriage being used for the prisoners. Put them in there. We need to make absolutely sure they tell us who recruited them.”

With that taken care of for the time being, we returned to our carriage and crawled back into our sleeping bags.

This is turning into a much bigger hassle than I’d expected. I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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Knock, knock.

“Excuse me, my lord. We’ve located their hideout. However, everyone who remained there managed to escape all the way to the highway, where they engaged the army’s soldiers in battle.”

The butler calmly delivered some astonishing news.

The marquis, however, remained completely composed, as though he had already anticipated how things would unfold.

“And what happened?”

“They were all defeated in an instant by a slime and three small children. There were no casualties or injuries. They have already been taken into custody and are being escorted away.”

Yeah. I had a feeling this was how it would turn out. Ao and Shiro’s squad were practically guaranteed to rush in before the soldiers could even get there. With Ao around, they probably wouldn’t do anything reckless, but still… the dark organization really had made a stupid move this time.

“They may have originally intended to target the military’s escort carriage if their attack on us failed. They’d also had their throats damaged somehow so that they wouldn’t be able to talk even if they were captured and interrogated. They certainly underestimated our strength, though.”

“No, no. The reports say those men were quite skilled. It’s simply that you lot are that strong.”

Ah?

The marquis is looking at Sue and me with a slightly exasperated expression.

But were those guys in black really that strong?

Hmm… I’d always thought I still had a long way to go, since Emilia-sama beat the ever-loving daylights out of me every time we trained.

“Shun-san, you may have forgotten, but Emilia-sama is one of the five strongest people in this entire country.”

Oh, right. Emilia-sama is an absolute monster. So being trained by someone like her had apparently made us stronger without us even realizing it. Even so, I really didn’t want to train with Emilia-sama anymore.

That brought our conversation with the marquis to an end. He said they would interrogate the captured members of the underground organization and report the results to the Royal Palace.

“““You took forever!”””

“Sorry, sorry. We got attacked over here, too.”

When we returned to the carriage, Shiro and the others, who had been waiting forever, immediately started complaining.

“Shiro, did those attackers do anything to you?”

“Nope. Nothing at all.”

“They were really weak.”

“It was boring.”

Apparently, the attackers had been taken down by Ao, Shiro, and the others before they even had a chance to do anything. None of the other soldiers were injured either, so it looked like we could get moving again right away.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

“Ugh… I’ve had more than enough of getting attacked. I really hope nothing else happens.”

“It’s the dark organization we’re dealing with. We can’t afford to let our guard down yet. They’re the sort of people who could pull anything, and we have no idea what they’ll try next.”

Sue and I talked as we sat in the driver’s seat of the carriage. Those guys didn’t care how much trouble they caused other people as long as they accomplished their objective.

We’d already made it more than halfway to the Royal Capital.At this point, I just want us to arrive safely.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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Once all of the attackers had been taken away, we finally entered the marquis’s estate properly. We were immediately shown into a reception room, where I took a sip of the tea that had been served.

Ahh… It really hit the spot after all that fatigue.

“Whew, finally. I can relax. Staying on high alert the whole time was exhausting…”

“You were constantly focused while those suspicious people were watching us.”

I wasn’t the only one who was exhausted. Sue looked pretty worn out as well, and she was even eating some of the sweets that she normally wouldn’t touch in a setting like this.

Tory-san, meanwhile, is helping himself to the tea and sweets without the slightest hesitation.

“You rest properly whenever you have the opportunity. Whether you’re a soldier, a noble, or an adventurer, that part is the same for everyone.”

He certainly had a point, but did he really have to demonstrate it in the reception room of the marquis’s estate?

Knock, knock.

“Excuse me. His Lordship is on his way.”

Oh. The attendant had come to announce that the marquis was arriving, so we hurriedly got to our feet.

“No, no, my apologies for keeping you waiting. And thank you for saving my territory from such a crisis. Now, please, sit down.”

The man who entered the room was an imposing figure, quite large in stature, with short green hair. For a moment, I almost mistook him for a large beastman.

“Looks like some dirty rats managed to sneak into the town.”

“They say that if you want to hide a tree, you should hide it in a forest. In this case, I imagine they concealed the attackers right in the middle of the crowds.”

“And then they intended to kill anyone who stood against the underground organization, making an example of them and letting the entire country know just how dangerous the organization was. Ruling through fear is, quite literally, the method of terrorists.”

The Marquis gave us his thoughts on the attack, and I found myself coming to much the same conclusion. They might have been planning to free the captured executive we were escorting, but judging by the attackers’ level of strength, Ao alone would have been more than enough to drive them off.

We had already fought people connected to the underground organization in various places, not just in the Western Margrave’s territory. I would have thought they had at least some idea of our capabilities by now.

“In any case, be careful on the road. Apparently, there were those who resisted when the dark organization and the Human Supremacy Church were being hunted down in the Royal Capital. We increased patrols along the highway to keep a close watch, but we cannot prevent everything.”

The Marquis had already taken measures on several fronts. I almost wished I could force that idiotic viscount to drink the bitter lessons scraped from the marquis’s fingernails.

“Speaking of which, Sue, you’ve grown even more beautiful and stronger than you were in the past. Though it seems that when you get absorbed in something, you become just as lively as ever—far more so than your appearance would suggest.”

“Marquis… Um, thank you very much…”

Apparently, the marquis already knew Sue. After hearing about the battle, he praised her while teasing her just a little.

It was true though. Sue might look quiet and reserved, but once she made up her mind to do something, she could be surprisingly proactive.

As for Sue herself, she turned slightly red from being teased and lowered her head in embarrassment.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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Step. Step.

We finally arrived in front of the Marquis’s estate, but even now, I could still feel eyes watching us from behind the surrounding buildings.

I exchanged a glance with Tory-san and Sue. They both nodded.

In that case, let’s take them all down at once.

“I know you’re there. Come out!”

“““All personnel, assume combat positions!”””

Pii! Pii!

Tory-san’s commanding voice rang through the area, and both the army soldiers and the marquisate’s troops immediately took up battle positions. On top of that, the guards at the estate repeatedly blew whistles to alert everyone to the emergency.

Step. Step.

A figure dressed entirely in black emerged from behind one of the buildings. From this distance, I couldn’t even tell whether they were a man or a woman. But there was one thing I could say for certain.

“You’re part of that dark organization, aren’t you? Your clothes are exactly the same as those worn by the one we captured in the Western Margrave’s territory.”

Tory-san called out, but the figure who had stepped forward gave us no indication of what they were thinking.

Still, it was far too much of a coincidence.

Whoom! Clang!

Without a word, the battle began. Numerous figures dressed in black sprang out from hiding, thrusting knives at us without hesitation.

“Hmm. Not bad. But you still have a long way to go.”

“…!”

Tory-san casually caught the sword of an attacker who charged straight at him. He then deflected the blade and drove a devastating punch straight into the attacker’s stomach.

Hn?

The way the attacker doubled over made it obvious they were in agony, but they didn’t make a sound.

BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT!

“…!”

Something definitely wasn’t right. Even when they were struck by electric shocks, they didn’t so much as scream. And it didn’t seem like they were simply staying quiet to avoid making a sound.

The others who were being captured weren’t making a single sound either.

Crack! Whoosh.

“…Ugh? Ah…”

“I knew it. You’ve been using some sort of method to forcibly prevent yourselves from speaking, haven’t you?”

At that point, Sue restrained one of the attackers with Bind Magic and immediately cast healing magic on them. The attacker let out a voice, proving beyond a doubt that they had been using some sort of method to silence themselves.

“Prioritize capturing them. We’ll be using healing magic on them anyway, so a few minor injuries are acceptable.”

“““Yes, sir!”””

Tory-san determined that there would be no problem as long as the soldiers divided up the task, so they immediately began forcefully apprehending the attackers. There was still one person watching us from a distance as before, but the marquisate’s soldiers had noticed them as well and were deliberately leaving them alone.

“All right. We’ve captured them all. Can I leave the rest to you?”

“Yes, sir. Leave it to us.”

And so, with the exception of one, every attacker was captured.

The marquisate’s soldiers immediately began taking the captured attackers away, one by one, as soon as they had been restrained.

Dash. The last remaining individual had tried to slip away unnoticed, but soldiers from the Marquis’s territory had already begun tailing him.

To make sure, I checked for other accomplice. Even when I used detection magic, there is no longer any trace of hostility in the immediate area.

“Phew, they were reasonably strong. There’s no doubt they intended to kill us.”

“They specialize in ambushes, so they likely aren’t suited for one-on-one combat. They even took precautions to ensure they couldn’t make a sound if captured.”

Sue sheathed her weapon and let out a sigh of relief, though we would have to wait for the results of the interrogation to learn the finer details.With security in the area now tightened, we entered the Marquis’s estate.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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Just as Sue and Tory-san had predicted, nothing resembling a major problem occurred for the next two or three days after we left that viscount’s territory. Aside from encountering the occasional pack of wolves, the journey was no different from what we had experienced so far.

Normally, we would stay at various towns along the way and do a little sightseeing, but this time we were also on an escort mission. As a result, we only bought the bare minimum supplies we needed and did absolutely no sightseeing.

“““Zzz… zzz…”””

That said, Shiro and the others had no trouble at all keeping themselves occupied. They had become completely addicted to the kotatsu. If anything, they were starting to look downright lazy. It wasn’t as though they had lost all motivation though. They still studied properly and took care of the horses.

As it turned out, the towns around here all apparently had pretty much the same scenery, with little in the way of tourist attractions. There simply wasn’t anything that caught their interest.

“As long as we have a kotatsu and mandarins, we’re perfectly fine!”

“It’s nothing but fields and forests around here.”

“There aren’t even any rivers.”

Come to think of it, there had been a river flowing from the Southern Margrave’s territory toward the Royal Capital, but around here, most places relied on well water, so there weren’t even any rivers to speak of.

Will be anything worth sightseeing once we reach the Royal Capital?

With that thought in mind, we eventually arrived at the largest city along our route to the capital.

“““Whoa…”””

“It’s smaller than the Margrave’s territory of course, but it’s still a big town.”

“It’s a marquisate that also serves as part of the Royal Capital’s defenses. It’s an important transportation hub where several major roads intersect.”

Shiro and the others were amazed by the massive walls surrounding the town. Even from outside, we could hear the voices of countless people coming from beyond the gates. It’s immediately obvious that this is a bustling place.

“I need to pay my respects to the lord of this territory. He’s a very good man, so there shouldn’t be any trouble like what happened with that viscount. Shun, Sue, come with me.”

““Yes.””

“Then allow me to show you the way.”

Unlike the soldiers in the viscount’s territory, the soldiers here not only escorted us but also personally guided us to the lord’s estate. It was amazing how much people’s behavior could change simply because they served under a different lord.

“Shiro, Fran, Horn, I’m counting on you to hold down the fort while we’re gone.”

“““Leave it to us!”””

With Ao there alongside Shiro and the others, we should be fine even if something happened. There were also marquisate soldiers stationed with both Shiro’s group and the army.

We began walking toward the lord’s estate.

Step. Step. Step.

“Tory-san, Sue, there are people watching us from behind cover.”

“Yeah. Those are the eyes of someone with hostile intentions.”

“What do you suppose they’re planning to do?”

As we walked through the town, we could feel eyes watching us from behind the buildings. And it wasn’t just one or two people.

Tory-san and Sue had noticed the watchful gazes as well, and both of them remained ready to act at a moment’s notice.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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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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BANG!

“What are you people doi—huh?”

The reception room door suddenly flew open, and a thin young man with a bowl cut strode inside.

I had already dispersed the mana I had gathered in my hand, so at the moment, I was simply sitting on the sofa as though I hadn’t been doing anything at all. Thanks to Appraisal, I already knew that the man standing before me was the Viscount.

Well, we should hurry back to the carriage.

“Hmph. I see you’ve finally arrived. Welcome—”

BANG!

“Eeeek!”

Just as the Viscount was about to sit down on the sofa with an arrogant air, Tory-san struck first. He slammed a letter down onto the table, deliberately making as much noise as possible.

Yep—the Viscount stumbled and fell flat on his face.

“This is an official military directive entrusted to me by His Majesty. I have been ordered to transport our current detainee to the capital with the utmost urgency. I was also instructed to present this directive to any noble who attempts to obstruct us along the way.”

“Huh? Wha—?”

Still sprawled awkwardly after his stumble, the Viscount stared at Tory-san with a completely bewildered expression as the latter continued speaking in rapid succession, his face utterly serious.

And then Sue delivered the follow-up attack!

SLAM!

“Eeeek!”

With an absolutely radiant smile, Sue slammed another letter down onto the table.

“This letter was entrusted to us by Emilia-sama, the Marchioness of the Western Margravate. Emilia-sama considers this escort mission to be a matter of great national importance, and she instructed us to present this letter to any noble who attempts to interfere with our journey.”

“Oh… Uh, right?”

Sue continued explaining everything to the viscount with a pleasant smile and painstaking politeness, but he still didn’t seem to fully grasp the situation.

Well, time to deliver the finishing blow.

“By the way, if we are unnecessarily detained in this territory, the Western Margrave and the military, as well as the Royal Palace, have already been informed through Tory-san. You will likely be questioned about this later, so please keep that in mind.”

“What?!”

I spoke to the Viscount with a pleasant smile, and only then did he finally seem to realize what a foolish thing he had done. But it was already too late. Tory-san had also informed us that Emilia-sama was absolutely furious.

Since Emilia-sama is currently pregnant, there’s a good chance the previous lord himself would come to deal with this Viscount.

We left the estate behind, leaving the pale-faced viscount standing there in despair.

“We’re back. Did anything happen while we were gone?”

“Everything’s fine! We bought some food for the horses, but there was some grass mixed in that they couldn’t eat. Ao, Fran-chan, Horn-chan, and I threw all of it away!”

“I see. Good job.”

“Hehe.”

In front of the carriage was a large pile of fodder. 

Hah. So that idiot Viscount had tampered with the supplies being sold at the market, too.

Tory-san immediately began contacting the relevant parties using a communication magic device. While he was doing that, we started getting ready to depart.

“Oh, right. Ao, make sure you dispose of that rotten fodder. We don’t want any other horses accidentally eating it.”

Ao gave a salute with one of her tentacles to indicate that she understood, then headed toward the pile of fodder.

BOOOOOM!

“A-aah…”

A pillar of flame more than fifty meters high erupted around the pile of fodder. Since it is inedible grass, so we had to burn it thoroughly. 

Once the flames died down, Ao used Water Magic to soak the surrounding area and prevent the fire from spreading. Cleanup was taken care of perfectly. 

The Viscount’s garrison soldiers have fallen onto their butts and look pale with fear—I wonder what happened?

The army’s horses, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.

“All right! Then let’s get moving!”

And so, despite being held up for a while, we resumed our journey at a brisk pace.

I wonder if that viscount can really go on living a normal life after this

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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It was the third day of our journey to the Royal Capital, and once again, we set off at a brisk pace from early in the morning. Even the army’s horses were starting to show signs of strain and injury, so I cast healing magic on them whenever we stopped to rest.

“They’re asking if you could also use that magic to clean them up in the evening.”

“Life Magic on horses is a luxury, but if you’re willing to use it on us as well, I’ll allow it.”

Shiro had been interpreting for the army’s horses while I treated them, but Tory-san had conveniently decided to take advantage of the situation too.

Well, quite a few of our members could use Life Magic, and if something that simple was enough to keep everyone motivated, I had no problem with it.

“““Hee-haw!”””

“Oh, they’re all fired up now!”

“They’re saying they don’t want to smell sweaty.”

This time, Fran and Horn were interpreting for the army’s horses. And honestly, I couldn’t blame them. I didn’t particularly want to smell like sweat either. So, once we reached today’s campsite, I decided I’d give everyone a good cleaning.

Since we were at it, I might as well clean up the people we were escorting, too. It was nice that everyone was feeling more motivated, but unfortunately, the territory we were passing through next was one ruled by nobles who openly embraced aristocratic supremacy.

And sure enough, when we arrived at the territorial capital and tried to resupply, they immediately started making things difficult.

“The lord wishes to meet with you. Should you refuse, he has ordered that you will not be permitted to pass through his territory.”

Yeah, I understood that the guards were only doing their jobs, and I knew it must have been difficult for them. But when someone said something like that to me with a completely straight face, I couldn’t help but feel a little irritated myself.

“That damned brat. He’s always doing something to get on my nerves.”

Whoa. Tory-san was actually furious.

For someone who was normally so polite, this guy must really be a pain to deal with.

“Shun-san, don’t worry. I have a way to handle this.”

Sue seemed to have come up with some sort of countermeasure, so while everyone else went to restock our supplies, Sue, Tory-san, and I headed to the noble family’s estate. This was the territorial capital of a viscount’s domain, and apparently, it had a decent selection of goods.

Still, we had to be careful not to go overboard with the shopping.

“I shall summon the lord of the territory. Please wait here.”

Once we arrived at the estate and were shown into a reception room, we were treated perfectly normally. Just to be safe, I appraised the tea and sweets they had served us, but there was nothing suspicious mixed into them.

“Well, then. What should we do now?”

“He’s a twisted sort, so I doubt this will be resolved so easily.”

“I agree.”

Tory-san and Sue’s assessment of the man was about as bad as it could get. It didn’t take long for me to understand why.

Ten minutes.

Twenty minutes.

Thirty minutes.

Forty minutes.

Fifty minutes.

Yeah. Now I completely understood what Tory-san and Sue had meant.

When I used Exploration Magic, I discovered someone on the other side of the reception room door. He was deliberately leaving us waiting while secretly keeping an eye on us.

Maybe it was time to make a little point.

“Sue, we don’t have much time. How about we just blow this entire mansion apart with magic and leave?”

“Shun-san, you could completely demolish the mansion in an instant, but please calm down a little.”

“She’s right. Calm yourself. I have no idea what would happen if you managed to anger the Lightning Chef. After all, Shun holds three different adventurer titles.”

Sue and Tory-san played along, and when I deliberately spoke of something unsettling, a sudden commotion broke out just outside the door.

As I began gathering radiant magical energy in both hands—partly as training for magical circulation—the door suddenly flew open.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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