In the Kingdom of Sorx, commoners do not have the custom of holding wedding ceremonies.
When they get married, they simply register at the local government office and that’s it. Of course, they might greet each other’s parents and move in together to start their married life, but the necessary procedures are purely practical. The idea of publicly celebrating the marriage itself is seen as a more aristocratic behavior.
However, celebrating such an occasion is certainly a joyful thing, and there’s no rule against doing so.
So, with that in mind, our Hatano family decided to head to Sidera to celebrate Berde-san and Lila-san, as well as Schnei-san and Tomoe-san.
Our small group will go there at the back of Ji Liz, not really.
Our entire family would be traveling together, with Pochi pulling a lizard carriage.
「When we came back from there last time, it took us half a month, right? Should we plan for about the same amount of time?」
「Well… I think we could get there in about a week now.」
On the day we decided this, mother said something surprising while pondering.
「A week? That’s half the time!」
「The last time, Pochi was new to the route, so we took our time and returned slowly, right? But now, Pochi is used to traveling through the forest. On top of that… Sui-kun, haven’t you noticed? Pochi’s magic power has significantly increased since coming to live here.」
「Really?」
Prompted by her comment, I took a closer look at Pochi.
「Kyuru? Kyurururu!」
By the side of the stable—while I was checking the carriage—Pochi’s bright, hopeful eyes sparkled with anticipation, sensing that he might get to pull the cart.
「Indeed… his magic power has increased quite a bit.」
It’s now on par with or even stronger than the beasts we usually hunt for food.
「Hmm. This is ‘Divine Will’s Broth’, after all. And this house, transmigrated from Japan, has a much denser concentration of magic power that Tarasque’s magical fin absorbs. It’s only natural that Pochi is getting stronger.」
「Kyuru!」
Pochi seemed quite pleased as Karen vigorously scratched his nose.
「I see…」
Of course, just because the travel time is halved doesn’t mean Pochi would move twice as fast. The main factor would be his increased stamina, allowing for more days of traveling through the night.
「Chocola, make sure to take good care of Pochi.」
「Bark!」
Chocola barked energetically, as if to say, ‘Leave it to me!’ Well, continuous all-night travel might be a bit too much for him, though.
We made our plans based on the travel time.
If we’re going to Sidera and back, we’ll need to enforce the usual forest travel restrictions. But this time, it seems like it might overlap a bit with Athenak’s survey schedule. Whether we ask for an exception or postpone, we’ll need to discuss it.
Additionally, since we’d be gone for half a month, we had to figure out how to take care of the fields and garden.
This problem was quickly solved—amazingly, Four Seasons-san and Color-san offered to take care of them.
「Could you take our kids to town in return?」
「That’s perfectly fine with us, but… we’d prefer to be cautious about showing them to others.」
「Yes, of course, we understand. But you see… we want our children to properly observe human life.」
「Ah, not out of mere curiosity or for sightseeing, but as a meaningful experience. So that when they might interact with people someday, they can face them sincerely.」
—And of course, we’re hoping for some souvenirs, right?
With a mischievous smile, Color-san said that and winked.
※※※
And so, after all the preparations were made, the day of departure finally arrived.
「We’re going to a human town… that’s a little scary.」
「It’ll be fine. Just make sure you don’t stray too far from us.」
Peacock, who was peeking nervously from Karen’s cleavage, is fidgeting.
「Magpie, you’ve been to a human town before, right?」
「Yeah. It looks like we’ll get to see some different scenery this time.」
Replied Magpie, who was fluttering excitedly next to mother, clearly eager to see new sights.
「Mint, you’ve been to the town once before, right? This is my first time!」
「Yeah! Grandma’s in the town! I’ll introduce you to her!」
Mint said proudly, with Hanaikada perched on her head.
「On the way, if you go a bit south, there’s a big rocky area. We often play there too.」
「Bark?」
Bonfire was explaining to Chocola with lively gestures, though it was unclear if Chocola understood any of it.
「You’re going to pull such a big cart? That’s amazing…」
「Kyururururu!」
Drizzle remarked, her eyes widening as she looked back and forth between Pochi, who was harnessed up, and the carriage behind him.
While I was checking the luggage, mother asked me,
「Sui-kun, have you heard back from Noapp and the others?」
「Yeah, they left the royal capital yesterday. I think they’ll arrive in Sidera around the same time as us.」
After making the stollen, before returning home from Sidera, I had sent a fast message to Noah.
I wrote that Berde-san and the others’ marriages had been decided, that elven ‘witches’ had arrived, and that I had received a request to investigate the middle part of the forest.
I asked if they would be interested in coming to celebrate the weddings and possibly help with the investigation.
Yesterday, I received a reply through a communication crystal. It was just a short message saying, ‘We’ll return immediately.’ but it conveyed their feelings far more effectively than a Japanese SMS ever could.
「I’m sure you’re excited to see Parker-san again too, Karen.」
「Hmm. I hope their magic hasn’t gotten rusty from living in the castle. I’d like to see how they stack up against the Ejetia twins in a match.」
「Let’s not start instigating fights just to watch, okay?」
With all the luggage loaded up, we double-checked that nothing was forgotten.
The doors and windows were securely locked.
We had (at least for good measure) informed the Smilodon family of our absence.
「We’ll take care of things here. I’ll water the plants and send magic power as needed.」
「Have fun on your trip. We’ll enjoy some peace and quiet ourselves.」
Four Seasons-san and Color-san added with a smile, watching the children bustling around with affection.
「Thank you, I appreciate it. Alright, we’re off!」
I called out. Sitting down on the driver’s seat, I snapped the reins, giving Pochi the signal to start moving.
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