We departed at nine in the morning, two days after Kainzel-san and the others had left.
Sierra drove Pioneer No. 2. Mishinie, acting as our guide, sat in the passenger seat. In the rear seats were Ladarion and Roz. I followed behind them on the KLX.
To reach Meyer Barony, we had to travel east along the highway that continued from Misrim Town.
This road also led to the royal capital, so it had been firmly packed down and was about as good as an unpaved rural road.
It was fair to call it winter already, so there were no caravans or travelers, and no monster attacks either. Well, I could occasionally sense goblins nearby, but our progress was smooth.
According to Mishinie, it took half a day by carriage. If you left in the morning, you could enter Meyer Barony before evening.
Well, entering did not mean reaching the capital immediately. It meant arriving at a village within Meyer Barony’s territory.
We were traveling at roughly thirty to forty kilometers per hour, so we reached the village before noon. We used the plaza meant for caravans as a restroom break.
Mishinie, being an adventurer, had no problem going behind a rock, but that was harder for city-raised Sierra, so I set up a pop-up tent for her and placed a portable toilet inside.
It was a little early for lunch, but this was not an urgent extermination mission. We decided to eat here.
I asked Ladarion to prepare lunch while I worked on making a map.
The road from Koraus was a single route, but it was not perfectly straight. Even though it was called east, it actually drifted somewhat southward.
The distance was about seventeen kilometers. Much closer than traveling to Count Rydand’s territory. It made sense that people used this road to reach the royal capital.
「What’s the name of this village?」
I had heard there was a village here, but only that it was small.
「This is Coleson Village. It’s small, so there is no Adventurers Guild」
That was from Sierra. Apparently it was a roadside rest-stop type of village.
I wrote Coleson Village in the sketchbook, then took out the digital camera and recorded the surrounding area.
「Roz. Help me for a moment. We’re going to look around the village」
I wanted to know how much attention a dwarf would attract just by walking around.
「Sorry if this makes you uncomfortable. I need to know where the line is when it comes to people who hate other races.」
That would help me decide how freely a dwarf could move around.
「I do not mind. I am used to being looked down on.」
In the Kingdom of Magalusk, dwarves were treated as less than slaves. Apparently, they were treated like livestock.
「Even if the world is different, can humans not live without discrimination? Ridiculous.」
There had been people at the factory where I worked who hated foreign trainees too. It was not like they were committing crimes, so there was no reason to hate them. I could never understand it.
When we entered the village, people who seemed to be villagers started looking this way. More like they were looking at me.
「With equipment this strange, I guess I stand out more.」
Hmm. I should have dressed more like an adventurer. I picked the wrong outfit for the situation.
「Boss, I will walk around by myself.」
「Yeah, I am counting on you. But do not force yourself. If it gets unpleasant, come back right away.」
It was not something worth knowing if it meant making Roz uncomfortable.
「Understood. If they start throwing stones, I will run.」
So they would even throw stones. The Kingdom of Magalusk really was trash.
I left the village investigation to Roz, while I recorded the village before heading back.
「You really keep detailed records.」
Mishinie stared curiously at the video on the digital camera. Maybe next time I should take some photos and print them out for her.
「Information is a weapon. You gather it whenever you have the chance.」
I could not stay shut inside Koraus forever. The goddess might issue another forced order someday. If I knew nothing about the outside world, there was no telling what kind of trouble I would be thrown into. Dangerous things should be known in advance.
When Roz returned, I asked about the village, then had Sierra record it as well and sent it to Home.
「Misaro. Please take this to the mansion.」
Today, Misaro-san was trying to perfect nikujaga. Tonight’s dinner was definitely going to be nikujaga… or so I thought.
「Got it. Ah, tonight I am making curry using nikujaga.」
It felt like something like housewife wisdom was starting to bloom in her, even though she was only seventeen.
「A-ah, yeah. I am looking forward to it.」
Once outside, we finished cleaning up and set out.
Apparently, the distance from Coleson Village to the capital of the territory was short, because we could already see it in less than twenty minutes. That close!?
「We will walk from here.」
I knew it would not take a full day to travel, but I never expected we would arrive before fourteen hundred.
I sent the product of humanity’s wisdom back to Home, then Ladarion, Sierra, and I put on our gray ponchos.
「Mishinie. I need you to lead. Roz, take the rear.」
It seemed dwarves were a rare race in Baron Meyer’s territory, and Roz had apparently drawn attention in Coleson Village.
The territorial capital of Baron Meyer was also a walled city, and perhaps because they feared monster attacks, the walls were high. Something like ballistae had been installed there.
「Are there monsters that fly?」
「Wynies show up sometimes.」
Wynies? What was that?
「A subspecies of dragon. They often target people.」
「──There. Four of them!」
At some point, Ladarion had already raised her SCAR-L toward the sky and was looking through the scope when she shouted.
I quickly raised my P90 toward the sky too, but since it was meant for goblins, the Wynies looked like nothing more than black dots. So I pulled out a monocular and looked through it.
「…That is a pteranodon…」
Did no giant meteor ever hit this world? No way dinosaurs were still alive, right? That was outside my field of expertise.
「Ladarion and I will watch the sky. Mishinie, I am counting on you to protect Roz and Sierra.」
I called for the Lynx and headed toward the territorial capital while keeping it aimed at the sky.
Leave a Reply