episode_0067

The two-week journey towards the university. Once we arrive, it will mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

If I were to ride alone and gallop, I could cut that time in half, but the number of heads traveling together was not small.

While we moved, there was no guarantee that the other side would wait patiently, twiddling their thumbs.

Despite my eloquent speaking skills, it was not hard to notice the nobles behind us scheming in the shadows.

They were already a group planning a rebellion.

No matter where that rampage leads, it wouldn’t be surprising.

For instance, a thief who received a noble’s fortune suddenly appearing on the road.

Or secret agents tasked with kidnapping the princess launching an attack.

And finally, defeating them all heroically and making a name for oneself-

“-I’ve imagined that something like this might happen!”

“Did you enjoy yesterday’s story?”

It has been over ten days since we set out on the road.

Perhaps by tomorrow, we would be able to reach the university.

Lycia seemed to have already written a novel with this kind of content in her mind.

She was particularly immersed in such cliché stories among the stories she had heard recently. The girl would glance around under the fallen tree, wondering if there might be a knight.

When traveling in this era, one must anticipate spending 80% of their waking hours on the road.

Keeping our mouths shut and only being vigilant for attacks was just the right amount of boredom to drive one crazy.

Unfortunately, there was no radio to alleviate the boredom. It was a world without blonde, curly-haired villainesses, so there was no need for one in the first place.

But luckily, there was an alternative. I turned on the radio within me that I had forgotten about while settling down in Alpen for a while.

When sleep eluded me, I would light a fire and tell Hein and Lycia stories that I had localized well.

Knights and literature made one’s heart race at first, but since Lycia and Hein had heard stories from here and there, it had become mundane.

However, they seemed to enjoy it when I added a touch of cliché.

“The scene where the five knights combine into a giant armor to defeat the demon king was really amazing…”

“Is it possible to do such things with magic? I don’t know yet, but it would be worth trying once I learn it.”

It was fortunate that they seemed to enjoy it.

But clichés were clichés, and when scrutinized closely, reality could be quite boring.

In the case of the thief, due to the excellent outcome of my negotiation, they had become an endangered species that was no longer worth seeing in the vicinity.

And the few remaining wild thieves were being well protected in prison to prevent complete extinction.

As for the secret agents, if they were to push the army into Count Canossa’s territory, it was no different from declaring war.

Even if the Count professed neutrality, there was no way he could remain silent after being practically threatened.

Even if they were to retreat, how good would the soldiers’ condition be after hastily preparing in just a week to cross the Alps?

Even if they only aimed to kidnap the princess with a small elite force, in a village of this size, news would spread quickly if there were suspicious people lurking around.

Without even having the chance for a golden time, what could those worthless fools do?

They would soon realize that Alpen was unattended by its owner.

After that, they could go back and enjoy touring the Alpen Mountains. I had even arranged a course with the village manager to pass on.

With such beautiful scenery and good water, they wouldn’t be disappointed.

When viewed through the lens of fun, real-life events were generally disappointing.

Of course, recently, the reality of the Empire seemed to be becoming interesting, but anyway.

In the end, the storm that Licia had imagined, the chase of the stormy princess, did not happen sadly, and the journey was smooth.

Licia was disappointed to not encounter bandits attacking and the subsequent adventures.

It was different from the days when she headed to the Papal Palace. Back then, she had no money, and the roads were filled with dangers.

During those times, she would bury herself in worries about someone stealing her belongings at night or the wild animals scaring her away.

But now, things were different from the start. Just having a dozen people around her gave her a sense of security.

They had enough food supplies, and most importantly, they had economic stability.

The boredom of the journey was filled with food, and in between, they didn’t encounter any thieves or assassins, so time passed quickly.

And finally, they left the land of Count Canossa.

“We’ve reached a village. The next village is a bit far, so let’s rest here today and leave tomorrow.”

“Everyone heard that. Let’s get ready to enter!”

So far, they had easily passed through as they all served the same lord.

But from here on, even though they were within the same empire, it felt like a foreign land. I, too, had to show basic courtesy as a guest.

As a precaution against possible attacks by wild animals, I tied the end of the weapon to the ground or put it in the sheath after disarming it.

After a minimal disarming, there was a security check. Although there were about a dozen people, it was relatively easy as even the princess was among them.

It was a fairly large village. It seemed unnecessary to cause a disturbance in search of a place to rest.

But as luck would have it, Licia, who was looking around, pointed to a place.

“I can see a save point over there!”

“It’s quite big. If we’re lucky, we can all stay there.”

“Also, the church is right next to it. It should be fine to stay there if things go wrong.”

The road to the university was well-equipped with inns as it was frequented by many students and pilgrims.

If there were a few more people, the church might have had a hard time, but the whole group could stay at the inn where I paid the lodging fee upfront.

Dinner was, of course, the food of this era, bread and stew.

There was cheese and meat as well, but it felt more like an expansion pack to the basic set, so unless it was a special day, I didn’t bother to eat it.

Still, I felt like we were heading further south.

On the table, there was more wine than beer. This was because the warmer region had more vineyards.

This meant that we were nearing our destination.

The next day, we welcomed a refreshing morning.

With the princess and Licia, who successfully woke up early, we set off for the next destination.

“…There’s a tower rising in the distance.”

“It still seems far, impressive.”

The university seemed to have a reputation for accommodating the saint.

In the far horizon, there stood a tall spire that was built solely by human effort, not magic. It was truly awe-inspiring.

I suddenly felt a gaze and turned to the side. The princess was looking at me. What’s up?

She was just mumbling to herself, so I decided to speak first.

“Is there something you need?”

“No, there shouldn’t be anything like that. Just…”

After trailing off for a moment, the princess spoke softly.

“To be honest, I didn’t know if I would safely arrive at the university.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Rudolf Duke paid a hefty sum to bring me here.”

Ah, she must be referring to the time when she asked me to make a dinner appointment in Alpen.

I thought there wouldn’t be anyone listening around, but could they have been eavesdropping from outside the door?

Or perhaps it was the princess, who obtained the information through a different channel.

It’s not because of the meal, is it? Making me quietly summoned somewhere without any guards, is that a meal?

If I really did that, I would surely be branded as a traitor to the emperor, but they also promised to protect me, of course.

I was about to lose my credibility, so I proposed a sum of money commensurate with the risk.

“Wasn’t it a larger amount than what my father entrusted for my protection? Am I right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

It seemed like they already knew, so I decided to answer honestly.

It was roughly ten times that amount. It was a sum that couldn’t be easily obtained even by exploiting a village of about three hundred people like Alpen.

What could you do with a thousand gold coins? You could even purchase two copies of the Bible.

Being able to afford one to read and one for collection is a luxury.

If the concept of two Bibles doesn’t resonate, let’s put it this way: it was an amount that could buy several houses.

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t swayed.

The amount proposed by the emperor even included expenses for accommodation and meals. Excluding all of that, the gap was much wider.

“So, can you tell me why you did that?”

“Because I have no intention of doing anything dishonest.”

But I had learned something during my travels so far.

I had no intention of forcing myself into adult conflicts and asking to intervene.