Ch.162The Road to Maximus Gorge (1)

Now we were left with only the last attraction of the Miriam Continent.

The Maximus Canyon!

The sheer cliffs lined with bizarre rock formations were said to be a place with an aesthetic of scale that overwhelms people with grandeur rather than beauty.

And surprisingly, the merchant caravan we would be entrusting ourselves to was none other than the Porcher Pharmaceutical Company, and Professor Felice was part of that caravan.

I couldn’t help but be astonished at this strange connection. While seeing the Porcher Pharmaceutical Company anywhere wasn’t particularly surprising since they were merchants, finding Professor Felice here instead of at the Ortus Magic Tower was truly remarkable.

When I first saw her name on the list, I naturally assumed it was someone with the same name, but upon meeting her in person, she was indeed the woman from Ortus.

“Well, it’s been quite a while, Professor Felice.”

Two hours before the caravan’s departure, as I mingled with the already assembled caravan members, guards, and adventurers, I approached Professor Felice.

“It’s only been about a year. No need to make such a fuss.”

She seemed to have recognized my name as well, responding with an air of nonchalance.

“Well… I’ve been through quite a lot since then…”

“I see… Judging by your attire and the fact that you seem to have acquired a proper castle, I take it you’ve been knighted?”

“That’s right.”

Professor Felice wasn’t wearing the flowing garments I had seen at the Magic Tower, but rather sturdy and durable clothing suitable for adventure.

Even so, she was still wearing a robe, an essential item for mages.

Seeing no attendants, it seemed she had come alone, which was an unusual choice for a Magic Tower professor.

“By the way… your party has grown considerably?”

She remarked, looking over the four companions I had with me.

Judging by the approving look in her eyes, she didn’t seem concerned.

“Well… it just happened that way. Oh right, you should all introduce yourselves. This is Professor Felice who works at the Ortus Magic Tower.”

Scratching my head, I brought my companions forward to introduce them to Professor Felice.

“Ah… pleased to meet you. I’m Simon, humbly serving as a Sage.”

“Nice to meet you, Simon.”

First, Simon, a fellow mage, shook hands with her…

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lucia. This is my sister, Casia.”

“It’s an honor to meet you.”

“My goodness. It’s been so long since I’ve seen High Elves in person…”

Next were the elf sisters.

“Pleased to meet you, Professor. I’m Raisha, serving this man as my master.”

“Master…? My… how bold for someone so young…”

My wife was the last to be introduced.

After completing the introductions, she suddenly sighed and said to me:

“First of all… I should tell you that I’m no longer a professor. I’m not affiliated with the Magic Tower anymore.”

“Huh? You got fired?”

“You could say that. Officially it was a resignation, but in reality, it was a dismissal.”

“But… how did that happen?”

I said that, but it wasn’t really surprising.

After all, the reason she and I became acquainted in the first place was because she had fallen out of favor with the Tower Master and couldn’t find an assistant, so she hired me as both teaching material and an assistant as a desperate measure.

“It was because of that class you taught.”

“Hmm?”

“The children themselves weren’t the problem, but their parents were. After hearing that you threw a chair at someone’s face, they went ballistic and sent so many petitions demanding my dismissal…”

“Oh dear…”

Mentioning parents, I could roughly estimate the situation.

Vanguard fighters like me literally learn by taking hits, so we inevitably become desensitized to violence.

However, mages are born as mutants, meaning they come from all walks of life—from street beggar families to distinguished royal descendants. Since parents typically pay for tuition, those parents with no tolerance for violence lose their minds when they hear their children are getting hit.

Magic education already costs an arm and a leg, so when parents who work themselves to the bone to pay for their children’s education hear that their kids are getting beaten at school, not many can maintain their composure.

“Perhaps the chair shot at first meeting was a bit much?”

“Well… I hired you knowing that risk… it’s not really your fault. The Magic Tower has its factions, you know.”

“There are factions in the Magic Tower?”

“Broadly speaking, there are two. One faction consists of people like me who started as adventurers before joining the Tower, and the other is made up of pure researchers.”

“Which one is stronger?”

“That depends on the Tower. At my Tower, the researchers held more power, and I was simply pushed out.”

“Hmm…”

I could roughly guess why researchers dislike adventurers.

Adventurers are fundamentally equipped for killing, so it’s human nature not to want someone who literally kills people before breakfast sitting next to you.

Moreover, researchers are people who love magic so much they’ve dedicated their lives to it, so in their eyes, adventurer-turned-mages who use magic as a means rather than an end are bound to be thorns in their sides.

When I was younger, I briefly belonged to a swordsmanship guild, and even then I sensed the underlying tension between sword instructors and adventurer-turned-swordsmen.

Ah… the nature of power struggles.

“Anyway, shouldn’t we be heading out soon?”

“Hmm? We still have time before departure.”

“No, I mean your wife’s cheeks look like they’re about to burst.”

“Oh no.”

When I turned around, I saw Raisha with her eyes closed and her cheeks puffed up.

Judging by how red they were, she probably couldn’t hold it in much longer, and if I left her like that until she deflated naturally, I’d likely be sleeping alone tonight.

“Oh dear… I’ll see you a bit later then.”

“Sure.”

*

“Are you upset?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. I’m sorry for leaving you and talking to another woman for so long. Happy now?”

“As long as you understand.”

Some might think Raisha’s jealousy is irrational.

But consider that she’s a commoner and a woman, which means she has to be selective about who she associates with, whereas I’m a man and a knight, which makes socializing relatively easier for me.

Of course, I’m not particularly sociable by nature, but if people had to choose between a gold-ranked wandering knight backed by the Sun and a chubby woman who has just learned to use aura, wouldn’t everyone choose the former?

As a married woman, she couldn’t freely mingle with other men, and with the ambiguous status of being a knight’s wife, it was difficult for her to fit in with either commoners or noble ladies.

In the end, I’m her only support, so shouldn’t I endure a little discomfort?

“Ten minutes until departure! If you need to use the restroom, do it quickly! If you haven’t packed your equipment, do it now! We’ll leave without you if you’re late!”

“Check that the cargo is securely fastened and that the cooling is working properly! We’re transporting pharmaceuticals, so if the temperature rises, there will be no compensation!”

And now there were only ten minutes left until departure.

As always, despite being fully prepared, the caravan was extremely chaotic and busy before departure, and the guards and adventurers couldn’t help but feel goosebumps rising on their arms.

“I thought Orca would be here since it’s the Porcher Pharmaceutical Company… but I guess not.”

“Who’s Orca? A woman?”

I could hear the emotion in her voice at the mention of a woman.

“No, he’s a man. A middle manager at the company. I worked with him when I first started as an adventurer.”

“Hmm… is that so?”

“It’s true, I swear. Believe me.”

“Hmph. I’ll believe you.”

In truth, nothing would change if she didn’t believe me.

It’s not like she wouldn’t open her legs just because she was in a bad mood.

Still, since we’re becoming one body, it’s only human nature to avoid things that would upset each other.

Even at construction sites, we’d overlook minor mistakes because it was better that way.

Whether I could successfully apply wisdom gained from construction sites to marital relations was another matter entirely.

“We’re departing! To Maximus Canyon!”

“Estimated arrival time: three weeks from now!”

“Advance party, move out! Rear party, wait for the signal!”

And finally, even those short ten minutes came to an end.

As part of the advance party, we gripped our horses’ reins and moved forward.

Adventurers like me were mostly in the advance party, the main force consisted of guards, and the rear party comprised mages like Felice and wagons loaded with supplies.

“Somehow this feels more like an escort mission than an adventure… but that’s probably just my imagination.”

But it couldn’t be helped.

To replenish my thinning wallet, I needed the capital of a large corporation.

This was all because of the money spent on those elves.

If I didn’t perform well enough, I’d give myself another free facial reconstruction.

You say my wife spent quite a bit of money too?

I don’t mind my wife spending money.

Because she’s my wife.

Anyone who objects will be sent to join the Sun, so be warned.

“It’s about time to call in the main force.”

Once we had traveled a sufficient distance, I gave a look to an adventurer holding a flare, who understood my signal and took out the flare from his chest to shoot it into the sky.

And from far away, dozens of wagons pulled by hundreds of horses began to approach.

The human migration toward Maximus Canyon had now begun.