Ch.6A Short Journey (1)

I hadn’t given much thought about Frey, the body I possessed.

Unless this body fell from the sky, it must have had some connections.

‘Obviously, there must have been an original owner of this body.’

So, I wondered where the original owner’s consciousness went and what kind of person they were.

But my thoughts couldn’t go any further. I didn’t know anything.

When I woke up, I was already captured by slave traders and had been traveling for quite some time. Without any clues or information, how could I know about the past?

And the moment I chose to go to the Empire instead of the Demon Territory, I gave up on learning about the past.

But hearing directly about how I was treated in this world made me feel uncomfortable.

“If you’re judged to be an Apostle, you’ll be executed immediately, so be careful not to be misunderstood.”

Especially since that treatment was very unfavorable.

“But you are…”

While I was listening to their conversation and organizing my thoughts, the two seemed to have finished their unfinished conversation, and the coachman, Hans, looked at me.

And as expected, I could see Hans’s eyes narrowing.

Nelly must have noticed this too, because before I could say anything, she spoke up first.

“This is Frey. The part you’re worried about… there’s no problem, so it’s fine. I’ll vouch for her.”

“Hello, I’m Frey.”

Following Nelly’s lead, I introduced myself, and I could see Hans’s expression gradually softening.

“Nelly, if you say so, I have nothing more to say. But do you have some business with me?”

“Ah, well, I was wondering if we could get a ride on your carriage to the city.”

After hearing my words, Hans thought for a moment and then expressed that it would be fine.

“Sure, my next destination happens to be Leheten city, so it’s fine. I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning, so get ready.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Even though he said to prepare, I didn’t have much to pack besides some simple luggage.

Having received permission and finished the conversation, I was planning to take a day’s rest.

And then, Nelly approached me.

“Um, Frey…”

The hesitation in her voice. Anyone could see she had something to say, so I tilted my head and spoke.

“Do you have something you want to say?”

“You said you were going to travel, right? Do you have any specific destination in mind?”

“A destination… I don’t think I have a specific destination at the moment.”

Hearing my words, Nelly thought about something for a moment, and then made a request.

“My younger brother ran away saying he wanted to become an adventurer… If you happen to meet him, could you pass on my regards?”

It was truly an unexpected request.

Suddenly mentioning a younger brother.

I was surprised, but since it wasn’t a difficult or forceful request, I didn’t refuse.

“If I happen to meet him… I’ll do that.”

* * *

The carriage began preparations to depart early in the morning, before dawn.

Even that didn’t take long, as most of the preparations had been completed the day before.

By the time I returned from washing my face at the well, all departure preparations were already complete.

“You’re very diligent.”

“Haha, being a merchant is a profession where you can’t afford to be lazy.”

I looked at Hans for a moment.

Surprisingly, there was no sense of rejection in his eyes. Nor was there any lust like that of the slave trader.

It was an unexpected reaction, different from when he frowned at our first meeting.

“Don’t you dislike succubi?”

“Hmm? Ah. I made you unnecessarily cautious on the first day. I don’t particularly hold any ill feelings toward other races. A merchant who meets many people can’t afford to have such prejudices. It’s just…”

As he continued speaking, he briefly trailed off.

Of course, it didn’t last long. He opened his mouth again, saying it would be okay to tell me.

And what followed was quite surprising.

“I was worried about Nelly. Her younger brother was once enchanted by a succubus and gave away their family heirloom…”

“Oh… I see…”

“The reason he ran away saying he wanted to become an adventurer is also partly because he was ashamed of his actions.”

It was an unexpected story, but thanks to it, some things made sense.

Like the excessive hostility I felt on the first day and why she hesitated so much when making the request yesterday.

‘I was worried I might get stabbed walking down the street in the city… but I guess I don’t have to worry about that.’

Getting stabbed by Nelly’s brother would be a different story, though.

‘Why did she make such a request to me of all people…’

I didn’t think much when I first heard the request, but after hearing the backstory, I was worried about what might happen if I ever met him.

Still, I could lower my guard that I had raised due to Nelly’s murderous attitude on the first day.

At least, I wouldn’t receive murderous glares for no reason.

After organizing my thoughts, I boarded the carriage with my luggage.

“Did you pack everything? Nothing forgotten?”

“Yes, I packed well. Don’t worry.”

After I answered, Hans confirmed that I was properly seated and immediately started the carriage.

Clop-clop. Clop-clop.

The sound of hooves that I had heard before began, and soon the carriage rattled forward.

‘It’s bumpier than I thought.’

It was something I hadn’t noticed when I first woke up because I was disoriented, but now I realized the carriage was very uncomfortable.

Due to the unpaved road, it kept bumping into things as it moved forward, and the hard wooden seat made my buttocks ache gradually.

It was unavoidable unless it was a luxury carriage that only nobles would ride.

But the fact that I had to ride this for four more days made complaints keep coming to mind.

‘The unchanging scenery no matter how far we go also plays a part…’

I wondered if it would have been less boring if I could at least swing a sword.

But there was no way I could swing a sword in this cramped carriage.

In the end, there was nothing I could do.

I closed my eyes, hoping to get some sleep.

It wasn’t easy because of the bumpy carriage, but as I forced myself to keep my eyes closed, fortunately, I gradually fell asleep.

The carriage stopped in the middle of the night when the sun had completely set.

Perhaps because the sun had set, the weather was quite cool, making my body shiver slightly.

The cold that chilled my body naturally woke me up.

As I woke up and went outside the carriage, Hans had already finished preparing the campsite and welcomed me in front of the bonfire.

“Ah, you’re awake? You were sleeping so soundly that I couldn’t wake you up.”

“Next time, you can just wake me up.”

The meat soup handed to me was a bonus.

“Here, take it.”

“Thank you.”

As I received the soup bowl with both hands, the warmth of the soup was transmitted through my hands.

Sitting in front of the bonfire and drinking the soup, I felt warmth returning to my cold body.

After drinking the soup and resting, Hans asked me a question.

“How’s the journey?”

“It’s hard to say yet… I haven’t been traveling for long.”

“No matter how short that time has been, there must be something you’ve felt.”

It was truly an unexpected question.

I fell into thought at such a question.

I looked up at the sky for a moment.

The moon and stars were twinkling in the sky.

A sight almost impossible to see in a modern city.

The night sky I had seen every day since coming here.

Yet it was still a beautiful night sky.

“Well… I think it’s been enjoyable in its own way.”

Fighting turned out to be surprisingly suited to me, and the discomfort from the backward environment was at a tolerable level.

If I had come to this world with a divine blessing, as often appears in novels, I could have surely loved this world.

“Is that so? I hope the rest of your journey will be like that too.”

But unfortunately, that wouldn’t happen.

After all, I am ultimately a foreign substance, a stranger who cannot blend in.

* * *

The carriage continued without major issues afterward.

The seat was still uncomfortable, but that was all.

Perhaps because this region was so safe, there were no monsters to be seen anywhere.

Occasionally, wild animals came into view, but perhaps because it was an area where carriages frequently passed through, they didn’t particularly threaten the carriage.

Of course, that wasn’t a guarantee that it would be safe until arrival.

Because monsters and wild animals weren’t the only threats.

“Hey, stop!”

A group of bandits had set up a barricade at a passage they had to cross and were blocking the way.

“To pass through this passage, you need to pay a toll. If you have any foolish thoughts, know that you’ll die.”

“Haha, of course. Frey, could you bring me the pouch from inside?”

As if this wasn’t his first time dealing with bandits, Hans skillfully handled the situation and asked me to bring him his backpack.

Following his words, I went inside the carriage and found a pouch.

As I moved the pouch and peeked inside, I saw several gold and silver coins.

“Here’s the pouch.”

“Thank you, here’s the toll…”

“Wait, I’ve changed my mind.”

Just as Hans was about to hand over the money pouch, the bandit leader pushed it away and pointed at me.

“Instead of money, I want that succubus.”