episode_0011

Rattle rattle rattle rattle

“Ugh… , ow… s …

“Please stop making weird noises.”

“My tailbone hurts so bad, what should I do? Ouch… .”

“You can keep your mouth shut.”

Ray, who has difficulty sitting properly because the carriage is shaking up and down in all directions, lets out a groan. Mila keeps pulling her shirt forward and looks at Ray with a troubled expression.

“Why was the luggage on the cart… Ugh, I moved it?”

“What?”

Mila asked back, unable to hear clearly due to the noise of the wheels of the cart being pulled behind the carriage.

“Why are you bringing all these here!”

He points to the wooden box that is taking up half of the space and compressing the ray, and asks again loudly.

“That’s reassuring, I can’t see my cart in here.”

“Then why did you pile it up next to me…?”

He looked at Mila, who was lying down in the spacious seat on the other side, with a displeased look.

“My legs are long so it’s uncomfortable to sit down.”

Rattling!

The carriage lurches up and down violently as it passes through a hollow. The luggage shakes along with it, and the long staff that was standing up falls over towards Ray. Ray closes his eyes for a moment.

“Wow… !”

“Whew… , look at my athletic ability.”

When I opened my eyes slightly, I saw Mila smiling brightly. Lying down, she lifted her long legs and stopped the falling cane with her feet, then kicked it away slightly and made her lean back and stand again.

But this time, Ray, who was annoyed by the shameless face, could not say anything in response.

Rattling!

And as the carriage slows down, Ray’s body, which was sitting there, is thrown forward and dives into Mila’s arms.

“Sir, there’s a checkpoint ahead… . Uh, uh, sorry.”

The coachman opens the door on the side and sees a man and woman rolling around, hugging each other, then hurriedly closes the door again.

Ray, who was naturally soft due to his body parts, wasn’t that shocked, but they both got up with awkward faces, one pulling at the front of his shirt and the other pulling at the cloth wrapped around his waist.

Mila, who thought it was an awkward situation to explain herself, coughed a few times and came out with a calm face.

“Oh, um. A checkpoint? Seriously. How long has it been there?”

“I just passed by the day before yesterday, but it wasn’t there then.”

There is a barricade in the middle of the road, and soldiers with long spears stand facing each other on both sides. One of them glances at the carriage and shouts something to the guard post built on the side of the road.

Then, a soldier wearing the same uniform came out of the outpost, munching on something he had just eaten, tapped his palms, and ran towards the carriage.

“Gulp… Where are you going?”

“I’m going to go to Frauen, and I’ll change horses along the way.”

“What’s your business?”

The coachman glances at Mila at the soldier’s words.

“I’m going to do some business. … Was there originally a checkpoint here?”

“The directive has been issued and we are checking all passengers and luggage heading to Frauwa starting today.”

Then he walks to the back of the carriage and lifts the tent covering the cart.

“Ah, um… . I moved it into the carriage.”

Mila places her hand on her side and tells the soldier who is looking into the empty wagon. She closes the tent again and walks to the side to open the door. Ray, who meets the soldier’s eyes, nods awkwardly and greets him.

Then the soldier looks closely at Ray’s face, then turns his head to look at Mila’s face. Then he turns his eyes back to the inside of the carriage, quickly scans Mila’s belongings, and closes the door. He runs straight to the barricade, pushes it to the side of the road, and makes way for the group.

After the carriage has passed, the barricade is pulled back and placed in the middle of the road.

“Sigh… I should go home and earn some money too.”

“Who was it?”

A soldier who stands upright, holds a spear, and speaks with only his eyes turned.

“I don’t know. He was carrying a noble young man, but I guess the merchant has a lot of money. Where is my husband… .”

“Was it pretty?”

“Oh my gosh.”

The next stop of the carriage was a small town built on a wide plain. It was a place where only the carriage passengers and the coachman were gathered. Ray, who had lost the feeling in his legs from sitting in the narrow seat for a long time, grabbed Mila’s hand and got off awkwardly. The coachman frowned as he watched Ray walk to the restaurant with a numbness in his legs as if he was being electrified.

He continued to grumble something as he opened the door and strode inside, but tilted his head when he confirmed that there was nothing that could be wiped off on either the front or back seats.

“Come out. My luggage is in there, so I’m going to lock it with this.”

Mila appears from behind, holding a special lock.

“… Yes, well. That’s what you said.”

“That guy named Memer, what does he do?”

Mila, who was holding the gold coin handed to her by Ray in one hand, resting her chin on the table, blinking her long eyelashes and examining it closely, suddenly asked Ray.

“I don’t know either. I followed him and he just bought me this and that. Mumbling.”

She answers while dipping a small piece of coarse bread into the thick meat soup and putting it in her mouth. Mila bites the gold coin once with her teeth. She stares intently at the small but clear bite marks left behind.

“You think I reminded you of your younger sibling? Do you have any siblings, older sister?”

At those words, he put the gold coins in his pocket, looked down, and tapped his fingers on the table for a while.

“… I’m the youngest. I have a bunch of older sisters who are really annoying.”

And he responds.

“I have a younger sister. I wonder if she’s married.”

Ray was an only child. He thought of his family that he left behind in his previous life, not this one. Of course, it’s not that he doesn’t think of the family he left behind in this life, but since it was a leisurely countryside village, it seemed like he would just be living a leisurely life.

“I don’t know who to take. I can’t do anything and I’m a mess.”

“Hehehe… . Of course, if you’re younger than me, that’s what happens. Later, you can just tell your husband. ”

Mila casually chuckled and threw it away. Her smile, with the corners of her lips slightly raised, was quite charming. Ray, who was about to put another piece of bread in his mouth at that ignorant remark, stopped and looked up at Mila. However, he soon turned his gaze back to his bowl of soup and continued eating. He earnestly hoped that the son of a family he left behind, whose name and face he did not know, would not meet the same tragedy as he did.

The waiter then brought a slightly larger piece of meat to the table and returned with the empty bowl in front of Ray. Ray stared intently at Mila as she cut a large piece of meat, scooped up some fruit jam, and put it in her mouth.

“… I just finished eating.”

“I haven’t asked for it yet. I’m just looking at it.”

Mila, who was constantly aware of Ray’s gaze while licking the fruit jam on her bright pink lips, cuts off a slightly smaller piece than the one she had just put in her mouth and offers it to Ray.

“Now, you can’t ask for it anymore.”

“The sauce too.”

“Ouch… Really!”

“Ugh… , huh.”

When Mila, who finished calculating, came out and stretched her long arms, just like her legs, she straightened her back and puffed out her chest, creating a truly destructive sine curve.

“Why, is there something on your clothes?”

When he quickly turned his eyes away from her, who was looking down in the direction that matched Ray’s gaze, he saw a coachman walking towards him, bridling new horses that would pull the carriage like dawn in the distance.

“… Can’t I ride on that horse?”

“I see… Why are you waving your hand?”

Mila grumbles as she approaches to lift Ray up onto the horse, feeling Ray’s ribs through her thin clothing and having difficulty controlling her grip.

“Umm… . Just get in the back.”

He pulls Ray back down, who is sitting on the horse with his legs wide open and smiling with anticipation. Then he turns his back on the coachman and straightens the cloth tied around his waist back down.

Raygaip, who was once again cramped in a narrow space, comes out and asks Mila.

“Does your sister travel this far every year?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“… How old are you, sis?”

“Me? Twenty-two.”

Mila asked Ray, who asked her age very carefully as was her habit, lying on her side as before and running her hand through her red hair.

At her age, which was much younger than expected, Ray was internally counting how old she was when he saw her in the village when she was very young.

“… Then, do you remember the faces of the people you frequently deal with?”

“Yeah, but there must be one or two kids in a rural village who demand snacks. You don’t remember very well.”

“Not me. Do you remember someone named Algaet? I think he lives in Fraua.”

“I know, you’re a weirdo.”

“You know? What do you do?”

Ray, whose eyes opened wide, immediately asks.

“He’s a nobleman who’s been hanging around in high society. Not many people know what he does. He’s a nobleman whose face is hard to see.”

“Umm… How did we end up doing business?”

“Sometimes he sells things he made for cheap. I think it was just a coincidence that we met.”

“Do you know where that person lives?”

“Why? Wait, is that person your mom? ”

“That’s not it. It’s just… .”

“I guess so. How can you see that face… . Hehe.”

And she smiled brightly.