episode_0048

“Do we just follow that carriage for now, even though we don’t know the full story?”

After the carriage departed, Huxon asked a moment later.

“Yeah.”

“And the destination?”

“Brigal.”

Come to think of it, I didn’t mention the destination either.

Yet, they still accepted the request.

I’m grateful.

“Oh, it’s quite far. As you may know, we can’t follow all the way there.”

“I know. I don’t expect this carriage to cross the continent.”

Crossing the continent.

Brigal is a country directly opposite the Labyrinth City.

There are several borders and checkpoints along the way.

Despite the procedural hassle, one never knows when monsters or bandits might appear.

Of course, with me and Spectre, we should be fine, but there’s always a chance of the carriage breaking down or the coachman getting injured.

“Do those ahead know we’re following them?”

“They do. That’s why I entrusted this task to you.”

Horanze and the Tip of the Spear Corps know I’m on their trail.

Undoubtedly, they will try to erase tracks or disrupt our path.

And Huxon is a seasoned coachman, well-known even in the Labyrinth City.

In terms of both trustworthiness and skill, he could be considered a veteran top-tier adventurer.

So, I thought he could discern the trail of the preceding carriage and cautiously pursue it.

However, Huxon was even more skilled than I anticipated.

“If the destination is certain and the other party tries to erase tracks or something like that…”

“Hmm?”

“Wouldn’t it be better for us to forge ahead?”

“What do you mean?”

“Erasing tracks from the carriage is more troublesome than you think. While the other side is busy with that, we can move ahead and strike first, right?”

“But what if we run into them?”

“I’ve carried all sorts of people over the years, and if someone tries to cover their tracks like that, they’re basically saying, ‘Close your eyes and ears and pretend not to see.’ If we encounter them, you guys stay quiet and hidden, and I’ll handle it. It would be even better if those bastards are taking a detour.”

“A detour is better?”

Spectre asked.

“Of course. Why do you think it’s called a detour? It’s not a main road, it’s a detour. That detour, you see, is filled with rocks, trees, beasts—everything under the sun. Leaving the clear road aside and taking such a path could turn a day’s journey into a week.”

“I see…”

“Then do your best.”

I said, lying on the floor of the carriage.

“Well, I’ll do what I can.”

“So, what should we do?”

Spectre asked.

“You shut up too and quietly stay inside.”

“Okay…”

“Please, I beg you. Don’t interfere unnecessarily.”

Huxon added.

Look at him addressing the winner of the Loreldia Swordsmanship Tournament as “Lord Rasiudea’s opponent.”

Spectre’s true nature may be delicate and humble, but his appearance is like a ruthless, tearless demon, yet Huxon shows no sign of unease.

As Huxon himself mentioned, he has been a coachman in the Labyrinth City for a long time, carrying various people.

Among them, there must have been many who couldn’t reveal their identities, and as he said, there were probably those who covered their tracks while traveling.

He understands the psychology and habits of such people well, so it’s best for me and Spectre to remain completely silent and hidden.

After a while of traveling in the carriage, Huxon spoke again.

“We’re in luck.”

“Huh?”

“Those ahead seem to have taken a detour. We can simply continue on the main road comfortably.”

I couldn’t help but smile slightly at Huxon’s words.

A good start.

“…But, Lord Rasiudea.”

Spectre asked.

“Why?”

“What exactly are we supposed to do when we get to Brigal?”

“Oh, well, I’ll tell you later.”

“Why?”

I pointed at Huxon with my chin.

“The best thing for a coach is to just do as they’re told without knowing anything, right?”

“If you speak too much, your mouth will hurt. As I said earlier, just shut up and wait quietly,” Huxon said.

Inside the carriage, Pigguk closed his eyes and pondered for a moment.

Steria.

Perhaps due to her days as an amateur volleyball player in Korea, she was already the strongest woman among us even before receiving cheats from the goddess.

On the first day of being thrown into the war against demons after receiving cheats, while most other women panicked and couldn’t fight properly, she bravely fought alongside the men.

And when the first warrior fell, it was she who cried more sorrowfully than anyone else.

“…”

Memories from over 400 years ago are becoming blurry.

The hell we experienced after the war was much harsher.

Yet… the emotions felt during that life-and-death battle stained our souls like a blotch.

Sangcheol, Steria, all of us were comrades who crossed the same line of duty.

Sangcheol’s heart crumbled, leading him to take his own life.

I know well that beneath Steria’s rough exterior lies a woman with a soft heart.

If she were to marry that bastard from Brigal by force and end up in despair like Sangcheol…

“…”

Unintentionally, my teeth clenched too loudly.

“…”

“…”

Fortunately, neither Spect nor Huxon said anything, understanding there must be reasons for my outburst.

We rode the carriage quietly for four days straight.

Finally, we arrived at the first border.

“Ha… It’s been a while since I’ve pushed this old body so hard. Every bone is aching,” Huxon said.

“You’ve worked hard. When we return, I’ll treat you to a drink,” I extended my hand to Huxon.

“It’s just repaying a debt, no need for that. Well, if you insist, I won’t refuse,” Huxon shook my hand.

“A debt? What debt?” Did Huxon owe me something?

“What? Don’t you remember? Your family helped mine when my daughter almost married a scoundrel.”

“Ah…” About ten years ago.

There was a swindler pretending to be a successful merchant, trying to deceive several adventurers. After fleeing and leaving only his mansion behind, we, along with some veteran adventurers, tracked him down and stripped him of everything he had.

Coincidentally, Huxon’s daughter was engaged to that swindler.

Naturally, the engagement was broken, and Huxon’s daughter married another man.

At that time, Huxon humbly promised to repay us someday.

We didn’t expect anything, but we applauded his sincerity.

“With everyone else gone, you were the only one left to repay the debt. I was quite worried about how you’d manage it. Now that you’ve settled it, I can leave without any regrets,” Huxon chuckled.

“Why worry about repaying debts when you’re still young and have so much ahead of you? Just live your life diligently.”

“Am I such a sentimental fool in your eyes? Tsk… Anyway, cheer up. I never imagined you’d come to me for help in such a desperate manner. That shows how important this matter is, right?”

“Yes, incredibly important.”

“I hope it works out well.”

Huxon left on the carriage back to the Labyrinth City.

Only Spect and I were left standing at the border checkpoint.

Of course, we weren’t the only ones here.

There were plenty of merchants and mercenaries preparing to cross the border.

Spect and I headed towards the checkpoint.

“Oh, by the way, do you have your travel permit?” I suddenly stopped and asked Spect.

“Yes. I have one issued by the Loreldia Royal Family,” Spect showed me his travel permit.

To cross the border, a proper identification document is always necessary.

One of the most common travel permits is generally issued to mercenaries.

For merchants, receipts received when paying taxes for trade serve that purpose.

And for adventurers like me with a Platinum or higher grade, an adventurer’s certificate serves as identification.

“Alright then. Let’s go… Huh?”

The birthday written on Specter’s travel permit caught my eye.

“…Hey.”

“Yes?”

“You were twenty years old?”

“…Yes.”

“…”

Wow… I thought you had already passed thirty…

“…I often hear that I look older.”

“Oh, sorry. It’s not like that…”

“It’s okay. I’m used to it.”

I tried to comfort the slightly gloomy Specter and waited in line again at the gatehouse.

Although the procession of carriages was long, our turn was not far off, but the waiting time was too long.

After waiting for almost an hour in line, our turn was almost at hand.

“…?”

“…!!”

However, inside the gate, there was suddenly a commotion.

Not a good sign…

A little later, someone emerged from inside the gate, digging the ground.

“Ugh…”

It was a child.

With tattered clothes and light green hair, their brown skin stood out.

“Wait a moment! This is a real passage permit!”

The girl stood up abruptly, shaking what she held tightly in her hand.

“That won’t work. Someone has already used that a long time ago. Anyway, come here quickly.”

“No, please!”

A passage permit?

…Ah, there was something like that.

It could be used like a travel permit, but the problem is that it’s disposable.

They issue it only once, and after using it, they stamp it for disposal. The girl’s had a clear red disposal stamp on it.

Moreover, it looked incredibly old-fashioned.

Usually, they don’t handle this kind of situation so roughly…

Is she trying to sneak across the border?

That’s a pretty serious offense.

It’s almost time, but let’s not worry about it.

“Please! Please let me through!”

Despite the girl’s plea, the checkpoint guards firmly restrained her.

At least she didn’t try to escape.

Normally, one would run for their life.

“No! Sister! I have to meet Onelloi!”

“…?”

Onelloi?

Where have I heard that before…

…Oh.

“W-wait a moment.”

I raised my hand and spoke.

“…?”

The Specter next to me looked surprised.

And the other people around also turned their gaze towards me.

This isn’t good…

But there’s no other choice.

If she goes into the underground prison now, it’ll be much harder to bring her back.

“What’s going on? I understand if it’s because you feel sorry for the kid, but crossing the border without permission is a serious offense. There’s nothing your household can do about it.”

“It’s not that, it’s just… I have something I want to ask her.”

I casually took out my adventurer’s certificate.

“…!”

The checkpoint guard’s eyes widened at the sight of the proof of Adamantite.

“Please. It’ll only take a moment.”

“Um… Come in for now.”

The guard gestured for me to follow and led me to the border checkpoint.

I signaled for Specter to come along and followed the guard into the border checkpoint.

“Ha… Since you’re an Adamantite, I’ll spare some time, but I can’t wait long.”

The guard said wearily as he tied the girl’s hands.

“Thank you.”

I nodded slightly to the guard leaving and then addressed the confused girl.

“Hey, kid.”

“Y-yes?”

“You mentioned Onelloi just now?”

“Yes! That’s my sister’s name!”

The friend Misty asked me to convey regards to was also named Onelloi.

“Does your sister… work in Brigal by any chance?”

“Yes. Do you know my sister?”