The Journey Home (1)

The day after Ethan’s swordsmanship department evaluation match.

The three of us, including Isabel, were traveling a long distance by carriage toward the Blackwood territory.

Since Harold was currently serving as a temporary professor at the academy, I thought he would return with us, but unexpectedly, it seemed even a temporary professor had remaining duties-a message came back saying he would stay at the academy for a few more days.

Thus, it was decided that at least the three of us would return to the Blackwood mansion first.

If we delayed any further, there was a chance we’d have to return to the academy just days after arriving at the Blackwood territory, so it was better for those of us who had finished all our academy schedules to return home first.

The problem was that this period coincided with other academy students also returning home for vacation, making it quite difficult to find a coachman who could drive a four-person carriage.

In the end, the three of us had no choice but to depart from Luminor Academy for the Blackwood territory without securing a coachman by the day of departure.

If we couldn’t find a coachman, who would drive the carriage?

Well, obviously, it was decided that I would be the one to drive it-what other option was there?

“Are you sure you’ll be alright, Lillith?”

“Are you worried, Young Master Ethan?”

“Of course I’m worried. Driving a carriage is dangerous.”

“I will drive carefully to ensure not a single scratch mars your noble body, so please set your worries aside.”

“I’m not worried about me-I’m worried about you…”

Well, it was probably Ethan’s first time riding in a carriage I was driving, so it made sense he’d be uneasy. But delaying our schedule any further would be inefficient.

I had learned how to drive a carriage from Dietmeyer precisely for moments like this.

In the game, if Lillith was included in the “Demon King Subjugation Force,” most of the carriage driving was done alternately by Lillith and the protagonist. So, there was no way this body I had possessed lacked talent for driving carriages.

It wasn’t like I couldn’t drive a carriage just because I wasn’t in Lillith’s body, but if I had reincarnated as Lillith, I should at least be able to handle driving a carriage with ease.

“Lillith~, I don’t think all the luggage will fit in the cargo hold. Can we put some in the inner seats?”

“Sure. I’ll be in the coachman’s seat anyway, so you can fill my seat with luggage if needed.”

“……”

After that exchange, I climbed into the coachman’s seat early in the morning to prepare for our departure to the Blackwood territory.

Suddenly, Ethan also began settling into the coachman’s seat beside me.

“Hup.”

“…Young Master Ethan?”

“What’s wrong, Lillith?”

“The passenger compartment is empty. There’s no need to sit in this uncomfortable spot-please ride inside.”

“…Sorry, Lillith. I just feel like getting some fresh air right now.”

“It’ll take nearly a full day to reach the Blackwood territory. Sitting in the coachman’s seat won’t be a pleasant experience.”

“It’s fine, you can go ahead and start. Isabel, don’t wait-go ahead and board the passenger seat.”

“Understood. As per Young Master Ethan’s orders, I shall board the passenger compartment alone.”

“…Isabel?”

Ethan, stubbornly squeezing into the driver’s seat despite the perfectly good passenger seats, and Isabel, boarding the passenger compartment without any reaction to his odd behavior.

Their shameless actions made me wonder if I was the one overreacting, but I had no choice but to set the carriage in motion.

The carriage, loaded with the three of us and our luggage, began moving toward the Blackwood territory in the northeast.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

About half a day and then some after setting off from the Island of Knowledge toward the Blackwood territory.

Despite leaving quite early in the morning, the roads the carriage traveled had already grown quite dark.

Judging that advancing further in this darkness would be difficult, I cautiously suggested to Ethan:

“Young Master Ethan.”

“Yes, Lillith.”

“…I apologize for saying this, but I think we should make camp here for the night.”

“Yeah, I was starting to think the same thing.”

With Ethan’s permission, I stopped the horses at a suitable clearing for camping.

After sitting in the coachman’s seat for so long, my body felt stiff, so I stretched as I got down.

“Uuugh~!!”

“Tired from driving? Isabel and I will set up camp-you rest for a bit, Lillith.”

“…Okay.”

In the game, driving a carriage felt much faster, but in reality, the passage of time was noticeably different.

It made me newly appreciate the skills of the Blackwood family’s coachmen. We had already traveled back and forth between the Blackwood mansion and the Island of Knowledge several times-how had they managed to cover this distance in just a day?

Still, we were about 60-70% of the way there, so if we left early tomorrow, we should reach the Blackwood mansion by noon.

“Should we set up the tent first, Young Master?”

“Yeah. I’ll tie this side down-you take the other end and secure it to that tree over there.”

“Understood.”

Watching Isabel and Ethan setting up the spare tent made me feel oddly guilty.

I approached Ethan, who was tying the tent to a tree, and quietly apologized.

“I’m sorry, Young Master Ethan.”

“Lillith? I told you to rest.”

“If I had handled the horses a little better, we might have reached the territory today. Instead, I’ve made you prepare for a night outdoors-I don’t know what to say.”

“What are you talking about, Lillith? If it weren’t for you, we probably wouldn’t have even left the academy until the day after tomorrow.”

“Still, the other coachmen of Blackwood can make this trip in just a day…”

“You can’t compare yourself to the mansion’s coachmen, who’ve been driving carriages for over ten years. You only learned how to drive a carriage as a contingency-this much is already enough.”

“……”

“Young Master~! Help me with this side of the tent too~!”

“Got it, coming! …You must be tired, Lillith-go rest inside the carriage for now.”

“…Yes, Young Master Ethan.”

After watching Ethan and Isabel set up the second tent, I followed his suggestion and went into the carriage to rest.

I woke up two hours later, drawn by the smell of stew.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“Hahh, yup…. Hahh….”

“Eat slowly, Lillith. The stew isn’t going anywhere.”

“…Yes, Young Master Ethan.”

“Lillith, did you rest enough? You’re not a professional coachman-don’t push yourself too hard.”

“…Yeah. I slept well, so don’t worry.”

I really had slept deeply. My last memory was sitting briefly in the carriage seat, but when I woke up, I was lying across the seat, drooling in my sleep.

The fatigue from driving the carriage for nearly nine hours must have been considerable.

Naturally, sitting in the coachman’s seat and driving the horses was far more exhausting than simply riding inside the carriage.

The headwind, eye strain, the bumpier ride of the coachman’s seat, and the mental energy spent managing the horses’ speed and fatigue all contributed to my exhaustion.

Still, a bowl of Isabel’s chicken and vegetable stew and some toasted bread helped me shake off some of the fatigue.

I was truly grateful for Isabel’s cooking skills-she had managed to make such a meal from the limited ingredients we had packed.

“It’s a relief to have you here at times like this, Isabel. I have no talent for cooking.”

“You are the young master of the Blackwood family! It’s not that you lack talent-it’s only natural!”

“Still, I can’t ask Lillith to cook when she’s tired from driving. Honestly, Lillith’s cooking is less ‘cooking’ and more… ah.”

“…What about my cooking, Young Master Ethan?”

“…Ah, no. It’s nothing, Lillith.”

Why stop mid-sentence? If you’re going to say it, finish it.

Ethan, who had cut himself off in a strangely suspicious way, deliberately focused on his meal as if to avoid further questions.

I, too, concentrated on my food without pressing him-I needed to recover my stamina.

Tomorrow, I’d have to drive the carriage for several hours right after waking up to reach the Blackwood territory, so replenishing my energy was essential.

“Just leave the dishes in one place-I’ll clean them all at once with Clean later.”

“Okay! Thanks, Lillith.”

“After dinner, we should set up some security measures around the camp and take turns sleeping. Do you both know how to keep watch?”

“Ah, no… I don’t have any experience…”

“I know how, Young Master Ethan. I’ve actually done it before.”

“…You have experience?”

…Oops. My big mouth strikes again.

“…I meant the night watches against monsters in my hometown village. Slimes frequently came down to the village during the rainy season.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

“I thought… when you said only Lillith had experience, I wondered if I’d missed something in my maid training…”

Thankfully, both of them were naive enough not to press further.

I’d been trying to stay vigilant lately to avoid mistakes, but today, exhaustion must have loosened my guard.

“Since I just rested earlier, I’ll take the first watch.”

“I’ll take the middle watch, and Isabel can handle the dawn shift while preparing breakfast.”

“Yes, Young Master!”

“Tonight, we just need to stay alert-nothing should happen. It’s not like bandits would suddenly appear in such an open area.”

…Oh.

That sounds like a flag.