episode_0232

Traveling is always accompanied by excitement.

It may come from joy, or it may come from anticipation. Or maybe it’s the tension that comes with being away.

No problem. If you can feel happiness through that pounding heart, wouldn’t it be enough?

As I was enjoying the cool breeze while driving the carriage, Hermel, who was riding in the luggage compartment, leaned out towards me.

“Charles, isn’t it hot?”

“Huh? Would you like to touch it down here?”

I lifted my butt slightly while saying that, and Hermel tilted his head and touched my butt.

“Oh. Cool.”

“No… . Not my ass… .”

“Hehe. know. I just wanted to touch it.”

“To be rude.”

I chuckled, shook my head, and sat down again.

“The floor here is cool, so it’s not too hot. I also don’t handle the heat well. What about Hermel?”

“Charles casts a cooling spell on the inside of the cloth, so I’m going comfortably~”

Hermel continued his sentence and hugged my waist. It’s dangerous if you step on a stone and the carriage shakes… . I guess I won’t do it.

Yes, if the carriage broke down, it would be broken, but Hermel wouldn’t be hurt. Still, should I say something?

“It’s dangerous to hang yourself on the edge like that.”

“Fuhu… . You should be worried about the carriage, not me, right?”

“I know. But I’m just saying this because you never know. Because I don’t want Hermel to get hurt.”

“Uuuh… ! I heard you only say really pretty things!”

Hermel said that and nuzzled his face against my waist. It was ticklish, but it wasn’t a bad feeling, so I smiled and shook my head.

While driving the carriage, Hermel, who had been inside the carriage because it was too hot, stuck out his face again.

“By the way, Charles.”

“Huh?”

“Where and how did you get this wagon?”

I couldn’t help but tilt my head at that question.

“I paid money to buy something decent at the train station. I bought the horse at a stable in the village.”

“Money?”

“I had some money saved up, so I bought it with that.”

“But in the village where Charles was, there was a train station… . ah. Ah, well… . There’s no way I walked there.”

Hermel nodded as he said that.

I’m sure I didn’t ask because I really didn’t know. Even if it’s Hermel, he’s not that stupid.

I can say that I am rather smart compared to other people, so the reason I am asking this question is… .

“Are you bored?”

“… A little?”

Well then.

I chuckled and shook my head.

“Well, I understand. Aside from what I’m looking forward to, the trip is a bit boring. Umm… . Well then, shall we just chat for a bit?”

“Hehe. Is that so?”

After saying that, Hermel got out of the luggage compartment and sat down next to me.

“Ahhhh!”

Hermel shouted and jumped up, and I tried to hold her so that she wouldn’t fall, but she was still standing without me holding her.

Standing still in a moving carriage… . And not in the luggage compartment, but in the coach seat… . It really amazes me no matter how many times I see this sense of balance.

After blinking and looking at Hermel for a moment, I smiled and asked.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, I was surprised. When I touched it again, it wasn’t that cold.”

After saying that, Hermel patted his butt and sat down again.

“Now that I think about it, it occurred to me. How is Charles using magic now?”

“I just lost my strength, but I didn’t lose my technique. I use magic in a highly efficient way while minimizing the magical power required.”

“Hey… . What is that method?”

“You only use magic power when activating magic, and when maintaining it, you draw on the magic power of nature spread around you. To put it simply, it is a way to set fire to a dry field. Even if you leave it alone, it will burn on its own.”

Hermel blinked at my words and then looked inside the wagon in astonishment.

When the cloth covering the luggage compartment was lifted, cold air escaped and cooled the heat.

“Isn’t that very dangerous!? Setting fire in the fields… . If you do it wrong, everything will burn down!”

“Well, that’s right. If you do it wrong, a wildfire can spread and you could burn to death. But isn’t it the ability to control that?”

As I spoke with a grin, Hermel scratched his head.

“That can be controlled… ?”

“If a person who is considered a proper wizard devotes his entire life to research and dies, it will take 40 years. And I’ve spent twice as much time studying magic and curses, and that’s as much as I can do with my eyes closed.”

“Oh… .”

“What… . Although I didn’t achieve it entirely with my own abilities.”

I smiled bitterly and shook my head.

Hermel, who was looking at me, leaned his head on my shoulder and said.

“If you didn’t do anything with that power, you wouldn’t have gotten that ability. So, have confidence.”

“Are you comforting me now?”

“Rather than comforting me, it’s because I don’t want to stand by and see the person I love belittle themselves.”

“Hermel is kind.”

“Charles would have said the same thing if I had said something similar.”

Hermel said that and pressed his finger on my chest.

what… . surely. If Hermel had been self-deprecating, he would have said the same thing.

I chuckled and patted Hermel’s head.

“Oh, then. Can you use things like Blizzard or Meteor Swarm that are only known in legend?”

“I could use it in the past, but I can’t now. The absolute amount of magical power is too great… . Even if I say it like this, you won’t understand, right?”

Hermel tilted his head at my words, and I chuckled and shook my head.

“The amount of magical power I have is equivalent to that of one match. It’s enough to light a dry field on fire, but it’s not enough firepower to melt stones or turn soil into glass.”

“Ah… . I understand.”

“Well, there is a way to use it by forcibly causing the surrounding magical power to explode, but an ordinary person would either get caught up and die, or would not be able to handle the gathering magical power and explode to death.”

“You tell scary stories calmly… .”

I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of additions, but to this extent. I laughed bitterly and shrugged my shoulders.

“Anyway, I started early in the morning and already ran for half a day… . When will you arrive? .”

Hermel was so bored that he let out a tired sound and let his body go limp.

Just when I was stroking Hermel’s head to relieve his boredom, a salty wind passed by the bridge of his nose.

“Hmm?”

“Huh!?”

Hermel must have felt the same thing, so he raised his head and jumped onto the carriage.

Hermel jumped up onto the carriage, placed his hand on his eyebrows and frowned for a moment as if he was looking into the distance.

“It’s the sea!!”

They cheered, saying something that felt very familiar.

‘what… . ‘I guess it’s okay because you look happy.’

Thinking that way, I sped up my speech a little more.

I ran like that for about 10 minutes. All the trees covering the surroundings disappeared at some point, the view became wide open, and the clean, blue sea revealed itself.

“Wow… .”

As if filled with admiration, Hermel opened his mouth and let out an exclamation. I looked at Hermel for a moment and then turned my gaze towards the sea.

The emerald sea that fills the horizon, the sky so clear and wide that it seems distant, and the wide sandy beach studded with large rocks in between.

… If it hadn’t been for Hermel, who made an exclamation before me, wondering if it had been a long time since I had seen the sea, I would have exclaimed in admiration as if I were someone who had seen the sea for the first time.

“Charles! I’ll change into a swimsuit and come out!”

Hermel looked at me with sparkling eyes, and I smiled and nodded.

“Yes. Do you remember where you put it?”

“Of course! Charles, come in quickly and change!”

“Later. First of all, I need to tie up my words.”

“You can do it after changing clothes.”

It looks like if we go in together to change, we’ll get pounced on.

I shrugged, swallowing the words that were coming out naturally, and Hermel pouted, nodded, and entered the carriage.

“Now… . Then should I tie up my horse and come?”

As I said that, I untied the link connecting the carriage and the horse, then led the horse and looked around at a nearby tree.

After tying the horses to a reasonably thick and sturdy tree, I gave them water and hay to drink, and stroked their necks.

“This won’t solve the problem.”

“Charles—!”

I nodded with satisfaction and turned around when I heard Hermel’s call coming from behind.

“Ah.”

Fine muscles built up from a long life as an adventurer, clear 11-figure abs, long, fluffy blonde hair that reaches down to her waist, and a pure white bikini that goes so well with her slightly darkened skin due to being under the sun for a long time.

Is it because of the summer heat? Or is it because of the humid sea breeze? I couldn’t take my eyes off the breathtaking, almost overwhelming beauty.

Hermel looked at me and said with a naughty smile.

“What do you think? Does it suit you well?”

“Yes… . It suits you well.”

When I nodded, unable to take my eyes off him, Hermel looked at me with surprised eyes, then put his hands on his waist and smiled in satisfaction.

“Hmph, then! This is the swimsuit that someone chose for me, and of course it suits me well!”

I came to my senses at the sight of Hermel liking me like a child, and I smiled and patted Hermel’s head, and Hermel smiled brightly, showing his teeth.

really… . Who would think that such a cute and lovely person is the hero Hermel?

I laughed, took my hand off Hermel’s head, and said.

“Then I’ll go and change and come out.”

“Yes! Quickly change and come! hurry! I want to see Charles in a swimsuit! You didn’t even show me what swimsuit you were choosing!”

“Okay, okay, so don’t push.”

I left behind Hermel, who was smiling brightly, and headed to the carriage.