Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Tenth Fragment, Artemisia
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Riding in the carriage was boring. In the game, when you traveled between regions on a carriage or horse, you arrived at your destination in an instant. But here, it felt overly realistic. If the horses tired during the journey, you had to rest. You had to stop to eat. And at night, it was dark and dangerous, so you needed to sleep. Naturally, this delayed their arrival in Philoria.
'I remember needing to pass through two castles to reach Aslan.'
One was the checkpoint fortress of Herod, which they had just gone by. The other was Dempa, which held a key position on Philoria's southern defense line. Fortresses like Herod were just preliminary defenses. Major strongholds like Dempa guarded the vital passes for full protection. Judah thought about the Dempa they would soon reach. The carriage would drop them off there before heading back to Serenia Castle, leaving them with some time to spend in the area.
'...Is there a quest worth doing in Dempa?'
He couldn't recall. Before summoning <Record>, Judah glanced at Jeanne. She was dozing off demurely, hands clasped together. Well, even if it wasn't as nice as the lord's carriage, this world had advanced alchemy and magitech. Thanks to that, even an old-fashioned carriage didn't jolt too harshly against the seat. The soft cushions actually made it quite comfortable. With nothing to do, a warm back, and a full belly... sleep was inevitable.
Still, in case she woke and saw him, Judah pretended to gaze out the window as he opened <Record>. A holographic window appeared before his eyes. Serenia Castle notes were no longer needed, so he had dropped their priority to the bottom and minimized their size. Among the memos crammed onto the hand-drawn map, Judah enlarged the Philoria region.
'None.'
There was an important story quest in Dempa, but it was one exclusive to Magus Liel, who was presumably traveling with Cain. Judah slowly read through his old notes.
Philoria was renowned as the land of knights, so it was possible to recruit knights as companions. There were many righteous types like Jeanne—reliable allies. In the game, one of the companions who never betrayed Judah was a knight from Philoria. In any case, they had high trust ratings for escort missions, so kingdoms and nobles paid top coin to hire them.
But Judah already had the Blue Lancer Knight by his side, so there was no need to recruit more. As he watched the sleeping Jeanne, her head tilted to the side and thunked against the wall.
"Sip!"
She slurped in her saliva and cracked open sleepy eyes, only to lean back and drift off again. Judah stifled a chuckle so she wouldn't hear and closed <Record>. There was nothing more to read.
'Better to just pass through.'
Nothing here was necessary. Once they reached Dempa, they'd grab a quick meal and find a carriage shuttling between Dempa and Aslan to head straight to the capital. Judah propped his elbow on the window frame, rested his chin on his hand, and stared blankly outside. The breeze was cool, and the passing scenery was utterly peaceful.
Yet the carriage's speed gradually slowed before coming to a full stop. Judah, who had been enjoying the view, felt puzzled. Why stop now? It wasn't mealtime, and the horses had rested plenty. The sun was still high overhead. Bandits or monsters? He felt a flicker of anticipation, but remembering they were in Philoria dismissed the idea.
"...Have we arrived?"
Jeanne stirred at the halt and murmured sleepily. Judah shook his head.
"Not yet. Looks like something up ahead. Get some more rest. I'll check it out."
The moment he stepped out and planted his foot on the ground, Judah's eyes widened. The earth felt moist, a soft, cushioned sensation faintly reaching through his shoe.
'Did it rain?'
No idea when, but the ground was damp. Tilting his head, he started toward the coachman's perch. Hearing him, the coachman leaned out from his seat.
"Ah, it's nothing to worry about."
"Yes, I trust you, of course. Just curious. Mind if I sit up here a moment?"
"Of course. Go ahead."
The older coachman cheerfully offered the spot beside him. So that's why they stopped—a carriage was pulled over on the roadside ahead.
"Hmm."
As Judah knew, the road to Dempa linked not just Herod but various checkpoints. Without checking the map, he couldn't pinpoint the connections, but it was definitely a convergence point. Carriages should be plentiful, yet aside from theirs, none were in sight. As they drew closer, the other carriage looked slightly tilted—broken down somewhere.
"Oh my. Wheel must've gotten stuck in the mud."
The coachman beside him said with regret. It was a lavish, oversized carriage, but the wheels were filthy in a way that didn't suit it. Spotting Judah's carriage, the noble's coachman waved frantically for help.
"What do you think?"
The coachman sought Judah's input.
"Pardon?"
"Serenia Castle folk, we'd help without question. But tangling with foreign nobles rarely ends well. We pass by, they can't complain—we're in a hurry too."
Judah fell silent, eyeing the stranded carriage. Its coachman wore a pleading expression. Mud-caked pant legs suggested he'd already suffered pulling it free.
"Let's help them out."
"Got it."
The coachman nodded, deferring fully to Judah. They pulled up. The young coachman dashed over and bowed low. He looked fairly young.
"Ah, thank you so much. Uh, if it's not too much trouble, any room in your carriage?"
"There is... but."
"You're bound for Dempa, right? I'll make it worth your while. Could you take our passenger the rest of the way?"
The coachman glanced at Judah with indifference. It didn't matter much. The real question was how the noble in that fancy ride felt. Since they'd decided to help anyway, Judah agreed. The young coachman beamed, fished ten silver coins from his pouch, split them between the coachman and Judah, and headed back. With Dempa so close, it was a fair sum. The carriage door swung open. Out stepped a middle-aged man in a crisp suit and monocle on a chain. He carried a jewel-studded staff, dashing like a noble straight from a novel. He regarded the young coachman coolly, listened to his report, patted his shoulder lightly as if to say well done, then approached Judah at the perch.
"You helped us on first sight—my thanks. I'm deeply grateful."
"No big deal. That's what you do in a pinch."
"Oh? Philoria native, are you?"
His eyes widened in surprise at Judah's words. Philorians didn't ignore others' hardships easily. Beggars wouldn't starve here. Judah smiled and shook his head.
"Nah, just your average adventurer these days. Shall we chat inside?"
"Very well... if I may."
Judah held the door. The man bowed once more in thanks and climbed in. Jeanne flinched at the stranger but settled upon seeing Judah follow. The whip cracked, the horses whinnied, and they rolled forward.
"The road's dull—mind some conversation?"
"Sure, happy to."
Judah nodded agreeably.
"Much obliged. What's your business in Dempa?"
"Nothing specific there. Off to Aslan."
"Aslan? Then you're entering the Green Banner!"
He spoke confidently, but he was off the mark.
"Nope. Entering could be fun, but not this time. Got business in Aslan, that's all. Though I'll probably watch."
"Hm. Fair enough—the Green Banner's a once-in-a-lifetime shot. Best wait till you're ready. But you will someday?"
"Yeah... something like that. I'm not keen, but my companion's itching to join."
"Hoo."
He eyed Jeanne beside Judah and smiled warmly.
"My girl's competing this time. Might've crossed paths."
"You have a daughter?"
"Hah—"
He let out a sudden sigh.
"Indeed. Late blessing, but headstrong as they come. Up and ran off to join the Green Banner on her own. Lucky I found her letter. Otherwise, I'd have scoured every kingdom..."
As they talked, Judah felt an odd twinge of familiarity. Had he seen this man before? First meeting in this world, yet the déjà vu nagged. Puzzling it over, wondering who he might be, it hit him—they hadn't even introduced themselves.