Encounter
Encounter
Dealing with the bandits within the forest's reach wasn't particularly difficult.
Maybe because they'd racked up a lot of grievances, or who knows what, but the forest spirits moved us around with pinpoint precision like couriers whose motto was accuracy and speed, and the battle once we arrived at the bandit hideouts wasn't the least bit difficult.
After smashing exactly three groups like that, my pockets felt plenty full even though I'd only taken the money, and the bandits vanished like they'd been wiped out.
Not only could I screw over Count Bosha, I could make money and the world could be changed into a slightly better place to live. It was literally the very definition of a win-win economy, to the point I wanted to do it every day.
"But where there's a beginning, there's an end."
The only regrettable thing was that it had all come to an end in a single day. After we annihilated the last bandit group and cleanly retrieved their money pouches, Asilie, who had been communing with the spirits, spoke to me as we left the hideout.
"Looks like those guys were the last. For now, they're just purely happy and aren't telling me the next location."
"Then it's about time we headed back."
As I tore into some jerky I'd found in their food stores and pulled out my pocket watch to check the time, it was a little before 1 o'clock. Discounting travel times, it was nothing short of astonishing that we'd smashed roughly one bandit group every 30 minutes.
"Seriously, all hail the spirits. Tell them I'm really grateful, big sis."
"It's just that words don't work, but spirits can feel the emotions you're feeling to a degree, so there's no real need. They already know."
After having a simple meal while laughing and chatting in the corpse-filled ruins, we received the spirits' help again and returned to the outskirts of the capital, roughly an hour and a half later. Because we'd been zipping around, I hadn't really noticed, but the distance had increased quite a bit compared to where we first went.
Since I hadn't heard any specifics on when the trial would end, the first place we went upon arriving at the capital was the courthouse. But the courthouse we arrived at with anticipation was, no different from the last time I'd seen it, announcing through its firmly shut doors that the trial was still in progress, and we had to leave the place behind, carrying our disappointment with us.
"Since the outcome's obvious, I figured the trial would wrap up quickly too, but I guess that's not the case."
"I don't know much about human trials either, so I have nothing to say. Since they're nobles, I'd imagine there's all sorts of complications."
Since we'd just made do with some mediocre cheap jerky for a meal, I'd thought about eating something substantial before going in, but since neither of us really had much of an appetite, we decided to head back to the Ogatorf manor first.
Because I'd gotten a taste of the fantasy-style moving walkway's power through the spirits' help, the distance that normally wouldn't have been much felt endlessly far. When we finally arrived at the manor, what greeted me was a wyvern transport carriage I'd only seen once before while living there.
"What the? Why is that here?"
"Ah, Eldmia. You're back early today?"
As I stood there surprised at the carriage that was just starting to enter the manor, a guard with a face I knew all too well spotted me and called out.
"Mr. Jebel? Isn't that a wyvern transport carriage?"
"Right. I didn't get a detailed explanation myself, but according to the head butler, they're an acquaintance of the Margrave of Levien. Said they're here to help with this trial?"
What in the world! Then the person riding in that carriage must be one of my few warm-hearted comrades-in-arms and the filial son of the century!
"Gies! Hey! That's you in the carriage, right!"
"Huh? Eldmia?"
Overjoyed, I hopped and jumped my way over to the carriage, and a familiar face popped out from the back cargo compartment from the tarp-covered rear cargo compartment. What the, I'm glad to see you but why are you coming out of there.
"You little shit, I knew you were doing well!"
It was Gies, his face looking much better than before. The guy confirmed it was me and was overjoyed, hurriedly jumping down from the still-moving carriage and coming over.
"My god, how long has it been! So you were still in the capital... and Asilie is here too?"
Gies, whom I'd had hidden outside the capital until Ragnis's situation was resolved, seemed to have been treated well enough, his skin practically glowing with health. I'd already figured I'd get a chance to see his face since he'd be a crucial witness for this trial, but I hadn't expected to see him this soon.
"Haha! Some annoying shit came up again. Just kinda happened that way. Anyway, look at your skin gleaming. Is your wyvern refusing to carry you because you're too heavy?"
"This guy here's fatter than me. More importantly, it's only been a bit over a year but haven't you gotten even bigger? Just how tall are you planning to grow?"
"In a fight, sheer size is an absolute advantage, so bigger is always better."
"Haha. You're as consistent as ever."
While I exchanged greetings with Gies, clapping him on the shoulders after he'd jumped out of the carriage, the wyvern poked its head out, following Gies. No, had this one not gotten fatter but its face gotten fiercer?
"Is this guy... going through a growth phase too? His face looks a bit different."
"He's still a young wyvern. You've only seen him once before but you pinpointed it precisely."
Of all the wyverns I'd seen in my life, I'd personally split one's crown open, and the other one was this guy, so it was bound to stick in my memory. I'm not sure if wyverns remember human faces well, but from my perspective, he was every bit as welcome as Gies.
"The fact that you've come to the capital means that loan shark bastard is getting cleaned up along with this trial, right?"
"I came with all my belongings, along with the escorts who'd been staying with me in the village where I was hiding."
"But you arrived this early? When the hell did you leave?"
"Us? We left three days ago."
Unlike Gies, who answered with a smile as if it was nothing, I momentarily lost control of my expression and it just froze solid.
That was when we were still in the Empire.
"Who tipped you off?"
"The Royal Household told us directly."
Gies saw my expression and tilted his head, sensing something was odd, but I was getting a bit too emotionally heated right then to explain it to him, so I kept my mouth shut for the moment.
Ragnis's anxiety and bewilderment had been real. It was the same for Lord Ekaf and for Sheryl. If their reactions had been an act to deceive me, it should be recorded as the performance of the century.
In the end, there was only one conclusion I could draw in my head.
The conclusion that right now, the Royal Household was unilaterally using the person involved for their own purposes, without giving her any prior notice whatsoever.
"I see! I hadn't heard anything, so I didn't know. Anyway, I'm glad, man. You can finally live with your head held high."
But there was no reason to clue in the blameless Gies and make him anxious too, so I got my expression back under control and returned to the conversation for now.
"Truth be told, they treated me so well that life there wasn't bad at all, but I guess a wyvern and its pilot really do belong in the sky. Just thinking that I can fly without having to worry about anyone watching makes my heart pound."
Even though Gies was only staying briefly, he needed to stay beside the wyvern and look after it while it acclimated, so we couldn't keep talking.
When Gies and I parted ways, promising to meet at dinner, Asilie's expression, which had been smiling as she listened from behind, turned quite serious.
"Eldi. You're not going to make a rash judgment and move, are you?"
"I haven't judged anything rashly, but I did almost act."
Deceive your allies first if you want to deceive the enemy? I did think it was a fairly sound and valid theory, and a very prudent and desirable attitude.
But, fuck, thinking something and accepting it were always two different things.
"Thinking about how they just left the kid anxious without a single word and were probably enjoying themselves because their plan was on track... it kind of pissed me off."
There wasn't the slightest bit of consideration. It was a plan on the level of just moving pieces on a chessboard, calculating only the pros and cons. The actions were pretty damn brazen, considering the very person making those plans moved like that without any penalties whatsoever. If the Royal Household had at least given Ragnis the single reassurance that they supported her, I wouldn't have felt this way.
Honestly, gathering everyone until dawn to prepare for the trial had a feeling of, you know, rushing the job, which is pretty far from the feeling of pulling an all-nighter to be thorough, right?
"Just pissed off?"
"...For now. Since I have to wait and see and decide depending on what happens later."
Doing something first and apologizing later might be distasteful, but it establishes the justification that the action was taken to strike the enemy for certain, so if the apology came with appropriate compensation, it's something I might even look favorably on.
This was a reality-fantasy world, after all. Things never go exactly the way you want.
Still, I was displeased and my expression remained sullen and stubborn, so Asilie smiled and linked her arm with mine.
"Yeah. That's Eldi, making the effort to stay cool-headed even in an emotional situation."
"A perfectly sound statement. But the fact that my anger nearly flared up for a moment is also true, so I've gotten hungry."
"That's how you're wired...?"
Tell me about it. I didn't know I had this kind of structure either. Anyway, the fact that I'd gotten hungry was true, so before going up to my room, I decided to hit up the kitchen first and scrounge up some leftovers.
But the head chef didn't just give me leftovers—he set a proper full meal in front of me, and as I ate the delicious food, I couldn't help showing Asilie just how simple-minded I could be, cheering up from good food alone.