The Rock Bird Express to Winchester
The carriage waiting hall looked for all the world like one of those military armories I’d seen in movies.
The ceiling soared so high you had to crane your neck just to take it in, and the space itself stretched wide enough that everyone around us let out soft gasps of awe as they moved between the neatly divided platforms.
“I think it’s over that way?”
“Looks that way, all right.”
The First-Class platform we were hunting for stood out at once from the Premium Class one beside it, radiating a polished, glittering air of luxury. One glance was enough to know expensive carriages waited there.
We followed the red carpet laid across the First-Class platform, glancing around as we went, until at last we found the carriage we were looking for.
“Welcome. Am I correct in addressing Taylor-nim, who reserved the Rock Bird Special Express, along with your three companions?”
As we drew near the carriage, an elderly man who appeared to be the coachman was already waiting for us. Given the price of the service, they had clearly paid attention to every detail; the old man stood in a crisp formal suit that projected pure professionalism and inspired instant confidence.
I confirmed his question and handed over the tickets. He smiled kindly and launched into an enthusiastic introduction of his company and the carriage itself, adding that we would depart in ten minutes.
With a little free time on our hands, Enri asked if we could look over the carriage we would be riding, so we did.
“It’s enormous. I already thought the one that brought us this far was impressive, but this is on another level entirely. Then again, it was sent by a ducal house—maybe this much is only natural?”
The carriage we had hired was a four-in-hand drawn by four Rock Birds, its very appearance shouting that it was a vehicle of considerable expense.
“Heehee, Angela, what are you talking about? The bigger the carriage, the better!”
Enri seemed fascinated by the Rock Birds; she gently stroked their wings and the soft feathers at their necks as she spoke.
While the others were still admiring the carriage, Elizabeth quietly approached me.
“Young Master… have you not overdone it a little?”
Hm?
For a second I wondered what she meant, then realized she was talking about the cost of the carriage. Come to think of it, she had been standing right beside me when I made the reservation.
“It’s no problem at all. Every expense for this trip has stayed well within the projected budget.”
With the kind of money I had, renting a carriage—rather than buying one outright—wouldn’t even leave a scratch on my wallet.
“…Understood. Please do not push yourself too hard.”
I kept telling her it was fine, yet right up until departure I had to endure Elizabeth’s worried glances.
Honestly… she really is the queen of thriftiness.
When the time came we boarded and took a proper look at the First-Class interior. Calm brown wallpaper, seats upholstered in the finest leather, even the ceiling finished with leather for some reason, and a thick carpet underfoot so plush I almost felt guilty stepping on it. True to its four-in-hand design, the cabin was spacious enough for the entire party to lie down if we wanted—overwhelmingly comfortable.
Current time: 13:30. The Winchester-bound carriage is now departing. We will do our utmost to ensure a comfortable journey for all passengers.
A polite voice issued from the speaker mounted inside the cabin, and the scenery beyond the windows began to slide slowly past.
“What kind of place is the Winchester territory?”
Enri, already bored of examining the interior, was staring blankly out the window when she suddenly asked.
Hmm. Winchester territory, was it…
The land we were heading for was the largest domain in the entire northern empire. True to the north, heavy snow and bitter cold left little usable ground, yet in sheer size it was no exaggeration to say that roughly a third of the northern empire belonged to House Winchester.
“I don’t know what you’re expecting, but there’s nothing there but snow and ice.”
I quoted the line the Duke of Winchester had used in the original story when describing his own lands to the protagonist. On the other side of the monitor, Winchester territory had been an endless expanse of snowfields and towering snow-capped peaks that scraped the clouds. Beautiful and majestic to look at—but living there? I’d pass, thanks.
“Lady Elizabeth… is the Young Master telling the truth…?”
“Ahaha…”
Enri turned to Elizabeth with a disappointed face, but Elizabeth could only offer a bitter smile. If even she—who had spent nearly her entire life in this freezing north—reacted that way, then Winchester territory was probably no different from the game.
“Young Master, how much farther until we arrive…?”
“Enri, just a little longer. The coachman told me this morning we should reach it sometime today.”
“Hwaaang, finally!”
A full week of carriage life had clearly worn her down; Enri’s dying groan was answered by Elizabeth’s welcome news. Enri wasn’t the only one who brightened—Angela and I were quietly relieved as well.
Carriage travel really does get boring.
Outside the windows stretched a world painted only in white and blue. An endless white plain and a flawlessly clear sky above the horizon greeted us over and over.
The same scenery, again and again…
We had already entered Winchester territory two days earlier, but the domain was so vast that the manor itself still lay some distance ahead.
I was staring blankly at the landscape when a small village came into view—a single speck of ink on a pure white canvas. A little spark of welcome rose in my chest. I turned to the others.
“We’ve found a village. Let’s stop and rest a while.”
“Ah—no! You don’t have to do that just for me!”
“It’s not for you.”
Enri hurriedly tried to stop me, looking guilty, but no matter how soft the seats were, sitting for so long had left even me a bit stiff.
“Thank you…”
I used the handset installed in the cabin to tell the coachman we wanted a short break; I felt the carriage change course toward the village. Passing through a low stone wall, we entered a place that smelled unmistakably of people living their lives. The village itself wasn’t large, but the roads were well-maintained—we seemed to have chosen a decent stop.
Then an unexpected problem arose.
“I never imagined we’d draw this much attention.”
“Everyone’s staring only at us… it’s kind of embarrassing…”
“Wow, we’re getting a ton of looks.”
Just as they said, the moment our glittering, luxurious carriage rolled into the village, every eye snapped toward us.
I didn’t see that coming.
This was our first time actually stopping in a village. Most of our travel supplies were already in my inventory, and for sleeping we had the high-quality tents the coachman set up, so there had never been a need to visit one before.
“Whatever it is, there’s no need to worry about other people’s stares.”
I was long used to attention. Putting on my thickest face, I stepped straight out of the carriage. Countless gazes locked onto me at once, but I ignored them completely and walked over to the coachman.
“How much farther to our destination?”
“Another two or three hours should do it.”
Closer than I’d thought.
If I’d known, I would’ve just pushed straight for the manor.
Maybe suggesting a rest had been unnecessary, but since we were already parked in the village I decided we might as well take a short break.
“We’ll rest here for about an hour, then continue.”
“As you wish.”
I told him to park the carriage somewhere quiet, then looked back. The girls had followed me out and now stood frozen, clearly overwhelmed by the stares. If they were going to stand there like that, they might as well have stayed inside.
Since we had come all the way into a village deep in the north, I figured I might as well get a feel for the local situation. The northern events still had some time left, but gathering information early never hurt.
“Rest however you like. I’m going to drop by the Adventurers’ Guild for a bit.”
As long as a settlement belonged to the empire and hadn’t been built illegally, even the smallest village was required to have an Adventurers’ Guild. In the original game they existed for convenience so players could pick up quests. Reality was a little different—I’d learned in academy class that guilds were mandatory for tax collection and for protecting villages from monsters.
“May I accompany you, Young Master?”
“I-I want to come too!”
“I have zero desire to stay here alone and become the local attraction.”
The stares must have been truly unbearable; every one of them insisted on coming along. In the end we all headed for the Adventurers’ Guild together.
Walking down the main street we found the guild building—a shabby single-story structure nothing like the one in Karep. Inside, more people than I expected were gathered.
“There are fellows a cut above you among them.”
Yeah. The overall level of these adventurers isn’t bad at all.
A few of them in particular carried mana far stronger than I would have guessed.
“There must be a dungeon nearby.”
Looks like it.
Beatrix and I reached the same conclusion at once. Dungeons sprang up at random all across the world. The north had plenty of them; with so much land and so few inhabited places, uncleared monsters tended to pile up inside. If things got bad enough a stampede could break out, but that was rare. Dungeons meant money, and money drew people. Outside of the adventurer city of Karep, nowhere in the entire empire attracted as many adventurers as the north.
“Are you going into a dungeon as well?”
Not this time…
I was interested, but the timing was terrible.
All because of that damn Richmond. Clearing my murder charge comes first.
Still, once I had free time, dungeon diving in the north didn’t sound half bad. Pushing down the regret, I threaded my way between the adventurers and headed for the request counter.