The Swift Northern Escort
The escort party—composed of Morken’s security forces, knights, and adventurers—departed three days later. Their ranks were dazzling, as they were tasked with guarding new weapons and distinguished guests. Every soldier in the security forces was a veteran, while the adventurers consisted of seasoned experts and rising rookies. Among them, I joined the procession with a resolute expression, fully prepared for the battle that would soon come.
“Is everyone ready?”
Rohan, appointed as the temporary commander of the escort, finished counting heads and gave the order to move out. Though his reputation as a senior knight of the Blue Stag Knights was impressive, it felt insufficient when compared to the names of those coming from the south. Still, there was no helping it. The original plan had fallen apart when an incident erupted in the Libertas territory, forcing us to proceed with only our own forces.
“Including non-combat personnel, that’s fifty people.”
“Fewer than we originally planned.”
“Can’t be helped. Apparently a swarm of Storm Locusts appeared in Libertas.”
The escort, originally planned for a hundred, had been halved. Just as the adventurer said, a massive outbreak of Storm Locusts had occurred in the Libertas territory only two days prior. Rohan clicked his tongue as he walked alongside Clorin, the deputy commander.
“This damned North never goes a day without some emergency.”
“If one of the few granaries in the North gets stripped bare, grain and fruit prices will skyrocket several times over. Nothing we can do about it.”
“At least meat prices don’t fluctuate much. The North may lack many things, but meat is plentiful.”
I still couldn’t understand what exactly drew so many creatures to the North, but once a swarm erupted, the locusts devoured every visible plant—and even monsters if they could. I’d heard that Libertas had urgently summoned its vassal houses in response. Of course, if a high-ranking monster’s territory lay along their path, the swarm would be erased as if wiped away by an eraser, like Thanos snapping his fingers. The locusts weren’t fools, however; they avoided those territories and only rampaged when they discovered a granary, thriving like fish in water.
“Fortunately, they haven’t grown into a large swarm yet, so they’re moving to suppress it early.”
“That’s why they pulled escort troops from here. Of course they’ll suppress it.”
“If the early suppression fails, we won’t even be able to see grain or fruit for a while, will we?”
Of course, Libertas wasn’t foolish either—they were working hard to resolve the issue before the damage grew too severe. That was why they had even pulled troops meant for the escort. The people of Edenberg didn’t seem particularly concerned, however. After all, any attack that might occur in the Central region looked predictable in scale. The possibility of an attack itself was extremely low to begin with. Watching their confident expressions, I wore an uneasy look.
“I’ve made preparations, but will there really be an attack?”
“An attack? Out of nowhere?”
“Academy students are coming, aren’t they?”
“That’s right.”
“Then there’ll be an attack.”
“?”
A question mark appeared on Neon’s face—he couldn’t grasp the meaning. It was a statement that defied his common sense. Adela, however, burned with fighting spirit upon hearing my words.
“Yeah. The Academy is like Neon. Just as monsters can’t pass by Neon without noticing him, criminals can’t pass by the Academy without noticing it either.”
“What are you even saying?”
Neon wore a complicated expression at Adela’s words, but he couldn’t refute them. Even in his own mind, the monsters’ interest in him had been far too intense. Though he still couldn’t understand the connection between the Academy and attacks, seeing how seriously I had prepared over the past three days made him think it might be wise to stay on guard just in case.
“When we head to the Central region later, you’ll understand what I mean.”
Since I couldn’t explain the reason, I was grateful even for that level of reaction. I didn’t bother trying to teach Neon the truth that the Academy was the root of all evil and simply moved in step with the escort.
The journey south was remarkably smooth. Thanks to one of the few teleport gates in the North, we reached Harmun, the border city of the Central region, in just a few days. After Rohan spoke with Count Harmun, we used the Grond Kingdom’s teleport gate to cross quickly into the Empire. Upon emerging from the gate connected to a famous imperial metropolis, we encountered a group waiting at the entrance.
“Hey! How’s everyone been?”
“Have you been well, my lord?”
“Same as always! Thanks to you, I got to rest for several months!”
The elderly man at the head of the group greeted Rohan warmly. The old man, who patted Rohan’s back heartily with his thick hands, was Hornst—the head of House Hornst, a baron in the North and a vassal of Count Edenberg. After rushing to the Empire to deal with the Seraris viscounty matter, the baron had been preparing to return when he received word and was appointed as the official commander of this escort.
“It’s fortunate that you’re in the Empire, my lord. Thanks to you, we won’t have to embarrass ourselves when receiving the guests from the south.”
“I’ll only play the role of a figurehead. I’m a warrior by nature—complicated matters don’t suit me.”
“I’m aware. If you step in, even things that would have gone well will end in disaster.”
“You little—!”
Hornst wore an incredulous expression at Rohan’s words but didn’t deny them. Even he knew that matters requiring careful thought were utterly unsuited to him. Still, his petty nature hadn’t changed, so he struck Rohan’s back hard.
Smack!
“Ack! I’m dying!”
“I hit you lightly, you brat!”
“If you hit me lightly, my lord, I’ll die!”
“A younger man than me, and you’re already whining!”
Perhaps because they had fought side by side on the front lines, the relationship between Rohan and Hornst seemed extremely close.
“Come to think of it, where are the Academy students?”
“Those lazy brats are only just departing, apparently.”
“We did arrive quite early. We don’t need to manage supplies anymore, so our speed increased.”
At Rohan’s words, a glint appeared in Hornst’s eyes. Now that he thought about it, the escort hadn’t brought the usual tents, supply wagons, or carriages. He wondered if they had spatial bags, but the atmosphere suggested otherwise. When he sent a look asking for an explanation, Rohan grinned and pointed at me.
“Thanks to that fellow over there.”
“I remember him. Was his name Argo?”
“Yes. One of Argo’s Mystery abilities is an inventory that can store items in a separate space.”
“Ho. An inventory, you say.”
Hornst’s eyes sparkled at Rohan’s explanation. As someone from the front lines, he was probably already thinking of many ways to make use of my ability.
“Are you planning to come to the front lines anytime soon?”
“I still lack experience, so I think I’ll travel the world a bit more before going.”
“Traveling the world is important too. Come up quickly—the front lines welcome talents like you.”
Good grief, how burdensome. I could feel his strong desire for me to head to the front lines as soon as possible. At least he wasn’t forcing the issue—that was a relief. Avoiding Hornst’s burdensome gaze, I hid behind Neon. Hornst clicked his tongue in disappointment before reorganizing the escort.
“Enough chatter. We’re moving out again!”
At Hornst’s imposing shout, the escort set off once more. Now numbering eighty with the addition of the knights, the party didn’t slow down—in fact, they moved even faster than before. It wasn’t just because the northerners had sturdy physiques; Hornst, displeased with their previous speed, had found a solution.
“Argo, didn’t you have a summon that’s good for riding?”
“Pardon? Well, I do have one.”
“Then let’s put the non-combat personnel on it. That’ll increase our speed even more.”
“You want to go faster from here?”
“More than half of them can move faster than cavalry when they put their minds to it. It’d be strange not to use that.”
“That’s true.”
Understanding the suggestion, I immediately summoned Ikelos and loaded the non-combat personnel onto it. The escort’s movement speed doubled as if by miracle, and they moved like fish in water. They passed through several cities a day and crossed the Central region without sparing the teleport gates. After traveling like that for only a few days, we arrived at Morken, the southernmost gate city even within the Central region. Our speed had been so great that neither the southerners nor the Academy students had arrived in the city yet.
“Did we move too fast?”
“Even so, arriving early just means we’ll wait in the city, doesn’t it?”
“That’s true.”
Hornst was even scratching his head, wondering if we had arrived too quickly. With a full week remaining until the appointed time, we were discussing how to spend the wait when a butler hurried out from the lord’s castle to greet us.
“Are you the escort party that was supposed to come from the North?”
“That’s right. What’s the matter?”
“Count Morken has invited you all. He hopes you will allow him to receive such distinguished guests at the lord’s castle.”
It was clear he had run all the way here without rest, yet he managed to steady his breathing enough not to interrupt the conversation—an impressive display. Despite his advanced age, he hadn’t neglected his training; his solid physique and formal attire made even Hornst accept the invitation without refusal. Here, they were guests, after all, and couldn’t decline the host’s invitation.
Following the elderly butler toward the lord’s castle, we were greeted at the entrance by Count Morken, who had been waiting for us.
“There’s still a week until our appointment, so my preparations are lacking. Still, I thought it would be better than leaving guests outside, so I extended the invitation.”
“We arrived a full week early, so it’s only natural you couldn’t prepare. I’m not petty enough to nitpick over something like that, so don’t worry.”
“Just as I’d heard—your straightforward personality is refreshing.”
Unlike the boisterous Count Harmun, the cool-headed Count Morken received Baron Hornst according to the customs of the Karno Duchy to which he belonged.
“By the way, how were you able to arrive so quickly? No matter how fast you move or how many teleport gates you use, you can’t ignore physical distance.”
“The forests of the Central region are far more peaceful than those in the North.”
“.....Surely you don’t mean you traveled in a straight line instead of following the roads? What about supplies?”
“We have a capable friend with us.”
Count Morken couldn’t help but click his tongue as he looked at the northerners who had traveled in such an unimaginable manner. Following the roads from the North to the South would require passing through seven large and small nations, but traveling in a straight line meant crossing only four—Grond Kingdom, the Empire, Byzant Kingdom, and Karno Duchy—greatly reducing travel time. But why were there no roads along the route the northerners had taken? Because the terrain was too treacherous or filled with dangerous monsters for roads to be worth the cost. Yet hearing that only eighty people had crossed such a route, Count Morken inwardly raised the danger level of the North by one stage—from “dangerous if provoked” to “will come find you even if you’re far away.”
Having finished his internal assessment, Count Morken guided his guests with an even gentler tone than before.