The Young Coachman with a Photographic Memory
As I entered the mansion on my way to make the purchase, Mariel was there to greet me.
"Welcome back. I've prepared dinner for you."
"Yeah, thanks. Oh, by the way, what about the luggage I mentioned earlier?"
"I packed four shirts, two pairs of pants, and seven sets of underwear into the travel bag. I also included plenty of jerky and biscuits as emergency rations."
"Perfect, thanks. That should be more than enough…."
Swish.
"Aren't you bringing a weapon for self-defense?"
Mariel pulled out a chunk of metal and casually held it out to me. It was a coldly gleaming magitech pistol.
"…Huh?"
Handing over a deadly weapon without even batting an eye. I broke out in a cold sweat and shook my head.
"Ah, no… I don't think I'll need it."
"Understood."
She slipped the pistol back into the strap behind her waist. The more I saw of her, the more unique she seemed.
"Anyway. I'll be leaving for Hamilton City at dawn tomorrow. The trip should take about a week, and I expect to be back in roughly a month."
"I'll guard the mansion while you're gone."
I smiled at her. "As expected, there's no one like you, Mariel."
"Y-yes…."
Her eyes widened slightly more than usual. She quickly lowered her head, but I caught a glimpse of her ears and cheeks flushed bright red.
* * *
The next day at dawn, before the fog had even lifted. I finished preparing for the journey and picked up my travel bag.
"I'll be back."
"Please be careful."
With Mariel's farewell behind me, I stepped out of the mansion gate.
When I was almost at Golden Horse House, a rather impressive carriage caught my eye. It looked old but well-maintained, pulled by two healthy horses pawing at the ground.
"Oh, not bad at all?"
I walked over to the carriage.
"Mister! I'm here. Are you all set…."
Just then, some little kid popped out from the other side. The moment he saw me, he ran over and flung the carriage door wide open.
"Ah! Welcome, Duke Goldman! Just get in and we'll depart right away!"
Seeing the boy in a tiny coachman's outfit, I froze with my luggage still in hand.
"Who are you?"
"Oh! My name is Tom! I'm Mister Hudson's grandson!"
Tom? Ah. So this was the person the old man was looking for yesterday.
"You're Hudson's grandson? Well, nice to meet you. That aside, where's your grandfather? He was supposed to drive the carriage today."
Tom's expression darkened. He fidgeted for a moment before speaking.
"Well… Grandfather suddenly had a flare-up of his old illness last night… and collapsed. He's resting in the doctor's house right now."
"What? He's bedridden?!"
It was like a bolt from the blue. The magic amplifier was going to be invented next week, and the Arcanium vein would be discovered right after. The Hamilton City Stock Exchange was obviously going to explode with activity. To cover that long distance in a week, I absolutely needed a veteran coachman's skill, but of all times, he was hospitalized!
"Ugh… This is driving me crazy. We have to leave today—what now…?"
I was clutching my head in despair when Tom shouted with determination.
"S-so! I've decided to take you there myself!"
"……."
I lowered my hand from my head and looked down at the boy.
"You?"
This kid who barely reached my chest was going to drive a long-distance carriage?
"Tom. How old are you?"
"I'm ten this year!"
"……."
Ten? This was a complete child. I forced a smile and politely declined.
"I appreciate the thought, but there's no need to push yourself. This isn't something a kid can handle. I'll just check another station…."
The plan had gone awry, but it wasn't beyond fixing. It would be better to find a decent carriage at another station. If I left by this morning, I could still barely make it to Hamilton City.
I need to hurry and find another coachman….
"I-I can really do it!!"
Just as I was about to turn away, Tom clenched his fists and shouted. Seeing him like that, I let out a helpless chuckle.
"Tom. This is a long-distance run that will take several days. It's too much for a child, both physically and in terms of experience."
I firmly tried to dissuade him, but Tom wouldn't back down. He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and thrust it in front of me.
"Look at this! I may not look like much, but I've memorized the entire map!"
It was a rather worn-out map. When I unfolded it, it was densely packed with geography, place names, and all sorts of symbols. It was enough to make my eyes hurt.
"Ask me anything! I know the shortest route from Goldfield to Hamilton, of course, and all the side paths and the surrounding terrain!"
"……."
What nonsense. He memorized this complicated map? This must be a child's bluff.
But the boy's eyes were full of confidence. Whatever, I didn't have time. I'd humor him a bit and then leave.
"Really? Let's see…."
I skimmed the map and threw out the first question.
"Then, how many waypoints are there on the route from here to Hamilton City?"
I asked without even counting. If he was going to replace Mister Hudson, he should at least know this much.
But the moment I finished speaking, the boy answered instantly.
"Five!"
"…Huh?"
He was so confident it was ridiculous. He didn't even think about it.
Only then did I bring the map close to my eyes and count the waypoints. One. Two. Three. Four. Five…. T-there really are five?
I looked at him with startled eyes. As if reading my mind, he had a triumphant expression.
Come on, he probably crammed it last night.
"Th-then next question! How many official roads are there from here to the capital?"
"There are three official roads! Among them, the shortest course starts at the far right outskirts of Goldfield as a detour!"
"Let's see…."
I glared at the map, but it looked like a tangled skein of thread. I couldn't even tell what was a road and what was a mountain.
"Hmm, then… the major city at the top right of the map!"
"Ah, Manfre—"
"—and the name of the tiny village right below it!"
Tsk. It was so embarrassingly childish that my face burned. What the hell am I doing, testing a kid like this….
But I was that desperate. My entire fortune was on the line. I had to at least clear this level of verification before I could trust him with my life.
The boy answered with a relaxed smile.
"Wilhelis."
I checked the map. Wilhelis.
"…Correct."
I couldn't close my mouth. "You, you really… memorized this entire map?"
"Hmm… It's less that I memorized it and more that I remember it like I took a photo. I only glanced at it once or twice before, but it all stuck in my head. After that, I was bored so I read it a few more times, that's all."
"Photographic memory… or something? You remember everything you see?"
Tom nodded proudly.
"I went to Hamilton once a long time ago. The route we took back then is all in my head too. Now that I've learned how to handle a carriage, I can definitely escort Duke Goldman by myself!"
Hmm… I'd gone so far as to give him childish quizzes to test him. It would be rude to go look for someone else now. Besides, photographic memory?
This… this is one hell of a diamond in the rough I've picked up.
"Alright. I understand. I'll leave it to you. We don't have time, so let's get going right away."
Tom's face lit up with joy as he bowed deeply.
"Yes! I'll do my absolute best to serve you!"
I climbed into the carriage through the door he held open. Leaning back against the seat, I placed my hand over my coat and felt the thickness of the bundle of checks.
"Then, we'll depart!"
Hiiing!!
With the horses' powerful neigh, the carriage lurched forward with a clatter.
* * *
We ran for four days. We stopped at waypoints here and there, but we didn't fall far behind schedule.
This kid. He's actually pretty skilled at driving a carriage.
He covered directions with his compass and memory, and it seemed he'd learned horse-handling properly from his grandfather. At this point, I was starting to think leaving it to Tom had been a stroke of genius.
Finally, before entering Hamilton City, we arrived at the last waypoint. After staying here tonight, we'd have to push through two full days of outdoor camping while driving nonstop. In preparation, I bought camping supplies at the market and secured a room at the inn.
Then I went down to the first-floor restaurant with Tom. I scanned the menu and raised my hand to call the server.
"Are you ready to order, sir?"
For the four days since we'd left, I'd been frugal with travel expenses in case of emergencies. Today, I can splurge a little. I might as well treat Tom, who would have to work hard for the next two days.
"We'll have two orders each of the beef tenderloin steak and grilled chicken wings. One large order of french fries, one cheese salad, and a big bottle of orange juice, please."
When the orders came pouring out, Tom, sitting across from me, looked horrified.
"D-Duke Goldman! Is it really okay to order all that?!"
"We've got a forced march with no waypoints for the next two days. If you want to have the strength, you need to eat until your stomach bursts."
"B-but still! Beef steak and grilled chicken wings… those are all expensive dishes!"
"Who cares? The budget is plenty. It's on me!"
Tom glanced around nervously before muttering in a small voice.
"But Duke Goldman, I've heard your business hasn't been doing well lately…."
"…Huh?"
Did I hear that wrong? I placed a hand on my chest and asked again.
"My business isn't doing well?"
"Ah, well… that's what the rumors say… that because of your debts, you've been skipping meals and suffering terribly…."
"……."
Haha. How ridiculous. Of course, most of my income went to interest and debt repayment, but I was still a lord. In terms of pure revenue within Goldfield, no one could compete with me. I couldn't afford the kind of extravagant lifestyle nobles had—eating caviar and popping champagne at every meal—but I hadn't gone a single day without eating.
Just what kind of rumors were circulating about me that even a kid was worried about a noble's meals?
"You'd have to run a long-distance route more than ten times to match my daily income."
"Huk, r-really…? Wow… As expected, the world nobles live in is completely different…!"
While we chatted about this and that, the long-awaited feast arrived.
"Here is your order."
As the server brought out the plates, the table was soon filled with food. The sizzling sound of meat juices, the aroma of pepper and butter mixed together, stimulating my nose. Tom's eyes sparkled as he gulped down his saliva.
"Eat slowly and enjoy it."
"Thank you for the meal!"
The boy grabbed a fork and knife in both hands and charged at the meat. The steak sliced smoothly. The savory grilled chicken wings where bone and flesh separated effortlessly. Fresh cheese salad and crispy french fries. It had been a long time since I'd eaten like this. It was truly a fantastic feast.
We cleaned every single plate.