Journey (2)
I had tossed and turned all night from sheer excitement. Or maybe it was because I had gotten up far too early? Either way, my body felt heavy and drained.
“Still, I should get up…”
It was too late to go back to sleep, and I needed to prepare for our departure anyway. Once I rose from the bed, I started by loosening up my body. There was no telling how much walking we would do today, so better to warm up in advance. Sure, if I got muscle soreness I could fix it with Holy Magic, but it never hurt to be careful.
“Hah… so today’s finally the day…”
Changing clothes and looking at the packed bags made my heart race. Travel—at last! We were heading out into the wide world. I gathered my things and stepped out of the room to find The Master waiting.
“You’re up?”
“Yes. Today’s finally the day.”
The Master gazed at the luggage in his hands. I set mine down for a moment. Thinking back, I had received far too much kindness from him.
He had taken me in as his disciple even though I had no connections whatsoever. And that wasn’t all—he had covered every meal and living expense for his student. On top of that, the robe he had given me as a graduation gift was an extremely expensive item.
The grace he had shown me was almost too great to put into words. Mere thanks felt insufficient for such kindness…
“Um, Master… thank you so much for everything.”
“What for? I’m the one who should be grateful. Taking you on as my disciple in my later years, Yuli, has been a joy.”
His words made my eyes sting with heat.
“Master……”
“And it’s not as if this is a permanent farewell, is it?”
That was true. The Master wasn’t that old, and while I was leaving on a journey, I wasn’t never coming back. I planned to wander the world for about five years or so, and I couldn’t drag my sister around forever—I would have to return eventually. Besides, it wasn’t like we had no way to keep in touch. There was no need to be so sad.
“How can I ever repay your kindness?”
“Kindness? No need to think about that. What master teaches a disciple expecting something in return?”
He said it was pure self-satisfaction and that it was fine, which only made my gratitude swell further and my desire to repay him grow. Then a good idea struck me.
“Then when I announce my alchemy, I’ll make sure to tell everyone I’m your disciple!”
I hadn’t even started alchemy yet… but someday I would spread it under the Church’s name, right? At that time, I would mention The Master. The disciple of the great mage Jef…!
“Hahaha! Yes, that will be more than enough.”
If my achievements shook the world, The Master would be praised right alongside them. A great mage and scholar with the keen eye to raise such a disciple! That would be my way of repaying him…!
Chatting with The Master like that, time flew by. After we finished talking, I first carried the luggage down to the first floor. I set both my bags and my sister’s near the entrance, then went back upstairs to find The Master looking at me with a regretful expression.
“I wish I could have taught you more magic and Holy Magic. It’s a shame.”
“Is that so?”
“What you’ve learned so far is only the basics. The real thing is different.”
I knew that. What I had learned was little more than skimming the surface. Still, it was more than enough for living as an adventurer. By adventurer standards, that is… it would fall short if I wanted to become a house mage for some noble family or work in a temple.
“Yes.”
“Don’t grow complacent just because you’ve learned some magic.”
“I know.”
“What a shame, truly a shame.”
To The Master who kept expressing his regret, I promised to contact him often. I was wondering whether I should wake my sister when she emerged from her room.
The problem was that she was still half-asleep, and her clothes had slipped down. Seeing my sister with her chest half-exposed, I nearly had a heart attack.
“S-Sis?!”
“Mm……”
I shielded the dazed sister with my body and shoved her back into her room. The Master, equally embarrassed, turned his head and cleared his throat.
“I-I’m so sorry.”
Really… she was far too vulnerable in the mornings. Once inside the room, I sat her down on the bed. As she got older, my sister often looked like this in the mornings. Low blood pressure, maybe? People with low blood pressure supposedly struggle to get up in the morning… I was a little worried.
“Sis, drink some water and wake up properly.”
I created water with magic, poured it into a cup, and handed it to her. She gulped it down, and gradually the light returned to her eyes.
“Feeling a bit more awake now?”
“Morning, Yuli.”
She gave me a soft smile. This wasn’t the time for that… I ignored it and started gathering her clothes.
“Sis, you know we’re leaving today, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then you need to get ready.”
That finally seemed to snap her fully awake; her eyes flew open and she began preparing. Once she started dressing, I left the room.
Her carelessness made me sigh.
“Haa…”
“Heheh, don’t be too hard on her.”
Well, her being weak in the mornings wasn’t anything new, and if it was low blood pressure, scolding her wouldn’t fix it.
After a short wait, my sister finished preparing and came out. She wore her usual plain housewife-like clothes with leather armor layered over them, and her sword was properly belted at her side.
“Awake now?”
“Yeah. Ready to go?”
“We should.”
Leaving early in the morning would let us move at a leisurely pace.
My sister and I went downstairs, picked up our luggage, and prepared to leave the secondhand bookstore. The Master came all the way to the entrance to see us off.
“Master, thank you so very much!”
It was thanks to his kindness that I had been able to learn magic and Holy Magic. I had gained so many experiences as well. Meeting The Master was the second greatest blessing of my life. The first was meeting my adoptive parents. I bowed my head in greeting. My sister bowed beside me, and when we looked up, The Master was waving with tears in his eyes.
“Come back anytime—anytime at all!”
“Yes! We’ll definitely return!”
After saying our goodbyes to The Master, we walked slowly out of the city. To reach the Capital from here…
“Sis, can you pull out the map?”
“Sure.”
I examined the map she handed me. To get to the Capital, we needed to head east from here… so first we should leave through the eastern gate.
“How long will it take, I wonder.”
The Master had roughly said about thirty days? Leaving early had been the right call after all.
Because it was still early, there were few people on the streets. The only ones moving at this hour were merchants preparing for business. We passed them and headed for the city gate, arriving quickly.
Just as we were about to walk straight out, the guards somehow blocked our way.
“Is something the matter?”
“Apologies, please wait a moment.”
I couldn’t understand why the guards were stopping us. We couldn’t exactly fight them, so as frustrating as it was, we waited.
They gave no explanation whatsoever and just kept repeating that we had to wait, which was truly irritating. After standing in front of the gate for about five minutes, someone approached with a group of soldiers. The moment I saw him, a chill ran down my spine.
Why… was he here?
Watching him draw near, my body shrank and trembled. My mind fell into chaos.
The instant I saw him, uncontrollable terror washed over me. I was afraid. What should I do?
I gripped my trembling right arm with my left hand. But the shaking wouldn’t stop. As a last resort, I cast a Holy Magic spell for mental stabilization.
Holy Power poured from my body and wrapped around me, and my trembling gradually settled. My muddled head cleared, and the fear I had felt moments ago vanished.
With body and mind stabilized, I could look at him properly.
“Young Master…”
Why was he here? Had he really waited just because he wanted to apologize?
How crude…
“I’m sorry. I felt that if I didn’t do something like this, you wouldn’t meet with me.”
He bowed his head the moment he reached us. Hah… of course I hadn’t wanted to meet him. It was a good thing I had held my mind together with Holy Magic; otherwise…
“I’ll accept that apology or whatever it is, so will you please let us go?”
Perhaps because of the Holy Magic, a cold remark I would never normally make slipped out.
The problem was that he completely ignored what I said.
“You said you were heading to the royal capital, correct? I will escort and guide you all the way there.”
What on earth was this man saying? A noble escorting a commoner like me? What was he thinking? For a moment my head spun. I had definitely used Holy Magic, yet I was confused. Had the effect worn off already? Despite my bewilderment, I understood the situation. I immediately voiced my refusal.
“I-I refuse.”
At my rejection, the soldiers who had come with him looked momentarily flustered. The Young Master also seemed slightly taken aback.
“A woman alone… no, the two of you traveling to the capital is dangerous.”
For ordinary women, that wouldn’t be wrong. But our situation was different. First, I could use magic and Holy Magic. On top of that, my sister was a Knight Class powerhouse who could wield mana. Few beings could threaten us.
“And if I refuse?”
He didn’t flinch at my words and spoke with a serious expression.
“Then I will follow from a distance.”
As expected… his face was far too earnest for him to simply back down… It was a truly awkward and bothersome declaration.
“We’ll be traveling on foot without a carriage, and we’ll be camping outdoors.”
“That doesn’t matter. If you’re camping, you’ll need night watches, right? You can use me for that.”
Certainly, rotating the watch among the three of us would be more comfortable than just my sister and me…
“And I won’t show you any respect, either.”
“I will follow not as a noble, but as a knight.”
Was he being serious? When I sighed, he took a step closer. Seeing that, my sister stepped in front of me and reached for her sword.
“S-Sis, he’s a noble.”
Even though I told her touching a noble was dangerous, she didn’t back down.
“Yuli, I’ll protect you.”
Seeing my sister step up to protect me was touching, but there was no need for her to go that far. Right now I held a status and authority equal to or greater than any noble. The position of Saintess of the Metis Church… I preferred not to reveal it if possible, but if things got too bothersome, I could always announce the fact and resolve it that way.
So don’t be afraid… there’s no need to be afraid…
“Hah, so even if I tell you not to follow, you’re going to come anyway?”
Looking into his earnest eyes, I could tell he would never give up.
“I’m sorry, but that is my intention.”
I wanted to ask why he was going to such lengths. Maybe I’d ask once we reached the Capital?
“Haa…”
I let out another sigh. At that, he grew restless. He looked just like a dog that needed to pee. Not something one should say about a noble, but…
Besides, having him along on the road to the Capital would reduce some of the bothersome incidents.
As a noble, dealing with merchants, other nobles, or adventurers would be easier… right? There were various other advantages as well.
The downside was that it was a hassle for me… Right now I was stabilized by Holy Magic, but once the effect wore off? What if my body started trembling again?
Pros and cons came to mind. In the end, more advantages than disadvantages surfaced.
And… I couldn’t stay afraid of him forever. He was a man! I had been a man! I needed to overcome something like this!
Brace yourself like a man! This is just so we can travel more comfortably! I am absolutely not yielding to power! To strength! To fear!
“Haa… fine. Follow or don’t—do as you please.”
With that, I asked them to clear the path.
“I’ll fetch my luggage right away.”
He had even packed already? No sooner had he spoken than several guards headed to the garrison near the wall and returned with a backpack of suitable size. He took the pack, then beamed a bright smile as he spoke.
“Then, shall we go?”
I still had no idea why he was acting like this…….