The Weight of a Second-Best Strategist
The knights filed outside, while Rowell stepped in instead. Judging by his expression, he was clearly planning to help me pack as well.
“Where did you put your travel bag?”
“Ah, inside that door over there.”
The moment I answered, Rowell opened the door and began pulling out the familiar travel bag along with various objects steeped in old memories.
“You’ll need this too, and this one as well. Shouldn’t we bring the Ainta’s Wings and the Sandman’s Sand?”
He was acting like we were heading off on another grand adventure. Setting everything else aside, why on earth would we need Ainta’s Wings—used for escaping deep caves or traps—or Sandman’s Sand, which was scattered around campsites to ward off nocturnal monster attacks?
“Hm? What about the Robe of Dawn?”
“Ah, I put that over here.”
I walked to the bed, pulled out the wooden box I had shoved underneath it, and opened the lid.
“You’re going to wear it, right?”
A soft, silvery glow spilled from the box. It was a heavy, dignified garment that shimmered with a gentle silver light. The Robe of Dawn had been personally woven by the fairies using threads of moonlight and sunlight. We had received it when we visited Asgard together with Rowell.
“It would be better to wear it.”
To make up for my many shortcomings, even if only a little, it was best to dress well.
“It’s already been so many years.”
“It really has. Honestly, there were times I didn’t think it would ever end.”
Rowell might not know this, but I had always assumed I would die during our journey. In fact, I had come close to death more than once. I never imagined I would be living such a peaceful daily life like this.
“It’s all thanks to you. Thank you.”
My words were both truth and sincerity.
“What are you talking about? I couldn’t have done it without you, Aegina, and the others.”
Those words were both truth and a lie.
He would have succeeded even without me. My absence could have been filled easily enough.
“…Anyway, I still haven’t opened the invitation.”
I said it simply to hide my bitter expression. There was no way it contained anything special. It would surely be nothing more than flowery language, a short message of invitation, and a signature.
I carefully broke the seal on the invitation stamped with a red crest. As expected, the message was quite long. It praised my accomplishments and offered lavish compliments, ending with how honored they would be if I attended. It was nothing but an ordinary invitation.
Except for the single line added right before the signature.
“What does it say?”
“…Nothing much. It’s just full of excessive praise, so it’s a little embarrassing.”
I folded the invitation and slipped it into my inner pocket. Fortunately, this time I managed to hide my expression properly. Rowell might not suspect me, but he never missed even the smallest emotions that flickered across my face.
“Still, it won’t take that long. It looks like it’ll be a very short party.”
It would indeed be a very short party. A cold, brief gathering with neither musicians nor dancing.
“Really?”
“I’ll ride Erill back. Assuming she answers my call.”
“She will. Erill likes you, after all.”
Rowell continued stuffing things into the travel bags even though they served no purpose.
I took the Robe of Dawn out of the box and put it on over my current clothes. Even so, the sensation of wearing it instantly reminded me of Asgard, the sanctuary of the gods.
Though thin, the robe offered powerful resistance to magic and was sturdy enough that an ordinary person swinging a sword wildly wouldn’t be able to pierce it. Woven from sunlight and moonlight, it maintained a comfortable temperature for both the wearer and those nearby regardless of the season. With just this one garment, one could endure both snowy mountains in blizzards and scorching deserts.
Moreover, it required no special washing. Sunlight and moonlight naturally purified dirt and foreign substances, and even if it became stained with blood, juice, or mud and changed color, it would gradually return to its original state over time. Larger debris like hair, leaves, or sand had to be shaken off after removing the robe, but that was all.
If not for its conspicuous silver color and its form that clashed entirely with a rural village, I probably would have worn this outfit every day for an entire year.
“Stop packing already. We’re going to a party, not setting out to save the world again.”
While I was distracted for a moment, the bag had become almost completely full. If my memory was accurate, that bag had still had space left after I packed medicinal herbs, bandages, three days’ worth of food for seven people, and my spare clothes. Just how much had he crammed in there?
“You’re right.”
Rowell gave an awkward, sheepish laugh and lifted the bag. It looked quite heavy. If I had carried a bag like this when we first set out on our journey, I probably would have beaten monsters to death with the bag instead of using magic.
“Well then, shall we head out?”
I tried to take the bag from him, but he simply smiled and carried it outside first. He seemed determined to take responsibility for making it too heavy and would probably load it onto the horse himself. Apparently the option of removing some items had never crossed his mind.
“…Might as well give it a try after so long.”
When I stepped outside, the knights had already finished their preparations. My travel bag was already loaded onto the horse that would serve as my mount, and several knights were already in their saddles.
“We are ready.”
“Then let’s depart.”
Just as I was about to mount my horse, Aegina called out to me. She was holding something in her hands, and I prayed desperately that my prediction was wrong.
“I made some food for you all to eat on the way if you get hungry.”
And as always, my prayers were ignored.
“Ah, thanks.”
The basket she handed me was filled with dishes that looked no different from what we had eaten that morning.
“If you leave any or throw it away, I won’t forgive you. I’ll make you eat stewed honeybee larvae every morning.”
It was a terrifying threat that sent a cold sweat running down my back. I swear, even Denatel’s threats about using me as a test subject had never frightened me this much.
Seeing my slightly pale face, Rowell glanced at Aegina and offered an awkward smile filled with sympathy and apology.
…Don’t worry. There are plenty of other people besides me.
I didn’t even dare make eye contact in case Aegina read my gaze, so I spoke only inside my head. Of course, if she had heard me now, she wouldn’t be the only one getting angry.
“Hero Rowell, Princess Aegina. It was an honor to meet you both.”
The knights on horseback bowed respectfully toward Rowell and Aegina. Their eyes were filled with reverence and respect, and a few even looked reluctant to leave. I almost wondered if it would have been better to delay a little longer. Considering what lay ahead, perhaps that would have been the only kindness I could offer them.
“Take care, Anak.”
“I will.”
“Everyone, move out.”
It had been a while since I last rode a horse, but my body hadn’t forgotten how.
The horse I was riding was quite gentle, too.
During our journey, I had once bought an unbroken young horse at a market and ridden it. That had been pure torment.
As we rode out of the village, the villagers’ gazes all turned toward me at once. Some of them quickly looked behind me as if searching for something. I couldn’t know exactly what each of them was thinking, but I could tell that those looking past me were definitely searching for Rowell.
Once we left the village, a narrow carriage path appeared. It was a road the local lord had personally overseen the construction of after Rowell saved the world and returned to the village.
The lord had probably thought that if he did so, Rowell would visit his territory often. In reality, though, it was the lord or his family who came to visit Rowell about once a year. Still, it was proving very helpful for us right now.
“By the way, how many days does it usually take to reach Viscount’s territory?”
“A teleportation circle has been prepared at the border of the Hizen Kingdom, so it won’t take that long. At most, it should take a little over ten days.”
Ten days. Both he and I knew it wouldn’t actually take that long, but I pretended not to know.
“Understood.”
After that, we rode in complete silence. It wasn’t just me; I could see the thoughts floating through their heads, so it didn’t feel like the right time to strike up a conversation.
Quite a long time passed like that. When the sun had begun to tilt in the sky, we finally stopped by the roadside to eat a late lunch.
Some of the knights lit a fire while others took ingredients out of their packs and began preparing to cook. Seizing that exact moment, I handed over the basket Aegina had given me.
“This is…”
“Dried meat and bread. You can add them to the soup.”
They glanced inside the basket, then nodded and accepted it. Of course. At least the appearance was perfectly normal. Besides, no matter what, they had no choice but to trust food from a companion of the hero who saved the world.
Aegina had certainly shown consideration for me. She had only packed food that looked normal enough for me to eat. And thanks to that very consideration, I was able to avoid eating her cooking—completely contrary to her intentions.
They looked like ordinary dried meat and bread, but I knew exactly what they really were. The jerky was made from the non-toxic parts left over after cooking the basilisk tail we ate this morning. And the bread? It was mixed with Aegina’s special powder along with the flour. She claimed it helped the bread rise better, but that powder was at the very top of the list of things Rowell and I wanted to erase from this world.
Of course, the taste itself wasn’t that bad for either of them. The problem was that once you knew what they really were, you could never easily put them in your mouth.
In any case, this worked out perfectly. They got to enjoy more varied food to their hearts’ content, and I managed to avoid Aegina’s cooking without leaving any or throwing it away. I might have to skip lunch, but what did that matter?
“Ah, you don’t need to prepare any for me. My stomach feels a bit upset.”
Watching them finish their meal afterward was difficult in more ways than one. They kept bringing Aegina’s bread to their mouths and continued fishing out the basilisk jerky from the soup to eat.
“Are you sure you don’t want any?”
“I’m fine. It’s been a while since I rode a horse, so I feel a little uncomfortable.”
I thought about leaving the area, but where could I possibly go? There was nothing in the surrounding forest. If there were at least some monsters, I could have had a bit of practice after so long, but the only thing I could do around here was look at trees.
“By the way, Sir Anak, if you’ll forgive my rudeness, may I ask you a few questions?”
One of the knights, who had just about finished eating, asked with a rather arrogant look in his eyes.
“Of course. Ask me anything.”
In truth, I wanted to respond with a slightly different attitude, but considering what I had done and what I still had to do, I answered politely for now.
“I’ve heard that you are an outstanding strategist, Sir Anak. But why are you called the Second-Best Strategist?”