Chapter 32: Inside the Carriage
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 32: Inside the Carriage
“This carriage really is nice. There’s hardly any shaking; you certainly spent a lot of money on it.”
“Right?”
On the way to Honeru City, Lady Airune complimented Arasen’s carriage with a nonchalant expression.
Since our first long-distance quest was just a fishing trip, she didn’t seem particularly excited.
I wasn’t exactly thrilled either, but having Arasen with us took a weight off my mind.
Is it because I like Arasen?
Don’t be stupid. When you’re in a strange land, the most important thing is to increase your numbers however you can.
Anyway, even though the Lady looked comfortable in the carriage, she had a complicated look on her face.
As expected, was she unhappy that I insisted on splitting the carriage costs, even if it was for a long-distance quest?
When I heard it was 2 million Dalk per person for the round trip, the Lady unhesitatingly pulled out 4 million Dalk, but I worked hard to stop her.
“Why? No matter how much of a noble I am, I don’t make the man in my party pay.”
“No, no. It’s only right that we split it fairly, fifty-fifty.”
The Lady repeatedly said it was fine, but when I finally combined my money with hers and paid Arasen, she completely froze up.
She seemed especially bothered because once Arasen took the money, there was no turning back.
So now, she wouldn’t even respond unless she was the one to start the conversation.
“……”
“……”
Hmm, this won’t do.
I know very well from experience what to do in a situation like this.
Slide.
“…Where are you going?”
“I was going to ask Arasen how far we’ve come and how much further we have to go.”
“Arasen? You mean the driver?”
“Yes.”
“Are you two on a first-name basis?”
“Uh… commoners don’t have last names, so we only have our first names to call each other by, right?”
“Call me by my name, too.”
So suddenly?
At my puzzled look, the Lady hastily made an excuse.
“I’m currently disguised as an adventurer, so I thought it would be better to look like we’re on informal terms.”
Even if I didn’t understand it immediately, a subordinate should follow orders.
“Yes, Lady Rene.”
I usually just call her ‘Lady’ anyway, so there’s rarely a reason to use her name.
“Ai… Rune. Call me Rune.”
“Rune? But your alias is Re—”
“That way, I’ll know for sure that you’re the one calling me.”
Oh, is that it!
It was like a signal to call each other in an emergency.
Right, we’ll be doing everything from long-distance quests to dungeon quests from now on, so having a signal like that is only natural.
How clever of her.
Slide.
“Where are you going?”
“As I said before, I’m going to check with Arasen…”
“We’ve already left Lesonya Field, and we have three more days of travel ahead of us.”
“I see. Then I’ll check with Arasen about today’s campsite and the state of our rations…”
“The driver takes care of that. Why do you have to check and worry about every little thing, Alto?”
“I’m the supporter, so I have to constantly check to make sure things are proceeding properly.”
Even though it was a logical argument, the Lady pursed her lips grumpily.
Still, she seemed to accept it, but just as I was about to stick my head out the window, she grabbed my sleeve.
“…me.”
“Pardon?”
“You’re my supporter. Not the driver’s.”
“Of course.”
“It’s obvious that I’m in a bad mood, so why do you keep trying to go to the driver?”
I was a bit surprised.
In Mirei’s party, even when it was obvious they were in a bad mood, they would constantly deny it and tell me to go somewhere else.
But the Lady was the type to admit it to some extent.
“In my previous party in Lukart, my presence didn’t seem to make them feel any better, so I was often asked to go somewhere else.”
“What?”
The Lady’s fine brow furrowed.
“Are they crazy? What did they take you for?”
Hearing my former comrades being bluntly insulted didn’t feel bad.
It wasn’t just that it didn’t feel bad; it was a completely new sensation.
I realized that just having someone get angry on my behalf could make me feel better.
“I get lonely easily, and I hate it even more when I’m feeling blue. So stay by my side and cheer me up.”
“Uh…”
How?
“Unless you want someone else to come to my side and talk nonsense?”
“Absolutely not.”
An immediate denial.
The Lady smiled slightly.
“See? You don’t like other people sticking to your party members either, do you?”
I think the Lady provided me with enough of a clue.
‘Other people’ sticking to party members.
“So you’re wary of Arasen because she’s an outsider to the party.”
“Maybe… so?”
What did that subtle expression mean?
I understood the shallow psychology of men well enough, but I didn’t know women very well, so I decided to take it at face value.
In the sense that the Lady cherished her party.
“You don’t have to worry about Arasen. She has a boyfriend back in Dakuren, and she said she desperately needs money because of him.”
“Can we trust someone who moves only for money?”
“It’s certain as long as we’re the only ones giving her that money.”
My conscience pricked me because it felt like backstabbing, but what can you do? That’s just how the world works.
Since the conversation was getting a bit heavy, I shifted the topic slightly.
“And if we end up going on long-distance quests or to dungeons in other regions, it wouldn’t be bad to consider her as our exclusive driver. Above all, this carriage is soft and comfortable, isn’t it?”
“That is true.”
The way she reluctantly admitted it was cute, so I gave her a bright smile.
The Lady puffed out her lower lip and looked away.
“I want to take on dungeon quests, not just long-distance ones.”
“We can’t accept dungeon quests unless we have a party of three or more.”
“I have a candidate in mind.”
The Lady’s eyes sparkled as she brushed back her hair.
“It’s my friend, Narupa. I mentioned her before, right?”
“Yes, the magitech engineer.”
“She was the valedictorian of her Magic Tower class! She became a magitech engineer because she wanted to pursue magic that helps with daily life, but her skills are the real deal.”
Narupa. It was a name I had heard several times from the old man, Arasen, and the Lady.
Actually, I had heard it a few times before that.
Back in Mirei’s party, when Resin bragged about being second in her class, Mirei or Diane would ask:
‘Resin, then who was the valedictorian?’
‘Ha, Mirei. Are you asking about another mage while the salutatorian is right in front of you?’
‘I’m just curious. It doesn’t look like they’re an adventurer.’
‘There’s someone named Narupa. She doesn’t use large-scale area-of-effect magic or high-output spells, but she was recognized solely for her delicate control. I heard she runs a general store in Hus. Hmph, magic is best when you’re blasting it flashily in a dungeon.’
Resin, contrary to what you thought, it seems Narupa is an incredible mage.
To the point where she has a significant influence on the distribution and food quality in Hus.
Your magic is like alcohol, so to speak.
A person can live a more fun life with alcohol, but they can’t live at all without water.
I think magic in daily life is an essential element, like water.
I offered a silent critique of the mage who wasn’t here—and whom I never wanted to see again.
“Would someone like that really want to join our party?”
“All the materials needed for magitech have to be obtained from dungeon monsters. She says she occasionally enters dungeons with mercenaries even though she hates it, so wouldn’t it be great for her to go with us since it won’t cost her any money?”
“That’s certainly true.”
“Right?”
“As long as we ignore the mandatory party quest quotas.”
Adventurer parties have a mandatory quest quota they must fulfill according to their rank.
It’s a policy of the Adventurer Guild to prevent people from only picking the ‘sweet’ quests.
The higher the rank, the higher the quota.
Come to think of it, I wonder if the members of Mirei’s party have started taking quests.
They’ll have to work hard now to fill this month’s quota.
Especially since they took such a long break.
Well, it’s not my concern.
Not after everything is over.
Jolt!
“Kyaa!”
The carriage suddenly shook violently.
The Lady’s body lifted into the air before she tumbled forward.
And the place where she landed was none other than my arms.
“……”
“……”
The Lady was wearing light armor, so it didn’t hurt, but I was quite flustered.
Above her chest, a pleasant scent wafted from her hair and brushed against my nose.
Caught in that scent, I found myself unconsciously stroking her hair—that soft, silver hair.
“Are you alright?”
“Uh… yeah.”
The Lady seemed frozen and just stayed there.
For some reason, it felt like she was hugging me even tighter.
It must have been unavoidable since the carriage was still moving forward.
Ahem!
“I’ll help you up.”
“No, I’m fine on my own.”
Despite saying that, the Lady didn’t move.
“My apologies! I thought I could just roll over it, but that rock was bigger than I thought! My own backside hurts… Huh?”
Arasen poked her head in to check on the carriage and quickly looked away when she saw us hugging.
“Sorry about that!”
“No, it’s not like that!”
“Right… Sorry!”
While we were engaged in this ridiculous farce, the Lady tidied her disheveled hair and pulled away from me.
As she brushed her hair back again, her white neckline caught my eye.
“Heh.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah! Very.”
To me, who was worried I might have committed a discourtesy, the Lady replied very brightly.
Furthermore, her wariness toward Arasen seemed to have softened significantly.
And that wariness completely crumbled when I cut the steak I grilled at the evening camp and gave it to her first.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
However, that refreshed face turned back into displeasure when I used the tongs to give a piece of grilled meat to Arasen.
Sigh. A woman’s vigilance really is more intense than a soldier’s.