Chapter 17: The Golden Carriage to the Capital (3)
Chapter 17: The Golden Carriage to the Capital (3)
-Meow.
“You’re here.”
At some point, Nero appeared in the middle of the counter seat. Tilting its head, it stared straight at Jinseo—like it was asking why he had driven the food truck here earlier than usual.
“Nero, I’m going on a long trip this time. Do you want to come with me?”
-Meow?-
“It’ll take about two months. What do you think?”
Nero closed its eyes and fell into thought. Then it opened them again and nodded.
“Then do you want to stay inside the additional trailer attached back there? I moved the cat tower over there.”
When Jinseo pointed at the additional trailer, Nero floated into the air and went inside.
While that was happening, the carriage carrying the Castle Lord passed through the gate, crossed the moat, and stopped in front of the food truck. Knights and soldiers on horseback rode along both sides, forming a perfect escort perimeter.
A knight at the very front dismounted and walked toward Jinseo.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Aston. Not just the knights— even the soldiers are looking forward to your cooking, Jinseo-nim.”
The knight who introduced himself as Aston removed his helmet and showed his face. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, and for some reason his features felt familiar to Jinseo.
“Likewise, I look forward to working with you. My skills are lacking, but I’ll do my best to provide meals that satisfy everyone.”
“I’ve heard plenty about your cooking skill. I wanted to visit myself, but circumstances didn’t allow it. I’m glad I can meet you this time. I heard you came after asking my father to bring you along on this procession.”
“Huh? Your father? Then the person who’s the Castle Lord’s son is…”
“Yes. Me.”
“You’re in a position where you need an escort. Isn’t it dangerous for you to come forward like this instead?”
“I’m not being arrogant, but I do have enough skill to protect myself.”
Answering with a bitter smile, Aston put his helmet back on and stepped aside.
Oswald had already gotten down from the carriage. He stood beside Aston and swept his gaze over the food truck.
“Ooh… It’s gotten flashy.”
He exclaimed as he looked at the food truck, which was clearly different from before.
That reaction was only natural.
Instead of the previous blue, it was now gleaming gold.
“For soldiers, a golden carriage really is the best.”
Jinseo placed his right hand on the food truck and grinned.
Most of the people participating in the procession—Lord Oswald of Falstead Castle heading to Colses, the capital of the Doren Kingdom—were soldiers and knights.
Notably, Oswald’s son, Aston, was also part of the knight order, and he served as a core pillar of the escort forces.
There were also three mages dispatched from the Doren Magic Tower. All three were women, chosen from those recommended by Dean Painfolt.
And as the person responsible for meals for everyone in the procession, Jinseo was added as well.
The last participant was someone Jinseo hadn’t expected.
Driving the food truck, Jinseo rested his left arm beyond the car door and hummed. Just following behind the carriage carrying Oswald and watching the scenery made him feel refreshed.
This is what a real trip is.
Jinseo had come to another world, but because he’d been so focused on work, aside from a few places where he did business, he’d never leisurely gone around and experienced different regions.
He had made a lot of sales in front of Falstead Castle, but he’d never once entered the castle itself.
For him, this procession was travel itself—something that soothed his mind and body worn down by running the business.
Wild animals he’d only be able to see at a zoo back in Korea.
Flowers and trees in countless shapes and colors he’d never heard of or seen on Earth.
Natural scenery that had vanished in exchange for the benefits of “civilization.”
Every experience he could take in with his eyes, nose, and ears felt fresh.
{ -Repeat Quest: “Travel beyond a certain distance” has been completed. As a completion reward, you have obtained a Teleportation Point.- }
{ -This quest allows you to receive rewards repeatedly if you continue moving the Mobile Cooking Facility.- }
With rewards coming in from quests that resolved naturally just by traveling, it became the perfect trip for Jinseo.
The only thing he found regretful was that he had to drive slowly to match the speed of the escort forces traveling with the Castle Lord’s party.
Even that wasn’t stressful once he accepted it as taking things easy and enjoying the road.
And since an unexpected companion was sitting in the passenger seat, there was no time to feel bored.
“I wondered what it would be like since it was said to be a carriage that moves without words, but riding it myself, it’s very unusual.”
Cardinal Fedora of the Heirem Order was admiring the scenery outside with the window down.
Unlike usual, she wore a simplified version of her ceremonial robes. The hem that had nearly reached the ground was shortened to her ankles, and the wide sleeves that had once covered her palms were reduced to about short-sleeve length.
When the wind blew, her long silver hair—falling past her waist—swept back, and Jinseo’s gaze naturally went to her.
“Cardinal, about that…”
“Yes?”
“I was wondering why you refused my suggestion of storing special tteokbokki in subspace… and now I see you intended to come along yourself.”
“Oh my. Would that be a problem?”
“Of course not. Having someone to talk to means I won’t get bored, so it’s great for me.”
At Jinseo’s answer, Fedora lifted the corners of her lips and gave a small laugh.
Seeing that smile up close made Jinseo realize again—after having forgotten it for a while—that she really was beautiful.
“Still, I expected the Order would send escort personnel.”
“This is personal business of mine, so I wasn’t in a position to summon the Cathedral Knights. But I’m not worried. The soldiers the Castle Lord brought are elite troops, and the knights’ skill goes without saying.”
Fedora pointed at Jinseo’s right leg with her right index finger.
“Above all, I believe in Jinseo-nim’s strength.”
The monstrous strength Jinseo had shown during the previous attack was already widely known among the clergy of Kaysus Cathedral. Some had even gone so far as to suggest accepting Jinseo as a believer of the Heirem Order and recruiting him into the Cathedral Knights.
“And you don’t need to feel burdened. I also have enough ability to protect myself, in my own way.”
“Burden? I haven’t forgotten the kindness of you healing my wrist with a blessing.”
Jinseo kept his left hand on the steering wheel and held his right hand up in front of Fedora’s face, spinning it around.
“But am I really that strong? By this world’s standards, I can’t get a sense of where I stand.”
“Hmm. I’m not an aura user, so I can’t say precisely. When I asked a Cathedral Knight I know… Um, um… my throat is a bit dry.”
“Would you like something to drink?”
“Then I’ll take CoolXseu—no, I want to experience something new. I wanted to try something called cola.”
“How about something other than cola? For example…”
Jinseo recalled the list of drinks he’d bought extra while bulk-buying ingredients.
Dr.Xper, MacX, Sol’sX, DeXwa…
For some reason, only divisive drinks lined up in his head.
No. I can’t do something evil to someone who healed my wrist. Let’s go with something safe.
Jinseo opened the storage compartment in front of the passenger seat and activated the contents of the Additional Subspace Storage inside so Fedora could see. It was a storage space he’d upgraded separately from the Subspace Storage located in the additional trailer.
“Take anything you like and drink it.”
“This kind of container… I’ve never seen it before.”
A milk carton was such a unfamiliar shape to Fedora that she even hesitated to pick it up. She couldn’t even guess what kind of drink was inside.
“They’re all milk. But it’s not just plain milk.”
“Milk… then…”
Fedora rested her hand on her chin in thought, then took out a brown-colored carton.
“A safe choice. That’s chocolate milk.”
“Chocolate milk? Milk like that exists?”
“It’s milk that tastes like chocolate. Ah—does chocolate exist here?”
At Jinseo’s question, Fedora shook her head.
“You won’t be disappointed once you try it. Ah, and to open it…”
Jinseo demonstrated with gestures how to open the carton, and Fedora understood immediately and carefully tore it open. The brown liquid inside came into view.
“This is quite convenient. It’s easy to drink even while riding…”
She let out a small breath, then took a sip.
The moment the chocolate milk passed through her mouth and down her throat, Fedora’s eyes snapped wide open.
“This tastes even better than CoolXseu.”
Fedora lifted the carton with both hands, lowered it again, and stared down at it. Her eyes were completely captivated by the sweet-bitter flavor unique to chocolate.
She began gulping it down, and in no time she had finished it all.
“May I drink one more?”
“Of course. As many as you want.”
Without hesitation, Fedora took out strawberry milk, then banana milk. She quickly tore open the spout and started drinking.
“They’re both sweet, but they clearly have different flavors. Why are you only showing me these now? You should’ve shown me much earlier…”
Fedora shot Jinseo a resentful look as she savored the banana milk.
“It’s amazing what kind of dairy cow produces milk like this.”
Now having drunk three cartons, Fedora reached toward the remaining milk cartons in the compartment.
Watching her with quiet satisfaction, Jinseo suddenly widened his eyes in alarm.
“Ah, that one is coffee milk…”
Seeing the carton with a beagle mix dog printed on it, Jinseo gestured for her to put it back in the compartment.
“You can’t drink that right now.”
“Why not? Has it spoiled?”
“In a sense, it’s more dangerous than spoiled milk. If you drink it, you won’t be able to sleep all day.”
At Jinseo’s explanation, Fedora tilted her head with a face that clearly couldn’t understand.
“Then why would anyone drink it?”
“People drink it when they have to stay up all night to do something.”
“Ah, I see. It would be good for all-night prayer.”
At the word “all-night,” Jinseo stared forward and checked the time on his smartphone.
It was still far too early for nightfall, but the sky had already begun to darken.
“Damn…”
Jinseo rolled up the window, but at the sound of someone knocking from outside, he lowered it again.
“Aston-nim, what is it?”
“As you can see, it looks like it will rain. We may end up sleeping out in the open.”
The sudden downpour didn’t end until two hours later.
But because the schedule had been delayed, they couldn’t reach the village where they had planned to lodge.
In the end, Oswald’s escort unit—Jinseo included—had no choice but to camp out.
They set up tents in an open area off the forest road, and the mages placed magic circles here and there to block outside intrusion.
After finishing dinner—bunsik made by Jinseo—the escort unit went to sleep early, except for those standing guard.
“….”
Unlike the others, Jinseo was lying alone inside the additional trailer.
Crickets whispering in the quiet night.
The soft feel of the sheets.
Curtains covering the windows, perfectly blocking the light outside—conditions ideal for sleep.
And yet Jinseo couldn’t fall asleep. He just kept lying there.
“…I can’t sleep.”
Maybe he was excited because it had been a long time since he’d traveled. With his eyes open, Jinseo kept staring at the trailer ceiling.
Even though he had deliberately deactivated Nero’s Insect Repellent ability so he could listen to the crickets like a lullaby, he still couldn’t fall asleep.
“Ugh. I’ll take a walk.”
In the end, Jinseo got down from the bunk bed and went outside the trailer.
Nero, which had been playing with a clump of fur on the cat tower, followed him out.