Episode 637
Episode 637
"What's Wrong?"
"Ah, no. Just now, that person..."
The coachman, flustered, pointed with his finger.
He had merely asked for directions, yet the person had fled at full speed as if they'd seen a wyvern.
Gainando, observing this, said seriously,
"They must be afraid of carriages."
"...?"
The coachman stared blankly at Gainando.
No matter how he thought about it, that statement sounded like nonsense.
Who in the world could possibly be afraid of a carriage?
'No. This young master attends Einrogard. He must know far more than an ignorant coachman like me.'
The coachman shook his head to dispel his own irreverent thoughts.
Though still young, the person he was currently serving was of imperial blood (albeit lower in rank) and a student at Einrogard—a mage whose wisdom should never be underestimated.
"Understood. Then we shall proceed."
"Wait! There's another person over there!"
"!"
This time, it was a peddler walking alongside his pack-laden pony.
Judging by his weathered face and numerous scars, he was quite experienced. His sharp gaze seemed to reflect the scorching southern deserts and icy northern glaciers of the empire—proof of his travels across the land.
There was no one more reliable to ask than these peddlers who roamed the entire empire. The coachman quickly called out,
"Hey there! Excuse me! May I ask you something?"
"Ask away."
"Is this the right way to the Wardanaz family's estate?"
"To the Wardanaz family, you say?"
"Yes. We're guests—"
The peddler swiftly grabbed a bundle from his pony and hurled it at the coachman. Startled, the coachman shielded his face.
"Eek! What are you—?!"
Without even looking back, the peddler bolted, abandoning both his pony and his goods.
"......"
"...That person must be afraid of carriages too."
'Something's off!'
The coachman was beginning to feel a strong sense of unease.
No matter how he thought about it, this wasn't about being afraid of carriages.
They were afraid of the name Wardanaz!
Even if the previous passerby had a reason, for a battle-hardened peddler to flee like this...
"Young master. Doesn't this seem strange? Could there be something happening with the Wardanaz family?"
"Nah. Lee Han said nothing's wrong."
"Who is this Lee Han?"
"My friend. Lee Han of the Wardanaz family! By the way, he's my closest friend."
"...?"
The coachman hesitated.
If you wanted to know if something was happening with the Wardanaz family, shouldn't you ask an objective outsider rather than a member of the family itself?
What if this so-called friend Lee Han was plotting some sinister scheme...?
The coachman had heard a few terrifying rumors about the Wardanaz family before.
The Kraha family had dismissed them as "baseless rumors," but given the current situation, those rumors suddenly resurfaced in his mind.
What if they weren't baseless after all?
'Ah, no. This young master attends Einrogard... If his friend were up to something suspicious, he would have noticed first!'
The coachman forced himself to steady his nerves.
Whoosh!
Gainando tossed a crumpled piece of paper out the carriage window. The coachman asked in confusion,
"What did you just throw out?"
"Oh. An arithmetic problem. It's a secret! I'll just say a bird snatched it later!"
"......"
Too busy admiring his own cleverness, Gainando failed to notice the coachman's gaze growing colder by the second.
"We've reached the village. Let's rest here for a while."
The vast estates of the great noble families were practically self-contained domains, complete with their own villages and servants.
The Wardanaz family's estate was no exception. The Udambara Village now in sight was the closest settlement to the family's lands—the last stop before entering the estate proper.
And for the coachman, this was the last chance to obtain useful information.
Screech!
The coachman stopped the carriage in front of the <Cloud-top Skiff> inn.
"Young master, please stay here."
"Mm."
Gainando, deeply engrossed in <The Puppy Beastkin Detective Toberiz>, nodded absentmindedly.
"This way, please! Over here!"
An inn servant quickly rushed out and gestured toward the stables.
Indeed, this village was not quite a city, but it was sizable and prosperous enough. You could tell by how the village inn didn't hesitate to accommodate eight horses and carriages at once.
In smaller villages, space was often so limited that they'd just tie the horses outside and leave them there.
'Good. If it's a village this big, I should definitely be able to get some useful information.'
The coachman steeled his resolve.
In small villages, you might not find anything, but in larger ones, there was always at least one person who could give you proper information.
"...?"
The moment he opened the inn's door, the coachman felt a strange unease.
The vast first floor was packed with old, round wooden tables, leaving no gaps, and villagers and travelers sat scattered about, their large tin mugs filled to the brim with alcohol.
Behind the inner counter, the owner was skillfully tending to a barrel of liquor, and beside him, even bards had gathered and sat down. It was a large inn befitting a thriving village.
But...
'Why is it so quiet?'
Surprisingly, the inn was eerily silent—so much so that it sent chills down his spine.
Neither the villagers nor the travelers were speaking, sitting in complete silence. The owner was quiet, and even the bards weren't playing any music.
"D-Did someone pass away...?"
"Shh!"
At the coachman's question, a nearby villager signaled for him to be quiet.
"Shut your mouth, outsider. Now's not the time for that."
"...??"
"Sit here. Quickly."
The coachman, bewildered, sat down next to the villager. The villager frowned and whispered under his breath.
"Of all days, you had to come today. You're out of luck."
"W-What do you mean?"
"Look outside."
The coachman turned his gaze toward the window.
A grotesque, enormous demon with dozens of hooves was lazily strolling through the village.
And beside that demon was a boy. The boy was muttering to himself while holding a piece of paper, a bundle of luggage perched atop the demon.
"Hmm. Next is... chocolate? Ugh, this brat. He's probably just gonna eat chocolate..."
—By any chance, did you sire a child in Einrogard...?
The coachman nearly toppled over in shock. The villagers, even more horrified, grabbed him to steady him.
"Outsider, are you trying to get us all killed?!"
"S-Sorry! I was just... too shocked. Wh-Wh-Wh-What in the world is that?!"
"That's a demon of the Wardanaz family."
The villagers spoke the name of the Wardanaz family with a mix of reverence and terror.
"The Great Mage's minion!"
"Wh-Wh-Wh-Why would the Great Mage send a demon to the village?!"
"How the hell should we know? That's why we're all like this!"
Only then did the coachman begin to understand why the inn was as silent as a grave.
And come to think of it, not just the inn—the entire village was deathly quiet.
Right now, everyone was holding their breath, afraid that even the slightest misstep might draw attention!
"B-But the Wardanaz family is a mage family that protects the Empire..."
"Well said, outsider. Why don't you go tell that to the demon?"
The coachman shut his mouth.
"Do you know why this inn is called <Cloud-top Skiff>?"
"Uh... no?"
"Because when the owner was young, he once took a skiff out on the lake and got dragged up into the clouds."
An elderly dwarf sitting nearby, who had been silently listening to the conversation, spoke up quietly.
"There's a saying among us dwarves. Never get involved with a Great Mage. Even if the Great Mage is a righteous person, nothing good comes of it. It'll ruin your li—"
THUD!
"!?!?!"
Everyone in the inn held their breath.
While they were talking, the inn door opened, and the boy from the Wardanaz family entered.
"Would you mind waiting in the stables?"
-I'm not a horse... Fine...
Gulp!
Someone's swallowing sound was especially loud.
The boy walked over and asked the innkeeper,
"Could I buy some lemon sugar preserves? I heard at the general store that your lemon sugar preserves are really delicious..."
Thud!
The innkeeper quickly pulled out the entire jar of lemon sugar preserves. The boy looked puzzled and replied,
"You don't need to give me this much."
"I-It's a gift from the heart!"
"Just a small portion will do."
The boy scooped some preserves but then hesitated.
"Do you happen to have grapefruit ones too?"
"G-G-Grapefruit, you say? Yes!"
"Grapefruit, right? Wait, could you hold this for a second?"
-If you were going to do this, why send me to the stables... Not that I'm complaining...
The boy, finding himself short-handed, summoned a demon.
The inn grew quieter than it had been all day. You could have heard a pin drop like thunder.
"Don't drop this."
-Yes...
"Would you like one?"
-Yes...
"Is it tasty?"
-So delicious...
"Glad to hear it. Haha."
The boy chatted with the demon, packed up all the sugar preserves, and left.
Only then did the people dare to breathe again.
"See? That's why we told you to shut up..."
Instead of answering, the coachman burst out the door and ran out of the village.
Nilia sat inside the Maykin Family's carriage, glancing outside.
'Ah. That flower looks tasty.'
For a moment, she considered stopping the carriage to pick the flower and offer it to Yoner to try, but Nilia restrained herself.
If the coachman saw, he might laugh at her inwardly.
-Good heavens! How could the young lady of the Maykin Family behave like some savage, vulgar, brutish hunter tearing into raw prey...
"Wait! Stop the carriage!"
Yoner shouted to the coachman, flung the carriage door open, and leaped out.
She swiftly gathered the flowers and climbed back in, panting.
"...This flower is good for making Wind Barrier potions. Sorry for startling you."
Yoner, feeling awkward as she met Nilia's gaze, explained. Nilia felt much happier.
"No, that flower is tasty too! Look over there. That person is eating flowers too... Eek!"
"???"
Yoner, startled by Nilia's scream, looked outside in confusion.
A familiar relative sat gloomily on the grass, chewing on flowers.
"......"
"......"
Gainando, who had been munching on the flowers, lifted his head. Upon seeing the Maykin Family's carriage, he sniffled and cried out,
"Yoner!!!"
"Drive on!"
Yoner commanded coldly.
But Gainando, with unbelievably quick reflexes, grabbed hold of the carriage.
"It's me! Me!"
"How do you prove you're not an imposter?"
"...H-Here. I have homework Lee Han gave me!"
"Fake. Drive on!"
Yoner, not wanting to deal with this troublesome relative until the holidays, remained firm.
But Nilia's heart softened a little.
"Uh, shouldn't we at least ask what happened?"
"...Sigh. You'll regret this."
Yoner sighed and opened the door. Gainando climbed in, sniffling.
"What's going on?"
"The coachman ran away!"
"Probably your fault."
"No!!"
Gainando poured out his grievances about the coachman in a voice full of sorrow.
He had abandoned him and disappeared!
"The villagers said he just ran away. Sniff."
Yoner and Nilia exchanged glances.
There was only one plausible explanation.
"You forced the coachman to read magazines, didn't you?"
"You used Black Magic on him, right?"
"You pestered him to buy you snacks?"
"You didn't ask him to do your homework for you, did you?"
"None of that is true!!"
Gainando was furious at his friends' suspicions.
These guys didn't even deserve to be called friends!