What Kind of Nonsense Is This?
What the hell is this about?! Somebody please explain it to me!
I stuffed the letter into a nearby mailbox.
It took a little longer than usual because of the panties inside, but thankfully the envelope didn’t tear. That was a relief.
That letter had to travel all the way from a port town on the West Continent to the Empire on the Central Continent, so it needed to be sturdy. Letters sometimes got ripped open during transport and never reached the sender, so you had to be careful.
“Ah… maybe I shouldn’t have put the panties in after all?”
I could’ve just stopped by a shop, bought any old handkerchief, infused it with mana, and sent that instead. Now I was a little worried they’d think I was some kind of weirdo.
Well, it wasn’t like I’d ever see their faces anyway, right? If the day ever came when I ran into those people, it would only be because they were about to die that very day.
“Unnie, if we don’t leave soon we’ll be late.”
I was sitting in front of the mailbox, wallowing in regret that wasn’t really regret, when Erna called out to me again.
“Got it! Be right there!”
Regretting it was pointless anyway—the letter was already in the box. More importantly, today was finally the day we left for the Labyrinth City, so I needed to hurry.
“Been waiting long?”
When I reached the carriage, Erna—who had clearly been waiting for a while—grabbed my hand. I gave her hair a light pat, then turned to Enge, who was standing in front of us, and urged her to board first.
“Enge, it’s hot out. Please go ahead and get inside.”
The carriage Enge had reserved was a public one, the kind that carried about thirty people at once. It felt a lot like the intercity buses back in Korea.
As if I was going to settle for something like that.
I went straight to the carriage center and rented a proper one—something comfortable. First, a carriage equipped with suspension that kept the ride smooth and free of jolts. Second, one fitted with an air-conditioning magic tool that could blast away the West Continent’s humid heat. Expensive, sure, but worth every coin.
“Then I’ll go in first.”
Enge bowed politely to Delua, who was standing nearby, and stepped inside. Erna followed her mother’s example with a little bow of her own. Even though she was still holding my hand, the moment her mother took her by the shoulder she had no choice but to trail after her.
Daughters really are helpless against their mothers’ pressure.
“Commander…”
Once the two of them were inside, Delua lifted her head. One look at her eyes told me exactly what she wanted to say, so I shook my head.
Worry about yourself, not me.
“Spend the money carefully. I’ll take care of the others separately when I meet them.”
“Where in the world did you even get that much money…?”
“It’s a secret.”
It wasn’t just money, either. I still had plenty of things I could convert into cash. Whether I’d actually run into the rest of my former unit was another question…
“Well, I’m off. Take care of yourself.”
“Please write me a letter once you arrive, at least.”
“Of course. But you never wrote me even after everything that happened, did you?”
“Ugh… right in the sore spot…”
Wasn’t this the one thing I was allowed to be mad about? If she’d just sent a single letter a year ago, I could’ve gotten out that much sooner. A whole year felt like such a waste. Being an elf meant it didn’t matter much in the long run, but going from nineteen to twenty—those youthful years—still stung a little.
Still, the four years I spent with my unit weren’t a waste at all. All that effort might have gone up in smoke, but the memories remained, right?
I finished saying goodbye to Delua and held out my hand. She wiped away a few tears, took it, and managed a small smile.
Yeah. It wasn’t like we’d never see each other again, so there was no need to cry. If anything, crying before heading off to the battlefield would’ve made more sense—and back then she’d been grinning from ear to ear.
With the farewells done, I climbed into the carriage. Unlike the sweltering outdoors, the interior was cool and perfectly comfortable…
Ahh, nice and cool. The West Continent really is too hot for comfort.
“Then we’ll be departing.”
“Yes, please.”
The coachman gripped the reins tightly and gave them a firm shake. The well-trained horses surged forward the instant the leather touched their bodies. Horses really are strong. Two of them pulling a carriage with four people inside—pretty amazing when you think about it. They call that two horsepower, right? Earth’s technology really is something else.
Thirteen days had already passed since I fled the kingdom.
I’d stopped at a carriage station intending to hire a ride, only to be told that for some reason the carriages in the capital were in terrible condition and I wouldn’t be able to leave for another five days. That dragged everything out. They were probably the same carriages that had been pressed into service during the war, so of course they were in rough shape.
Five days…
Part of me wanted to just bolt out of the kingdom on foot, but I forced myself to wait. By carriage the trip took only four days; on foot it would take more than a month. So I gritted my teeth and waited, and after five days I finally managed to rent a carriage.
The weather was brutally hot, so I chose one with an air-conditioning magic tool. Expensive, yes… but I wanted the journey to Free Port City to be at least a little comfortable.
And the whole time I kept thinking: When I see Esilly, what should I say first? I’m terrified I’ll let my pride get in the way again and end up making excuses instead of apologizing. More than being hated by that child, I’m afraid of wounding her all over again.
“Ahhh… what am I even supposed to say first…?”
That was exactly why I’d chosen such a comfortable carriage. I needed to sort out the mess in my head, and I couldn’t do that unless the environment was decent, right?
“Sir Knight, we will be arriving at Free Port City shortly.”
“Already?!”
I’d been lost in thought again when the coachman casually spoke up. For someone who still had a mountain of things left to figure out, a later arrival would actually have been more convenient. But reality is just one unavoidable situation after another, isn’t it?
We’d reached Free Port City, so I needed to steel myself properly. The carriage rolled a little farther, then gradually came to a stop. Once I confirmed it had fully halted, I stepped down, straightened my clothes, and handed the coachman his fee.
“Ah, right. I forgot to ask something.”
I pulled out a little extra money from my wallet and passed it to him. In this world, the people who know the most about current events are the coachmen who drive the carriages. If you want reliable information, paying for it is the best method. Without money, some of them will feed you lies.
“Please ask, Sir Knight.”
The moment he took the coins, his demeanor turned respectful. He looked like the type who made a decent living as a rumor-monger in this line of work.
“Have you heard any rumors that Esilly von Yggdrasil has come to Free Port City?”
“Of course I have. I even saw her myself last week.”
“Truly?! Do you know where she is?!”
So Esilly really had been here. At first I’d wondered why she would head for Free Port City, but then I remembered how much that child loved good food and figured it made sense.
But the answer that came out of the coachman’s mouth… was a little different from what I’d expected.
“Lady Esilly has already left Free Port City.”
“Wh… what?!”
“I heard she boarded a ship bound for the West Continent. She departed on the same day I left here for the capital.”
Esilly… left the Central Continent?! Where in the world did that child even have to go…?
No—wait. Thinking about it, maybe this was actually better? As a deserter, I couldn’t live in the kingdom or anywhere else on the Central Continent anyway. My plan had been to apologize to Esilly and then leave for somewhere else. If she had already headed for the West Continent…
“Actually, this works out… gives me extra time to get my thoughts in order.”
“If I may ask… what is your relationship with Lady Esilly, Sir Knight?”
The coachman was clearly curious. I’d paid for information, but handing a little back and building goodwill wasn’t a bad idea either. You never know when it might come in handy.
“I am Orca, Commander of the Capital Knights. Esilly was my subordinate.”
“I—I see!! I have committed a grave discourtesy until now……!!”
“It’s fine. Keep the money.”
Esilly’s reputation really was something else. The fact that it could make a merchant try to return money he’d already accepted was almost frightening. Everything that child had done had saved not only the kingdom but every tiny nation clinging to its borders, so of course everyone felt grateful. The people of Free Port City were no different.
“Do you know how to get to the West Continent?”
“Of course. Head west and you’ll find a large port. You can arrange passage there.”
“I see. Thank you.”
“Oh, not at all! How could I accept thanks from the people who protected my family and friends?!”
He kept bowing and thanking me instead. Even though that achievement belonged to Esilly alone, not to “us.” It made my heart ache… Having someone like me—someone who didn’t deserve it—receive gratitude like this was bitterly painful.
This is bad.
I’d come to arrange ship passage, only for the port staff to start spouting complete nonsense.
“Yes. So for the next month there will be no ships heading to the West Continent.”
“No, the part before that! What appeared, you said?!”
“Ah… a Serpent Dragon.”
“And?! Who killed it?!”
“The hero, Lady Esilly von Yggdrasil…”
What in the world is this supposed to mean?!
A Serpent Dragon suddenly appeared near the Central Continent, and Esilly just… defeated it?!
I don’t understand a single word of this!