Chapter 150
Chapter 150
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: 13. Cutting Water with a Sword (10)
"Haa."
"Urk."
Sophia, the pure mage, and Big Sis Leimi both let out dying groans.
It wasn't incomprehensible. The terrain in Lebedev territory was far from flat.
In fact, it was so rugged that no one could fathom why their ancestors had chosen this place as their base.
Almost all the luggage was being carried by me and Natalie, who had volunteered without hesitation. On top of getting tougher from grueling ordeals, Karin—who had absorbed an entire demon—was perfectly fine too. So only those two were on the verge of collapse.
"I told you to exercise."
"Urgh. I am. Enough that I won't run away."
"Still a long way to go."
Tsking her tongue, Natalie shifted her loaded posture and tried to scoop up Sophia too.
Something about that felt off, so I lightened Natalie's load and handed it to Big Sis Mina. Then I piggybacked Sophia and passed Big Sis Leimi to Natalie.
Me carrying Big Sis Leimi on my back would just look weird.
Anyway, once she was on my back, Sophia seemed to relax all at once, going limp and floppy against me. I supported her with my right hand while gripping luggage in my left as we moved.
"Uh, thank you."
"Nah, this works better for me too."
"Ah."
Seeming to catch my meaning, Sophia giggled. Feeling playful, she wrapped her arms properly around my neck and rested her chin on my shoulder.
With her breath huffing right into my ear, she clearly wasn't the type to quit pranks just because she was exhausted.
To tell her no more messing around, I lightly pinched the butt I was holding up. A moan leaked out from lips hovering right at my ear.
"It hurts."
"Then quit pranking."
"It's my identity."
"Still, keep it moderate."
Karin, trotting along behind, started giving me and Sophia slightly eerie looks. So I pinched Sophia's butt firmly one more time and stared straight ahead, acting casual.
No way Svetlana was having a bad influence, right?
"Shopkeeper."
"Yeah, yeah."
"What're you talking about with Sophia?"
"She was messing around, so I told her to knock it off."
"Really?"
"Yeah, yeah. She was blowing in my ear."
"Hmm."
Seeming to buy it, she stepped back a pace—then closed in again and spoke.
"Um, I'm way tougher now, so let me carry her."
Karin slipped her hand between Sophia's belly and my back, hoisted her up in one smooth motion, and slung her onto her own back.
Her human body really had gotten stronger. Must be because Svetlana was such a high-ranking demon. The power left in Karin seemed substantial.
If she picked up some martial arts, she could probably teleport around with space magic while pummeling foes.
Either way, a stronger base body was always an advantage in combat. Good thing, then.
Sure, Karin's blank-faced muttering to Sophia was a tad creepy as she walked. But we were nearly at the destination, so I'd think about it later.
The target spot was the forest and plain stretching east from the castle where the mansion stood.
Even within the plain, it was a place where the forest loomed right ahead.
"Wow."
"Strictly speaking, this plain is like the Spiegel... the southern plain where the elves live. Go straight south, and you'll hit lands still being purified."
"Wouldn't they want to develop a place like this?"
"The forest's kinda dangerous."
I answered the emperor's question. Forests were prone to periodic magic beast outbreaks by nature.
Lebedev's forest, being close to demon territory, spawned especially powerful ones in droves.
You couldn't just raze the forest to hunt them down, and there was no reason to build villages prepared for constant raids.
That was why the area doubled as a training ground or campsite under normal circumstances.
"Our forces could handle it, but no need to get too close to the forest."
"Yessir."
Everyone bustled about at my words, setting up the camping tents.
It felt like I was some instructor or teacher.
As expected from a knight family background with real experience, Natalie was the quickest and most handy.
Pure combat power aside, she'd be a huge help on expeditions—versatile in all sorts of ways.
The issue was this world, where talent had clear ceilings unless you hit some special case. To push beyond a certain point meant embracing risks.
Not an exaggeration to call it a low-success-rate enhancement procedure where failure meant death.
Anyway, watching the emperor—who was totally green at this and fumbling compared to Natalie's snappy efficiency—cracked me up.
But why was there only one tent?
"Hold up. Why only one tent?"
"Hm."
Big Sis Mina flashed a thumbs-up. I clutched my face.
Should've checked ahead of time.
Well, I'd shared tents with knights on marches before, and slept side-by-side at the cafe when putting people up, so it wasn't impossible.
Still, no harsh conditions here—no need to squeeze in now.
Seeing my sour face, Big Sis Mina came over, hugged my waist, and put on the cute act.
Sigh, fine. With this many people, no one's trying anything weird.
Natalie had zipped around finishing the camp setup, so I unpacked the rest to prep for a comfy time.
We were handling meals outdoors too, so I needed to get things BBQ-ready at least.
First, snacks on the folding table for easy grabbing anytime. Next, kettle on the induction-like magic tool for brewing tea.
Tea leaves and the coffee grounds I'd freshly unsealed and ground this morning went beside it—snack station done.
Set it up like the tea tables in the academy garden, so I prepped the grill at a distance to keep the vibe intact.
Could use a magic tool for the heat, but direct grilling over open flame fit the camping spirit better. So I lit the firewood we'd brought.
Confirmed the firepower was solid, then Big Sis Leimi—who'd tweaked it—checked the ingredients in the well-insulated icebox.
Perfect. Just right for today.
Forest straight ahead, mountains behind, and a bit up those mountains: still-green fields in view.
Definitely a solid spot for some relaxed downtime. I wrapped up my tasks and sat at a nice distance away.
And the one who immediately stuck right by my side was Karin.
"Shopkeeper."
"Yeah."
"You okay? That talk with your father ended all vague."
"No reason it'd be bad, really. Never any room to negotiate with him anyway."
"For real?"
"...Nah. I had some quiet hopes. Like, maybe something would come up."
"Knew it."
"Still fine, though. Him letting me go means he gets my thinking, even a little."
Hearing that, Karin stared at me before speaking with a smile creeping into her expression.
"Can I be straight with you?"
"Shoot."
"I puzzled over what it is I like about you, and... your troubled looks and worrying faces are sexy."
"...You've gotten real blunt with how you say things."
"No point playing coy."
"Yeah, beating around the bush never helped us anyway."
Instead of offering a hand, Karin pressed her body flush against mine. A subtle scent wafted from her, the kind that stirred a man's desires.
Svetlana's influence again?
Whether it messed with her mind too, only she knew. Hard to pry without cause, but it didn't seem bad so far. Good.
"Shopkeeper. Remember last time when I was in heat and miserable?"
"...Wiped it from my brain."
"Was I pretty then?"
"Looks-wise? You're always cute."
"Not that."
I placed a hand on Karin's beaming face and nudged her away lightly.
Her grin said she wasn't seriously fishing for an answer—just seizing the alone time to tease me.
"Give me a sec. Once I sort my thoughts, I'll talk to each of you one by one."
"...Looking forward to it, then."
"Svetlana won't stir up trouble?"
"Pops up in dreams sometimes. She says the demon god link's severed, so she's super chill now."
"What?"
"Tells me to handle her power right, but she's not chatty otherwise."
How much could I trust that? A little uneasy, but she wasn't actively scheming, so probably fine for now.
"Anything you want me to do?"
"Hm. I'll tell you when the time's right."
"Kinda scary."
"Y'know, thinking back... you not doing anything then? Honestly bruised my pride."
No, it was basically medical treatment. Why would that...?
Giggling, Karin dusted off her butt and stood.
"I'll collect it all properly later."
I answered with an awkward smile.
Still, compared to before, she had more confidence. Not wilting among all these heavyweights was impressive.
In some ways, I might be the one who's most stuck in place.
When could I peel off this past that clung tight no matter how I tried to shake it?
Reflecting on my own frustration, I watched everyone move around the tents, their personalities shining through.