Chapter 267

We returned to our inn after deciding that we would leave the capital on the following day. I told the innkeeper we would be leaving so we could check out, and then we packed our things, had a quick meal and went straight to bed. …Well, Daniela did invite me to a little night sport, so we didn’t sleep immediately.

“It will be a long time until we can do it again…”

“I’m not so sure…”

But now that I think about it, we had been quite busy recently with the tournament and the auction and other events. It had been a while, which resulted in us getting a little carried away.

Still, I slept soundly that night. We only barely got up in time to check out of the inn. After that, I had to use Presence Block and Legs of the God Wolf in order to meet the others at the guild without being too late.

“You must think very highly of yourself to not be on time.”

“Sorry…”

“Well, I will forgive you then. But the amount will be docked from your wages”

“I don’t work for you anymore…”

It was rather nostalgic, though. A past I couldn’t return to…

That being said, I had never been late to work.

It was colder than usual. And so I took out the cape from my bag and put it on. Daniela had also taken her own out at some point and was wearing it. Damn, that bracelet was convenient… I looked at her with envy as we walked towards the south gate and filled our stomachs with street food.

Apparently, Manager and Lemon were always packed and ready to be able to leave, and so they also had winter clothes. Manager had come from a colder region in the first place, which was convenient as she had been disguising herself. They were both carrying medium-sized backpacks as they followed after me and Daniela.

“To think that we would one day travel together like this… Life sure is strange, Asagi.”

“I’m also surprised to be traveling with you people.”

They muttered. As for me, I had actually thought something like this would happen. I knew that things wouldn’t be normal the moment that she showed up. Well, perhaps I didn’t expect to keep bumping into Lemon. In any case, while traveling with just Daniela was great, it couldn’t hurt to experience being in a larger group as well. We had traveled with Fiona to Spiris, but that was mostly just rushing through the plains.

“So, we just have to go out the south gate and go straight through the forest. Reserentrible will be on the other side. Unfortunately, there are no official carriages going out, as it is too dangerous.”

“Official?”

I asked Daniela, who had suddenly turned into a guide.

“Illegal…would be a bit of an exaggeration. But yes, there are carriages. However, they charge five times as much.”

“Ugh.”

“It is because of the danger to the driver and the assumption that any who would go would have heavy pockets. Is there not a saying about tough times and opportunities?”

“I guess there is…”

Probably something that old Hero said.

“It is too expensive. Besides, we should not have any trouble getting through the forest. Asagi even purchased some barrier tools that should keep us safe at night.”

“I don’t know if it will mean much if some ridiculously strong monster appears… But then again, we wouldn’t need barriers to notice something like that.”

Saying such things could raise a flag, but we had three Imperial Sword Tournament fighters here. And Lemon had a lot of experience fighting bandits and monsters as a town guard. It was way too early for us to start stumbling.

“We will journey to the forest edge today. Then we enter it tomorrow and hopefully reach the other side before nightfall. After resting, we will enter Reserentrible on the third day. It is the fastest we can go without inviting too much danger.”

“…Hmm. I suppose it is fine. How about you, Lemon?”

“Of course, I’m fine. Miss Rindo.”

They probably didn’t bother to ask me, because I had Legs of the God Wolf. They knew what this skill could do. As for it being from a monster… -though, Rachel might not appreciate that description- I just told them that it was someone powerful. I never did like explaining things… And it wasn’t as if I knew much myself. She had insisted that it was privacy protection.

“So, there’s the plan. It should be easy enough. It’s been a while since I traveled with others, so I want to enjoy it.”

“Me as well… And there is a lot that I want to hear from Asagi on the way.”

“I don’t have much to tell.”

She jabbed me in the ribs with a mischievous grin. But it was true, I wasn’t sure what I could tell her that would be interesting.

“First of all, what were you doing last night?”

“Alright, let’s go. Lemon, do you want to be left behind?”

“Oh, wait a minute!”

I called to her just as we went through the south gate. Daniela and Manager were talking amusedly about something as I gave the guard our status cards. Unfortunately, I did not have Ears of the God Wolf.

□ □ □ □

We came out to a vast open field. There were small hills in the distance. It reminded me a little of Spiris. There was a dirt-colored path splitting it in half. A hardened road. It was wide enough for carriages to pass each other.

“I heard that the Empire intends to pave some actual roads here.”

Manager said. I imagined the amount of stone that would require. Still, it would make traveling easier for many people. More traffic meant more money. The city would grow even larger… Maybe there would be taverns and inns on the side of this road by then. Future tournaments would get even more crowded… It was a nice thought.

“The increased traffic would mean the city will be overflowing with people.”

“But, that is a good thing!”

Daniela and Lemon voiced what I had been thinking, so I just nodded. This place had a long history, but it would continue to develop. I hoped the capital of Lambrusen was similarly glorious. I wanted to visit it one day…

It was easy traveling through the plains. The weather was nice, and while we met other travelers, there were no monsters. Besides, this wasn’t just an ordinary merchant road. It led to what was practically a nest for people who fought as their trade. If anything, monsters would probably want to stay away.

Several hours passed after we started. The grass grew taller and the trees started to appear.

“We should be careful.”

Daniela suggested. I instinctively touched my weapon of choice for the day. The demon armor sword. It really was easy to use. It felt like a part of my body now. I was quite sure that I could smoothly sheath and unsheath it on my back at this point. Or maybe I was delusional. The blade itself was very durable, which was no surprise, since it was ore that was usually used for armor. It made me wonder what a set of armor made from it would be like.

I used Presence Detection as we moved. After a while, I sensed something up ahead. As Daniela had the same skill level, she noticed it at the same time and stopped.

“It is behind those trees and boulders. Goblins.”

I couldn’t even tell what the monster was. Recognizing their signals was easy, but not at this distance… I suppose Daniela’s experience still gave her the upper hand in that area.

This was our first monster after leaving the capital. If we wanted to maintain our good start, we’d best be careful, but also bold. I prayed for our success in Reserentrible as I unsheathed the friend that hung on my belt.