Chapter 120
Chapter 120
Second Day.
As daylight broke, we began riding in the carriage again, heading toward the Holy Kingdom.
Aside from the change in who was seated inside the carriage, the scenery was the same as yesterday, but there was a slight difference in the faces.
“Urk.”
Alice, her face deathly pale, grabbed my sleeve and clutched her own face. After who knew how many bouts of dry heaving already, I let out a sigh.
“No, seriously, do you have any sense at all or not.”
After dealing with the Assassins who had been targeting us and returning to the inn, what greeted me was the wreckage of countless liquor bottles scattered across the floor.
I had only been gone for about an hour at most. Yet in that time, something had clearly happened, because everyone was completely plastered.
Werner and Diark, who had boasted about their drinking capacity, were already passed out, sprawled on the floor together with the bottles, while those still conscious were chattering away excitedly, each telling their own stories.
A freedom completely incomparable to their usual attitudes. At that sight, I picked up a bottle rolling around by my feet.
“Ugh?!”
Even I, who could drink a fair amount of hard liquor straight, recoiled as an overwhelmingly pungent stench stabbed at my nose.
They had already been slightly drunk even before I left. Naturally, they must not have known it was such strong alcohol when they brought it out, and with their reason dulled, they must have drunk it without much thought.
In fact, they later made excuses, saying they had not realized it was that strong at the time.
“Should I cast magic on you again?”
Leysias, sitting across from us, asked Alice with a face that clearly showed her fatigue. But Alice shook her head vigorously, her expression full of disgust.
“I have high magic resistance, so my body naturally rejects it. If you weaken that side instead, it actually makes things worse.”
“Well, magic isn’t万能 either.”
It did not sound like something a young lady from a prestigious magic family should be saying, but in truth, she herself was also suffering from the aftereffects of last night.
Yuria, sitting beside her, looked half-dead. I raised my head and looked toward Petra, who was the only one sitting there looking perfectly fine.
“I thought nothing would happen since you were here.”
“…I’m sorry. I didn’t expect everyone’s alcohol tolerance to be this low.”
She bowed her head deeply, clearly feeling ashamed.
Now that I thought about it, one of Petra’s settings was that she was a heavy drinker.
Having grown up on the Empire’s frontier since childhood, she had lived a rougher life than ordinary noble ladies, and naturally had many opportunities to encounter alcohol.
And even though she was at an Expert level similar to Alice, this difference was probably due to genetic factors.
She seemed aware that she had failed to fulfill her role as a senior. Thinking it would not look good to press her too hard, I ended the matter there.
“Still, this side’s the better one. Over there is…….”
Leysias turned her gaze to the carriage following behind us.
The condition of Elisia and Maria in that carriage was relatively okay. But since Werner and Diark were completely out cold, Alice—who had originally been assigned over there so that side could be used more spaciously—had crossed over to this one.
Well, they were down right now from their hangovers, but they were sturdy enough physically, so they should be fine. I figured they would shake it off and get back up after resting a bit more.
The carriage soon passed through several villages and began to pick up speed in earnest. We did not plan to rest until lunch a few hours later. Since we changed horses once every three days, there was no need to hold back.
Because of what had happened last night, I advanced while subtly scanning the surroundings. Of course, even for me, doing that all day would build up fatigue, so I focused on narrow paths and places that looked good for ambushes.
But contrary to my worries, everything around us was utterly quiet.
‘Well, that figures.’
The Assassin we let live was probably the leader among those who attacked us. He was fairly capable.
He was weaker than Alice, but strong enough that dealing with the rest of the group would not have been difficult. Perhaps Petra could have opposed him to some extent.
By sparing him, I let several pieces of information leak.
We already knew you would attack. I am a skilled individual capable of stopping it alone, and cheap tricks will not work.
The Assassins probably knew they were nothing more than disposable pieces, but even so, they would not welcome being sacrificed meaninglessly.
Moreover, they would not take the survivor’s words entirely at face value. At the very least, they would suspect that there were no ordinary individuals secretly guarding me nearby.
Either way, they would not dare rush in recklessly.
‘Letting him live was indeed the better call.’
If I had killed everyone there on a whim, they might have launched several more attacks to grasp the situation. Although he had lost his limbs, leaving behind a living witness meant he could clearly convey what had happened.
‘Maybe I should have left his teeth intact.’
True to Assassin clichés, when he tried to bite down on a poison capsule to kill himself, I shoved a pebble into his mouth. I wondered slightly whether he would be able to speak properly, but I trusted that they would handle that on their end.
Before long, the inside of the carriage grew quiet. Since we were simply moving forward monotonously, those who had grown accustomed to their lingering hangovers and the sensation soon closed their eyes one by one, leaning against the walls or each other as they drifted off to sleep.
Flap.
“…….”
In that interval, I flipped through a bundle of parchment while feeling the breeze coming in through a slightly opened window.
They were drafts整理ing what we needed to do once we entered the Holy Kingdom. As I read, fully absorbed, I felt a gaze from beside me and turned my head, only to find Alice—who I had not even noticed waking up—still lying down and secretly peeking at the contents of the parchment.
“Do you want to see it?”
They were an extension of what I had told the group last evening. Detailed policies on whom to be wary of in the Holy Kingdom, with whom to make contact and for what purpose, where not to go, and where we should go.
They were smart people to begin with, so if I just set some rough guidelines, they would handle the rest on their own.
‘The problem is this one.’
Lying down, I looked at Alice’s face as she read the writing on the parchment I had handed her. Her hair, which must originally have been black, was dyed a light blonde—no, a color closer to brown.
Her features were delicate and compact, exactly the face of a high school girl her age. She probably would have been quite popular.
And she was now the hero of this world.
By nature, gods and heroes were inseparable. And the place we were heading to now was a country that worshipped that very god.
If it were revealed that Alice was a hero, it was only natural that chaos would erupt. In the original story, it happened in the second year, but this had been moved up a bit.
“…You write better than me.”
She muttered that while reading the parchment. Then, still lying down, she looked up at me and let out a small laugh.
“No matter how much it’s you, you look funny from below.”
I didn’t answer and instead reached out toward her chin, pinching and pulling at the flesh. Then I raised one corner of my mouth and spoke.
“Looks like you’ve gotten lazy lately. There’s enough chin fat to grab now.”
“……!”
Alice’s face flushed red. At the same time, she sprang up from her spot and was about to rush at me with fire in her eyes, but when she saw the three people sleeping soundly in the front seats, she let out a sigh.
“…I’m still in my growth period, so this much is fine.”
“That’s what people usually say.”
“…….”
Alice soon put on a slightly dejected expression. Thinking I might have teased her too much, I felt a little sorry, so as I took back the parchment I had handed her, I spoke.
“Well, I like you better than someone who nibbles at food while talking about losing weight.”
“…Really?”
At those words, her eyes brightened again. Swinging between joy and sorrow over a single sentence—it felt like she’d be easy to scam.
That made me worry all the more. The place we were heading to now carried a meaning very close to words like cult or fraud.
“Listen carefully. The most important thing on this journey to the Holy Kingdom is you.”
“…Me?”
“Yes. A hero chosen by the goddess, and those who serve that goddess. What kind of reaction do you think happens when the two meet?”
“Um… they revere and worship me?”
Her one-dimensional answer made me let out a bitter smile. Normally, people would think that way, but unfortunately, the Holy Kingdom was not such a soft place.
“You’re wrong. The correct answer is kidnapping and confinement.”
“…What?”
“In nicer terms, you could call it education or training. If they push the relationship between the hero’s name and the Holy Kingdom, then even the Empire can’t interfere recklessly. Because that would be a matter of their sanctity.”
The Empire didn’t have a single established state religion. But nearly a third of the population followed the doctrines of the Holy Kingdom. In that situation, if the Empire stepped forward to openly oppress the Holy Kingdom, it could lead to a bad outcome.
“For an ordinary person, it wouldn’t be strange to think like you. But the Holy Kingdom stands in a position of preparing for war with the Demon Realm, so it needs to gather all its strength. In that situation, a hero is a delicious card. If we went there normally… you can guess the rest without me saying it, right?”
The reason the Holy Kingdom had practically forced an invitation on me was Excalibur, but if a hero appeared, Excalibur would undoubtedly be pushed down the priority list.
“…Then what should I do?”
Alice seemed satisfied with her current life. In fact, at the Academy, that sharp and cold appearance she had shown when we first met was nowhere to be found anymore. So I smiled gently and answered.
“That’s simple. You become my lover.”
“…What did you just say?”
That was the conclusion I had reached last night. The Holy Kingdom, having recognized Alice’s value, would very likely demand custody of her.
Even so, the reason we were heading to the Holy Kingdom was because there were benefits to be gained there, and because I was confident I could protect Alice from their hands.
“In terms of force, unless they all openly rush at me at once, I won’t lose. I wouldn’t have accepted in the first place if I hadn’t reached Sword Master. But since both they and I have our positions, they can’t pull dirty tricks head-on. Their claim that the Holy Kingdom must enshrine the hero can also be crushed directly.”
That was precisely why Alice would be my lover—in other words, my concubine.
The fiancée of Prince Leios was Petra. So making her my lawful wife was impossible, but if I presented Alice as my concubine, there was no way they could say much.
Even if they tried to use force, it would only add justification to my rampaging.
What foolish man would stand by while his woman was being persecuted?
“…….”
Alice lifted her head with her eyes wide open. Then she opened her mouth with a trembling voice.
“Is that… you confessing that you like me?”
She brushed up the hair near her ear and looked up at me with eyes tinged with melancholy, her expression slightly flushed. It was actually me who was left dazed by that.
‘…How does one even arrive at that conclusion?’
I replayed what I had said in my head, but I couldn’t find anything strange about it. That made me feel serious on my own.
I thought I might need to reassess Alice’s intelligence level.
“…….”
She was still waiting for my answer. Expectation and fear were mixed together and revealed plainly on her face. I sighed inwardly at that and opened my mouth.
“Did you forget the conversation we had last night?”
At those words, Alice’s body flinched.
She was not a person of this world. If she formed a deep relationship with me, and then the chance to return to her original world appeared right in front of her—could she cut her ties with me without regret and go back?
Perhaps she understood my intent, because Alice’s face stiffened. Then she closed her mouth and fell into silence.
As lunchtime drew closer, the carriage gradually slowed down. A wide grassland spread out outside.
It looked like the perfect place to eat, so when I told the coachman to stop the carriage, Alice said she would get some fresh air and went outside first.
Awakened by the sound, Leysias and Yuria also staggered to their feet. Perhaps worried about the situation in the opposite carriage, the two of them rubbed their eyes and crossed over, leaving only Petra—still leaning against the wall with her eyes closed—and me inside the carriage.
“You can open your eyes now.”
“…….”
At my softly spoken words, Petra’s eyelids twitched. Then, smacking her lips slightly, she slowly opened her eyes.
“You noticed.”
I shrugged, as if to say she couldn’t possibly have thought it would be easy to fool the senses of a Sword Master. She let out a deep sigh and looked at me.
“…I said I didn’t mind a concubine, but I didn’t expect you to openly cheat right in front of me…”
“…Stop with that kind of joke.”
Because it really felt like I might get stabbed.