NOVEL NEXT Chapter 51
Aaron spoke in a ridiculous tone.
“…Why are you asking me about that?”
“Um, I don’t know?”
“I’m the education chief of Liberi, not a merchant.”
Swish.
Thump.
He set down the documents he was looking at.
“If you’re looking for a merchant heading to the Holy Kingdom, you should ask the merchants themselves.”
“I thought you’d know, Aaron.”
After all, Aaron always handled these kinds of things.
Of course, I knew he was now in a position far removed from that, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask just in case.
“There are always merchants heading to the Holy Kingdom, but given the timing, I’m not sure if there will be any openings.”
“Timing?”
I tilted my head.
“Why timing?”
“Why, you ask? Isn’t the Divine Descent Festival coming up soon?”
“Oh, I see.”
Is it already that time?
The Divine Descent Festival, the day celebrating Edel’s descent to the ground, is one of the major festivals of the Sedeth Kingdom.
It’s a huge event, and given Edel’s remarkable status in this Silia world, it could practically be considered a global festival.
Even other countries and cities hold small festivals to commemorate the descent, so that’s saying something.
In Grasis, around this time, the royal family would always make a fuss.
“…A fuss?”
“That’s what it is, isn’t it?”
“Fair point.”
It’s hard not to say that when they indulge in all sorts of luxury and pleasure claiming to celebrate Edel’s descent.
“But isn’t it good that the Divine Descent Festival is coming up soon?”
Festivals tend to attract crowds.
Especially when it’s the Divine Descent Festival in the Sedeth Kingdom; it would draw more people than your average festival.
And where there are crowds, merchants hoping to make a profit would flock as well.
“During this time, merchants heading to the Divine Descent Festival often travel together with other merchants. There are cases where this isn’t true, but generally, that’s the way it works.”
“Yeah, so…?”
“If they travel together, the scale naturally increases, right? And with a larger scale, they’d need more manpower to protect the merchants. Is it better to hire a ton of mercenaries one by one, or hire an already vetted mercenary group?”
“So that’s why you said there might not be any openings.”
There might be many openings, but there’s no place for me.
“There might be individual merchants hiring mercenaries, but you’re not a mercenary, right? Even if there are such merchants, they wouldn’t want someone with an uncertain identity during a time like this. It’s a period where opportunistic wolves are on the prowl.”
“Aaron.”
“…What is it?”
“Help me out.”
“With what?”
“The identity issue.”
Snap!
“…Ouch.”
“Do you think that’s going to work?”
Before I knew it, Aaron had stepped over and flicked my forehead with his finger.
If it’s a no, it’s a no, no need to hit!
As I glared at him, he hmphed and glared back.
“You’re just being dramatic, it doesn’t even hurt.”
“My body doesn’t hurt, but my heart does.”
“Glad your heart at least hurts.”
“…”
…This is absurd.
In the midst of my shock, Aaron returned to his seat.
“If there’s a way I can help, it would be to register you as a mercenary in Liberi.”
“I don’t want that.”
“I figured as much, or else I wouldn’t have mentioned it. Do you really need to mix with a merchant group? Traveling with merchants during this time can be quite a hassle, and that’s probably not conducive to your personality.”
“Hmm… that’s true.”
“If you really want to join a merchant group, how about waiting a bit longer to leave? You’ll only need to wait about a month at most.”
“A month….”
“Kana.”
Joanie suddenly tugged at the hem of my cape.
Why she was doing this after silently listening all this time was a mystery to me.
But I understood her intention at once when I looked at her.
“I think that’s not going to work.”
“Seems that way.”
Aaron nodded in agreement.
Given Joanie’s excited eyes, it would be hard not to notice.
A sparrow won’t pass by a mill without stopping.
Joanie showed great interest in the Divine Descent Festival after hearing our conversation.
“A festival…! Doesn’t that sound super fun?!”
“Not really.”
I personally don’t like crowded places, so I couldn’t agree with her enthusiasm.
Whenever there are crowds, something always happens.
After experiencing that several times, I’d grown weary of such places.
“What do you think we should do?”
“Right. Should we get a carriage?”
“Ugh, a carriage….”
Joanie seemed very displeased at the thought of riding in a carriage, perhaps because the experience from when we came to Liberi was still fresh in her memory.
Even those who have been in carriages frequently complain about how bumpy it is when it travels on rough terrain, so Joanie, who had barely ridden before, must have found it unbearable.
But without a carriage, our options were limited.
As I’ve said before, using the Teleport Gate is out of the question….
Running or riding a horse, I guess.
“Do you think you can run?”
“…How far?”
Why are you asking something so obvious?
“To the Sedeth Kingdom.”
“Run all the way to the edge of the continent?! No way, absolutely no way!”
“Hmmm.”
I tilted my head slightly.
“Who knows, it might actually be easy once you try. How about we give it a go?”
“There’s no chance!”
…Well, since she said that, running is out.
That leaves us with only one choice: riding.
The real question is, can Joanie actually ride?
When I asked with that question in mind, she hesitated before answering.
“I’ve ridden a few times. I may not be good at it, but I should be able to ride a little…?”
“Why are you asking me?”
“The feeling you have right now is the same as how I felt when you asked me earlier.”
“…”
Snicker…! “Oh, sorry.”
As I glared at her, Joanie quickly raised her hand to cover her mouth.
Not that it helps; I’ve heard everything, and her eyes were all crinkled up, making it useless.
Just you wait.
I’ll get you back for this humiliation someday.
*
Our brief rest in Liberi was over.
After a little commotion on the first day, Joanie had been whining for me to go sightseeing with her on the second and third days.
“Kana, let’s go have some fun. If we stay in the room, mold will grow on us!”
“This time I’ll buy you even tastier chocolate than yesterday. Okay?”
Joanie stood in front of the firmly locked door, trying all sorts of words to persuade me…
“Kanaaaa~!”
Bang!
“…It’s too noisy, stop it.”
“Oh, Kana! You finally came out?!”
“If you want to go out so badly, grab a sword and follow me.”
“…Why the sword?”
“If you beat me in a fight, I’ll take you along.”
“…”
“I don’t listen to people who are weaker than me.”
“Good night, Kana.”
At that, she kindly urged me to go back inside and sleep.
On the fourth day, after a good rest and having breakfast earlier than usual, we stood in front of the gate of the castle wall leading outside of Liberi.
I glanced up at the castle wall and then turned my body.
It wasn’t necessary, but Aaron, who said he’d come to see me off, was watching me.
“I owe you a lot.”
“Owe? I’ve never thought of it that way.”
Aaron quickly turned his head.
After a moment, he spoke in what sounded like a shy voice.
“Feel free to stop by anytime if you’re having a hard time. You’re always welcome.”
“…Yeah. I’ll definitely do that.”
I could trust Aaron, even if I wouldn’t trust Eric.
I patted Joanie, who was beaming with a sunny smile, right in the ribs.
“Why? Are you embarrassed?”
“What are you saying?”
“Let’s set off quickly.”
“If you’re sad, you can wait a little longer before leaving~?”
“I’m not sad.”
“I am sad, you saying you’re not makes me a little disappointed.”
“…”
At this point, it seemed like even Aaron had joined in the teasing party aimed at me.
Ignoring their banter, I tugged the reins of the horse.
I knew they were trying to tease me, but there was no reason for me to play along willingly.
“…”
Still, I might as well say one thing.
“…I’m a little sad too.”
Not a lot, just a little.
Having said my piece, I wasted no time heading towards the exit of Liberi.
“Kana!”
“…!”
“Have a safe journey!”
Aaron waved his hand and shouted loudly.
“Yeah, I’ll be back.”
I waved my hand back at him before heading through the gates of Liberi without looking back.
Saying goodbye to a close friend is always bittersweet, but when you know you can reunite, the sorrow of parting tends to feel less burdensome.
After all, Aaron isn’t the type to get pushed around easily, and he’s not one to fall ill, so I’m sure we’ll meet again.
“All right, let’s go give it our all!”
Joanie shouted energetically, lifting the slightly grim mood.
Having an energetic companion definitely has its perks.
Once we had moved a certain distance from Liberi, I hopped onto the horse.
Joanie, who was getting ready to climb onto the horse, suddenly looked at me grinning.
“Kana, can you get up there? Need me to give you a lift?”
“…”
I ignored Joanie’s words and leaped up.
After a moment of feeling a light floating sensation, I successfully landed on the saddle.
Thud.
The horse I mounted kicked up lightly.
“Hmph.”
I smirked at Joanie, who stood there shocked with her mouth agape.
I’ve been placed much higher than this, so this is nothing.
Joanie, who was blankly staring at me, gritted her teeth and began to struggle to get on the horse.
Uncomfortable with her slow progress, the horse Joanie was struggling to mount let out distressed noises.
“…I did it!”
Finally managing to get on the saddle, Joanie let out a triumphant cheer.
You’d think she just climbed to the peak of a rugged mountain where Dwarves live.
If she’s struggling this much just to get on, I can only imagine how poor her riding skills are.
She better have a rough time, at least for an hour or two.
I imagined Joanie’s screams and happily urged the horse onwards.