Jinshi
His strong point was that once he made up his mind, he acted quickly.
"Little lady, there's still some medicine stockpiled, so you can take your time. No need to go all the way to some unfamiliar land out in the middle of nowhere."
The herb doctor took her halfhearted excuse at face value and looked at Maomao with concern.
"I'll be fine. There might be undiscovered medicines waiting out there."
That wasn't entirely a lie. The vegetation in Huaou Province was different from what she was used to. She had no idea what plants and minerals grew there, or what medicinal or toxic properties they might hold.
She was getting a little excited.
She'd been told her necessary belongings would be prepared, but Maomao still packed the bare minimum into a bag of her own. For emergencies, she'd been given gold dust and silver granules. Those could apparently be used as currency even in Huaou Province, but in Jusei Province, where trade with other nations was frequent, raw metal was preferred.
"Hmm. So this is the kind of thing they have court ladies do, huh."
The one casting suspicious glances at her was
Tenyu.
He was the one.
"That's right. But I've always been valued more for my apothecary skills than for medical expertise, so I was already aware of the arrangement."
(To make insect-killing medicine and such.)
"Hmm, an apothecary, huh. I was sure it was
connections
or something, though."
He was the kind of man who always said things that got under your skin.
"Now, now, that's no good. You shouldn't go around being suspicious of people like that."
(No, Yabu. You should be even more suspicious of me.)
"If Oi-chan says so, I guess there's no arguing with that. Off you go, then."
Tenyu lay down in the makeshift medical room that had just been tidied up. Desks and beds had been brought in, and it was looking considerably more presentable.
By the time Maomao returned, it would be nice if new medicines were properly stocked and everything was functioning.
"Well then, I'll be off."
"Sure, leave it to me while you're gone."
Li Bai
is here, so there's no need to worry about the quack doctor.
"You're late."
"I'm right on time."
Waiting at the entrance of the estate were
Basen
and
Suzaku.
Those two.
(What an unexpected combination.)
If you went purely by family connections, they'd be something like a brother-in-law and a sister-in-law.
Maomao looked around.
"Um, is it just the two of you? We were told we'd be transporting the seed potatoes together."
The only others around were two horses.
(If I recall correctly,
Rahan
was supposed to come along, wasn't he?)
Why were these two here instead?
"Let me explain. The seed potatoes are transported by horse-drawn cart, but it's too slow, so I was sent on ahead! There was someone who didn't stand out much but was clearly running things, and he was the one who arranged it. As for why I'm here — Maomao, you're already my dear friend, no, my kindred spirit. And Suzaku pleaded to come along so you wouldn't feel all alone in an unfamiliar land."
"So in other words, you came along because it seemed interesting."
In response to Maomao's question, Suzaku produced a string of little flags instead of giving a verbal answer.
"And what about Lord Basen?"
"It's the Moon Princess's orders. I've been told to provide a proper escort. It would be troublesome if Lord Rakan ran wild in the western capital."
"..."
Honestly, she couldn't bring herself to say that she would have preferred Rihaku.
Jinshi was Jinshi—there might be enemies in the western capital, but he probably wouldn't be targeted so easily.
(If an assassination attempt happened during the campaign, it would be the local lord who'd have to deal with the fallout.)
Gyokuyou
—she didn't know what kind of person that was, but she wanted to believe they wouldn't put an important guest in danger.
"Shall we head out, then?"
Sparrow tensed up and placed her foot on the horse's
stirrup.
It was an odd combination that caught Maomao off guard, but upon closer inspection, Sparrow was wearing something like a Hu-style outfit.
"Right. The village is about ten ri from here.
Two hours
should be enough to get there."
"Looks like we'll overtake the carriage. Shall we make a detour somewhere along the way?"
Sparrow said cheerfully.
"…Unfortunately, unlike in the capital, there aren't many teashops out here. If you want to graze on the grass along the way with the horses, I won't stop you."
(Hm?)
Maomao noticed that Bashen wasn't raising his voice much at Sparrow's lighthearted quip. Or rather, was he deliberately keeping his voice down?
(I suppose that's because she's his sister-in-law.)
He did seem to be showing her a measure of respect, but then again, Sparrow spoke to everyone the same way.
"So, Maomao—which one will you ride?"
"What do you mean, 'which one'…"
There were two horses. Maomao couldn't ride, so she'd need to ride behind one of them. Either would be fine, though.
"Here, Maomao, you ride behind Sparrow. Bashen's saddle is stiff and hard to use. Sparrow's saddle, on the other hand, is made of well-worn leather prioritizing good shock absorption—it's the kind that minimizes saddle sore even on long rides. So, which will you choose?"
Without needing to be told twice, Maomao pointed at Sparrow.
"Wait a minute. Why does a saddle like that exist? The horses are borrowed, aren't they?"
"Yes. Jinshi had the foresight to arrange it. He does decent work once in a while."
"Hey, what's with that tone?!"
Basen snapped back, apparently bothered by the condescending way she had praised Jinshi.
"What do you mean, 'what tone'? When I heard that Jinshi had assigned Basen as escort, I said I wanted to come along too, and the look on his face was like scales falling from his eyes. Yes, that's right. Sparrow, more thoughtful than anyone, will support Maomao. Maomao's heart is sturdier than a log, but her body would die if she took a punch. I realized it wouldn't do to leave her in the care of Basen alone, who doesn't know his own strength, so he was grateful to Sparrow."
(Yes, she would die if she took a punch.)
Maomao was not the athletic type.
"So, with that settled, please thank me by calling me Sparrow—or Big Sister, if you'd like."
"…Gkh."
No matter how you looked at it, Basen could never win a battle of words against Sparrow.
With the winner decided, the three of them set off.
That said, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about the journey.
Once they left the western capital, nothing but empty grasslands stretched before them. Still, they were more or less following a path—a strip where the grass had been worn away. Along the way, they passed what appeared to be a merchant caravan.
They also caught sight of clusters of yurts belonging to nomadic peoples.
(So that's what they call the horizon?)
Her old man—
Luomen—
—had once told her. Apparently, there was a theory that the world was spherical. The evidence was that on wide, open land, the line of the horizon curved ever so slightly. And to Maomao's eyes, that was indeed how it looked.
If the world was spherical, it supposedly explained why the stars moved across the sky, but Maomao had mostly forgotten the details. Now that she thought about it, it was one of the things Luomen had picked up when he studied abroad in a foreign land. What a waste to have let that knowledge slip away.
The temperature was cold for spring. The sunlight helped, but the wind stripped away her body heat. Her skin was dry, too. The altitude seemed fairly high—the air felt a bit thin.
Maomao wore a cloak over her outfit. It was one Sparrow had told her to put on and handed to her. Sheepskin lined the interior, blocking the wind completely. It bore beautiful embroidery—an exquisite piece that would pass muster even in the capital.
Sparrow's cloak was more subdued than Maomao's, but it looked equally warm.
(She usually would have picked something flashier, I'd think.)
Perhaps it had been prepared specifically for Maomao.
Basen wore a plain but practical cloak. Perhaps to keep his rein-holding hands from going cold, he had donned gauntlet-like coverings—a rare sight.
His body stayed warm, but every exposed patch of skin was at the mercy of the sun and wind.
(
The young lady's
ointment... that came in handy, after all.)
With the strong, dry sunlight, sunburn was a real concern. Maomao had applied her sun-protective ointment thoroughly, but what about Suzume? Her skin appeared dark by nature, but it had a plump, supple quality to it.
"Suzume, I have some sun-protective ointment—would you like some? It also helps prevent dryness."
She asked, just in case. If they ran out, she could always whip something up with the ingredients available in the western capital.
"Oh, really? I'm dark-skinned to begin with so sunburn doesn't really show on me, but if you're offering, I'll gladly take some."
"Then I'll give it to you when we take our break."
Basen had said there was nowhere worth stopping, but the horses still needed to rest. There was plenty of grass growing around for fodder, but having water nearby would be even better. Just then, a river came into view.
"We'll rest up over there."
Basen called out.
"Okay~!"
"Understood."
The river they reached was more like a large puddle than an actual river. The water was shallow, and there was hardly any current. It must have been formed temporarily by a heavy downpour.
Scattered trees dotted the surrounding area. Beneath their shade sat large boulders, which seemed to serve as landmarks.
(A pomegranate tree, maybe?)
The leaves had the look of a pomegranate. Something—maybe a bird—was perched on a branch, rustling and moving about.
Several wild horses had come to drink from the water. There were birds, too.
"Looks like there might be snakes around here, huh."
"Yeah, I suppose there could be."
She found herself looking but couldn't spot any. When she dug up what looked like a burrow, out came something mouse-like. She had brought food, so she let it go without eating it.
The horses drank from the river, but Maomao and the others drank from the water they had brought.
(Maybe I should have added a little salt.)
The drier it got, the faster her sweat evaporated. Her body was craving salt along with water, more than she had expected. But the meat sandwiched in her bread was salty enough, so that would have to do.
Basen studied the map while reaching into his robes from
Compass Fish
He took it out and floated it on the water.
Maomao and Suzume peered at the scene.
"Are maps actually useful in open grassland?"
Maomao voiced her candid question.
"They're better than nothing, but there's hardly any landmarks to speak of."
A lodestone
— "As long as I check its position against the sun, it seems we should move a little further north. With no obstructions, once we spot houses, that'll be our destination," Suzume said.
Suzume was, one way or another, a person who got things done. She apparently had a solid grasp of geography as well. Basen, by contrast, was averting his gaze with a vaguely uncomfortable look.
"…One more question, if I may."
"Sure, sure. What is it, Maomao?"
"Is there no local guide?"
Honestly, Maomao thought, she should have raised this sooner.
She had assumed that within the Li Kingdom, you wouldn't really need a guide — she'd even considered ducking into a nearby village. But that clearly wasn't going to work.
When the vegetation was this different from what you were used to, you couldn't call it safe. They needed a local who knew the terrain.
"…As for the answer to that—"
Suzume cast a quick glance around.
Basen was surveying their surroundings with cold eyes, gripping the hilt of his sword.
(I've got a bad feeling about this.)
Suzume stepped in front of Maomao.
Before she knew it, several men had surrounded them. The gentlemen — to put it generously — were dressed in a manner far from clean, and they spoke in accented Li. They tossed out a simple threat: hand over your money. Oh, and leave the women behind too.
Bandits, no question about it.
Maomao was drenched in sweat, and she swallowed hard.
(Why does it always come to this!)
She pressed down on her wildly pounding heart, took a slow breath, and let it out.
「Maomao, you can close your eyes. If anything happens, Miss Suzume will use her womanly charms as a wife to seduce the bandits.」
Suzume declared with supreme confidence, her low nose held high.
But that didn't mean Maomao was going to close her eyes. She pulled a sewing needle and insect-repellent powder from her carry bag. They wouldn't serve as much of an attack, but they might at least make an opponent flinch.
As it turned out, neither Suzume's seduction nor Maomao's sewing needle would be needed.
A dull *thwack*, and Bandit Number One went flying.
A sickening *crunch*, and Bandit Number Two clutched his arm, rolling around on the ground.
A sharp *crack*, and Bandit Number Three collapsed, spitting out saliva, blood, and teeth.
Even a stage-fight choreographer would have drawn the scene out longer. There was not a shred of drama to it. If anything, the description was so anticlimactic it was almost unsatisfying.
Bashin had placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. Placed it, but hadn't decided to draw.
*(He took them all out barehanded…)*
Maomao could only stare in mute astonishment at those monster-like movements.
Several breaths passed before Maomao snapped back to her senses. She rushed over to Bashin.
「Let me see your hands!」
「O-oh.」
Bashin extended his hands, still visibly surprised. His knuckles showed no sign of fracture. His wrists seemed fine too.
*(How is that possible?)*
After making that many sickening sounds in succession, his fists should have been aching. But there was a reason he was having no trouble at all.
Maomao took a look at the gauntlets she had hastily removed. At first glance, they appeared to be made of compressed wool—soft to the touch—but the core was heavy.
It seemed there were metal plates inside.
Bashin's absurd strength, combined with gauntlets lined with metal plates.
Maomao almost felt sorry for the bandits sprawled on the ground.
Speaking of those bandits, Suzume had been scurrying about tying them up. She bundled all three together, propped her foot on them, and let out a *phew* as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
「So what should we do?」
「We can't exactly take them with us, so let's just leave them. When we reach the village, we'll arrange for someone to come and pick them up.」
Suzume wore an expression that said she couldn't care less.
"But I'm a little worried."
"I know what you mean."
Maomao was surprised to find herself agreeing with Bashin for once. While they left the bandits behind, they might get attacked by wolves or something.
Bashin approached the bandits and grabbed their arms. Again, there was a dull cracking sound.
(...)
It seemed Bashin's worry was about whether the bandits might try to escape. Some of them had their arms broken without mercy and were even wetting themselves.
(I'm the lenient one here, aren't I?)
Maomao reflected on this with a sigh, then glanced over at Suzume.