And after walking for over half a day, we arrived at our first overnight stop without incident.
This journey wasn't an adventure. We avoided camping whenever possible, with the Emperor's safety as our top priority.
The townspeople greeted the carriage bearing the Zebuldia crest with cheers.
We were merely the escort, keeping a slight distance from the main carriage, so we didn't receive those cheers directly—but it was still a refreshing feeling.
Thanks to the Treasure Weapons, even my unfamiliarity with horseback riding was bearable. But what put me at ease above all else was— "Well, nothing happened."
"Hah!? The departure was already ruined because of you, weakling! We're definitely buying new horses in this town, mark my words!"
"I don't have money."
"Wha—whaaaaat!?"
Klyus, seated in front of me on the horse, clenched her fists and screamed at me, her face red to the ears. But I was in a perfectly comfortable mood, thanks to my *Comfortable Vacation*. I should ask her to charge this Treasure Weapon later too…
Following instructions, I gripped Klyus firmly and said: "Besides, what I'm saying is—no thieves, no monsters, no Treasure Hall, no Phantoms. No disasters either. This is a groundbreaking outcome."
"Hah? We're just an escort, so of course nothing like that would show up."
"Well… I suppose that's one way to look at it."
Nothing showing up was definitely better than the alternative, but… I really had lived a fortunate life, hadn't I?
Klyus glared at me as I gazed at her with warm eyes.
"Stop saying cryptic things for no reason! You should learn your place, you weakling!"
As expected of the Emperor's entourage, the inn prepared for us was a luxurious establishment catered to nobles.
The Emperor and his Royal Guard occupied an entire floor. We secured the lower levels.
After finalizing the deployment of the knights at hand, Franz and I met in a room at the inn to coordinate next steps. Franz furrowed his brows and spoke.
"Were we worrying for nothing? Did the 'Fox' back down too?"
"No, no, we can't let our guard down. We never know what might happen."
"You're the only one who caused trouble this time! Don't say serious things while looking like that! Stop tapping my shoulder—I'll cut you off!"
The still-energetic carpet patted Franz on the shoulder, and his face turned bright red as he shouted. Getting angry at that level wouldn't build a good relationship with the carpet.
Klyus straightened her back elegantly, took a sip of tea, and said: "Don't yell so. You don't need to flush that red—as long as I'm here, this escort mission is as good as done. Even if something shows up that you can't handle, leave it to me!"
"Well, Kechachaka's here too. And there's Stillwater."
There was also Kirunight. I needed to think about how to feed it soon.
Kechachaka was, as always, laughing in that suspicious outfit with that suspicious laugh. I envied Term's ability to remain so composed among this group.
"Say your own name first, you weakling!"
"Hmph… very well. Thousand Transformations—I'd like to hear your insight on all-seeing perception, since you claim to see through everything."
…Huh?
My eyes widened involuntarily. Klyus's, Kechachaka's, and Term's—all their gazes were fixed on me.
Could it be that I… actually had something to do? Asking for my insight put me in a tough spot. Nothing I'd said had ever been on the mark before. Well, in a sense it had been, but the mark was always off.
But this was work, so I couldn't refuse. I could at least offer an opinion.
I crossed my legs and put on my hard-boiled act. Then immediately started making excuses.
"Look, I can't see the future or anything. So I can't claim a hundred percent accuracy, but based on past experience, there are things I can pick up on."
I glanced at Term. My hope was that in a pinch, he—Level 7, second only to me—would handle things.
Term furrowed his brow, but I continued without worry.
"The most dangerous time is when you let your guard down. Since we're in town, there's no worry of bandits or monsters attacking, but we should still stay plenty vigilant."
"What? I wouldn't let my guard down even without being told—but what exactly do you think is coming?"
"Um… a dragon?"
"What!?"
Oh no—I'd blurted out something I hadn't even been thinking. Dragons were tough enemies, and when I was in a Party, we were constantly attacked by them. Towns had walls, but dragons could fly, so those were fairly irrelevant.
"Also… well, Spiritfolk, for example."
"Impossible. What utter nonsense! This isn't uncharted territory—it's still within the Empire!"
Franz's eyes turned bloodshot as he shouted.
There was no need to get that angry… it was just an opinion. I didn't actually expect something like that to show up either.
Trying to calm him, I smiled and said: "Well, but didn't a Crimson Dragon attack the castle? There's precedent, after all…"
"Gh—damn it—"
"Come on, calm down. It'll be fine. If a dragon shows up, Term will handle it."
At my sudden declaration, Term merely opened his eyes slightly. As expected of the old woman's right-hand man, he had a tolerance for being put on the spot.
Term Apocris was one of the foremost water-attribute magic users in the Imperial Capital. His epithet "Stillwater" supposedly came from the fact that he had single-handedly dammed a river, parted the sea, and brought a waterfall to a complete stop.
Water-attribute magic typically had lower destructive power, but Term was different—he could freely manipulate flowing water to the point of stopping it completely.
Sixty percent of the human body was made of water. Fantasy-species monsters like dragons weren't entirely without water in their bodies either.
Water was the lifeline of all living things. In that sense, one could say he was a mage who could kill living beings with remarkable efficiency. That's what Lucia had told me.
Term rubbed his chin thoughtfully and nodded magnanimously.
"Very well. If a dragon appears, I shall deal with it then. But there's one thing I'd like to ask—why choose me? Kechachaka is here, and… Klyus too. And that Kirunight over there is no slouch either."
As expected of a Level 7—he wasn't the least bit intimidated hearing the opponent would be a dragon. Not that I expected one to actually show up.
As for why I chose Term… it was simple. The person I trusted most was the epithet holder, Term. Kechachaka's true abilities were unknown, Kirunight was a wild card in many respects, and Klyus was my bodyguard.
But I couldn't say that to their faces. I glanced at Kechachaka, who was chuckling "kekekekeke," then looked at Term.
"You don't understand?"
"………Hmm."
Had he figured it out? He didn't seem offended by my question. With a serious expression, Term said: "Very well. I haven't shown you my power before, have I? Allow me to display the pinnacle of my magecraft."
§ § § "Hah? Charge the Treasure Weapon? What do you take me for, weakling! Do it yourself!"
Klyus Argen was a good kid.
Her mouth was rough, but since the Clan's founding, we'd known each other for over three years, so I knew how to handle her.
I simply bowed my head over and over.
"H-hey, don't just waltz into my room, what kind of upbringing did you have!? Don't grovel! Honestly, do you have not a shred of pride in you!? When you act like that, it's a nuisance for the rest of us!"
Even when scolded, I couldn't show a sour face. This was entirely my fault.
I kept lowering myself, lower and lower, deploying my trademark bowing. Klyus looked confused. Come to think of it, Elisa had once told me that for high-pride Spiritfolk like her, my way of carrying myself seemed utterly bizarre.
"J-just hurry up and hand over the Treasure Weapon! And make sure—absolutely sure—that when we get back, you tell Lucia that Klyus took care of you! …Hah!? Weakling, when did you accumulate this many Treasure Weapons!? Hey! Show at least a little remorse! That's why you're—"
Spiritfolk were a race with extremely high magical aptitude. Their mana capacity in particular was said to be more than ten times that of humans.
They were the ideal species for charging Treasure Weapons. I wished I were a Spiritfolk too.
Klyus huffed with anger but still charged the Barrier Ring I handed her.
Even for a Spiritfolk, charging multiple Barrier Rings should have been tough, but their pride kept them from complaining. That was partly because Citry had riled them up in the past.
The room assigned to us Hunters was on the same floor as the Emperor's—a lower-grade room.
It was chosen for escort convenience, but even downgraded, the quality was more than adequate given the base standard. On top of that, everyone got a private room. I hoped this pleasant trip would continue as is.
Even the sofa was plush. I sank into it and let out a deep sigh.
"Don't you dare sit on my sofa! Don't sigh, weakling!"
"Still, nothing happened."
"That's what an escort gig is like. What did you expect to happen?"
No—I couldn't let my guard down. Not yet. It was always when I let my guard down that something happened.
Well, at least with Term here, I felt at ease. Being Level 7 meant his Explorer's Guild evaluation was on par with Ark's.
And Kechachaka didn't seem as unhinged as he looked…
I opened the carefully wrapped box I'd brought along. Klyus, whose complexion had clearly worsened from all the charging, asked as if to cover her fatigue: "Weakling, what's in that box?"
"No idea, but it was left outside my room. My name was on it, so I guess it's for me."
"!?"
Inside the box was a neat arrangement of chocolates. There was a message card with a heart drawn on it.
The sender's name wasn't written, but that heart drawing style was definitely Citry. How had she found out where my room was… hmm, weird.
The chocolates were high quality. The honey-infused ones were clearly chosen with Klyus's love for honey in mind.
After confirming there was no poison, I took a bite. Klyus looked down at me with a stunned expression.
"Weakling, does the word 'wariness' not exist in your vocabulary!?"
"I'm fully prepared."
Because if they wanted to kill me, they wouldn't need poison. They could just hit me—hard. Until the Barrier Rings ran out, anyway. Besides, the reason I was still here by Klyus's side was precisely because I had wariness.
The chocolate was delicious. As expected of Citry—she knew my preferences. It was like today's fatigue was melting away. Honey was good for your health, too.
I couldn't help but smile as I ate, and Klyus gave me an exasperated look.
And then, suddenly, the room shook violently. A powerful impact sent me tumbling off the sofa, and from outside the room, an utterly unexpected voice reached my ears.
"Dragons! A flock of Chill Dragons has appeared!"
"Protect His Majesty!"
"!?"
I couldn't believe my ears. My eyes widened involuntarily.
That was impossible. This was a town. There was no way dragons would appear in a town of Zebuldia.
What I'd said earlier was supposed to be a hypothetical. Besides, my predictions were always wrong. Impossible. I was unlucky, but not the kind of unlucky where my predictions actually came true.
Seriously though—were there too many dragons? The last ones had just appeared not long ago, and now this? Wasn't that obviously weird?
I was so dazed that I reached for another chocolate, but Klyus grabbed my arm. Her right hand was already gripping a long, twisted staff.
"Come on, weakling, let's go!"
"No, no, they don't need my strength."
"Pull yourself together! You're still Lucia's brother, aren't you!?"
Oh right. I should've stayed near Kirunight. Not to brag, but I'd never actually fought properly before.
I wasn't worried, though. It was a truth born from a lie—I could just leave it to Term. But since I was technically an escort, I probably had to at least show my face.
Klyus grabbed my arm and dragged me out. On instinct, I took the Barrier Ring I'd had charged.
I steeled myself. I was inclined to wonder whether there was anything I could actually do, but since I'd received such a wonderful carpet, I had to do what I could.
Together with the remarkably dependable Klyus, I dashed toward the source of the screams.