Chapter 134: To the capital

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

---

From the conversation three days ago, Halva, Ashera, and I had established a routine of having lunch together at the knights’ barracks. The relationship between Halva and me had returned to a level of comfort similar to before.

Ashera didn’t dislike Halva; it was just time for her to become independent. The recent events had simply complicated things.

These three days served as a good opportunity to untangle the knotted threads. We listened to each other’s words, gradually moving toward mutual independence.

It had become a routine to ward off the Commander Miroku, who kept trying to join our family meals with various excuses. He was desperate to keep either me or El in Blue Ring and used all sorts of methods to persuade us.

At one point, he even suggested giving his daughter as a concubine, which resulted in Halva and Ashera glaring at him with genuine killing intent. I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can say to Commander Miroku. I’ll leave that to Mom.

The day of our departure for the royal capital…

Yesterday or today, a first report stating “the situation has been resolved” should have reached Father and the others. They might be heading our way.

To avoid missing each other, we’ll stay vigilant on the road and leave messages in the towns we pass through.

“Is everyone ready?”

“”Yes, Mom””

“Yes, Master.”

“Alright, let’s go!”

With Mother’s call, the group began to move. Mother and Ashera boarded one carriage, while two maids boarded another. El and I were on horseback, with two knights on the remaining horses.

Our group consisted of two carriages, four horses, and a total of ten people (including two coachmen). The maids were present to help with privacy during breaks for the ladies.

The two knights were unfamiliar faces. They treated us as if we were celebrities, which made me a bit uncomfortable.

Nevertheless, the journey to the royal capital was to take six days, and there wouldn’t be many opportunities for conversation. I let out a small sigh and continued down the road.

On the sixth and supposedly uneventful final day, I woke up to find sleet mixed with rain outside the window. The innkeeper mentioned that it would likely continue for another two to three days.

However, I was eager to reach the royal capital as soon as possible.

“Mother, what should we do?”

“Hmm…”

Mother thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up and spoke decisively.

“Listen, everyone. Al, El, Ashera, and I will head to the royal capital first. The rest of you can come after the rain stops.”

One of the knights, surprised by Mother’s decision, objected.

“But what about the escort?”

“We won’t need one.”

“We will accompany you”

Mother let out a small sigh.

“I appreciate your concern, but how do you plan to keep up in this cold?”

“Rafina-sama will be enduring it as well. We can manage.”

“We have magic. Neither heat nor cold poses a threat to us.”

“We can endure the cold.”

Mother looked at him with a mixture of exasperation and determination.

“Very well. But know that we will use magic to shield ourselves from the elements. Can you keep up with that?”

The knight hesitated but finally nodded, realizing that there was no arguing with Mother’s resolve.

“Understood, Rafina-sama. We will do our best.”

Mother gave a curt nod and turned to us.

“Let’s go, then.”

With that, our smaller group set off toward the royal capital, leaving the others to follow when the weather cleared.

Mother cast a glance at the knight and let out a deep sigh.

“Haa, understand that we can handle this on our own. We don’t need an escort”

“Are you saying we are a burden…?”

“…Yes.”

“….”

“….”

“I…understand”

“I’m sorry, but your assistance has been invaluable thus far. It’s just that a forced march through the snow isn’t suitable for everyone.”

“Yes….Thank you for your concern.”

Thus, the four of us set off through the sleet and snow on a forced march to the capital. Our method of travel involved riding two horses, with me and Ashera on one, and Mother and El on the other.

The reason for using only two horses was to conserve magic. We could use air-conditioning magic on ourselves and our fellow riders, conserving our magic as much as possible. However, if we ran out of magic, we might have to camp somewhere.

With the possibility of having to set up a makeshift tent in mind, we purchased two waterproof cloths and packed them on the horses.

“Let’s go”

“””Yes.”””

Our departure was delayed a bit due to the arrangements for the waterproof cloths and other preparations. It was almost lunchtime by the time we set out. Even if everything went smoothly, it would be dark by the time we reached the capital.

I rode with Ashera sitting in front of me on the horse. Despite the rain, it wasn’t cold, thanks to the air-conditioning magic Ashera was using. Mother was likely using the same magic for herself and El. After some discussion, we decided that Ashera, with her injured arm, and Mother, who couldn’t use spatial jumping, would handle the magic.

El and I could share magic through resonance, so it was decided to conserve our magic for flexibility in case of emergencies. Frankly, after freely using magic in Blue Ring for the past few days, managing my magic again felt a bit bothersome.

But this was the reality. I had to stay focused to avoid making any significant mistakes.

The horses seemed to handle the cold well; even as the rain turned mostly to snow, they showed no signs of discomfort.

We stopped for a late lunch while giving the horses a break. In the falling snow, we gnawed on black bread and dried meat. Although we had air-conditioning magic, it was still a bit chilly, so we warmed ourselves by heating water to drink. It was incredibly bland, and I decided to bring tea leaves next time.

As we rode through the steadily falling snow, we noticed a covered wagon stopped ahead. It appeared to be stuck in a rut.

As I moved closer to the wagon, Mother spoke quietly to me.

“Al, I don’t think bandits would be out in this weather, but stay alert.”

“Understood.”

We approached the wagon cautiously.

“What’s the matter?”

A merchant-like man was sweating in the snow, trying to free the wheel from the rut.

“The wheel is stuck in a rut…”

The man looked at us, clearly disappointed. Mother, El, Ashera, and I didn’t exactly look like we had the strength to help. He was probably hoping for some strong men to assist.

I dismounted, cast body strengthening magic, and lifted the bottom of the wagon slowly.

“Fill in the rut now”

The man was stunned by the sight of me lifting the wagon but quickly snapped out of it and started filling the rut with stones.

“It’s all set. Thank you so much”

I gently lowered the wagon back down.

“May I ask why you’re traveling in such weather?”

The merchant, looking a bit embarrassed, started explaining.

“I’m a traveling merchant dealing between the Elf Kingdom and the capital… I have to deliver some special seasoning to a noble today, no matter what.”

I was intrigued by this merchant, who was doing business with the Elves in these tumultuous times.

“I’m Aldo von Blue Ring”

The merchant was clearly taken aback when he realized I was a noble.

“My apologies, I didn’t realize I was speaking to a noble. Please forgive my rudeness”

“I don’t care much for formalities. Just talk to me normally”

“Even so, it’s… difficult”

“Fine, talk however you like. But more importantly, do you plan to continue trading with the Elves?”

“Y-yes. Some criticize us for trading with the Elves in these times, but we have to make a living. I hope you understand…”

“No problem. In fact, there’s something I need from the Elves.”

“The Elves’ goods? I’m afraid we can’t get our hands on any secret remedies or such…”

“I don’t care about that. I want soap. It’s called ‘Muuni’ in Elvish. Can you sell it to me?”

“Soap? ‘Muuni’? Yes, we can easily get that.”

“Great, I need you to sell it to the Blue Ring household.”

“Would you like me to sell it directly to you, Aldo-sama?”

“No, sell it to the Blue Ring family. In the capital, you can speak to our butler, Serie. If you’re in Blue Ring territory, speak to Roland, the butler at the estate.”

“I understand. May I mention your name, Aldo-sama?”

“Of course. I’ll inform Serie in the capital today. You can discuss the price and quantity with them.”

“Understood.”

Ever since the mention of soap, Mother, Ashera, and even El hadn’t tried to cut the conversation short. They were likely worried about running out of their soap supply.

After a brief discussion, the merchant and I parted ways. I trusted Serie and Roland to handle the inventory and manage the transaction. Pleased with securing the soap, we continued our journey toward the capital.

About two hours after parting ways with the merchant, Ashera and Mother’s magic was nearly depleted. They had about a third of their magic left. While there was still some reserve, we decided to save it for emergencies.

El and I took over casting the air-conditioning magic. It was around 6 PM, and we needed to decide whether to continue or make camp. The sky was dark, and everything around us was turning white, making it difficult to gauge our location.

“Mother, how much further do you think we have to the capital?”

“Hmm, it’s hard to say with this scenery”

“I was thinking, maybe we could see something from the air?”

“Perhaps. If we’re lucky, we might see the lights of the capital”

“El, could you take a look from above?”

Mother could handle riding the horse alone if needed, but Ashera couldn’t, so it made sense for El to be the one to go.

“Understood,”

El said simply, before using space kick to ascend into the sky. The snow quickly obscured her from view, making it clear how poor the visibility was.

I sighed, not expecting much from this attempt.

El returned shortly, with a wry smile on her face.

“Nii-sama, the capital is very close. I think it’s less than a thousand meters away.”

“That close?”

“Yes.”

When I looked at Mother, she had the same wry smile as El.

“Let’s go…”

“Yes…”

We both shrugged and started towards the capital. Just as El had said, the city walls came into view shortly.

Although we could have used the noble’s entrance, it might raise unnecessary suspicion given our current appearance and group. In this snow, there was no line at the gate. We decided to enter through the regular gate.

Using our adventurer cards as identification, the gatekeeper looked at us with a mix of confusion and amusement, muttering something about why we were on a mission in this weather. But that was the extent of his concern.

We led our horses through the snowy streets of the capital. Despite being a familiar sight, the lightly snow-covered city looked a little more beautiful than usual.

Soon, the Blue Ring estate came into view. It had only been a little over a week since we left the capital, yet it felt strangely nostalgic.