Chapter 49: Carriage

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Translator: Soafp

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Blue Ring Town was left behind, and after about two hours, I was already bored.

El and Marl were excitedly planning what to do in the capital once we arrived—like a couple on a trip.

In contrast, I had no Ashera and didn’t particularly want to go anywhere. Frankly, in this atmosphere, my options were either lazing around or reading a book, maybe admiring the scenery.

Thinking that this might continue for another eight days was not just disheartening; it was driving me mad.

I needed to figure out a way to pass the time quickly.

I glanced out of the window.

Mounted soldiers were riding their horses.

Horses… I thought about this when chasing after Ashera. In this world, it’s probably better to know how to ride a horse…

I decided to approach a knight during their break to inquire about it.

During the break—

“Hey, Uncle.”

“…”

“Hey, Uncle!”

“Hm?”

“Oh…”

“Are you talking to me?”

Slowly raising her face, I saw a female knight, probably in her early thirties.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize you were a woman.”

“That’s fine. You couldn’t tell because of the mask.”

The female knight returned with a friendly smile.

“What’s your name, miss?”

“I’m Noel. Blood-soaked Shura-dono.”

“Blood-soaked Shura?”

“Everyone in the knighthood calls you that. Apparently, during an expedition, you fought goblins fiercely and ended up drenched in their blood.”

“Wasn’t there a less terrifying nickname?”

“Really? I think it’s pretty cool.”

“Is it just me with a nickname?”

“No, there are three. Aldo-sama is the Blood-soaked Shura, Elphus-sama is the Knight of Shura, and Ashera-sama is the Slayer Girl.”

“Pu…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Sla…yer… Gi…rl…”

“…”

“Haha… That hurts… are you… trying to kill me with laughter?”

“I’ll let Ashera-sama know.”

“Wha… What are you saying?”

“I had a sparring match with Ashera-sama in martial arts.”

“I apologize.”

I immediately assumed a posture of prostration.

“It was a joke.”

“Your jokes are hard to understand! Hey!”

And so, I became acquainted with the female knight, Noel. During the journey to the capital, I asked her to teach me equestrian skills.

“I want to learn horsemanship.”

“Horsemanship? I can teach you, but our breaks are the horse’s breaks. I’d have to instruct you while we’re on the move.”

“That’s fine. Learning while on the move is better for me.”

“Even if you want to get off, you can’t until the next break.”

“That’s fine. Look.”

I showed her my space kick, emphasizing my ability to disembark whenever I wanted.

“Ah, the space kick that Ashera-sama uses. Alright, I’ll teach you horsemanship while we’re moving.”

“Thank you, Noel.”

This way, I could get out of that carriage… I was filled with joy.

As the break ended and we prepared to depart, I started talking to El and Marl.

“I’m going to learn horseback riding from Noel while we’re on the move, so you guys can stay in the carriage.”

“Eh? Won’t you be riding with us, Nii-sama?”

“Yeah, it seems carriages aren’t my thing. I get too bored.”

“Is that so… Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“If it gets tough, I might just use my space kick to return to the carriage.”

“Please don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Got it. Well, I’m off then.”

“Alright… please don’t overexert yourself.”

Without looking back, I raised a hand in response.

“Noel, what should I do?”

“Ride up here with me. I’ll explain while you’re on the horse.”

“Understood.”

I walked through the air using space kicks and mounted the horse.

“I thought so when I followed Ashera-sama, but your technique is impressive.”

“It’s good, isn’t it?”

“I’ll be teaching you horseback riding, so would you teach me that walking technique once it’s done?”

“Well… alright. I’ll teach you after the horseback riding session.”

“Oh, I’m looking forward to that. Alright, let’s depart! Everyone, move out!”

With Noel’s command, everyone began moving.

“Is Noel someone important?”

“Hmm? I’m the captain of this unit.”

“You’re the captain!”

“Yeah. Normally, I’m in charge of the second squadron of the Knights.”

“Is that after Halva’s position?”

“Yeah. I was trained by Captain Halva.”

I struggled to swallow the words “Noel seems competent, but has an air of clumsiness…” that almost slipped out of my mouth.

I started learning horseback riding, with Noel initially handling all the horse’s controls.

According to Noel, getting accustomed to the horse was crucial.

With the pleasant spring breeze and the rhythmic sound of the horse’s steps, I found myself in a fierce battle against drowsiness.

“Aldo-sama, you mustn’t sleep.”

“I’m… not… sleeping…”

“Hey, seriously, don’t fall asleep.”

“I’m… just… resting…”

I was vigorously tapped on the back of my head.

“Stay awake!”

“Sorry… I’ll go wash my face for a bit…”

I jumped off the horse using space kicks and landed on top of the carriage. I conjured water using water magic and poured it over my head.

After about 30 seconds of dousing, my eyes were wide open and my head felt refreshed.

“I feel better now.”

Noel looked at me with a mix of surprise and exasperation.

“I’m heading over there.”

“Sure, do as you please…”

She sounds sincerely dumbfounded.

From there, I slowly started learning horseback riding.

“Aldo-sama, you have a good physique. Is this truly your first time with horseback riding?”

“Yeah, it’s my first time.”

“I see. It’s good to learn horseback riding; it won’t go to waste.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, even commoners benefit from being able to ride horses. It’s a necessary skill for nobles, no?”

“Hmm, I’ve never seen or heard about my father riding a horse…”

“Oh, that’s different for Joshua-sama. Regular nobles often go on long rides or hunting trips.”

“Is that so? Maybe my father isn’t good at horseback riding…”

“…Don’t mention this conversation came from me.”

“Understood.”

We spent the journey with such conversations and eventually arrived at the staging town, our destination for the day.

Seemingly as anticipated, lodging was easily secured.

The room allocation at the inn was: one room for me and El, another for Marl and Noel, one for the two maids, and one for the three knights. Each room had two beds, but the knights would take turns keeping watch through the night.

There was some spare time scheduled in the travel plan, and we had until evening to relax. However, the carriage and horse travel seemed to have drained more energy than expected, as I found myself unknowingly dozing off upon lying down on the bed.

I woke up to a knock… the surroundings were dim, and El was nowhere to be seen.

“Aldo-sama, it’s dinner time.”

Noel’s voice came from the other side of the door. She must have come to call me for dinner.

I got up and went downstairs to the tavern with Noel for dinner.

The main dish for dinner was grilled river fish, a local specialty. The fish was similar to grilled sweetfish (ayu) and reminded me of Japan, evoking a nostalgic feeling.

After dinner, I returned to the room, received hot water, and cleaned myself. But using this small tub for bathing is not the same as a proper bath… I’ve never seen a bath in this world.

As a noble, I’ve never seen or heard of one, and most likely, there might not be baths in this world. Someday, I want to make a bath and enjoy it thoroughly…

After cleansing myself, I lay down on the bed. Finally, the first day of travel has ended. Thinking about doing this for seven more days is getting a bit tiresome.

(My goal is to learn to ride a horse alone by the time we reach the royal capital.)

For now, since there’s nothing else to do, I’ll focus on improving my horseback riding.