Chapter 78: To the Royal Capital

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Translator: Soafp

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At the end of August, despite the lingering heat, the ladies inside the carriage appeared cool and unaffected by the warmth.

In fact, they had all learned air conditioning magic as apprentices to the Ice Witch. Although the control wasn’t perfect yet, they easily managed to cool down the interior of the carriage.

“It’s comfortable, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Comfortable very.” (Faristea)

Regarding the arrangement of the carriages, it remained mostly the same as the beginning of the journey. One carriage for El and Marl, another for Olivia, Faristea, Anna-sensei, and Yurisys. Lewis, Nero, and the knights shared one, and there were two carriages for the maids. Additionally, there was one carriage for luggage.

When asked if anyone wanted to move to El and Marl’s carriage, everyone shook their heads. It seemed that no one was brave enough to enter that atmosphere.

It was cool only for El and Olivia’s carriage, and the rest were as hot as ever.

Lewis and Nero regretted not learning air conditioning magic.

Next long holiday, they were determined to ask for lessons. However, they wondered if they would come to their hometown during the next holiday.

(Ah, the breeze feels nice. I feel like taking a nap just like this. Come to think of it, I couldn’t go on a picnic.)

I leisurely enjoyed the journey on horseback.

After a while, they spotted a stopped carriage on the road.

The knights approached cautiously, thinking it might be bandits. Considering the possibility of an ambush, I used my area sonar, but there were no hidden individuals or animals.

Approaching the halted carriage, it was evident that the wheels were broken. A merchant and a few guards were stranded. With time on my hands, I approached the merchant.

“What happened?”

“I’m sorry. The carriage has broken down. I didn’t mean to inconvenience the feet of nobles.”

“That’s fine, but can it still move?”

“The wheel is broken, and if it were the axle, I could manage, but…”

“I see. What are you planning to do?”

“I’ll either abandon the carriage and walk to the next town or call for carriage repairs. There’s no other choice.”

“Walk, huh… What’s in your cargo?”

“Slaves.”

“Slaves?”

“If it’s alright with you, noble sir, I’d appreciate it if you could buy them.”

“…”

“The ones currently on board are a mother and daughter. The daughter is small, and the mother, who used to be a magical tool artisan, lost one leg in an accident. If I abandon the carriage, reaching the next town would be difficult for them.”

Noel approached, and interrupted our conversation about slaves.

“Aldo, don’t listen any further. I know you feel sorry for them, but there’s nothing we can do.”

“Noel, wait for me.”

I dismounted and approached the slave merchant.

“Are these the only two slaves you have?”

“I was on my way back after selling them. The mother and daughter didn’t find a buyer…”

“Show them to me.”

“Aldo!”

“Alright. This way.”

I was guided into the slave merchant’s carriage.

Inside the carriage, there were cages, and as the slave merchant claimed, a mother and a girl about Clara’s age were inside. Both looked visibly weakened.

“Wa-water…”

Seeing my face, they immediately requested water.

“Can I give them water?”

“Go ahead.”

If the carriage wouldn’t last until the town, there was no need to withhold water and provisions. They probably hadn’t been given water or food since the carriage broke down, whenever that happened.

“Here, have some water.”

I handed my water flask to the slave girl, but she didn’t drink it herself; instead, she passed it to her daughter.

“Mom, is it okay?”

“Yeah. You can drink it all.”

Seemingly incredibly thirsty, the girl hesitated for a moment but eventually drank all the water in the flask.

“Can I borrow your water flask?”

“Go ahead…”

Taking the water flask from the slave girl, I used magic to fill it up again.

“Here’s some water.”

The slave girl took the flask and handed it directly to her mother. The slave mother finally started drinking the water.

“If I may ask, are you a mage? If it’s not too much trouble, could we also have some water?”

“How much are you offering?”

The slave merchant glared at me for a moment, seeming irritated, but I ignored him.

“How much for the two of them?”

“Special price, how about 35 gold coins?”

Internally, I thought, “This is a rip-off,” but not wanting to deal with the hassle, I paid the amount the slave merchant suggested.

“Thank you.”

The mother and daughter were released from the cage, but the mother, having lost a leg, couldn’t walk.

“Noel.”

I called Noel.

“Sorry, but could you carry them to the carriage?”

“I don’t know about that…”

“I’ll take responsibility.”

“You’re too soft, Aldo.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I don’t hate that side of you.”

Noel carried the slave mother on her back to the carriage, and the slave girl followed behind. Although they were inside the carriage for transporting luggage, there was no other option.

With that settled, we resumed our journey. When parting with the slave merchant, Noel threatened him, saying, “To dare charge 35 gold coins to a direct descendant of the Blue Rings. I’ll report this to the head of the family.” The slave merchant seemed taken aback. When he tried to return the money, Noel said, “Whether you can accept the paid money or not, that’s up to you.”

After a while, it was time for lunch. We took the mother and daughter out of the carriage. They looked a bit emaciated, and I wondered if they had been eating at all. I invited them to have lunch with us.

“Noble-sama, it’s too much to share a meal with you. Please don’t bother about us.”

“That’s a hassle, so stop it. There’s not much, but eat without reserve.”

My words prompted Olivia, El, and Lewis to express their opinions.

“Aldo, you should consider your rank a bit more. It might end up making people uncomfortable.”

“I appreciate Aldo’s way of thinking…”

“I like Aldo’s way of thinking too. Ranks and stuff are bothersome.”

As the mother and daughter timidly started eating while we conversed, I asked them to share their names.

“While you are eating, could you tell me your name?”

“Y-yes, my name is Rosa. And this is my daughter, Sara.”

“I’m Aldo.”

“Understood. Aldo-sama.”

“I dislike formalities. Don’t use sama.”

“E-Even if you say that…”

“Drop the honorifics too. It feels like you’re deliberately aiming for something.”

“Ah, I see… Understood. Aldo…”

“That’s fine.”

“If it’s difficult to talk, you don’t have to. Were you a magical tool artisan?”

“Yes, my family has been researching ways to bestow something onto swords and armor for generations. However, during an experiment, an accident occurred. Due to that accident, I lost a leg and was reduced to a slave with the compensation money.”

“What were you trying to bestow on swords and armor?”

“This time, we were researching magical effects. Attaching magic that activates when swinging a sword. That was the focus of our research.”

“That’s impressive. Creating magical swords, huh…”

“Yes, it’s the research on artificially creating magical swords.”

“Do you plan to continue your research?”

“No, after everything that happened, I…”

“I see.”

“Yes…”

“Still, I’m interested in magical tools. I might ask you something in the future, so be prepared.”

“If there’s anything I can do, I’d be happy to help.”

I was able to have some basic conversation with Rosa and Sara. Now, the heavy part is arriving in the capital and seeing what Grandpa has to say.

The journey to the capital from there was smooth. There were no signs of the feared Faristea kidnapping. I entrusted my horse to a knight and experimented with various uses of the Wind Bullet magic while on the carriage.

(In the end, it seems like it’s best to have them standby around me, like Ashera, and shoot them out as needed. It looks cool, like a funnel!)

There’s one inconvenient point. The power of the magic has to be decided when it’s first activated.

For example, once I set the Wind Bullet in a non-lethal mode for standby, I can’t change it to a lethal mode later.

It might not be a problem when seriously fighting, but for dealing with small fry where there’s a mix of weaker and slightly stronger enemies, it could be troublesome.

(Well, I guess I’ll have to get used to it. The magic itself is quite user-friendly. Besides, it’s wind magic, so it’s not easily visible.)

Suddenly, in the distance, about 300 meters ahead of the group, I spotted a single tree. I jumped off the carriage, ran towards the tree, and created five Wind Bullets around me. Using Space Kick to move in three dimensions, I reached a point 100 meters from the target. Holding two short swords, I strategically placed the Wind Bullets around the tree.

“Fire!”

Upon my signal, all the wind bullets were released towards the tree. The impact created significant damage, leaving a large hole. I, wielding my magically transformed short swords into a greatsword, jumped in, swung the sword with a wide arc, and split the tree into two. Five large holes remained as evidence of the exercise.

“What’s going on? Enemy attack?”

“Ha? Ah.”

“What’s happening?”

“It’s just practice.”

“Ha?”

“I felt like trying out different ways to use magic… maybe?”

“Y-you…”

Looking back, I noticed that the knights behind me were readying their weapons for combat. El, Louis, and Nero were also preparing their weapons and shields as they got off the carriage.

Inwardly, I break out in a cold sweat, realizing I might have caused a bit of trouble.

Seeing this, Noel let out a huge sigh and shouted out loud.

“It’s Aldo’s usual illness! There’s no enemy! Let’s take a break!”

Noel’s voice brought a relaxed atmosphere among the squad, but silent protests and disapproving glares were directed at me.

Before entering the break, Noel prompted me to apologize.

“Sorry for causing a commotion, everyone. I just got inspired to try out different ways of using magic…”

My apology was met with an air of “again?” Why?

Despite this, the journey to the capital continued smoothly, and on the 6th day after leaving Blue Ring, we arrived at the capital in the early afternoon.

Passing through the gate reserved for nobles, we swiftly headed towards the Blue Ring mansion. The plan was to reach the mansion first and then disband.

Soon, we reached the Blue Ring mansion, and everyone dismounted from the carriage. As we opened the mansion’s gate and entered, Grandpa and Count Sandra welcomed us.

“I’m glad you returned safely.”

“Welcome back.”

After receiving greetings from Grandpa and Count Sandra, today’s plan was to disband, except for me, El, Olivia, and Lewis. Nero seemed to be taking everyone else home in my family’s carriage.

Grandpa, Count Sandra, I, El, Olivia, and Lewis—the six of us moved to the guest room.

“Aldo, give a detailed report. Others, supplement as needed.”

Grandpa’s words prompted me to report the attack by magical creatures on our way to Blue Ring territory, the incident with the orc nest, the attacks on the mansion during the orc subjugation, and the thieves’ objectives. I shared my subjective experiences, and everyone added details. Finally, I reported that El, Lewis, Nero, and I had engaged in adventurer activities, reaching Rank F.

Grandpa sighed and Count Sandra, initially surprised, looked pleased as he glanced at Lewis.

“That concludes the report.”

“I see. If anyone else has something to add, feel free to speak up.”

Seemingly, no one had anything else to add.

“Well then, sorry for detaining you. I hope you rest well.”

Upon hearing those words, El, Lewis, Olivia, and I left the room. Grandpa and Count Sandra likely had more discussions to attend to.

“Goodbye. See you at the academy.”

“Yeah, see you.”

“Until we meet again at the academy.”

“Until then.”

The four of us bid farewell in the entrance hall.

I turned on my heel and knocked on the door of the room where Grandpa and Count Sandra were.

“Aldo here. I have one more thing to report.”

“Come in.”

Entering the room, I found Count Sandra and Grandpa inside.

“What is it? Something you find hard to discuss in front of everyone?”

“No. It’s a personal matter unrelated to the journey or the Blue Ring family.”

“Speak.”

I told Grandpa about Rosa and Sara—how I couldn’t ignore their situation, my emotions, and the potential usefulness of the magical tools. I expressed my desire for them to be somehow left in the Blue Ring family.

“…”

“Could you somehow let them stay?”

“…”

“Please.”

“…For a year.”

“A year?”

“Prove the usefulness of these slaves within a year. Whether it’s in making magical tools or anything else. If you can do that, I’ll permit them to stay in the house.”

“A year… Understood.”

“If you understand, you may leave. I still have matters to discuss with Count Sandra.”

“Yes. Thank you very much.”

Conversation in the room after Aldo left—-

“He might be too lenient…”

“No. It’s refreshing to see someone growing up so straightforward.”

“If only he could stay that way… how happy that would be…”

“Yes…”

The two expressed faces that could be interpreted as sadness or pity, thinking about the path Aldo had walked and the path the children and grandchildren would likely walk.

Aldo left the guest room and returned to his own room.

His room, untouched for two months, looked just as it did when he left. Aldo felt grateful for the maids who had taken good care of it.

The immediate issue of Rosa and Sara had been resolved. The decision about what would happen a year later would have to be discussed with Rosa… In three days, the new school term at the academy would begin.

Aldo lay on his bed, contemplating various things. Before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep.