Chapter 96

A cloudless blue sky. The scenery around was a sea of green, and the sound of the carriage wheels and the neighing of the horses could be heard.

The journey at this temperature, neither too hot nor too cold, was perfect.

The slight swaying of the carriage was a bit concerning, but I had gotten used to it after the long ride to the capital last time.

Once you get used to it, you might even find this swaying pleasant. The sound of the wood and the vibrations were quite nice.

I had been taking a nap, enjoying the gentle breeze and the chirping of the birds, but when I woke up, I was bored.

It seemed that the adventurers guarding us, Molt and Arvin, were also bored. They couldn't nap, so it was even more so for them.

After all, dangerous monsters rarely appeared around the village of Coirat.

Even if they did, it would only be weak monsters like goblins. Such creatures would be instantly killed by a B-rank party. We had two mages and three warriors, not counting me.

There was no need to be on edge.

In the absence of any monsters, I was entertaining myself with Molt and Arvin.

"Here's a bag."

I showed them the rough, burlap bag I had prepared. After showing them both sides to confirm it was just an ordinary bag, Molt and Arvin nodded.

"I'll put a pebble in this bag. Then, when I snap my fingers, the pebble will disappear from the bag."

What I was doing to pass the time was magic. Of course, there was a trick. The pebble was small and light, about the size that could be held between my index and middle fingers.

"Really?"

"Are you kidding?"

Molt and Arvin reacted suspiciously to my words.

Arvin even snorted.

I couldn't wait to see their expressions change from skepticism to shock.

They didn't seem to believe me at all, but I continued with a confident smile.

"Okay, I'll put the pebble in the bag."

I put the pebble I was holding between my fingers into the bag. For some reason, they were watching intently.

Inside the bag, I activated a storage spell. I threw the pebble into a subspace.

Thanks to the pebble's small size and the rough material of the burlap, I had already confirmed that the bag wouldn't bulge with such a small pebble.

"Okay, here we go... One... Two... Three!"

For dramatic effect, I moved my hands in front of the bag and snapped my fingers.

After making the sound, I showed them the back of the bag without any suspicious movements.

"See, it's gone."

"Wh-What!?"

They shook the bag upside down and turned it inside out, their eyes wide open. Both of them looked like they were saying, "Huh!?"

"No, wait. The pebble is probably just stuck at the edge of the bag, right?"

Arvin, who said, "Let me see," started examining the bag.

Since I had nothing to hide, I handed it over to him. Well, the magic itself was a bit shady, but...

Arvin peered into the bag carefully.

"Huh!?"

He grunted, as if something was wrong, and turned the bag inside out and shook it.

"Hey!?"

"No way."

Molt snatched the bag from Arvin, who had wide eyes.

"The pebble is gone!"

Molt shouted, eyes wide open. Thanks for the good reaction.

"...Actually, didn't you just hide the pebble in your sleeve or something when I wasn't looking? You moved your arm before you snapped your fingers, right? People who use these tricks are good at catching you off guard."

Arvin, who still didn't believe it, was suspicious.

"But I'm wearing short sleeves."

I was wearing short sleeves and shorts, so there was no sleeve to hide anything in.

"Ugh, when you moved your arm, you probably dropped the pebble on the floor..."

I stood up, but there was no pebble on the floor.

"Oh, what?"

He must have thought I had cleverly hidden the small pebble somewhere.

That was part of the plan, but to really surprise them, I decided to make it more obvious this time.

"Okay, I'll snap my fingers again to bring the pebble back. This time, I won't move my arm, just snap my fingers."

"O-Okay."

Arvin and Molt leaned forward, determined not to miss anything.

They were ready to pounce if they noticed any odd movements.

I snapped my fingers next to my right pocket.

"Then, the pebble comes out of my right pocket."

"Wh-What!?"

I casually stuck my hand into my pocket, and there was the same pebble as before.

Of course, I had just opened a small subspace in my pocket and retrieved it.

"What's going on!?"

"Did you put the pebble in your pocket in that instant? But there was no such movement at all."

Arvin was surprised as he examined the pebble, and Molt tapped my right pocket and pondered. Hey, touching the magician's body during a magic show is bad manners. Enjoy it with your eyes.

"Well, this time I'll do a more obvious but mysterious magic trick."

"O-Okay."

"Here's an egg."

"Wait! How did an egg come out of your right pocket!"

They both suddenly interrupted.

"This is also a mysterious magic trick."

"I touched your pocket just now, and there was no egg..."

I brushed off their questions. The real magic show was about to begin. Thinking about it won't get you an answer, but that's part of the fun.

"Next, I'll put the egg in this bag. Then, just like before, the egg will disappear."

I put the egg in the bag and then boldly took it out and tucked it under my arm.

"The egg has disappeared from the bag."

"Hey, what are you doing so confidently? You just tucked the egg under your arm, didn't you?"

"Under my arm? There's a pebble under my arm, not an egg."

"What!?"

They looked at the pebble that had been swapped by the spatial magic, their voices full of surprise.

The egg was stored in the subspace, not in my pocket. I had opened a subspace of the right size under my arm, so a normal person wouldn't notice.

When I retrieved it, I had opened the subspace to the size of the pebble.

"What's going on? I don't understand. But I feel like I'm being made a fool of."

"I did tuck the egg under my arm. But where did the egg go..."

Astonished, Arvin and Molt.

"Again! Show it again!"

"Okay, one more time?"

Molt and Arvin, who were shouting, were determined to figure it out.

I could feel their determination.

In the same way as before, I took the egg out of my right pocket. Molt muttered, "Why is the egg coming out again..." but I ignored it.

"Here! I tucked the egg under my arm again! Will it turn into a pebble or an egg?"

"Huh? There's no egg or pebble under my arm."

"Liar! You just tucked it in!"

I acted confused, and Arvin and Molt pointed at me.

In response, I raised my arm to show them my armpit.

"Oh, what?"

Of course, the egg was stored in the subspace, and I hadn't put the pebble there, so nothing fell out.

In our carriage, two men were staring intently at a boy's armpit, creating a rather bizarre scene.

"What's going on!?"

"You could probably make a living with this alone!"

Hey, is that something you say to a noble? But I guess it's a compliment, so I'll take it.

I can do disappearance and teleportation spells with spatial magic, and even escape from boxes and instant teleportation. If I ever run out of money, I might earn some by doing magic shows.

"Show it again! This time I'll figure it out!"

"What are you two shouting about? We can hear you from the back!"

While Arvin and Molt were excitedly shouting, Alyusha, who was guarding the carriage behind us, came over.

"Alfred is doing an amazing magic trick!"

"The egg disappears!"

"An amazing magic trick? The egg disappears?"

When Arvin and Molt said this, Alyusha's skeptical gaze turned to us.

I took eggs out of my right pocket one by one and handed them to Alyusha.

One, two, three, four, five...

"Eh? What? Alfred, why are so many eggs coming out of your pocket?"

Alyusha, who was receiving the eggs one by one, had her hands full.

"Is that pocket a food storage?"

"......I don't understand."

It seems that when people see something inexplicable, their reactions become smaller. She was staring at my pocket and the eggs in a daze.

Eventually, Alyusha couldn't hold any more, and the three of us ended up holding four eggs each.

I collected them one by one and stored them in my left pocket.

One, two, three... Yeah, they fit easily.

"......How many eggs can fit in there?"

"Eh? Eh!?"

I was collecting the eggs one by one.

In the end, twelve eggs were neatly stored in my left pocket.

"Well, they all fit."

"......I don't understand."

"Are the eggs breaking in your pocket...?"

When Alyusha asked hesitantly, I turned my left pocket inside out to show that there was nothing inside.

"The eggs are gone!"

Alyusha shouted loudly, and soon after, Rumba and Ilya came over, and I had to perform the trick again.

It was a lively carriage.

Next, I'm thinking of heading to Kikka.