Chapter 63

On the way there, I had to hide, but on the way back, there was no need for that, so I sat on the back of a cart traveling through the city streets, looking at the cityscape. The driver was an employee of Camillo's shop, and Camillo was sitting on the driver's seat next to him. This way, I would look like a guard for the cargo. When we left the Aimur residence, a considerable amount of time had already passed, and it was around noon.

As expected of a city, a diverse array of people were walking around. There were beastmen who looked like dogs or cats, a woman with a sturdy build despite her short stature, and a man with a thick beard who was also short, likely a dwarf. There were also lizardmen (two-legged lizards) and people with scales, who seemed to be of different races. There were the Marites, who looked like children at first glance but moved differently, and of course, humans with various skin and hair colors, all bustling about on the streets. However, there was no sign of humans disliking beastmen. Everyone was walking, selling, and buying things as usual. Seeing this, I felt a bit more at ease.

Once we passed through the gate (which apparently marks the boundary between the noble and commoner districts), we traveled for about half an hour and then passed through the city's main gate. I hadn't seen this on the way there, but it was enormous, about six meters tall. On the way back, I asked Camillo about it, and he said,

"Apparently, when the old king made peace with the giant race, he had it built this big so the giants could enter, but whether that's true or not is questionable."

It would be interesting to investigate such legends in the future, even a little at a time.

On the way there, we were checked, but on the way back, we almost passed through without any trouble. The guards standing there only glanced at us briefly and then looked at another cart behind us. It wasn't that the guards were blind; it was probably just that we didn't look suspicious... I hope. After all, even if they had stopped us, they wouldn't have found anything.

After we left the gate, I could see the road and the river, which looked like lines drawn with brown and blue crayons on a green carpet. The river, even from a distance, sparkled in the sunlight, and the road stretched from right in front of us all the way to the horizon. The green carpet was a grassy plain and distant fields. Turning my head, I could see a mountain range in another direction, towering like a protective wall.

Position-wise, that river didn't seem to flow from the lake near my home. As for the mountains, I couldn't tell since I couldn't see them from home.

The scenery continued like this for a while, and eventually, the city disappeared behind the horizon, and the mountains gradually lost their height until they were no longer visible. We occasionally passed people on the road leading out of the city, but mostly, we just drove the cart through the vast open space. Eventually, I got tired of looking at the scenery and started chatting with Camillo from time to time. For example, about the existence of elves, which I hadn't seen in the city.

"Elves? They basically live self-sufficiently and don't leave their villages, so you won't see them in this area."

"Is that so?"

But they do exist.

"Yeah. You might see one or two who come to buy necessary items or go on a warrior's pilgrimage, but even for someone like me, who travels around as a peddler, seeing them is rare. Maybe I've seen as many as the fingers on both hands in my life."

In the stories I read in my previous world, elves were often well-integrated into human cities, but in this world, they seem to be more reclusive. I've seen quite a few races today, and I'd like to meet an elf at least once.

While we were talking, the surroundings began to turn orange. The cart's pace was much faster than walking, so we reached the entrance of the forest while the sun was still in the sky. However, if we entered the forest now, it would get completely dark halfway through, so I decided to get a torch from Camillo. They would probably arrive in the city by the time it got completely dark.

I got off the cart with a torch and flint, thanked Camillo, and said goodbye. Well, just a little more to go.

I knew the direction of my house, so I hurried in that direction. I was paying attention to my surroundings, but I couldn't help walking quickly. By the time I realized it, the sun was almost completely down, so I hurriedly lit the torch. I had to do this while I could still see, or it would be too late once it got dark.

Walking quickly saved me some time, but it was impossible to walk quickly in the dark forest with just a torch. I had to walk at a slower pace than usual. I was anxious, but I couldn't afford to let my guard down, so I tried to stay calm as I walked through the dark forest. Even I found it quite eerie, so I decided to avoid traveling at night with others in the future.

Just as I was starting to worry that the torch's light was running out, I finally reached my home. It hadn't been that long, but I felt a bit nostalgic. I slowly approached the door.

Just as I was about to reach the door, it opened, and there stood Sermia, Rike, and Diana. I was surprised. I wanted to say "I'm home," but the words wouldn't come out. However,

"Aizou, welcome back."

"Welcome back, master."

"Aizou, welcome back."

Hearing these words from the three of them, I finally managed to say,

"I'm home."

I felt my heart warm as I finally said the words I wanted to say.