Chapter 17

"Haa, this carriage is so boring."

"Yeah, it would have been nice to have something to pass the time."

It had been a few days since we boarded the carriage.

The carriage carrying us was a simple construction with a wooden platform and some kind of cloth stretched over it. There were about a dozen other passengers, and we were heading for the capital, Schting, in two carriages.

There were also three adventurers guarding us. The route to Schting didn't pass through areas with powerful monsters, so it was said that a few adventurers were enough for protection.

"Still, is this kid going to be okay?"

Nole, Estelle, and I were sitting squeezed together. Nole, sandwiched between Estelle and me, was looking very listless.

"Uu~ What's going on with this... I have a headache, and I feel like I'm going to throw up... My head is pounding, and I don't feel well at all."

"Looks like you're completely seasick."

Honestly, this carriage isn't very well-made. Compared to modern cars, the shaking is terrible. I was also feeling seasick and almost threw up at first, but I quickly got used to it. The road has been cleared of vegetation, making it relatively easy to travel.

However, Nole's condition has been getting worse day by day, and today she's completely out of it. She looks like she might throw up at any moment.

"Is there no magic to cure seasickness?"

"I'm not a priest. Healing magic isn't my specialty."

Ku, so even mages aren't omnipotent. And can seasickness even be cured with healing magic?

It seems that Al Raki's status ailment immunity doesn't affect seasickness.

"Ookura-sama, didn't you get a universal medicine from the gacha the other day...? Can I have one, please?"

"Hmm? No way. Using a universal medicine for seasickness is a joke."

"But, but... A cute companion is suffering... Don't you have any compassion, Ookura-sama?"

Her voice was weak, but she still had some energy left. She's even calling herself a cute companion.

A few universal medicines did come out, but using one just to cure seasickness would be ridiculous.

"Well, I have a good idea."

"Wow, you're great, Estelle."

Estelle pulled Al Raki away from Nole and waved her staff. A black, misty substance emerged from the tip of the staff and stuck to Nole's face.

"Nn, what are you... do... ing... guu..."

Nole immediately slumped weakly against me. Is she... sleeping?

"Putting her to sleep will make her quiet."

"That's a bit too much... but, I guess it's fine."

Putting her to sleep might be okay... but is it really alright? She's losing strength, and her head is shaking, making sounds like "uh, uu."

I'll try to hold her closer to suppress the shaking.

"The thought of this continuing for a few more days is depressing."

"Well, there's nothing we can do. Should we try to sleep too?"

"I'll pass. Sleeping while sitting would hurt my body."

There's no space to lie down, and indeed, it would be tough to sleep like this.

Nole's body is also shaking, so it would be difficult to sleep normally.

●

"Whoa... damn, she's heavy."

"Saying a girl is heavy is mean."

A few hours later, it was starting to get dark, and evening was approaching. The passengers got off to prepare for tonight's camp, securing places to sleep.

The carriage stopped before sunset, and they were preparing for the night. The journey was more leisurely than I expected.

We were about to get off, but Nole was still asleep, so I decided to carry her. I picked her up, but she was quite heavy. Is it because she's wearing armor?

"Goblins! Goblins are coming!"

Someone shouted. Looking around, I could see several small figures running towards us.

The hired adventurers immediately reacted, drawing their swords and nocks, and started to counterattack.

"Oh, it looks like monsters are coming."

"We're just passengers, so maybe we shouldn't fight?"

It wouldn't be right for us, as passengers, to do the job of the hired guards.

I think it's enough to help if other passengers are attacked. They are C-rank adventurers with copper plates around their necks.

We shouldn't need to help them.

"Wow, they're really good for C-rank."

The party of three consists of a swordsman, an archer, and a shield bearer. It seems to be a well-balanced group.

The shield bearer mainly takes the goblins' attacks, and the swordsman strikes when there's an opening. The archer stays a bit back and shoots the enemies.

The goblins were defeated one after another, and their dropped items were scattered on the ground. There were more than ten, but they were no match for these adventurers.

"...Hey, there's something dangerous coming."

"That's... a Minotaur."

After defeating the goblins and taking a break, something large was running towards us from a distance.

It had two thick, black, shiny horns on its head and a large axe, probably made of stone, in its hand. It might be as tall as me.

A creature holding such a large axe is naturally huge. It was easily more than twice my size.

It was charging towards us with heavy breathing and glowing red eyes. It's really scary.

I'll check its stats just in case.

---

● Species: Minotaur

Level: 40

HP: 25,000

MP: 0

Attack: 650

Defense: 450

Agility: 30

Magic Resistance: 10

Special Ability: None

Skill: Charge

---

Hmm, it's weaker than a Cyclops? We shouldn't need to run. Still, is Charge a skill?

"You guys! We'll buy you some time, so run!"

The hired adventurers shouted, urging the passengers to flee. The driver got back on the carriage, and the passengers, who were preparing for the camp, hurriedly climbed onto the platform. One of the adventurers also went with them to protect the passengers.

"Estelle, can you wake Nole up?"

"Hehe, my sleep magic is really powerful. She won't wake up easily."

We were trying to wake Nole, who was lying on the ground, by gently tapping her cheeks. Even after slapping her, she only made a slight "uu" sound.

She's in a deep sleep. She doesn't need to excel in this area.

Since we couldn't fight the Minotaur without Nole, I reluctantly took out a universal medicine from my phone. With the passengers fleeing and the adventurers fighting, no one was watching. I could use it without any problems.

The universal medicine was a transparent liquid in a bottle.

Should I make her drink it? Giving a sleeping person a liquid... that means mouth-to-mouth! I thought for a moment but didn't have the courage, so I just stuck the bottle in Nole's mouth.

"Ch, gurk, huh!? Cough, cough... What, what's going on!?"

"Hey, wake up. A Minotaur is here, so we need to fight too."

She woke up, coughing and looking around. I didn't give her time to ask questions and handed her a sword and shield, making her stand up.

"Run! What are you doing!?"

"We'll fight too. We're adventurers, after all."

"You're E and F rank, right? We can only buy time. We'll catch up later, so you should go now!"

The shield adventurer was taking the attacks while the warrior was attacking the Minotaur's legs to buy time. We approached and readied our weapons.

We were told to run, but it couldn't be helped. After all, our plates are E rank. We'd just be a hindrance in a normal situation.

"I'll support you!"

"Let's go!"

Ignoring the adventurers, Estelle waved her staff and cast a body enhancement spell on us and the two adventurers.

Nole jumped out energetically and deflected the Minotaur's large axe, which the muscular shield bearer had been barely holding back.

"What, who is that girl...?"

"Let's go then."

Seeing this, the two adventurers were speechless. A frail girl had deflected the large axe that the muscular shield bearer had been barely holding back. It's no wonder they were surprised. I'm used to it, but...

After we joined the battle, it became one-sided. The adventurers, now buffed by us and supported by Estelle, moved differently and overwhelmed the Minotaur.

The shield bearer didn't flinch from the attacks, and the swordsman's strikes easily cut through the Minotaur's skin. Nole severed its limbs, and finally, it was immobilized by Estelle's magic, leading to a total attack.

"The Minotaur was defeated so easily..."

"Oh, we need to call back the people who ran away!"

The guards were surprised to have defeated the Minotaur but quickly remembered the people who had fled. They hadn't gone far, so we could catch up easily. The road was a clear path, so we wouldn't get lost.

"Then, I'll run and catch up with them?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Take these shoes."

"Wow! Is it okay!?"

"I promised to give them to you before. I'm counting on you."

"Leave it to me!"

I took out Nike's shoes from my bag and handed them to Nole. Unlike mine, they were white sneakers. I thought they were all the same color, but they're different. I thought white would suit her better, so I decided to give her these.

She happily took them, put them on, received support magic from Estelle, and ran in the direction the carriage had gone.

"She's much faster than the carriage."

"I think she's better off running than riding in the carriage."

Nole's speed was so fast, it made me want to say, "Are you a cheetah?" She became a tiny dot in an instant, and both the adventurers and I were speechless.

● Nole Fanya

Level: 24

HP: 2260

MP: 310

Attack: 530

Defense: 355

Agility: 81

Magic Resistance: 30

Cost: 15

● Estelle

Level: 15 → 16

HP: 600 → 610

MP: 1500 → 1520

Attack: 400 → 415

Defense: 120 → 125

Agility: 12

Magic Resistance: 40

Cost: 22

● [Leader] Heisaburo Ookura

Level: 23

HP: 890

MP: 155

Attack: 315

Defense: 255

Agility: 47

Magic Resistance: 10