Chapter 96

With the preparations complete, the carriage finally set off from the capital.

Nohl and the others were leading the way, while I and Sisha followed at the back, keeping up with the carriage.

I displayed a map app on my monitor glasses and my job was to constantly monitor for any monsters.

"Really, we made it..."

"I wouldn't lie to you, would I?"

I wrapped my arms around Sisha's waist and clung to her from behind.

Thanks to the armor, the lack of sensation where we were touching was a relief.

Even if I tried not to get excited, the size of it might still touch my arm.

I didn't want to be accused of reacting in a perverted way.

From the perspective of others, it might look a bit scary to see a fully armored figure clinging to the back of a priestess on a horse.

"Still, Estel's support magic is amazing. The horses seem much stronger."

"Estel is impressive, as always. By the way, Sisha, you're also secretly using support magic, right?"

"Ah, you noticed? I thought if I cast it, it might help with stamina recovery."

We had already been traveling at a moderate speed for over two hours, but there was no sign of the momentum waning.

In addition to Estel's support magic, the horses' bodies were slightly glowing blue.

This was proof that Sisha's support magic was also in effect.

It was impressive that not only were we affected, but the horses were also enhanced with physical reinforcement and natural recovery, among other things.

"Hmm, at this rate, we should be able to proceed without any problems."

"Say that and you'll jinx it! Please don't!"

Looking up at the clear sky, the ride felt good.

It was very peaceful. I hoped nothing would happen and the escort mission would end smoothly.

After a while, Sisha and I continued our light-hearted conversation as we rode on.

"Um, Ohtsuka-san."

"Hm? Is something wrong?"

"Is it just me, or does Estel keep looking at me? I feel a chill."

I was behind Sisha, so I wasn't always looking forward.

Plus, I prioritized checking the monitor glasses.

I peeked out from behind Sisha's back, and Estel was normally clinging to Nohl's back on the horse.

"Maybe it's just your imagination?"

"It's not! She's definitely looking at me—ah, our eyes just met!"

After pulling my head back, Sisha started fussing that she was being watched.

So I checked again, but Estel was still looking forward and not at us.

Hmm, are you overthinking it?

Even if she was looking, it's not like anything would happen.

"She's probably just making sure the support magic doesn't run out... probably."

"Ugh, please spare me! Ohtsuka-san, if anything happens, please protect me!"

"A, ah... sure..."

Sisha, with a voice on the verge of tears, pleaded for my help. She was quite scared.

Well, if I explain, she'll understand, and it shouldn't be a problem.

But if she really was looking, did I do something to offend her? I'm not sure.

The carriage continued without any issues, and after a short break to rest the horses, we moved for a few more hours.

"...Alright, it's about time."

"What's about time?"

"Hehe, watch this! Go, Sentitaur! With the beacon!"

I let go of Sisha and took out the beacon I had prepared from my bag.

Then, I made a silver liquid spurt out from the crystal on my shoulder and attached it to the beacon.

It grew to cover the entire thing, forming a round ball, which I then threw.

The silver ball flew into the grass at a running speed.

After completing its task, the Sentitaur turned into particles of light and was absorbed back into the crystal.

Hehe, this is the result of the special training I did over the past few days.

I can now make the Sentitaur move at a running speed!

"Whaddya think?"

"Ah... ah, that's amazing, yes."

I said confidently to Sisha, and she replied in a flat tone.

Her slightly turned face seemed to be saying, "Why are you so proud of that?"

"Hey, is that the reaction you want? With this, we can return home immediately after reaching Queres."

"It's amazing, amazing! The best, Ohtsuka-san! I love you!"

Despite my successful setup of the beacon, her reaction made me a bit sulky.

Traveling is the best time to do it, as it's the least noticeable. If I can do this, I can set it up without issues until we reach Queres.

In other words, I can return home immediately after reaching Queres.

Realizing this, Sisha suddenly started praising me.

What a dramatic change... she's in a good mood.

A few hours later.

"Mm, this is..."

"Is something wrong?"

"It seems monsters are approaching. I'll inform the carriage, so please ride alongside us."

"Understood~"

While checking the map on my monitor glasses, I noticed multiple red dots approaching us at a high speed.

Given the speed, they were likely wolf-type monsters.

To inform them of the approaching monsters, I approached the carriage Egons was controlling.

"Excuse me! It seems monsters are heading our way!"

"Really!?"

Egons looked around to confirm where they were, but the monsters were only visible on the map app and not yet in sight.

"Where are they? I don't see them in the visible range."

"I can detect the location of monsters to some extent. They are coming from the east at a high speed. Could you stop the carriage for a moment?"

"...Alright."

When asked where they were, I didn't mention the map app but only said I could detect them.

Egons looked at me suspiciously but seemed to believe me and signaled the carriage to stop.

Of course, it's hard to believe that someone can detect monsters that can't be seen.

There might be magic for that, but I'm not a mage.

Being B-rank might have helped in getting them to believe me.

"Did we stop for a reason?"

"Monsters are coming from that direction. At this speed... they're probably fast-running wolf-type monsters."

Nohl and the others, noticing we had stopped, quickly turned back.

I informed them about the approaching monsters, and everyone dismounted to form a protective circle around the carriage and prepare to fight.

Then, from a distance, multiple red wolves and a large number of black wolves appeared.

There were over 20 of them... fewer than the pack we fought before on a hunting mission.

"I see them!"

"Go!"

Even though we can handle it, we have to protect the people behind us.

I was about to tighten my focus when I heard Estel's usual battle cry from the side.

I thought, "Not again," and saw her holding a blue grimoire and lowering her staff.

A magic circle appeared at the tip of her staff, and a column of water extended forward.

Looking ahead, the water column hit the wolves, and they were blown away on impact.

Estel then swung her staff horizontally, and the entire pack of wolves running parallel was swallowed up.

When she stopped casting, all the wolves were gone.

"...Hey."

"Well, they were pretty weak."

That's overkill, overkill!

Sure, it's important to eliminate them before they get close.

But wiping them out in one shot is too much!

Looking at Egons and the others, they were staring at Estel with their mouths open in disbelief.

Yeah, that was definitely overkill...

"They weren't weak; it's just that Estel's firepower is too high..."

"The road is generally free of strong monsters... Estel's attack would have that effect."

"I tried to choose the magic carefully... but maybe it was too much?"

Estel seemed a bit dissatisfied with our reactions.

She probably avoided fire magic to prevent the horses from getting scared... I should praise her for that.

The issue is the power... but it seems she was holding back, so maybe I should just accept it.

"Um, the monsters seem to be defeated."

"...S, so they are. G, good job."

I confirmed with the map app that there were no more monsters around and reported to Egons.

He replied with a strained face.

Well, it ended well, so it's fine...

●

As the sky turned to a sunset hue, we stopped to set up camp.

"Rich people really do things differently, even in camping."

"Their tents look so comfortable. Ours aren't bad, but compared to theirs..."

Ardelber and the others had set up a large rectangular tent with four poles and a fabric cover.

It probably had enough space to walk around inside.

But since Egons and the others seemed to have a hard time setting it up, I decided to stick with our usual setup.

Our current tent is a dome-shaped one that can barely fit four people.

It's easy to set up and good enough for when we can't use Gacha items.

"Wow, is that a magic device too?"

"Probably. A magic stone containing fire magic. Let's light a fire, eh."

Egons and the others gathered firewood in front of their tent and held a red crystal over it.

The crystal emitted a red light, and the firewood instantly caught fire.

Impressed, we watched and then asked Estel to light our fire as well.

Without magic devices, it would be difficult to start a fire.

Even outside of combat, having Estel around is a big help.

After setting up and preparing the meal, we started eating around the fire.

Egons walked over from Ardelber's tent.

"Ah, thank you."

"Today, you did well. I appreciate it."

"No, no, it's our job."

We were thanked by Egons, probably because we had a job to do right away.

It's not like we did something that deserves thanks, but it feels good.

Still, to have a sudden attack by a pack of wolves... what Christopher said about increased monster attacks seems to be true.

It's not a problem, but we should stay alert just in case.

"I didn't expect a girl like you to use such powerful magic. Your spell earlier was impressive."

"Hehe, isn't it? You can praise me more, you know?"

"A, ah... well done."

Egons praised Estel.

She puffed out her chest confidently and then approached me.

I hesitated, thinking she might use even more extreme magic if I praised her too much, but I decided to do it anyway.

"Mm, what's up with that girl? She keeps looking at us... Ah, she just looked away."

"Ah, she's probably just interested in you."

"Me?"

Nohl, who was eating, looked in a certain direction and muttered.

I followed his gaze and saw Annelie looking at us.

Noticing she was caught, she quickly turned away and went into the tent.

I was wondering what was going on when Egons suggested that Annelie might have been looking at Estel.

"She's been interested in you since we first met. After seeing your spell earlier, she seems even more intrigued. Her husband was a bit troubled by it."

Indeed, she seemed interested from the start.

And after seeing the spell that wiped out the wolves, she became even more curious.

I wonder what would have happened if it had been a flashy fire spell.

Well, even that was flashy enough.

"Well, I'll leave you now. We'll keep watch all night, but we'll rely on you as well."

"Sure, we'll take turns keeping watch, so don't worry."

Egons returned to their tent.

During the escort mission, Nohl and I would take turns staying awake to keep watch.

Sisha might help if she can, but Estel would be allowed to sleep normally.

Not getting enough sleep could affect her magic use.

"Estel, why don't you go talk to her?"

"Hmm, we're hired help, so it might not be appropriate to approach her casually, don't you think?"

"Ah, you're right."

Since there was a girl around her age who seemed interested, I suggested she go talk to her.

Estel, placing her hand on her cheek, thought for a moment and decided it was better not to.

Indeed, as hired help, it might be rude to casually chat.

It's a rare opportunity, so I thought a little conversation wouldn't hurt.

It's a bit complicated.