Chapter 15

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In the morning, I feel pretty good after waking up. I wash my face at the communal well in the middle and prepare breakfast. ... The front of the Adventurer's Guild is tense. Everyone is desperately trying to get a good job. Even though they can't read, they seem to understand the numbers to some extent. I guess they usually ask the receptionist to read it for them. At that moment, they must be feeling anxious. Well, it's none of my business, so I'll take my time and have breakfast. Today, it's a barley porridge with mushrooms and dried meat. I won't put in as much dried meat as yesterday. Yesterday, it was too salty.

After finishing my meal, I wash the pot and tidy up the tent, then wait near the carriage. I'm going to ride to the capital, Seronia. ... By the way, my sister Marie is in the capital. I probably won't see her, though.

"Seronia, 7 days, Seronia, 7 days."

"Seronia, 11 days, Seronia, 11 days."

"Seronia, 5 days, Seronia, 5 days."

There are three carriages going to Seronia. ... The difference in days is probably whether they make detours or not. Of course, they go without detours.

"Excuse me, I'm going to Seronia."

"To Seronia, it's 5 large copper coins. Do you have an adventurer's license? ... It's white. Okay, that's fine. Pay 5 large copper coins in advance. -- Get in."

"Is this carriage okay?"

"Yes, it's fine. Seronia, 5 days, Seronia, 5 days."

I quickly get into the covered carriage. I fold and stack my sleeping bag to sit on it. This is apparently the common sense for riding a shared carriage, as written in the Adventurer's Handbook. It's my first time riding a carriage, so I'm a bit excited. ... But no one else is getting on. Am I the only one? No, I must have arrived a bit early. ... But there weren't many shared carriages in the village either. I wonder if it's okay. At the entrance, I look around, but many people are getting on the 7-day and 11-day carriages. ... Maybe the longer trips are cheaper? Or maybe they are merchants who want to stay in the village longer. But merchants usually travel on foot, so this might be the shortest and more expensive route.

In the end, no one else got on this carriage. ... If I hadn't gotten on, what would have happened? Would it have left empty? This time, it seems I'm the only one using it. The carriage driver is apparently a kind of civil servant, so even without talent, it's a good job compared to being an adventurer. The ratio must be high. The lord pays for the maintenance of horses and other strange animals. You pay the fare as a tip. In return, you have to travel from village to village and submit reports. For example, if there are many bad harvests or deaths, you report to the magistrate or the lord. Therefore, reading and writing are essential skills. ... Being able to read and write is a big advantage, even in terms of work.

Well, it's not as bumpy as I thought. Even though there's no suspension on the covered carriage, the road must be good. Still, there's some vibration in my buttocks. If I hadn't used the sleeping bag as a cushion, it would have turned red. I'm glad I read the Adventurer's Handbook.

After being shaken in the carriage for half a day, we arrive at a village while it's still light. We'll stay here for the night. ... There are no adventurers in the church square here. There's not even one tent. I set up my tent right away and have some free time. ... Maybe I'll do some practice swings. This time, I'm the only one on the shared carriage. If monsters attack, I'll have to deal with them.

I hold a rapier in my right hand and a mangoush in my left, a two-sword style. This is a slightly unconventional style in this world, but the rapier feels natural in my hand. I have an image of a rapier being shorter than a shield, thanks to my memories from my previous life. I start practicing in the church square. I can feel the children's gazes, but I ignore them. It's more important not to die. You can't save your life with embarrassment.

... I think the power of talent is amazing. I can see the trajectory of the rapier. I can see how to swing it. When I swing it that way, the sword indeed moves in a trajectory that doesn't strain my body. And I can see the next trajectory. There are several options. I swing the sword as if tracing one of them. Even with body enhancement, I'm not being controlled by the sword. I can see a clear sword path. Talent is amazing, isn't it? This must be a cheat.

No, no, no pride, no pride. There are things I can do and things I can't, okay? ... Alright. But talent is really amazing. Being able to know what to do is almost broken, isn't it? I wonder what kind of swordsman Edwin, who received 6 stars, has become. With 3 stars, I can do this much. With 6 stars... I wonder what it would be like. Maybe it would enter an unknown realm. I might be able to cut things that can't be cut.

After practicing for a while, I take a short break and stop. Then I hear clapping from behind. I wonder who it is, and I turn around to see the carriage driver clapping. I wasn't a show, but maybe it looked like a kata practice? But I don't think I have the skill to deserve applause. I don't have any practical experience yet.

"Wow, that was impressive. A beautiful sword path. It was a sword path loved by talent."

"?? Loved by talent? Not the number of stars?"

"Yes. The number of stars doesn't matter. ... Well, it's not completely unrelated, but even with few stars, you can be loved by talent. The boy's sword path was exactly that. Even though it was self-taught, it had a natural swing and a seamless connection. I don't think it was the work of an untalented person. It would be impossible for someone of his age to reach such a level without stars and being loved by talent. That was the level of practice I saw."

"Thank you? But I don't really understand. I just swung according to the trajectory of talent."

"Indeed, you could see the trajectory. Normally, no matter how many stars you have, you can't see the trajectory of a sword path without a certain amount of training. But this young boy swings the sword as if he can see it clearly. Without being loved by talent, that would be impossible."

"... If you have talent and stars, can you see the trajectory?"

"Many things are invisible. ... No, it might be more accurate to say that they are not being seen. In the boy's case, it seems that trusting in talent led to a good direction. Talent was teaching him a natural sword path. No matter how much talent you have, if you just swing the sword in a self-taught way, it's said that even 10 stars wouldn't make a difference. ... But even with 10 stars, you would immediately feel a sense of wrongness and have more correct sword paths. Conversely, even with one star, if you are loved by talent, you would more easily feel a sense of wrongness and have more correct sword paths. The speed of improvement depends on the number of stars. However, that's only if you're on the right track. If you're off track, you won't improve no matter how long you practice."

"... I see. Excuse me, but are you a former noble?"

"Yes, I am. I'm a former noble who became a carriage driver after being given only 2 stars as a swordsman. I've been swinging a sword for 6 years. Even with 2 stars, I can see the sword path clearly. I am loved by talent. ... I can see why you're wondering why I didn't become an adventurer. The reason is simple. I happened to become a carriage driver. At first, I was an adventurer. But then a noble family I knew asked me if I wanted to become a carriage driver. With only 2 stars, I couldn't go any higher, so I decided to quit at that time. That's why I'm a carriage driver now."

"Thank you. I can understand that."

"Thank you. I try to make peace with it. But the boy's talent seems to be higher than mine. I'm a bit envious. I used to be an adventurer who admired the saga."

"I only have 3 stars, so I don't think I'm much different."

"If you have 3 stars, I think you are quite loved by talent. You seem to have the potential to become a skilled swordsman."

"Thank you. But my goal is to become an alchemist."

"I see. Having a clear goal is good. Even as an alchemist, a talent for combat is useful. The Iron Welcome faction is famous, for example. Your talent for swords won't go to waste."

What a former noble, yet a carriage driver. Former nobles can be found everywhere. ... Probably, the title of former noble is advantageous for employment. I think I'll see more of them in the future. In my memories from my previous life, nobles were mostly bad and seemed to be consumed by pride, but my previous life's memories are not reliable.

So, after the break, I resume my practice. ... If what the carriage driver said is true, even just practicing by following the sword path is a meaningful act. I can feel that talent is guiding me, telling me which way to go. A correct sword path should build efficient muscles. This must be proof that it suits me.

So, I practiced intensively until the evening. I felt the need to go to the bathroom, so I went to the village chief's house to use the toilet. I paid 1 small copper coin, as is the custom for adventurers. Then I washed my hands at the communal well and had my usual barley porridge with mushrooms and dried meat. It's not really cooking. I just boiled it. The mushrooms won't go bad if I keep them in a jar. I put 10 in a jar, but I didn't count them. Jars are convenient. I did the proper fire disposal and washed the dishes at the well before going to bed. Seeing that the first slime fuel is still usable, I might have been too greedy with 40.

In the morning, the sleeping bag wasn't that bad, and I got a good night's sleep. However, the farmers' mornings are early. They start working as soon as the sun comes up, so I wake up before the sun is up, wash my face at the well, and prepare breakfast. I use about one slime fuel for three meals. So, 40 might have been too greedy. I'll be more careful next time. After finishing my meal, I go to the village chief's house and practice with my rapier until departure. I need to train properly because if monsters appear during this trip, I'll have to deal with them all. I need to prepare my body to move.

Then, just as I'm feeling good about my body, someone calls me. ... It seems we're about to depart. I put my sword in the "Extend Space," take out my sleeping bag, and sit down. Then, the covered carriage starts moving again. It's still the second day, and I'm already getting bored.

Whether you found it interesting or not, I don't mind.

I would appreciate it if you could include a rating.

I don't mind even if it's just one star.

If you could give me 5 stars, I would be very grateful.

If you could also give me some feedback, I think it would help me improve my writing.

... Probably.