Chapter 15

The next morning, when I woke up, Jin had shed his skin.

No, not really. He had shaved his beard and tidied his hair, and he looked incredibly handsome. With his fiery red hair and wild, beautiful sky-blue eyes, he was a real heartthrob.

There must have been a different person inside that messy hair and beard. When he greeted me in the morning, I didn't know who it was at first. The shock when I recognized Jin by his voice was immense. Why doesn't he always take care of his appearance? It's a waste.

According to Jin, during his travels, it's too much trouble to always keep his hair and beard trimmed, so he usually lets them grow out. That way, he doesn't get recognized as a prince, which makes things easier. He looks like a bandit, after all.

When I asked if it was okay to be recognized as a prince while the journey was still ongoing, he said that if he walked around with me or carried me, it would look like kidnapping. I can't argue with that. Walking is one thing, but I think he should stop carrying me.

"But Jin, you look so young when you tidy your hair and beard. How old are you?"

"22."

"Wow! I thought you were around 38!"

"Ha ha ha."

The strange laugh came from Barry. Jin looked a bit depressed.

"Ah, sorry. But you look great, Jin. Yeah, you look like a prince without the beard."

When I hurriedly complimented him, Jin blushed slightly and looked embarrassed. Without his beard and hair covering his face, his expressions were even easier to read.

"Do you like me better with a tidy beard and hair, Shina?"

"Hmm? I don't mind either way. Whatever is more comfortable for you, Jin."

"Is that so?"

Jin smiled happily. Yeah, my male colleagues from my previous life used to say that morning shaving is as troublesome as women's makeup. They got a lot of flak from the women, though. I argued with them too. They don't know the effort women put into their eyebrows, which can vary from day to day. Men can groom their eyebrows too, you know. Damn, I was just clumsy.

Anyway, whether Jin is a rugged lion or a rugged heartthrob, it doesn't matter to me. I know him inside and out, so I'm not going to get all giddy now. He's a good person, but I don't want to be part of the royal family.

The transformed Jin was a big hit with the women in town. He was immediately recognized as a prince and was constantly surrounded by beautiful women.

I watched from a distance, thinking it must be tough for him. Getting involved would be scary, so I avoided it. But it was a feast for the eyes to see so many beautiful women.

Aile is a fairly large town, so there were many daughters of minor nobles and wealthy merchants, and they were fiercely competing for Jin.

Jin, being single and without a fiancée, was considered a prime catch in the Marita Kingdom.

Disgusted, Jin decided to leave for the next destination, Kyrat, that same day. So soon.

Our carriage journey resumed. We had stayed in Aile for about three days, but Kiri and I had a great time shopping and sightseeing. Yeah, it was fun. It was a normal town, but compared to the Glass Forest, it was a world of difference. Of course.

But the other members, especially the old man, were very busy. Jin's sudden decision to leave caught them off guard, and they had to hastily arrange contracts with the adventurer guild, and for incense and herb mixtures to repel monsters. Sorry, old man, it's mostly my fault.

Inside the carriage, the cushions and capes we bought in Aile were a big help. They were warm and cute, making the carriage ride twice as enjoyable. The cushions were a matching design in different colors for Kiri and me. I splurged a bit on the cape, choosing a soft one. It was white with floral embroidery on the hem. I cast a stain-resistant spell on it to keep it clean. At 12 years old, it's not too cute, right?

The comfort of the cushions and cape made it easy to doze off, which was a bit of a downside. When I woke up, I often found myself on Jin's lap with the cushion, which was frustrating.

About 10 days into our leisurely journey, when we were talking about being about 3 days away from Kyrat, Jin's face suddenly turned serious after receiving a message through a communication spell.

"Kyrat is under attack by a group of monsters."

He solemnly announced this. Kyrat is a fortress city, and monster attacks are not uncommon. But for Jin to react like this...

"The Kyrat guard and the Marita Kingdom's resident troops were handling it, but the group includes many S-class and A-class monsters. The Marita Kingdom's knights have been dispatched, but the situation is not good."

The old man gasped. He has a trading post in Kyrat, and his second son and his family live there.

"Prince Jin, is the city safe?"

"The monsters haven't entered the city yet, but there are many of them. Reinforcements are on the way from the capital, but it's uncertain if they will arrive in time."

The old man's voice trembled, and Jin looked grim.

"Zain, Shina, and Kiri, return to Aile. Zain, borrow two horses. This carriage can be pulled by the remaining one."

The trading was supposed to end in Kyrat, and they were to return to the capital after that. The cargo was light, so one horse could pull the carriage, but...

"Barry and I will go to Kyrat for reinforcements."

Jin's calm words were met with a nod from Barry. Despite his usual carefree demeanor, he was the type to follow without hesitation in situations like this.

"Jin..."

"It's okay, Shina. I'll come back for you after I deal with the monsters in Kyrat. Wait for me with Zain and the others."

Jin rarely avoided my eyes and spoke quickly. He lies like this. It's so obvious.

But I don't want him to decide our destination without asking Kiri and me. We should have a say too!

We've had such a fun journey, and you've been so kind to us. We can't just say goodbye like that.

The old man's family is in Kyrat, and I understand Jin's desire to protect the Marita Kingdom. I want to help too!

I looked at Kiri, who smiled and nodded. The old man, on the other hand, looked scary. Ah, he definitely doesn't want us to go to Kyrat.

"Okay! We're going to Kyrat too!"

When I casually raised my hand, Jin's face turned scary.

"No way! There are S-class and A-class monsters!"

"Kiri and I hunted monsters in the Glass Forest a lot."

Thanks to that, we earned a fortune, like winning the lottery.

"But it's dangerous! I promised not to put Shina in danger. I don't want to repeat what happened in Daido Kingdom!"

Ugh. He did say that. But Jin and the others might be in danger too.

"I can use holy magic. There might be injured people. I can be useful."

"I don't want to use Shina's powers for our convenience!"

Hmm. He's stubborn.

I moved closer to Jin and looked up at him. For the final push, I used my acting skills to make my eyes tear up. My super-popular friend from my previous life said this works to win over men. Will it work? I'm going for the cute child look, not the sexy one. Time to go all in!

"I'm worried about you, Jin. Is that not allowed?"

"Ugh..."

Jin's face turned red instantly. One more push.

"I want to be with you more, Jin."

A single tear rolled down my cheek. Oh, it overflowed.

In the end, we all decided to go to Kyrat.

My friend was right. She was indeed super-popular.

◇◇◇

We rushed to Kyrat, driving the carriage at top speed.

Until now, they had been considerate and driven slowly to avoid jostling us. At full speed, the carriage shook terribly. Opening my mouth felt like I might bite my tongue.

The carriage ran day and night. I cast recovery spells on the horses and everyone while making armor for Barry and the old man. For Barry, I made a bracelet like the one I gave Jin, which boosts magic power, defense, and physical abilities. For the old man, who couldn't fight, I focused on defense and added an automatic recovery function.

We arrived in half the time it should have taken, in one and a half days. The horses were amazing, they worked so hard.

From a distance, we could see smoke rising from the fortress city of Kyrat, illuminated by the morning sun.