Chapter 14

"Already, the capital is so far away!"

Elysia's voice echoed from above my head.

We had been out of the capital for half a day, and we were riding Helwhite, heading for Tiars.

Helwhite is the name of the horse I bought yesterday, a foal born between a bicorn and a regular horse.

"Hey, Lord Alex. Is it okay not to look at the capital?"

What would happen if I turned around in this position?

Helwhite was carrying both Elysia and me. I was in front, and Elysia was behind me.

So, even a slight shake of Helwhite would cause something soft to touch the back of my head. Even without that, our legs were pressed together, which made things...

Anyway, I regretted not choosing a carriage or two separate horses.

However, considering the ease of teleportation, this was the best option.

Besides, we could store most of our luggage in the Pandora Box, so we didn't need a carriage.

I was wearing a black robe, and Elysia was wearing a matching one. We didn't look like royalty or nobility, so bandits might not attack us.

To hide my embarrassment, I said,

"W-well, I see the capital all the time... Besides, you can ride a horse, right?"

"I often rode donkeys. Besides, this one seems quite gentle."

"The stable owner said it was temperamental, though."

Helwhite didn't show any signs of disliking our touch.

"Still, we got out of the gate smoothly, didn't we?"

"There was no one to see us off at the palace. They probably don't care if we get captured by bandits."

"Once they see Lord Alex's magic, they won't say that anymore."

"On the contrary, they might fear and target me... Maybe some already are."

"Target Lord Alex? Even though you haven't caused any problems?"

I nodded.

"Elysia, you were in the monastery, right? You know about the Holy Order, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. They are a faction within the Lux religion that worships the Holy God as supreme."

Originally, the God of Darkness was believed to be equal to other gods. Even the vengeful gods were considered gods.

However, the God of Darkness gradually became despised and was no longer considered a god.

In this process, the idea of the Holy God as supreme, who bestows blessings on people, was created.

They have been gaining more followers each year, and now there are even members of the Holy Order in the upper echelons of the Lux religion.

"They openly despised us, the demons, and those with the Dark Crest."

"That's true. Not all of them, but some extremists plan to eliminate those with the Dark Crest."

"Could they target you, Your Highness?"

"There's a possibility."

Actually, I was targeted once before the reset. When I was attending the magic academy, a student from the Holy Order tried to kill me.

However, the incident was covered up, and the student wasn't even punished.

Feeling my life in danger, I had no choice but to retreat to the palace.

"That's troublesome. We need to be more cautious."

"There might be members of the Order wherever we go... But we have teleportation."

After confirming that no one was ahead, I teleported with Helwhite.

I had already tried it a few times, so Helwhite seemed to be getting used to it.

"I... I'm fine with going slower, you know."

Elysia said this with a slight hint of dissatisfaction.

I wasn't sure if I could keep my composure if we went slower.

We can't use it continuously now because we are still close to the capital and there are many people around, but in some places, it could significantly shorten our journey.

"Today, we're heading for a town called Lysion."

It would take two days on foot, but at this pace, we should arrive by early evening.

Suddenly, a voice came from ahead.

"Call the guards! It's a monster!!"

Looking around, I saw nearby peasants running towards us.

"Is it a goblin? ...No, that's..."

Chasing the peasants was a giant snake, about five times the height of a human.

"A Death Snake."

Among the monsters that appear near the capital, it is considered one of the strongest. There are records of it killing all the residents of a small village.

"What do you want to do, Lord Alex?"

"You're calm, Elysia."

"I've seen dead snakes of that size a few times at the temple."

"You've fought scarier things... I'll start with a Dark Slash. If I can't finish it, you'll use your sword."

"Understood."

We dismounted Helwhite and approached the Death Snake, exchanging places with the fleeing peasants.

"H-hey, you two!"

"Leave this to us, and run!"

With that, I extended my hand forward.

"–Dark Slash!"

I released a thin, dark magic power at the Death Snake, a spell derived from Wind Slash.

The skin of the Death Snake is said to be thick and as hard as iron.

Sure enough, one hit wasn't enough to—

"It's down!"

The Death Snake, cut in half, fell to the ground.

"Amazing, Lord Alex!"

"Ah, thank you."

...It went down so easily. I heard it would take a long battle for adventurers.

I approached it, but it showed no signs of movement. It was completely dead.

"Wow, it's really big up close..."

This was my first battle with a monster. I felt a sense of guilt seeing the red blood, but if left alone, it would have attacked nearby residents.

"Lord Alex, what should we do with this?"

"The skin and fangs are valuable. The meat isn't good to eat, and it has venom glands, so it's better not to touch it."

"Then, I'll take care of the dissection."

"Can you do that?"

"I can... really, anything. I can dissect anything."

"O-okay, I'll leave it to you."

Elysia skillfully dissected the Death Snake.

I used water magic to wash off the blood and wind magic to dry it.

Meanwhile, the peasants approached.

"Thank you. You really saved us."

"Thank you for the food."

They all left fruits near me.

I tried to refuse, but they left them behind. I decided to accept them gratefully.

After the dissection was complete, we loaded the snake skin onto Helwhite and left the scene.

"The skin of a Death Snake is valuable. It will bring in a good income. And... we got so much fruit."

"Let's enjoy it later. Apples are delicious when slightly roasted."

"Really? I'm looking forward to it."

"It's even more delicious as a token of gratitude."

And so, we continued our journey to the nearest town, Lysion.