Chapter 55

After finishing breakfast, we left the inn and headed out to do some shopping. Natalie and the others went to buy daily necessities, while Char and I went to the market to buy ingredients.

Char, walking beside me, was unusually cheerful. Although we couldn't tell when the pursuers might come, there was no point in worrying about it.

We walked through the market together, buying a large amount of ingredients. The shopkeeper, surprised by the quantity, asked, "Are you serious?" but when we explained that we had dimensional storage, he understood and sold them to us. It's a rare skill, but not unheard of, so it was helpful that the shopkeeper understood.

We stored the purchases in a secluded area of the store.

"Wow, you have a lot of capacity."

"Yeah, well. It's full now, though."

While evading the shopkeeper's question, we visited several stores to gather all the ingredients.

"This is my first time walking around the city like this."

"R-Really..."

As a princess, I can imagine that she wouldn't be able to walk around the city so casually.

"...But the citizens of the empire must—"

Char's expression gradually darkened.

"We need to help them..."

Char nodded at my words and smiled.

"I'll do my best with Al. But... please lend us your strength, Toya-sama. Please."

I lifted Char's bowed head and gently patted her on the head.

"It'll be fine. Let's finish shopping and leave the city. We have important citizens waiting, right?"

"Y-Yes!!"

"Come on, let's go."

I held out my right hand, and Char, looking happy, intertwined her hand with mine.

...Can't help it, I guess...

We continued shopping and, after stocking up on enough ingredients, headed to the meeting place.

◇◇◇

"You're late!"

That was the first thing we heard when we arrived at the meeting place.

"That's right. Natalie's dimensional storage was full, so I had to carry all this heavy stuff."

Natalie and Al followed.

There was a pile of items like a small mountain. Even Char and I couldn't help but chuckle at the amount. Thanks to our significant level-up, our stats were quite high, allowing us to carry a quantity that a normal person couldn't.

Even if we met in a secluded place, carrying this much would still attract attention. We quickly stored everything in our dimensional storage. In less than five minutes, the small mountain was gone.

"Alright, this should do. Let's leave the city after lunch."

"Yes!"

"Understood."

The four of us finished lunch at a nearby restaurant and walked out of the city. About two hours north of the city, there's a forest that serves as a hunting ground for adventurers. Beyond that, you can reach the Lunette Empire. However, deeper in the forest, powerful monsters roam, and high-rank monsters will attack if their territory is invaded.

Dumbler doesn't have many high-rank adventurers, so we should be able to avoid people by going deeper into the forest. As we walked, we saw carriages filled with adventurers heading into the forest. They were likely carrying materials gathered from hunting.

With so many people around, we decided to hold off on using the Kokuyou and the carriage.

"I think we can reach the forest in two hours. We want to set up a base deep inside before nightfall."

"Right... We can't use that 'house' in a place where people can see it."

Natalie agreed.

Dum dum dum dum...

As we walked, we heard a rumbling sound from behind. Turning around, we saw soldiers on horseback charging towards us. More soldiers were running behind them.

"Trouble... They might have found us. Get your weapons ready."

The three of them nodded, their expressions serious. I hoped it was a mistake, but we prepared to wait in a secluded spot.

We hoped they would pass by...

However, they were clearly after us.

As they approached, the horses slowed down and stopped a few dozen meters away. The soldiers then ran up to us.

"Finally caught up!!"

Following the shout, I saw the Guild Master who had visited our mansion a few days ago. The tax collector was beside him. There were also men in fine robes and soldiers in unfamiliar armor—armor I had seen before. They were soldiers from the Generate Kingdom, about twenty of them.

There were easily over a hundred people, including not just soldiers but also adventurers. I couldn't help but chuckle at how many they had gathered.

The soldiers spread out to surround us, and the man in the fine robe stepped forward, flanked by soldiers.

"Your face is unmistakably that of the princess of the Lunette Empire. You look just like the portrait in the castle. ...Adventurer, if you hand over that girl quietly, we'll spare your life."

I sighed at the man's smug smile.

"I already refused that yesterday, didn't I?"

I glared at the Guild Master with a hint of killing intent, and he stepped back, though he still tried to act tough. With so many people, it's understandable he felt confident.

"Today, I've brought this many people. Even you can't handle this many."

I stood in front of the three of them and pulled out a two-handed sword from my dimensional storage, resting it on my shoulder.

"Are you really going to try to capture me with just this many? Isn't that a bit too optimistic?"

"I'm not alone."

"Neither am I."

"Nor am I."

Char, Al, and Natalie stood beside me. Seeing their determined faces, I couldn't help but smile.

...They look ready for a fight.

Seeing us ready our weapons, the Guild Master's forehead veins bulged.

"Four of you think you can handle this? Look at the number of people here!! We have soldiers from the kingdom and high-rank adventurers from the city. And you think you can handle this!?"

"Yeah, no problem. We have four of us."

The battle between four and a hundred began—.

Thank you as always.

It's the last day of March. Tomorrow is the start of a new semester.

I hope everyone has a great new semester!