Chapter 29

Regarding the indentation and the use of "…." that I had been pointed out before, I made a comprehensive correction the other day. If there are any typos or missing characters, please let me know.

It's a bit short... I'll upload the next chapter soon.

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I was being jolted in a carriage after work, heading towards the knights' garrison, but the carriage suddenly stopped. ...Huh, we haven't arrived yet, right?

"Mr. Tom, what's going on?"

"Oh, the road is blocked by the caravan's cargo."

Tom is the Stern family's dedicated driver. He always picks me up and drops me off.

I stuck my head out of the small window to check the front.

The cargo was lying on its side, and it didn't look like it would be cleared anytime soon.

Tom tried to turn the carriage around to take a detour, but another carriage had already pulled up right behind us.

At that moment, the horses suddenly started to panic.

"What, what! Hey, calm down!"

"Uh, uh, uh!"

The carriage jolted violently, and I clung to the floor of the cargo area.

Tom was trying to calm the horses, but they wouldn't listen.

"Hey, you! Get back, it's dangerous!"

"I'm fine! Good, good, calm down!"

A familiar voice echoed, and after a while, the horses calmed down. I got out of the carriage to see who it was.

"Sure enough, it's Alice!"

"Is that you, Noah? Are you okay?"

I nodded.

Why is she here?

After that incident, she said she would return to her hometown.

"Are you an acquaintance of the adventurer? No, I'm really grateful."

I didn't know what had happened in the carriage, so Tom explained.

Something had rolled in front of the horses, startling them.

Just as Tom was trying to calm the horses, Alice came and quickly calmed them down.

"I see. Thank you, Alice."

"I've been taking care of horses since I was young, so it's no big deal. Anyway, Noah, call me Alice."

"Okay, I understand."

"Can you stop being so formal? I owe you a lot, too."

That wasn't just my doing, and in the end, she was the one who worked hard. I told her that, but her stance didn't change.

She's pretty stubborn.

"This rolled in."

Alice picked up something from the horses' feet, which seemed to be part of the caravan's cargo.

"The cargo collapsed just now, and I was almost buried under it."

That's dangerous.

You must have avoided it with your reflexes. I'm glad you're safe.

But why did the cargo suddenly roll out?

A merchant's subordinate, who came to retrieve the cargo, bowed apologetically.

They didn't throw the goods, but they admitted that it was their cargo and that they were blocking the road, so they apologized.

After Alice almost got involved in the accident, she heard the merchant's story, but the details were unclear.

The ropes used to tie the cargo were supposed to be checked for strength and looseness multiple times, but the merchants themselves were puzzled.

"They don't seem to be bad people."

"Yeah. They apologized very politely at the time."

It seems no one was injured.

I asked Alice why she was in the capital.

"Actually, my travel funds were stolen. I ended up penniless."

"Stolen? How did that happen?"

Alice had prepared for her journey and was heading to the gate.

She was distracted by a girl who had collapsed on the road and put her belongings on the ground to help her.

A quick-footed boy took advantage of the situation and stole her belongings.

"The girl who collapsed was in on it. I didn't feel like chasing after them, so I gave up."

Fortunately, she still had her guild card and some essential items on her, but she lost her travel funds and supplies.

What bad luck.

She lost her brother, was scammed, and now her travel funds were stolen, leaving her unable to return home.

"Is it that you're too kind, or just unlucky..."

I chuckled, and Alice said with a slightly embarrassed and resigned look:

"I've been told that a lot since I was young."

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While we were talking, the cargo was moved to the side of the road, and a path for the carriage was cleared.

"Hey, it's Noah!"

"Hi, Noah!"

The voices came from the usual trio of apprentices, who seemed to be returning from their patrol.

Since they were there, I decided to walk to the garrison. Alice also said she wanted to see the knights' garrison.

I asked Tom to go ahead.

Fran was already talking to Alice. Or rather, he put his arm around her shoulder and was knocked off.

"Too familiar."

"What's wrong with you, you're so stiff. If you're Noah's friend, you're my friend, right?"

"Fran, Alice is a woman!"

When I said that, not only Fran but the other two were also surprised.

Her face is androgynous, and in her travel outfit, her figure isn't visible.

Once you know, she only looks like a woman, but during the six months, no one realized she was a woman. At first glance, she looks like a male adventurer.

With Fran apologizing profusely and Alice saying it was no big deal, we started walking towards the garrison.

2015/01/11 Correction