Manuela’s story of her past resolved my misunderstandings, though I was glad she was prone to tears. Had I believed everything she said, it would have led to serious trouble.
That night, Manuela stayed at the same inn, funded by my wallet. I had hoped for a “Night Crawl” or something similar, but our encounter did not develop into a personal relationship.
The next day, we parted ways with me mentally communicating, “Don’t come north,” and “That felt good.” If she ever became a prostitute, I would definitely visit her.
“You really wanted to eat her, didn’t you?”
As I left the city and began controlling the carriage, the devil’s interrogation began. Priscilla’s questioning was too direct. I didn’t fall for it, unlike the kind of response you might hear like, “Yes, I received it. No, I was received… haha.”
Should I have fallen for it? Or was it better that I didn’t? In the end, I think the answer depended on Priscilla’s mood.
“How long will it take to reach the northernmost bridge from here? You’ve only just entered Harm, haven’t you?”
Perhaps because I didn’t fall for her leading questions, Priscilla, in a transparent and easily understandable attempt to change the subject, steered the conversation towards the bridge.
“From here, it’s about ten days via Harm’s Royal Capital.”
“Is that so… Only ten days?”
Priscilla’s worried eyes, full of regret, were also endearing. We were finally getting closer to Harm’s sea. In Harm, I needed to deal with monsters and bandits without any lingering issues. I wanted to avoid any situations like the one with Manuela, with some exceptions.
“Alright! From today, it’s Reinforcement Month. The deadline is the northernmost bridge!”
A murmur rippled through the group. What foolishness are they spouting? My body won’t be able to handle it. It already takes ten days to reach the northern border, so what kind of Reinforcement Month requires this? I want to know the reason.
“I know you intend to eat Manuela.”
Are we bringing that up again?! I was the one eaten! Though I won’t say it… My misunderstanding was cleared up when I untied the ropes in the room, right? Let’s all go to the sea and have fun. Let’s play together by the sea.
“Pris-sis, what are we doing for Reinforcement Month?”
“Well, it’s Reinforcement, and we’re short on time, so it’ll be a two-person, three-shift system.”
From this point on, she has no intention of listening to me. A sword had already protruded from Alana’s Sword Gauntlet and was pointed at my throat.
Alana, moving beside the swaying carriage, skillfully kept the sword from touching me, but her eyes seemed to be reddening, which was frightening.
“Priscilla, are you serious about the three-shift system? Isn’t it a four-shift system?”
I knew that voicing any objection now would be ignored, but I just wanted to at least maintain the Guard Duty schedule. The White Lily Corps has six members in total. If we can make three pairs from that, the fourth Guard Duty should be my day off, making it a four-shift system.
“Why? With six people, it should be a three-shift system, right?”
“Doesn’t my Guard Duty count? Usually, the seventh day is my turn.”
“…I can’t do complicated calculations.”
It’s simple arithmetic! Even an elementary school student could do it. Weren’t you the Captain before me, Priscilla, managing the corps with calculations?
“First, it’ll be me and Alana. Then Christine and Sophia. After that, Orietta and Rufina will go. After one round, the partners will change.”
Without waiting for her to finish speaking, I let go of the reins and jumped off the carriage. I saw my own head flying off with Mind’s Eye.
“So fast. I haven’t given the start signal yet, but you’re eager, which is good. Christine, drive the carriage and go ahead. We’ll catch up shortly.”
With Priscilla slowly raising her heavy Halberd and standing defiantly on the carriage, even demons would probably run away.
“Sophia, grab my shield!”
Caught off guard, I had left my shield behind and called out to Sophia.
“It’s okay, I’ll go ahead. Priscilla, Alana, just try not to lose your heads, alright?”
“No worries. If heads fall, we’ll reattach them and make you undead.”
You guys! I’ll get you back during Guard Duty. I’ll definitely make you pay. And you can’t make someone undead if their head is detached, can you? Weren’t you going to turn them into Zombies? When did you change your beliefs?
“It’s alright. I’ll keep your head attached.”
You were aiming for my head just now! I saw it with Mind’s Eye. As Priscilla and Alana got off the carriage, Christine’s carriage smoothly passed by me.
As the carriage passed before me, I felt something like my heart being licked. Was it encouragement from Christine, or anticipation for the next Guard Duty?
“There will be no mercy, I will kill you.”
“I’ll kill you! I’ll do it!”
“Die, this time for sure…”
It was a fierce battle from there on. The combination of Mode Two and Mind’s Eye was on full display from the start. When Priscilla and Alana teamed up, there was no time to think; we were fighting each other.
There’s no way we could fight. The carriage had already gone ahead. I managed to knock Alana unconscious with a blunted strike, picked her up, and then chased after the carriage. Priscilla, armed with her Halberd, pursued me with a furious expression. This cycle repeated for eight hours. I seriously thought I was going to die.
After being completely exhausted, it was Christine and Sophia’s second round. Sophia, intrigued by the materialization of hearts, treated my heart like a toy, and they set up a soundproof Tent inside the cramped carriage. It was a mess for another eight hours. I seriously thought my back was going to break.
After those sixteen hours came the devil’s trio: Orietta, Rufina, and Rossa. It was supposed to be pairs, but they brought Rossa along too, for another eight hours. I expected some romantic antics, but it turned out to be combat training. Didn’t we just do that in the first eight hours? The first four hours were spent fighting, and the latter four were spent doing… I don’t know what. My head was spinning.
Then, for another eight hours with changed partners. Huh? I guess my day off really isn’t happening.
“Now, let’s fight!”
That was until we reached the town with the northernmost bridge. The journey to the northern border, filled with such intense Guard Duty that I have no memory of stopping in any towns or the Royal Capital along the way, left my stamina and spirit completely shattered.
“Tomorrow is the final day in the northern town of Lauenstein. Let’s make it flashy!”
I couldn’t hear those words anymore.
