I have changed the chapter structure.
The story of the journey of three people and one beast will be the third part.
This concludes the first chapter of the third part of this story.
The travelogue will still continue~.
Having finished meeting with the King, Kousuke and his companions completed their travel preparations and were about to leave the royal capital.
The wagon that Kousuke had intended to buy before departing from Sauril City was finally obtained in the royal capital.
This time, he was able to acquire the wagon safely without being disturbed by anyone.
The animal hitched to the wagon was not an ordinary horse, but a trained monster called a Wild Horse.
These monsters look almost identical to horses, but they are faster and have superior stamina, making them highly valued for cargo wagons.
However, unlike regular horses, they are very difficult to breed, which is why they fetch a high price.
Furthermore, because they are originally monsters, they are also extremely difficult to handle.
Once they acknowledge a master, they will not defy them. However, gaining their acknowledgment is incredibly challenging.
If they do not acknowledge you as their master, you obviously cannot purchase them.
This applies in other countries as well, and if it is discovered that they were acquired illegally, severe penalties will be imposed.
Even though they are sometimes brought into towns as draft animals, being suddenly rampaged would be problematic everywhere.
However, Kousuke, who had Nana with him, was immediately acknowledged as their master, allowing him to purchase them without any issues.
Claire and the others watched Kousuke’s party preparing their wagon with wry smiles.
Their expressions clearly conveyed that there was no point in being surprised by Kousuke’s actions anymore.
“I thought you bought a sturdy wagon, but I never expected two Wild Horses,” Claire said.
The wagon Kousuke’s party was going to ride in was a specially modified, highly stable model used by nobles and wealthy merchants, unlike those used by ordinary peddlers.
The wagon currently before Claire’s eyes was created by further customizing that model.
Although it was customized, they wanted to depart as soon as possible, so it was only a minor modification.
Nevertheless, the specifications were incredibly luxurious compared to ordinary wagons, causing Claire’s entire party to wear wry smiles.
“I envy Kou for being able to buy something like this so casually,” Carla said with a heartfelt sigh.
“Hahaha. Well, in my case, I have income besides my earnings as an adventurer. I splurged since I had the chance,” Kousuke said with a laugh. However, considering Kousuke’s current assets, it wasn’t an amount that could be considered a splurge, but he decided not to mention that.
“Tch. That’s enviable. I wish I could say something like that just once,” Claire said enviously, shaking her head.
Kousuke, thinking that anything more he said would sound like a complaint, quickly changed the subject. “You all must have earned quite a bit here as well?”
“Yep. It’s the Adventurer’s Guild in the royal capital, after all. If you don’t pick and choose, there are plenty of decent requests,” Claire said casually. However, that was a statement only possible for someone with considerable skill as a Rank D adventurer. Kousuke’s assessment was that she had enough ability to move up to Rank C without any problems. The reason their rank was low was because they often undertook requests that no one else would take and failed them. They themselves laughed it off as part of the experience, but it was a side note that the Guild found it a waste.
“Are you all returning to Sauril?”
“Yep. That’s our base.” Claire smiled at Kousuke’s question. Her expression showed that she truly cherished the town. “Do you guys have a destination?”
“Huh? Didn’t we discuss it?” Kousuke, who thought he had already talked about it during their journey to the royal capital, remembered that they hadn’t when Claire asked. “We’re heading west for now, but we don’t have a specific destination. Well, we are thinking of going to Gazenran Tower on our journey.”
Upon hearing Kousuke’s words, Claire’s expression changed to one of understanding. “I see. It seems like you guys could earn a lot there too.”
“Have you been there?” Kousuke asked, curious. Claire nodded. “Yeah, before I teamed up with these guys. Well, it was a foolish impulse of youth.” Kousuke also laughed at Claire’s embarrassed smile, which he seemed to be showing for the first time. “Is that so? Well, our motivation leans more towards sightseeing, though.”
“Haha. With you guys, you might even be able to conquer it?” Claire said jokingly, but Kousuke inwardly thought, “Actually, I think we can,” but of course, he wouldn’t say such a thing honestly. “We certainly won’t do that,” Kousuke replied, laughing.
After a considerable amount of conversation, Kousuke and his companions couldn’t just stand around talking forever. They brought their conversation to a close and boarded the wagon. Kousuke was scheduled to be the driver at first.
“See you,” Claire said, raising her right hand as Kousuke sat on the driver’s seat. By the way, Yuri, who was regretting his drinking mishap, was looking at Kouhi and Mitsuki with reluctance. He wore a very transparent expression, but Kousuke deliberately chose not to say anything.
“Yeah. See you again, somewhere.”
“Ah. See you again, somewhere.” After exchanging the typical adventurer’s farewell, Kousuke slowly started the wagon. This greeting is used by adventurers, who don’t stay in one place for long, when parting ways. It is said to have become established over time, as they often unexpectedly meet again in different places. Kousuke also liked this greeting and used it when parting with adventurers. Thus, Kousuke and his companions left the royal capital of the Thausen Kingdom.
***
King Ernest, gazing at the royal capital from the window of his private room in the castle, let out a sigh. “I suppose I can’t see it.” He had heard yesterday that the Avatar was leaving the royal capital today. He had heard reports that after some delays with ordering the wagon, they were finally setting out. He was curious and peeked out the window, hoping to catch sight of them, but naturally, with so many wagons on the main street, he couldn’t tell which one they were in, and he sighed. “Will the things that person brought be a good thing for this country…?” King Ernest murmured, his gaze falling upon his desk. There lay a magic tool, one that he didn’t recognize as a communicator. Muttering to himself, King Ernest shook his head. “No. It’s not ‘if it will,’ it’s that it must be done.” He renewed his resolve, but no one was there to hear his words. He had asked to be left alone for a while, dismissing his retinue.
The incident with the “Tribute” had resulted in a rather large-scale purge. Since the mastermind behind it was the commander of the Knight Order, the penalties would be quite severe. However, to prevent the true purpose of the “Tribute” from being known, the処分 would be carried out under a different pretext. He had also spoken thoroughly with the top figures at the Adventurer’s Guild in this city. The “organization” that attacked the merchant caravan was also to be dismantled by the country. Now that they were weakened by Kousuke’s counterattack, it was possible. He didn’t expect this to lead to a deterioration of relations with the kingdom. This was part of their “reward,” but they had received more than that. He didn’t know for what purpose the Avatar had given him the “communicator.”
“Well, that aside… I have a feeling they’ll get caught up in more trouble ahead… Hmm. I don’t want to think about it.” King Ernest’s thoughts had strayed, and he was pondering such trivial matters. However, once he started thinking, his mind wouldn’t let go of the subject. “I heard they were riding in a wagon that would make them stand out… No, even without the wagon, it would be the same.” The King recalled the two beautiful women accompanying Kousuke and reconsidered, realizing that it was impossible for them not to stand out. At the very least, rumors of Kousuke and his party had already spread among the nobles of the kingdom. Since the wagon they were riding was apparently easily identifiable, it would be possible to distinguish it. He wanted to believe that no fool would dare to lay hands on Kousuke and his party, who possessed the reward, but he couldn’t quite shake his disbelief when it came to nobles. King Ernest couldn’t help but wish they wouldn’t do anything foolish. Kousuke and his party chose to stand out this time. They finally realized (or resigned themselves to the fact) that with Kouhi and Mitsuki by his side, there was no option but to stand out.
Perhaps next, I’ll write about the magical modification of the wagon (tentative plan).
