Kousuke and his companions safely passed through the barrier guided by the Elves, arriving at a village where their wagon was kept. The fees had already been paid in advance, so they were able to retrieve it without any issues.
Having spent a considerable amount of time at the Elf Village, and with no particular business in this village itself, they were about to hurry back into the wagon and depart for their next destination when they were suddenly stopped by someone on horseback.
Surprised by the sudden halt of the wagon, Kousuke looked out from the front of the carriage. There, on horseback, was the Captain he had seen before, looking relieved. “Thank goodness. We made it in time,” the Captain said. Kousuke frowned and protested. “It’s not good at all. Interfering with a wagon’s path and stopping it like that, what’s that about?” “I apologize. To stop your wagon, this was the only way.” The Captain seemed to realize he had acted recklessly and immediately bowed his head in apology.
Kousuke considered whether he should be angry, but decided it would likely lead to more trouble, so he opted to quickly resolve the Captain’s business. “It’s fine now. So? What is it that you need?” Mitsuki, who was on the driver’s seat operating the wagon, had a dissatisfied look, but Kousuke suppressed it with a gaze and brought up the topic. The Captain nodded once at Kousuke’s question and began speaking. “It’s about that matter we discussed, but this isn’t the place to talk about it. Could you come with me?” Kousuke immediately replied to the Captain’s request. “I refuse.”
“Is that so? Then… what?!” The Captain, not getting the answer he expected, widened his eyes and asked again. “I said I refuse. Not only is our journey already being prolonged because of that matter, but further delays are problematic.” While they weren’t in a rush, Kousuke decided to use the need for haste as an excuse. The Captain’s expression turned troubled upon hearing this from Kousuke. He understood that his initial approach was mistaken and was likely genuinely at a loss, unable to press further.
With a look of resignation, the Captain brought up another point. “Don’t you want to know the conclusion of the matter?” “Not particularly. My involvement was solely on the Elves’ side. The Elves consider it concluded, so I’m not concerned with how your side handled it.” Kousuke’s words were dismissive, but he genuinely had no interest in how each country dealt with the aftermath. It seemed multiple nations were involved in the security detail, but it was unclear whether only one or more countries were actually involved in the kidnapping. To be blunt, Kousuke didn’t care. Kousuke had given Kouhi the letter hoping to bring some peace to Seuri Forest.
Kousuke’s words only made the Captain look even more troubled. Judging by his demeanor, he likely had orders from above to bring them along. Unfortunately, Kousuke had no intention of complying. “Or perhaps, will you apprehend us with your authority?” Kousuke said, knowing full well the Captain lacked such authority. Seuri Forest was a buffer zone, not belonging to any particular nation. The villages within the forest did not pay taxes to any country. This was precisely why the military patrols this time consisted of forces from multiple nations. If a military from a single country had acted, it could have been perceived as an invasion of Seuri Forest, a buffer zone. Given this situation, the Captain before him would have no authority to apprehend Kousuke. Of course, if the villagers had asked him to capture them, it would be a different story.
Watching the troubled Captain, Kousuke sighed inwardly. Kousuke’s cold attitude wasn’t solely due to the earlier obstruction. Kousuke was aware that Kouhi and Mitsuki had surely noticed as well. Someone had been observing them since earlier. Sensing the Captain’s predicament, that person finally revealed themselves. Emerging from behind a building, riding a horse, was a man dressed in what was clearly noble attire. “Wait, please. Won’t you listen for a little while?” From the Captain’s reaction, it was clear this man had been giving him instructions.
Glancing sideways at the noble, Kousuke let out another sigh and repeated himself. “I refuse.” “W-what?” The noble, evidently not expecting to be refused, looked surprised. “It’s probably something about noticing someone with the ‘King’s Commendation,’ but we have no intention of becoming your subordinates or following your orders.” “W-what did you say?!” The noble, perhaps not expecting such defiance from mere adventurers, turned bright red. “W-who do you think I am!?” he bellowed. Kousuke stated plainly, “I don’t know, and I’m not interested. More importantly, shouldn’t you consider more carefully the meaning of a single adventurer freely using the ‘King’s Commendation’ outside the country?” “W-what are you saying?!” The noble, his face red, asked again, not understanding Kousuke’s implication. However, Kousuke had no obligation to explain. With a deliberate sigh, Kousuke finally said to the noble, “If you don’t understand, why don’t you ask your friends around you?” The noble, blushing even more, said nothing further, perhaps unable to. After all, he knew that Kousuke possessed the ‘King’s Commendation.’
Dismissing the noble from his thoughts, Kousuke instructed Mitsuki. “Mitsuki, it’s fine now.” “Understood,” Mitsuki replied. Upon receiving Kousuke’s instruction, Mitsuki finally started the wagon. She had been waiting for Kousuke’s command until now. As long as she had Kousuke’s approval, there was no problem. Bypassing the Captain before them, Kousuke and his companions’ wagon finally set off towards their next destination. Whatever the noble was shouting from behind them was no longer their concern.
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Despite the minor disturbance, some time after leaving the village, Kousuke and his companions had already forgotten about the noble. Relaxing in the wagon, Kousuke was gently stroking Nana’s back while talking with Kouhi. “Hmm. Can we finally head to Gazenran Tower?” “Perhaps?” Kouhi’s ambiguous reply made Kousuke stop stroking Nana and look at her. “What do you mean?” “Well, with your luck, it wouldn’t be strange for some more trouble to occur in this forest.” “Ugh, that’s harsh.” Kouhi said this in jest, of course. Normally, Kouhi would make such jokes. However, she rarely did so in the presence of other members besides Mitsuki. In the management layer, there were usually other members around, so such jokes became rare. Kousuke was enjoying hearing Kouhi’s wit on this journey.
What happened? Originally, after the Captain, who belonged to one of the King’s countries, thanked Kousuke for his letter, he was supposed to have given them something equivalent to the ‘King’s Commendation,’ just like King Ernest, and that should have been the end of it…
Let me say it again. What happened? lol
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Bonus
Noble: “What are you doing! Chase them!” Captain: “Are we allowed to chase them?” Noble: “What did you say?” Captain: “Well, if we chase them further from here, it might become an international incident, don’t you think?” Noble: “……” Captain: “They possess the ‘King’s Commendation,’ which can be used openly even outside of Tauzen. I believe that adventurer was implying the same thing, wasn’t he?” Noble: “……”
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I put this in the bonus section because including it in the main text would have been ridiculous lol.
This chapter marks the end of the Seuri Forest arc. Next, we will finally head to Gazenran Tower. However, writing about conquering the tower will likely conclude the story very quickly. It’s fine if it ends, but… what should I do? Regardless, by the time everyone is reading this, several chapters will have already been pre-scheduled to be released.
