The self-propelled wagon moved, ting-a-ling with its chimes.
Having left the Eastern Town, they had already passed three villages, but still had not encountered any monsters.
At this point, it was no longer a coincidence; something extraordinary was happening.
However, there was no way to know the cause, so Kousuke and the others continued along the road.
“…Could it really be the influence of the wind chimes?”
“That’s unlikely. If they had such a strong effect, someone else would have noticed and used them by now,” Shurein replied.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Kousuke, who had already dismissed the idea himself, nodded in agreement with Shurein.
Looking around, the other members nodded in a similar fashion.
Then, as if to elaborate on Shurein’s explanation, Silvia said with a thoughtful expression,
“It’s not impossible that the charm’s effect is amplified by Kousuke’s influence, but I don’t feel any such power.”
“Indeed. I feel the same,” Kouhi added.
With the two experts on charms agreeing, the theory that the wind chimes were preventing monsters from appearing was dismissed.
Aside from the wind chimes, there had been no other noticeable changes.
Therefore, as Kousuke tilted his head, wondering why they hadn’t encountered any monsters, Floria had something else on her mind.
“Why do you care so much? It’s not unheard of to go without an encounter for two or three days, is it?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
For merchants who traveled all over the continent, going without a monster encounter for a year or two was considered good fortune. To Floria, Kousuke’s concern seemed peculiar.
“Or rather, should I be concerned that Kousuke is concerned about not meeting monsters?”
Floria’s indirect words were understood by Silvia immediately.
“A flood?”
Floria was worried that Kousuke might be sensing the presence of a flood. Kousuke’s power as an avatar was allowing him to perceive anomalies in his surroundings, hence his overly sensitive reaction.
Aware that everyone’s gaze was upon him, Kousuke wore a slightly contemplative expression before shaking his head.
“No, that can’t be it. …Can it?”
As Kousuke tilted his head, unable to declare with certainty, Floria let out a huge sigh.
“Shouldn’t we confirm it?”
“Indeed. However, the question is, how far do we investigate?”
The roads of the Central Continent ran along the coast, making it easier as they didn’t have to check both sides. Nevertheless, investigating the entire area would cover a vast expanse. Furthermore, even if they were to investigate inland, the time required would vary depending on how far they extended their search. Most importantly, Kousuke and his group had a reason why they couldn’t explore leisurely at the moment.
Their attention shifted to the reason for their predicament—the children—and the adults wore troubled expressions. They were reluctant to make the children, who were accustomed to traveling, engage in such irregular activities. Even though the children wouldn’t be directly involved in the search, it was unclear whether remaining in one place would be beneficial for them. Moreover, the longer the exploration took, the more it would delay their journey.
As everyone pondered with furrowed brows, a voice emerged from an unexpected source.
“Shall I go and investigate?”
Kouhi’s offer surprised everyone except Kousuke. For Kousuke, however, it was not surprising at all. He knew from the incident with Towa and the others that Kouhi paid attention to Kousuke’s children. While this tendency lessened as they grew older, it was particularly strong when they were infants. Considering this, it wasn’t strange for Kouhi to volunteer, thinking of Miku and the other children traveling with them.
Seeing Kouhi look slightly apologetic, Kousuke immediately nodded.
“Yes, that would be the most reliable. May I ask you to do that?”
“Yes. Please leave it to me.”
With Kousuke’s permission, Kouhi smiled brightly and nodded resolutely.
***
About an hour after Kouhi went to investigate, Kousuke received a Divine Power Telepathy message.
“Master, is it alright?”
“Yes. It’s fine, but did you already find out? That was fast.”
Kousuke was genuinely surprised that she had contacted him so quickly.
“No, I apologize. I haven’t found out about the flood, but I’m contacting you about something else.”
“Something else?”
“Yes. Actually…”
Kousuke nodded in understanding upon hearing what followed.
“Ah, so that’s what it is. In that case, I think you can return… but could you continue the investigation for a bit longer, just in case?”
“Understood.”
Although Kousuke had discovered the reason for not encountering monsters, he asked Kouhi to continue her investigation as a precaution, and ended the telepathic communication.
As if noticing the Divine Power Telepathy, Silvia looked at Kousuke with a worried gaze as soon as he finished.
“Did you find something?”
“Yes, well. Once you know, the answer is simple, or rather… anyway, I think you’ll understand when we go a little further.”
Kousuke deliberately gave an ambiguous answer, merely adding that they would figure it out themselves and refraining from revealing the solution directly. He knew that the answer awaited them ahead. Therefore, he thought it would be good for passing the time. Noticing Kousuke’s intention, the women in the group began to consider the cause themselves.
Floria was the first to figure it out, followed by Silvia, Peach, Shurein, and Colette. By the time they encountered the cause of their lack of monster encounters, all of them had arrived at the correct answer, so there was no surprise at that point. However, their opponents were not so fortunate. As the self-propelled wagon approached, they became wary and shouted at them.
“Hey! You there… Wagon!? Stop!!”
A member of the Razek Amamiya subjugation force, mounted on a horse, shouted this. Of course, he was not alone. In a clearing suitable for camping, about a platoon of soldiers was gathered, peering at the wagon. They looked at the wagon moving without horses as if it were something eerie, yet with the resolve expected of members of the subjugation force, their gazes were fixed on Kousuke’s approaching wagon.
Noticing their stares, Kousuke muttered, “I’ve made a mistake,” and rummaged through the wagon’s luggage compartment to retrieve a piece of cloth.
“Hey! What are you doing!?”
When Kousuke briefly showed his face and then retreated back into the wagon to search for something, it would naturally seem suspicious. The soldier’s reaction was correct from the perspective of the subjugation force, but Kousuke’s subsequent actions were baffling and astonishing to them. Surrounded by soldiers, he calmly took out a piece of cloth without any apparent panic. Some of them tilted their heads, not understanding what was happening. As the captain, who was about to press further, was about to question him again, another soldier’s voice stopped him.
“Hey, wait!”
“Wha—!? Captain?”
Startled by the voice of the man leading their unit, the soldier turned to look at him. Amidst the attention of the soldiers, the man called captain slowly approached Kousuke’s wagon.
The reason they hadn’t encountered any monsters was thanks to the subjugation force. I’ll explain the details in the next installment. (You’ve probably guessed the reason.)
