“Well then, let’s take a short break here.”
The coachman stopped the carriage and said to the passengers.
The carriage aims for the town of Tiol, taking about half a day. However, staying in the carriage the whole time would be a strain on the body, and the horses also need a rest. For this reason, they stop the carriage periodically for short breaks.
The coachman gives the horses food and water, and brushes them. Kent and Caro decided to sit a little distance away and rest.
“It feels like we’ve only progressed about 30% of the way, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. If everything goes smoothly, I think we’ll arrive by evening.”
Caro replied to what Kent said.
“Purururu, purururu…”
Suddenly, an electronic sound echoed.
“Is that from Kent’s terminal?”
Caro looked with a puzzled expression.
Looking at the screen, it was an incoming call from Emily.
“Hello?”
“Ah, is this Master? I believe you are on your way home, so is it alright?”
Emily’s voice came from the terminal.
“Huh? Is that Emily’s voice? What’s going on?”
Caro looked at the terminal with an expression that showed her head couldn’t comprehend it.
“Well, Emily has a similar terminal, and we can talk to each other like this. I hadn’t told you, Caro, but Emily’s abilities seem to have increased, and she can do things like this now.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Kent explained, and Caro replied with an expression that left it unclear whether she understood or not.
“Ah, that voice is Caro.”
“Um, Rachel?”
Suddenly, Rachel’s voice was also heard from the terminal.
“It’s strange to be able to talk like this even though we’re in completely different places.”
“I never thought that in this world, we’d be able to talk like this. I was surprised when Emily told me about the terminal. So, Brother?”
Rachel suddenly turned the conversation to Kent.
“What is it?”
“I want to buy something, so please approve the purchase.”
“I’ll bill you properly later, okay?”
“I know, I know. Well then, it seems like making this call will reduce your money, Big Brother, so I’m hanging up. See you later.”
The call ended, and the screen switched.
【Current Call: 1 minute 27 seconds. Call Fee: 60G】
It was displayed.
“It was charged!”
Kent was surprised. Then the screen changed again, and the purchase approval list was displayed.
“Let’s see, a sewing machine, thread, cloth, and scissors… Is she making clothes or something? For now, I’ll approve it.”
Kent pressed the approval button. The corresponding amount was deducted. The purchased items should have appeared at the location specified by Emily.
“Pirorin”
An email arrived at the terminal.
【Thank you, Brother. I received them. By your sister】
“That’s amazing. She can do things like this now too.”
Caro peered at the terminal screen with admiration.
“We’re departing soon~”
The coachman announced their departure. Kent and Caro returned to the carriage, and they set off once everyone was back inside. The passengers on the return carriage were Kent, Caro, Elnet, and two others who appeared to be merchants. A total of five people were on board.
“Kent, would you like some of this flat bread? It’s from town.”
“I’ll have some.”
“Here you go, Kent.”
Kent and Caro ate the flat bread they had bought in town.
“It’s not very tasty.”
“Indeed… Even flat bread can be made delicious depending on how it’s prepared.”
“Is that so? I thought they were delicious because they were made fluffy.”
“If there’s another chance, I’ll make it for you.”
“Really? I’m looking forward to it.”
Kent and Caro were having such a conversation while eating bread.
“Do you know a lot about making bread, Kent?”
Elnet asked Kent.
“I work at a bakery, so I consider myself to have a decent amount of knowledge.”
“Is that so? That’s interesting. Do you know a shop called Marie’s Bakery?”
“Ah, I work at that shop.”
Elnet said in surprise.
“What a coincidence. My sister likes the bread from that bakery. As I mentioned this morning, I also like their bread.”
“Thank you very much for saying so. I’m sure Marie would be pleased to hear that.”
“Is Marie, after whom the shop is named, the owner?”
“Yes. Caro also used to work there.”
“I see. So you became friends because you worked at the same place… is that right?”
Elnet said, observing Kent and Caro’s closeness.
“It’s not exactly like that, but due to circumstances, I was living as a guest at Kent’s house. We became friends after that.”
Caro replied to Elnet.
“Houhou, so you lived under the same roof? That’s enviable for young people.”
“My work was busy, but I enjoyed living with Kent.”
“So you spent fulfilling days.”
“Yes!”
Caro replied with a cheerful smile.
“Whoa!”
“Kya!”
“What is it?”
After traveling for a while, the carriage suddenly stopped.
“Excuse me, passengers. It seems bandits have appeared.”
The coachman quietly informed the passengers. The guards drew their swords and stood in front of the carriage.
“So they’ve come… You should prepare a wallet to hand over while you still can. If you hand it over honestly, you should at least not lose your lives.”
The merchant-like old man sitting with them said in a familiar tone of voice.
“He’s right, Caro, let’s hurry and prepare them.”
“Okay!”
Kent put his available money into a spare bag, leaving a not-suspicious amount in his usual bag. Caro did the same.
“Is this enough?”
“Done.”
Leaving a not-suspicious amount of money, Kent and Caro prepared the money to hand over to the bandits.
However, Kent, being strong-willed, had absolutely no intention of handing it over meekly. He decided to check the situation outside.
“Well, I don’t feel like just handing it over and saying ‘yes, thank you’…”
“Oh, Kent, you’re planning to fight? I can’t stand villains either.”
Kent took out his terminal and began operating it, as it was an emergency. He prepared several strong tear gas sprays, a telescopic baton for self-defense, and body armor. (These were not items found at a Home Center, but for some reason, they were on the purchase list.)
“Alright everyone, for safety, please put these on.”
Kent distributed the body armor to the passengers and taught them how to wear it.
“Shall we go out then?”
“Let’s do it!”
Kent and Elnet jumped out of the carriage.
“Oh, customers, please get back in the carriage, it’s dangerous.”
The guards were fighting in front of the carriage. However, Kent judged that the bandits deployed in front were clearly a diversion, with their movements aimed at buying time.
“Elnet, the bandits in front are a diversion. Keep watch around the carriage.”
“Is that so? Understood. Let’s do as Kent says.”
Kent stopped Elnet, who was about to move forward.
“There!”
Kent sensed a presence behind the cover and mercilessly sprayed it with a powerful tear gas spray. The range of this spray is about 5 meters. It can be sprayed over a wide area from a distance beyond the opponent’s sword range, so it could not be evaded and fell mercilessly on the bandits.
“Gyaaa, my eyes, my eyes—!”
“Kent, well done.”
Elnet leaped into the bandit’s guard and swung down his baton.
“Guh!”
“What is this lightness and ease of use?”
The bandit, who had been hit by the tear gas spray, was defeated by Elnet’s strike. Although he held a baton instead of a sword, his movements were as flashy as a swordsman’s.
“There!”
Kent found his next target and sprayed it with tear gas.
“It hurts, it hurts, my eyes, my eyes!”
“Gotcha!”
Elnet’s attack followed, and the bandit was defeated. After watching this, Kent’s gaze shifted, and he noticed the movement of a bandit who had evaded the tear gas spray.
“Damn it!”
It was too late when Kent shouted. One of the bandits tried to enter the carriage. However, tear gas was sprayed from inside the carriage, and the bandit rolled around, clutching his eyes.
“Urya!”
Elnet delivered the finishing blow to the rolling bandit, knocking him unconscious.
“Here too!”
Kent found his next target and sprayed it with a new can of tear gas.
“Gyaaa!”
“Nice one, Kent! Urya!”
“Guh!”
The bandit collapsed after receiving a blow from Elnet’s baton. Seeing the bandits trying to attach themselves to the carriage fall, the bandits fighting with the guards lost their will to fight and hastily fled. Four bandits were writhing on the ground around the carriage.
“This is quite powerful, so they won’t be able to move for a while.”
“Still, this weapon is light and easy to use. It’s good that no one died; it leaves a good feeling.”
Elnet said, swinging the baton Kent had lent him.
“Kent, are you alright?”
Caro, who had rushed out of the carriage, ran up to Kent.
“Thank you, Caro. I was honestly panicked when they tried to get on the carriage.”
“I only sprayed the spray, so I didn’t do much.”
It was Caro who sprayed the tear gas from inside the carriage. Since she also used spray for cleaning at Marie’s Bakery, she seemed to understand how to use it without explanation. It seemed she used the one Kent had left as a spare in the carriage.
“Kent, you’re amazing. Honestly, I’ve re-evaluated you.”
Elnet said with admiration.
“Passengers, while we appreciate your help this time, please don’t take such reckless actions.”
Kent and Elnet were warned by the coachman.
“Um, are any of the guards injured?”
Kent asked the guards.
“We’re fine. Just minor scratches, so don’t worry. However, it’s our fault for going ahead and putting the carriage in danger. We are grateful that you protected the carriage.
The guards bowed to Kent.
The captured bandits were tied up and guarded by the guards, and were made to walk along with them. They were to be handed over to the town guards upon arrival. After that, nothing else happened, and they safely arrived at the town of Tiol.
[Apology]
Regarding this story, I received a comment from a reader asking what happened to the body armor that was lent out to other passengers.
This was my mistake, and I wrote the story without remembering the existence of this item.
I considered a revision, but I judged that even if it were collected, it would increase baggage and affect future actions, so I could not revise the text. I wondered if it would be cleaner if they forgot to collect it and other customers took it home, but then there was the issue of whether body armor, being expensive, could be easily lent out. However, after considering various things, I decided that it would be better to interpret it as Kent forgetting about the body armor and neglecting to collect it. Although it is not mentioned in the main text, I will proceed with this interpretation.
Regarding the telescopic baton lent to Elnet, as will be mentioned later, he has taken it with him.
I apologize to some of you for causing discomfort with my handling of this matter.
[Posted on July 2, 2022]
