Volume 12 - CH 1

Vol 12 Chapter 1

A carriage moved through the road in the forest.

It entered an open space that was set up beside the road and stopped moving forward.

“Mr Yuuji, we take a lunch break here”

“Okay, roger! Alright, we’re getting off here everyone~”

Replying to Kevin’s words who called out from the coachman’s seat, Yuuji instructed everyone inside the wagon.

The rear curtains of the covered wagon opened, and Kotarou jumped out and stretched her body at once. Is she a cat? Since departing in the morning, Kotarou had been obedient in the carriage the whole time, but it seems she was about to get tired of it. She viewed the surrounding forest and sniffed. I wonder if I should run starting in the afternoon, was what she seemed to be saying. What a capricious woman.

After exiting next, Yuuji turned around and held up his arms for Alice. He put down Alice and next he carried Riese and put her down. Is he a male carer?

The two girls, just like Kotarou, looked restlessly around with great interest. The seamster Yurshelle got off the carriage without Yuuji’s help. Yuuji does not seem to have any luck with women at all. Well, Yurshelle was a married woman though.

During the time Yuuji’s group was getting off the carriage, the trio of horseback riders, guildmaster Salomon and Kevin’s exclusive escorts, got off their horses. They promptly linked the horse to the fence that was prepared in the open space.

Moved from the coachman’s seat to the wagon bed and began his preparations with rustling sounds. Fodder, water and brushes; it seems he was getting ready to look after the horses.

Yuuji was left behind by the flowing movements of the people experienced in travelling. As if he recalled it, he prepared the camera and photographed everyone who were standing in the open space as well as the carriage and the horses.

The small open space inside the forest where the spring sun was shining.

There was nothing there, but it had the perfect sight for a picture.

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“But still… it’s amazing, isn’t it!? To think there’s an open space where you can rest on the way”

“Yes. This road is like this, but these are usually set up at often used roads. It’s a welcome situation for merchants”

“Walking… that still looks tough…”

“In the case you go on foot, you would go rest at these resting areas after all. Just as you’ve said, it’s quite draining”

Kevin gave a distant look as he spoke to Yuuji. It appears that he also had experience of peddling by foot.

“Yuuji-nii, could it be warmed up now!?”

‘Is it about to be? Could it be soon, I wonder?’

Alice, who was sitting next to Yuuji, called out to him. Alice and Riese’s eyes were pointed towards the pot that was on a simple earthenware charcoal cooking stove that was installed in the open space.

The canned food Kevin had brought as both meals for during the trip and samples.

By Yuuji’s advice after seeing the installed cooking stove, they were heating it in water. Incidentally, for water they used what was loaded in the carriage. It seems there will be an open area ahead that is furnished with a watering place, but this place had none.

“Uhm, I guess it’s good”

Yuuji answered the two girls with shining eyes. Well, he was only warming up the canned food in water. It is not so difficult that one needs to check it, but this is the first time for anyone except Yuuji and Kevin’s group. It was not unreasonable for them to check with Yuuji.

“Now, shall we sample it? Aias, Ianis”

Kevin took out the warmed canned food and called out his two exclusive escorts.

The two drew out a dagger and opened the can.

Alice and Riese stared in wonder as if they were surprised by those movements. Also Kotarou. She wagged her tail and acted as if she was trying to say not bad.

“Ah… Mr Kevin, this time I’ll show you the can opener. I think it’s probably not that difficult, so…”

“A can opener, you say? Could it be some special technique? Like a manner of swinging the sword?”

“Ah, no, it’s a tool to open canned food!”

The canned food was something Kevin commercialized per Yuuji’s suggestion. Sales had started, but the amount distributed was still few. Due to merchants and adventurers who purchase preserved foods having edged tools, it had not become a problem up until now. Well, the early stages of canned food on Earth seemed to have been opened with hammer and chisel though.

“Aah, it may be convenient if we have that. Now then everyone, let us sample it!”

The well built Kevin shook his belly and declared.

Wan wan, barked Kotarou. As if to say tasting you say, doesn’t sound convincing with that belly of yours.

“Isn’t it delicious, Mr Kevin!”

“So the portion made in winter can be eaten even in spring… Yes, it hasn’t spoiled either. Even the guild will…”

“It’s delicious, Yuuji-nii!”

‘Isn’t this a snow rabbit dish! What is this, it’s amazing!’

“Yup, it’s delicious. The taste hasn’t deteriorated either. Looks like this will go well, doesn’t it…”

What Kevin provided was a snow rabbit stew that was created with the recipe provided by the head chef of the feudal lord’s mansion. It was the high-class goods which they had just begun their trial sales this spring. 

It was not that he was testing it with the members who were going with him with the trip as the pretext. It was while they were escorting the elven girl Riese to the royal capital. It would become a catastrophe if she were to get an upset stomach. They were surely not supposed to be human sacrifices. Incidentally, his two exclusive escorts were eating different preserved food.

“That’s right, Mr Yuuji. Please tell Miss Riese. That she should make sure not to speak in elven language once we arrive at the inn town. It may be inconvenient though…”

“Eh? Why? They didn’t mind in the city of Premie right?”

“The city of Premie is a city where immigrants gather. That’s why there are also occasionally people who speak in different languages. Since those sorts of people pass through inn towns, there may not need to mind it so much, but… There’s no doubt that they’re more unusual than in Premie city”

“Really, so it’s like that… Alright”

Yuuji did not look like it clicked to him. That was natural. Even if he were among the mixed people of Premie city, the words he heard were nothing but words he could comprehend. It was natural that he did not notice.

‘Riese, he said to make sure not to speak in elven language when we reach the inn town’

‘Okay! Travelling incognito isn’t it!? It’s an adventure!’

Riese readily nodded to Yuuji’s words. It seems her adventurous spirit was stimulated by the development that is common in stories of traveling while concealing one’s social status.

Facing Riese who was like that, Kotarou barked twice. As if to say A lady shouldn’t be shy in that way. But that reached neither Riese nor the group. Since she was a dog.

In the middle of their journey to the royal capital.

Its first day passed by peacefully.

Incidentally, before they ended their break and had departed, Yuuji took photos of the departing horse riders and wagon, as well as the wagon travelling through the road. He could not take a good picture when riding the wagon. Yuuji, he seems to have gotten completely used to his work as a cameraman.

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“Mr Yuuji, we can see it now. That is the first inn town”

“Oooh! …Huh? It’s kind of tiny?”

“It is. When going to the royal capital, this will be the first lodging and the last lodging when coming from the royal capital. It is a short distance to Premie city after all”

The inn town came into the eyes of Yuuji as he cheerfully set the camera and began his photography. It was a settlement with five buildings of various sizes. Surrounding the settlement was a wooden fence. It was smaller than the one at the pioneer land of Yuuji’s group.

Yuuji was disappointed, but Alice and Riese seemed to be different. They must have been affected by the atmosphere of the travel.

The journey to the royal capital, it’s first day.

Timewise it was past 3 pm. Yuuji and company arrived at their first inn town.

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“It is a more elegant building than I thought”

The group entrusted the horses to someone, requested replenishment like water and feed and placed their luggages.

The inn was a two storied building, and the first floor was a dining hall and tavern. Yuuji, Riese, Alice, Kotarou and Salomon shared one room. The remaining ones shared another. Each room still had plenty of space left.

The sun had already gone down, and so the group gathered in the dining hall/tavern on the ground floor and was having dinner.

“Yes. You see, the feudal lord too has been making use of this inn when he moves”

“Aah, I see! Huh? But, considering…”

“Well, the feudal lords of Pasteur territory had also been knights for generations after all. I have met him for the first time as well, but the feudal lord is that sort of person. There have hardly been events where other nobles visited the city of Premie. That’s why it is called a remote region”

Kevin explained, while showing a bitter smile.

“Mr Yuuji, normally nobles would reserve the inn they would stay, and the escorts they would bring would reserve and stay in a different inn”

“Oh…”

“But, this is the only large inn in this inn town. If you’ve listened just now, the feudal lord alone would reserve the inn and the other people would make camp it seems”

“That too is a very tough …”

“Yes, he is unlike the nobles. And he also have quite the few numbers of attendants it seems”

Yuuji, while having a conversation with Kevin, fleetingly dropped his sight to the bowl in his hand.

Currently they were in the middle of their dinner. Therein was a soup with vegetables and some meat. Besides that were bread and cooked beans on the menu.

In the beginning, Yuuji became mysteriously excited, saying “Uooooh, it’s like the middle ages!” but as he ate, his excitement took a sharp drop. It did not really seem to be delicious.

By the way, even inside the inn Riese had put on her knit cap to hide her ears and lowered the hood of her robe. 

Though she had no knit cap, Riese too lowered her hood. “We’re matching clothes,” she insisted. She was a kind little girl.

The fifth year and first trip since Yuuji had started to live in this world.

The first day ended without anything special occuring.

The result of the first day was only distance moved and the data supplied by the camera.