CH 225

Leaving the town mayor’s mansion behind, we boarded the carriage and jolted endlessly on the way to the Capital.

It was planned to stop in another town for a lunch, but Otousama’s lecturing of the town mayor was prolonged, so I offered to stop on the highway and provide from my Inventory stock.

The bellies of the guards were filled with Onigiri Shin made with the rice and earthenware pot I lent him…

The bodies of the guards are their capital, so they all ate extremely well. That’s all from my rice stock, you know? … I will have to cook more on the way back, huh. Ugh.

I also made miso soup with pickles. I wanted to cook meat too, but the meat’s nice smell would attract monsters, so I had to endure.

It was a simple lunch, but everyone ate deliciously! I’m glad, I’m glad.

I heard from Kurogane later, but he apparently discovered some high-ranked monsters blocking our path with Search magic, so he went ahead to exterminate them. That’s apparently why we weren’t assaulted by monsters.

That explains why he was frequently warping in and out of the carriage…

I was certain that he got bored with getting jolted by the carriage and left for a stroll…

By the way, regarding the materials of the high-ranked monsters such as magic stones and fangs, he secretly warped to the Adventurer’s Guild and took them to Tirie-san. Nu, he has no openings…

… Tirie-san, I return the trouble to you… I wonder how you are going to deal with the source of these high-ranked materials…

According to Kurogane, Tirie-san cast Time Suspension magic on them and stored them into a magic bag. He will safekeep them until we return. We will slowly asses the situation then. I’m grateful~

「I see… thank you, Kurogane」

『It’s nothing. I did it because I’m more comfortable fighting in this form rather than the human form』

Kurogane, even though you answered cooly, your tail is happily wagging, you know?

When I patted him with loads of appreciation, he delightfully closed his eyes.

『I was, guarding Cristea!』

Mashiro was apparently on the guard duty in the meanwhile.

「I see, thank you too, Mashiro」

『Protecting Cristea, is a matter of course!』

Mashiro said so proudly. What an adorable fellow!

Kaguya is… ah, yes. Taking a nap on top of Miria’s lap, right?

She was… not guarding me, right?

—————————

Although we were a bit late, we were able to arrive at the gates of the Capital before their overnight closing.

「This is the Capital…」

I have apparently visited Capital when I was a baby before, but there’s no way I would remember that. Even though I looked out of the window, I couldn’t see inside because of the high walls blocking the view.

Because the crest of Duke Ellisfeed is decorating our carriages, we seem to have gotten a free pass at the inspection.

After confirming the identity of our crest’s social status, we were guided to the other side of the wall without having to queue up.

When I looked out of the carriage’s window, I saw travelers who had expressions of relief because of their safe arrival to the Capital and waiting for their turn to finally rest their exhausted bodies at the inn.

This queue was so long, I was worried whether everyone could get in before the gates close.

Do those who don’t get inside in time spend the night outside the walls?

Hmm, surely not after making it that far, right… but, this is the Capital after all, so it’s not like they could let some strange people inside…

The guards of the nobility have a free pass too, so I think their system is, in a way, faulted.

While thinking such, the carriage advanced inside the walls.

The Capital surrounded by the huge walls was very large. The city walls consisted of four layers, the commoners live near the outside walls in the first layer, merchants and wealthy people live in the second layer, nobility in the third, and there’s a splendid castle hidden within the fourth layer of the walls.

「Howaa… what a big castle…」

「Cristea-sama, are you aware that your mouth is open?」

Miria chuckled to herself.

Whoopsie, not good.

I mean… Certainland’s castle is no big deal in front of this, you know? The scale is different.

It makes me want to scream「Whaaaat? The hell is thiiis!?」.

Hiee… Prince Ray is a person who has been living in such splendid castle, huh.

That would make one haughty, indeed.

And I have made such person eat very spicy curry for revenge… I’m glad it didn’t become lese majesté.

Anyway, I should give him some sweets as apology the next time we meet… no, I utmostly don’t want anything to do with him.

While thinking such, we have arrived at the Ellisfeed’s Capital mansion.