CH 187

“Take care and have a nice trip.”

“Thank you.”

After checking out of the inn, we got back on the carriage and headed for the exit, where we met up Conrad, who, unlike yesterday, was well-equipped, greeted the gatekeeper, and left town.

“I’m sorry you have to be in the driver’s seat.”

“That’s fine, but …… are those two okay?”

“I’ve given them a lot of water, so I think they’ll be fine after letting them lay down for a bit.”

In the end, Makina had to be laid down in the chair because she was still feeling sick, and Basleigh-sensei was sitting quietly in a difficult state, the shock of the punch in the stomach making her feel like, well, something, and burning up white with a blue face.

So Conrad and I decided to sit on the driver’s seat and ask him to guide us.

“It takes two days to get from here to the place where the territory changes?”

“Yes. On the way, there is a forked road that leads to the royal capital, and if you go to the right, you will find the town of Oriola. There are no villages along the way, so we’ll need to camp for a day.”

“Okay.”

Without being attacked by any particular monsters, we drove the carriage through the peaceful main road. After a while of rocking in silence with no conversation, Conrad opened his mouth.

“Speaking of which, what are you going to do in the royal capital, Lars-kun? If you are the son of a lord, you should be able to live a comfortable life if you help out.”

“Yes, but I’m the second son, so I’ll leave the house to my brother and go to the royal capital to do what I want to do.”

“What do you want to do?”

I nodded at Conrad’s words and answered.

“My skill is [Jack-of-all-Trades]. I’ve been told it’s a failure.”

“That’s ……”

“But this skill is not what everyone thinks it is. I heard that people who had this skill were oppressed and forced to leave their country. I’ve decided to go on a journey to prove that this is not a failure, so that those who will one day receive this skill won’t have to suffer.”

“So it’s not a failure ……?”

I can’t blame him, it’s a common saying, but Conrad looks at me with a questioning expression. Now, in a case like this, it’s okay to let the unbelievers off the hook, but ……

“I guess it’s faster if I show some proof? [Jack-of-all-Trades] is a skill that gets stronger the more effort you put into it, but I can do this much with magic, can you hold the reins for me? .”

“What ……!?”

I handed the reins over to Conrad and I flew into the sky with my levitation, and he looked at me with astonishment. As I looked around to see if I could use magic to defeat a monster, I saw a giant bee in the trees and decided to give it a shot.

“!”

“!?”

I released a slightly larger fireball and hit the giant bee, which turned black and fell to the ground in a heap.

“Well, it’s like this, I guess?”

“Levitation is an A-Ancient Magic, isn’t it? You learned it at that age.”

“It’s also thanks to [Jack-of-all-Trades]. I think you’ll now understand that this is not a failure skill to have.”

As I sat back down on the lectern, Conrad let out a sigh, then smiled and said 

“You’re right. I understand that you can’t rely on gossip alone. It’s the adventurers who get hurt by rumors, and I thought you were just taking my word for it.”

“Well, it seems that no one else has had it for a long time, so I guess it can’t be helped. I can get rid of it by solving various requests and defeating monsters. That’s why I came out here.”

“I see …… The ancient magic was amazing, but that fireball was also spectacular. I think your purpose will be fulfilled someday”

“Thank you.”

I also smiled and thanked him. Conrad put his hand on his chin and pondered.

“…… I think the reason he wants to bring me back is he’s probably going to form a Strike force to take down the Treants. At that time, if Lars-kun were to defeat a lot of Treants and stand out from the crowd, you might become a little more famous.”

“So, now that you know I’m strong, are you actually just trying to have fun?”

When I replied with a smirk, Conrad’s eyes fluttered and he began to laugh out loud.

“Ha-ha-ha! think you might be right! No, I didn’t expect you to reply that way. Lars-kun seems so serious.”

Conrad’s expression had been hard for a long time, so I tried to soften the mood, but apparently, it was for the best.

“I’ve been wondering why you’ve been making such a difficult look, after all. I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”

“…… I made you feel uncomfortable, huh …… I was concerned about meeting the lord and my companions ……”

“We can talk about that when we meet them.”

Conrad nodded as he said this. After that, the tension was relieved and the conversation became more lively, and he told me many things about the Oriola territory.

It was a little past noon when Makina and Basleigh-sensei revived. It was as if they had woken up because they’re hungry. From that point on, they stayed awake for the rest of the day, taking turns being the coachman.

(T/N: It’s not like they’re dead, though.)

“Let’s take a rest around there.”

When it was getting dark, Basleigh-sensei stopped at an open space on the road and prepared to make camp.

“Then, I’ll cook!”

“Please, I’ll get the fire started.”

“I’ll be in charge of eating then ……”

Basleigh-sensei tapped her on the shoulder and pretended to be tired, but Makina smiled and put her hand on Basleigh-sensei’s shoulder and chuckled.

“Teacher, ‘Those who don’t work don’t get to eat’, right♪ Please cut up the vegetables, okay?”

“Yes ……”

As Basleigh-sensei sagged in disappointment, I gathered wood to make a fire and set it alight. With the help of the magic of Earth Create, I was able to build a fireplace and be ready to cook whenever we wanted.

When I looked at Conrad, he was looking at me with an impassive look on his face.

“What’s up, Conrad?”

“…….”

When I called out to him, Conrad put his finger to his lips and winked, then put his arm around my shoulders and spoke up.

“It’s nothing. I’m sure you have some food for me, right? (There’s a hint of something nearby, stay alert.)”

“Of course there is, right? Makina’s food is delicious, so you can count on it.”

I nodded at the words I heard in a whisper and looked around with just my eyes. It was an open area, so there were few places to hide. It could be in a nearby forest or the shade of a rock, but I don’t know where it is.

Well, it’s probably one of Conrad’s comrades, but I wonder if they’ll attack ……?

There’s a disturbing atmosphere?

Thank you for reading!

[Afterword Theater]

“That’s a turn for the worse!”

No, it’s not like they’re bad guys ……

“You’re going to make me look bad!”

Ehhhhhhhh ……