CH 92

“Sorry to keep you waiting, master.”

Hikari enters the room and jumps into my chest.

I feel like she’s acting more and more like a girl her age. I think that’s nice, and let’s not think too much about the smell of soap. If my face starts loosening, those two are going to be scary, so I try to tighten it. It doesn’t feel too stiff does it?

Sera seems tired for some reason. What happened?

“Sit down.”

I wait for them to sit before I start talking.

“We have four days until the advent festival, including today, which is basically over, so let’s make that three. We should talk about our plans.”

I see Mia’s face darken for a second, but she knew from the start that she would only be here temporarily.

“First, our next stop is the Magic State of Efa. Ah, but I’m not talking about attending the academy.”

“Mu… Too bad.”

“So, I’ve been thinking about buying a wagon, with the future in mind. But that means we might not be able to leave so soon, because I don’t have money.”

Sera’s eyes hurt as they stare at me. She probably expected to go to the Republic of Eldo, because I mentioned it before. She should become more docile if I mention that, but I want to try getting along better without that force behind it. No, I’m not being mean.

“I have something else to ask you, Sera. Apparently Leila and her party are going to the adventurer guild tomorrow, so I want you to pay the guild, and transmit a message. You just need to give them this piece of paper. Don’t look at it, that’s an order.”

I give Sera the paper, and Hikari the money while I’m at it.

“Go with her, Hikari, and buy what I’ve written here on the way back.”

“Is this an errand, master?”

“Yes, and it’s important, so I’m counting on you. You too, Sera.”

“It’s an important duty, so let’s do our best, big sister Sera.”

“Yes I know. It’s an order, so I have to follow it.”

When did Hikari start calling her that? Can I take that as proof that they’re getting along?

“And I wanted to give this to you, Mia, but it’s not done yet, so let me give it the finishing touches.”

I take out the blue magic stone I made yesterday. I use ore to make the base and chain, and make it into a pendant. Done.

“What is this?”

“Hn… I’d be glad if you treated it like a charm and kept it with you, at least until the advent festival is over. Then you can get someone else to buy you a better one.”

“…Thank you.”

I’m about to hand it to her, when I notice she’s looking at me like she’s expecting something.

I feel an indescribable pressure coming from her, telling me to put it around her neck.

I do just that, while feeling embarrassed, and Hikari looks on with greed in her eyes, which is rare for her.

“Sorry. I don’t have more materials, like magic stones.”

“Then let’s hunt monsters.”

“Yes, as long as we don’t overdo it. We’ll fight monsters once we’re on the road again, so I’m counting on you.”

“Yes. Leave it to me.”

She’s a reliable girl.

Eventually Hikari and Sera go to sleep, and I stay up with Mia to help her practice controlling her magic energy.

“Let’s stop here. Pushing yourself too much isn’t going to give you good results, so don’t be in a hurry.”

“…All right.”

Yesterday she pushed herself too much and exhausted all her strength. I don’t want that to happen again.

The next day, we all leave the mansion in the afternoon.

Leila and her party are heading to the adventurer guild like they planned. I was planning to take it easy, but I decide to look into how much a wagon would cost. And then the merchant guild requests my presence, so I’m going there too.

They didn’t specify when I should go, so obviously, the wagon comes first. I get a lot of information from a company that manages omnibuses. Apparently there are a lot of secondhand ones out there, and if it’s just a load-carrying one, it starts at about ten gold coins. But the smaller and cheaper ones tend to not last long and be unreliable.

I have the Item Box, but I’m also considering sleeping in the wagon, so I want something relatively spacious. As for its durability, if push comes to shove, I could use Alchemy to reinforce it.

I’m told a brand new one will cost between twice to five times more, even if it’s the same kind of wagon. Apparently I can get one custom made for me if I buy a new one, and they’ll respond to all kinds of requests, but making a wagon from scratch will take at the very least twenty days and requires the necessary manpower and resources.

Wouldn’t processing wood and assembling it be relatively easy? No, we’re talking about pure manual labor. There is magic in this world, but surely if someone is good enough to put together a wagon via magic, they’ll find a better occupation. Maybe someone out there can do it, but I’m told that at the very least there is no such person here in the holy city.

“What kind of wagon would you pick, Mia?”

“One that’s comfortable to sit in, and doesn’t make me tired.”

I get a response after asking on a whim.

I figured she didn’t leave the city, but she tells me she visits a few nearby towns and villages every year, partially because Mia asked for it. She has also traveled via wagon with the chivalrc order,

It’s true, I went to the church earlier, and I think I’d probably suffocate if I had to stay there all the time. It’s all so stiff and formal. I can definitely see why a change of pace would be necessary.

But we’re getting off topic. To summarize.

1 – I need some sort of function to lessen the impact and allow us to travel comfortably.

2 – We’re going to camp more, so I want enough space for us to sleep in the wagon..

3 – I can’t really think of a third. I was thinking too that since we’re going to be camping more, I could just set up a place for us to sleep with magic, but that’s kind of scary in a way, how quickly I got used to that.

“Thank you. I acquired a lot of valuable information.

Next, the merchant guild. Have there been any further developments about the reconstruction of the village of Tenso?