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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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Once we had gathered enough people, the caravan to the capital began its journey.
It had taken me a year to travel from the capital to the Demon Lord’s castle.
Of course, that was with detours for fighting the Demon Lord’s army and the Hero’s occasional bouts of heroism. But the main reason was that we had traveled on foot.
This time, however, we had flown on Wyverns to the border and were now on horseback, which significantly shortened the travel time.
And unlike before, when we were constantly harassed by the Demon Lord’s army, we were now in disguise as humans.
While it was strange for me, a former human, to be saying this, as long as we didn’t reveal our true identities, we shouldn’t be bothered. It would likely be a peaceful journey.
Two mage-level magic users and a Sword Expert.
We were overqualified for a simple escort mission that paid only twenty silver per person, and thus, we were treated differently from the other adventurer parties.
And since we had our own horses, we didn’t have to interact with the other adventurers.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
I stared at the horizon, listening to the rhythmic sound of horse hooves.
While Hamburg was in the western part of the kingdom, it was located in the northern part of the continent, so the weather was always cold.
Aside from the massive Vulcan Mountains, the land was mostly snow-covered plains, which could be harsh on the eyes.
That’s why I had prepared these sunglasses.
Click.
The sunglasses I had created during the Little Boy incident in the Vulcan Mountains were still useful.
Dorothea, who had been wearing sunglasses since the beginning, hummed in amusement as I put mine on.
Vanessa, sitting beside us, grumbled,
“Don’t I get a pair?”
“If you have the materials, I can make some for you.”
I held out my hand.
Vanessa, looking at me as if I were a fool, slapped my hand away.
“Never mind.”
“I thought so.”
I pushed up my sunglasses with a smug grin, and Vanessa fell silent.
After about four hours of riding, we stopped for a meal by a large river.
Water was a crucial resource on a long journey.
And with dozens of people traveling together, every drop was precious.
I filled my half-empty water skin and looked around. Everyone was busy drinking.
It seemed that the taste of water after a long march was universally appreciated.
I filled my water skin and returned to our horses. Dorothea, like a baby bird begging for food, held out her arms.
“Water.”
“Here.”
I tossed her the full water skin and leaned against a tree.
Vanessa, who had been polishing her sword, asked,
“What’s for lunch?”
“Turnip soup and some bread, from the looks of it.”
“Ugh. I’d rather starve.”
“It’s free food. What do you expect?”
The food provided by small merchant caravans was usually bland.
They used cheap ingredients to save money, and the cooks were amateurs.
To get a decent meal on a journey like this, you had to buy your own provisions, which could be more expensive than the journey itself.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of a pot being banged signaled the start of meal distribution.
“Let’s go, Dorothea.”
“Ugh, I don’t want to.”
“They won’t give you any if you don’t go yourself.”
“Fine.”
Unlike Vanessa, who, as an undead, didn’t need to eat, Dorothea and I needed food to function.
I dragged the reluctant Dorothea to the distribution point. A long line had already formed.
As we stood at the back of the line, a man who looked like an adventurer spoke to us.
“Haven’t seen you around here before. Newbies?”
“No, we’re not adventurers. We’re just tagging along with the caravan to get to the capital.”
“What’s your business in the capital?”
While his informal tone was slightly irritating, he was clearly older than us, so I replied with a smile.
“I have some business at the Emerald Tower. I’m a mage from there.”
I showed him my medal, and he looked at me in surprise.
“Th-This… I didn’t realize I was speaking to someone of your stature. Please, go ahead.”
He quickly moved aside.
“Tch, what a nuisance.”
Mages were a minority.
And since skill didn’t necessarily come with age, there were many who studied magic their entire lives without ever breaking through the barrier to becoming a true mage.
So, a young man in his twenties with a gold medal, given only to fourth-tier mages, was naturally mistaken for a high-ranking official.
Which, in a way, was true. I was the heir apparent to the Emerald Tower.
The surrounding people, having overheard our conversation, became noticeably more respectful.
This would likely reduce the number of people who would bother us on our journey to the capital.
That was why I had intentionally revealed my identity.
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Thank you.”
We received our food and returned to our spot.
Vanessa was still polishing her sword, so Dorothea and I ate lunch alone.
“Phew, phew.”
First, the red turnip soup.
It wasn’t red from chili powder, but from tomato paste.
Since the ingredients were all vegetables, there wasn’t much to chew on.
I took a sip of the broth.
Hmm.
The refreshing taste of vegetable broth spread through my mouth.
Hunger was the best seasoning. The simple turnip soup was surprisingly delicious.
It was like drinking oden broth on a cold day.
It warmed me from the inside out.
Dorothea, who was eating her soup beside me, also seemed to be enjoying it.
I broke the rye bread that had been served with the soup in half.
The cold weather had turned the already hard rye bread into a rock.
It was impossible to eat it as it was, so I broke it into smaller pieces and soaked them in the warm soup.
The bread softened, and I scooped it up with my spoon. The rough texture of the rye bread was unfamiliar.
Having only eaten bread made with wheat flour at the Demon Lord’s castle, this was a new experience.
It was a stark reminder of how much my life had changed. I used to eat rye bread without a second thought.
I managed to finish the entire bowl of soup.
Dorothea, who wasn’t a picky eater, had also finished her meal.
We cleaned our bowls with snow. Since we hadn’t eaten anything greasy, we didn’t need hot water.
We then started snacking on the dried meat we had brought with us.
Chew! Chew!
It was high-quality jerky, made from properly butchered lamb, not cheap meat. It was quite delicious.
Another week of this…
I already missed Camilla.
Her cooking was superb.
The delicious meals she prepared, even in the harshest of environments, reminded me of my mother’s cooking.
It’s been a long time since I last visited home.
I made a decision.
After I finished my business in the capital, I would visit my hometown.
Even though I was a bit of a prodigal son, I hadn’t seen my family in a long time.
I needed to make sure my father was still alive.
I sat next to Dorothea, chewing on the jerky.
My jaw was starting to hurt.
I still had a lot of jerky left. I would have to find another way to eat it.
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