Chapter 76 - (Somehow) Enjoying the Rest of the Way

It's already late afternoon when we reached the end of the West Narashel Forest. Thanks to Officer Chief and his men escorting us, we experienced no further incident while traveling the remaining stretch of road that is covered by the lush vegetation.

Based on the map we're now about to pass through the so-called 'The Vast Open' and just like in the forest, the name of the place accurately depicts the scenery outside our carriage: flat, open grasslands, with few trees in sight. The winds blow more fiercely in this area, causing me to feel an unusual chill in my skin.

"Brother Ren, are you feeling cold? Do you need a blanket?"

"N-No, no need, Saki," I replied. "I'm not actually used to experiencing this mild temperature unlike in Plate Town, but I'm quickly getting myself accustomed to it."

Speaking of getting used to, I have yet to experience autumn and winter in a temperate place such as Narashel. Having born and raised in a tropical country, of course I'm excited that I'll get to experience four seasons--but at the same time I have no idea what to do when the cold months come. Might as well get exposed to the bitter cold for as early as now.

"Is that so? Well, Big Bro and I actually love the climate here in this part of Narashel. Unlike in Plate Town where it's either miserably hot or freezing cold, the weather in the rest of the country is far more tolerable," Saki said with a refreshed smile.

Meanwhile, our resident blue munchkin is seemingly more comfortable while in her sleep, as the cool air keeps her body from sweating. In a world where air conditioning is nonexistent, these winds surely are a blessing.

"Hm? You guys are from Plate Town?" Ras, the head of the family that my companions have rescued in the forest, asked.

Ah, I almost forgot--because their carriage has been destroyed by the bandits, we let him and his family into our carriage, along with the salvaged items they could still use. Though it's more cramped inside due to the extra passengers and baggage no one complained, since it's more fun that way.

Upon learning that we're from Plate Town, Ras--and his wife Setta--widened their eyes in surprise.

"Is it true that all of you are from Plate Town?" Setta asked.

"Y-Yes, that's right," I replied.

"I see," Ras then took a deep breath and asked, "then--it seems that you're already familiar with Rebecca, am I right?"

Rebecca? Where did I heard of such name...ah--

"You mean, Miss Mallory?"

Ras suddenly his hands. "Yes, Rebecca Mallory! I knew you guys know her!"

He then introduced himself as Rasmus Mallory, Rebecca's older brother. The four of us, especially me, was shocked to hear that revelation from him. Who knew that I'll get to meet the brother of that woman this way?

"Every time she sends me a letter, she always claim that everyone in Plate Town knows her name. I always thought she's just joking, but now I'm convinced that it's somewhat true..."

"Err, Mister Ras...when's the last time you two talked to each other personally?" Saki asked.

"About twelve years ago, I think."

"""Twelve years?!""" The Rainens and I exclaimed in surprise, though not as loud so as not to wake Aoi.

Ras nodded. "That's right. Though we haven't seen each other's faces for a long time, we always write letters every month. At least, we can still get to know what's going on at the other side."

Looking at his face, it's obvious that he's really longing to see his sister. Who wouldn't feel that way, if you're separated with your loved ones for a very long time?

"Anyway, now's not the time to feel pensive. To make everyone's mood brighter, when we get to the capital I'll treat all of you to a fancy place I know."

"I-Is that really okay?" I asked him.

"Of course! You guys saved not only my life, but my son's as well. It'll be my pleasure that even in a small way, I'll get to show our gratitude to our saviors."

'What do you think?' When he asked that, Saki's eyes glimmered as she tried to hide her excitement, and Saku started grinning to himself. Even Aoi who is supposedly sleeping, smiled the moment she 'heard' that we're going to eat at a fancy place.

Well, we've been freeloading for a long time already. Might as well not feel guilty at this point.

-----

At night the cold winds became even more colder, that the song 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' instantly played in my mind. I say it's natural, since I only get to experience cold weather like this during the Yuletide season.

"...Brrrr...it's been a very long time since I felt this cold..."

Being the only person here who's wearing sleeveless clothing, Aoi rubbed her palms together to heat her cheeks. Even though our campfire is burning bright, the heat it's giving off is still not enough to keep her warm.

"Here, Aoi," Saki gave her a blanket and said, "it's not winter yet, but it surely is windy out here."

"...T-T-Thank you..." Aoi received the blanket while shivering.

"What about you, Brother Ren? Have you gotten yourself used to the 'real' Narashelian climate?"

"Not yet, but I'm working on it."

"...B-Big brother, are you feeling cold too...?"

When Aoi said that, she hurriedly dr.a.p.ed the blanket over my back and huddled closer to me.

"...Now both of us aren't feeling cold anymore."

"You, really...can't be helped then. Thanks, Aoi."

Meanwhile, Saku--

"Hey Saki, let me share that blanket with you."

"No way! It's my own blanket...go fetch your own, Big Bro!"

"Saki..." He let out a sigh and said, "sometimes I ask myself if it's really Ren and Aoi are your siblings and not me..."

"Can I join you, guys?"

"W-W-What are you doing here?!"

While we're eating our dinner, a person suddenly came and sat beside us. To our surprise, it's Officer Frille--and she's carrying her own rations with her.

"I find it difficult to eat my meal in peace when there's so many men looking around," she explained.

"Then, why don't you join Mister Ras' family over there? I'm sure they're not as awkward-looking as your companions, right--"

"Hwop! Ren, we need to talk," Saku interrupted.

"Eh? Why?"

"Just come with me already!"

Pulling me by the back of my shirt, Saku brought me to a bush not far way from our campsite.

"Are you stupid, Ren?!"

"M-Me?! Did I do something wrong?"

"Oh, why you little..." Exasperated, he facepalmed for a moment then held my head from under his armpit.

"What are you doing?!"

"Look at her! Look at her! Opportunity is already coming your way, and yet you're treating a pretty woman like her worse than how I treat my noisy neighbors! Are you really that stupid, Ren?!"

Being forced by Saku to look at Officer Frille from a distance, I can see how different she acted when it comes to Aoi and Saki.

"Look. Look at how bright she smile, her graceful gestures as she talk to the girls, her body of a perfectly ripe woman..."

Hey Saku, are you drooling?! What the hell--I'll beat you up if your saliva drips on me!

I hurriedly freed myself from his grip and said: "Listen, I know Officer Frille is attractive, but...there's more than just looks alone. That said, I know that my way of talking to her is not that good. Also, I'm not on a rush unlike you, so if you allow it I'll go back to the camp now. I'm shivering already."

When I returned to the campsite, Officer Frille's smile instantly faded. Like Mona Lisa's smile, but more bitter.

Not giving it much attention, I said, "Sorry, my friend Saku is somewhat uneasy when it comes to other people, especially girls. It took me a few minutes to calm him down."

"W-What?!" Saku, who has just returned shortly after me, exclaimed upon hearing my words to everyone.

"Is that so? That's understandable. After all, I carelessly barged my way here. Guess I'll lea--"

"W-Wait, wait, officer!" Saku stopped her from leaving. "A-Actually, there's no problem with you eating d-dinner with us! Right, Ren?"

'Ren, what in the world are you planning?!' his eyes are saying to me. I managed to catch him off guard, and now he's stuttering in front of Officer Frille.

"Yes, and as a sign of our thanks for escorting us for today, allow our Saku to pour a drink into your cup."

"Hm?"

"Ren, you bas--" Before he could let out his words, Saku unconsciously glanced at her, and he quickly calmed himself down. He took the canister and said, "Please have some of our tea, Officer Frille. 'Tears of the Desert', from Plate Town."

The officer, clueless as to why we're acting strange, hesitantly received the tea from Saku.

"T-Thank you..."

Meanwhile, Aoi asked me: "...What's going on, big brother? It seems like he's showing off to her."

"Yeah. Are you and Big Bro planning onto something?" Saki also asked.

"Nothing happened. It's just that...he's only getting what he deserved."

While watching the awkward scene in front of me, I sipped on my warm tea, thinking of it as the bastard's tears.

Though I'm not fond of drinking tea, such thoughts made the drink in my cup sweeter.

-----

Today's the third, and hopefully, the last day of our journey to the capital. Taking into account all of the delays we've had, we should reach the capital by noon or late afternoon.

However--

"We'll take the family into our custody. We need to go now," Officer Chief said to us after we just woke up.

"Eh? Is there something wrong?" I asked.

"I can't tell you the details, but something urgent came up."

At his advice we immediately got up from our blankets, groomed ourselves, and rode on our carriage to continue our journey.

"Weird. Everyone seems to be fine last night, but all of them looked tense. Did something bad happened?"

"I don't know, but I think it's better if we don't let ourselves get involved too much in it," I said to Saku.

I said yesterday that I shouldn't be worried when it comes to human affairs but I can't help prioritize everyone's safety more than helping the officers. We're going to the capital for a business trip, not to get involved in government matters. After we reach the capital (and get the reward money), it's already time to say adios to Officer Chief and company. It's unfortunate, but I can't get to at least befriend Officer Frille.

"We need to go faster. Officer Keele--"

"I'm on it, chief!"

While riding his horse, the officer leading the way named Keele stretched his arms forward and began chanting an incantation.

"O blessed winds of the world, heed my call and grant upon this mere fleet your gift of celerity! [Tail Wind]!"

At that moment, a huge green magic circle appeared in front of our path. When the officer passed through it the speed of his horse instantly rose threefold, and in just a few seconds the distance between him and the rest of us became so wide that I imagined that the horse he's riding isn't the actual thing, but a racing motorcycle that is made to look like one.

"Don't be scared. With that magic spell we can reach the capital in less than an hour," Officer Chief said.

And just like what he said, when our carriage passed through the magic circle, a powerful burst of wind came blowing from behind us and carried the carriage and the horses dragging it like a raging river in a storm.

""""AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!""""

Unlike the officers' horses and carriages that look like gliding on the road, our carriage tossed and tumbled over their heads, and ironically, overtook the one responsible for the magic spell.

BLAAAAGGGGG!!!!!

The intense rolling action came to a halt when the magic winds pushing the carriage lost their strength and returned to calm. The carriage then fell to the ground with a loud crash, causing the wheels to break.

I, who is about to slip into unconsciousness, looked around while staggering, and said: "Everyone, are you okay...?!"

Saku, who is still sitting on the front, replied, "Y-Yeah. Good thing I followed your advice to wear this weird belt on my seat..."

"Uuuu...I'm also fine, Brother Ren," Saki also replied while holding her head. "But Aoi..."

"Aoi? What happened to her?!"

"S-She..." Saki gulped for a moment then, "became like that."

When I rushed to the front of the carriage interior I saw Aoi lying face up, eyes turned white, and speaking softly in a garbled manner.

"...Big brother...I see...so many loaves of bread spinning in the sky..."

"Eh, she's just dizzy," I said to the siblings.

I carried Aoi on my back when we got off the carriage. While checking the vehicle and the horses' condition we saw Officer Chief and his men rushing towards us while on their horses, visibly worried after what happened.

"Are you guys alright?"

"We were dizzy, yes, but we're all fine," I replied.

"I-Is that so? All of us didn't expect that magic spell to work that way."

"Y-Yes! It's my fault! Please forgive me!" Officer Keele bowed his head.

I waved my hand and said, "Well, I understand that it's an accident, but..."

"But...?"

"But...but..."

"Ren?"

While I'm talking to the officers, I instantly got dumbfounded by the sight ahead of us.

A large city surrounded by towering walls, situated around a large river and between various low rolling hills.

Tall buildings and large monuments that can be seen even from miles away.

An air of splendor that I haven't seen before in the places I've went to in the past, whether in my hometown, in Plate Town, or even in Arteim.

And at the center of the walled city--a large, regal-looking white castle.

"Hey, Saku."

"W-What is it?"

Pointing my finger, I asked: "That city...is that the capital?"

Grinning, he replied, "Surprised? I already expected you to have that exact reaction as you're doing."

...

I lightly tapped Aoi's cheeks and said, "Wake up, Aoi. We're here."

Aoi, who has just regained her consciousness, rubbed her eyes and muttered, "...Uuuu...where are we, big bro--WOOOWWW!!! Is that the capital, big brother?!"

"Yes."

"...Woooooaahhh..." Aoi can't help it but to be amazed at the view from our position.

Smiling proudly, Officer Chief stepped forward and said, "Everyone, Welcome to the capital city of Narashel, Harlin."

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