CH 120

After I was done with preparation for the journey, I sent a message saying that we would be leaving for the elf territory the next day after the fact.

When you’re traveling between territories, it seems that it is common here to send a message a week or so in advance so that the party at the receiving end will be able to prepare an adequate reception. But given the urgency of the matter this time, we left for our destination— Ethel’s birthplace the next day after sending the message.

By the way, the official name of the elf territory is just that, “Elf Territory”.

In other territories, the name of the aristocrats who is appointed by the royal family to govern the land fills in the “Elf” part, but the governor of the Elf Territory cannot be decided by the royal family due to various circumstances. It is simply named the Elf Territory because it is home to the majority of elves in the nation.

“Sigh~, even though I ran away from home, to think I’ll return to my parents’ place this quickly. Moreover, I’ll be taking Tōru back with me.” (Ethel)

“It was the condition you stated yourself, ain’t it? You reap what you sow. Deal with it.” (Sakurai)

“That’s indeed the case, but y’know~. Sigh~, geez~, this is the worst… Tōru, be as quiet as possible while we there, okay?” (Ethel)

“Ethel-san, telling Sakurai-san to be quiet is like telling a fish not to swim. The wise thing to do is to take a step back and put it in an aquarium where it can swim as it likes to some degree.” (Iris)

“And how did that work for you and Higaki?” (Ethel)

“We’ve gotten better at catching him.” (Iris)

“So it didn’t work at all, huh.” (Ethel)

The wheels of the covered wagon make rustling noises as the wagon goes down the road. The cover of the wagon is installed with a high frame and waterproof cloth. Iris and Ethel are in it with the luggage.

I, on the other hand, am standing on the coachman’s seat where the coachman should be sitting down and holding the rein, working hard on practice-swinging to try venting the stress from not being able to kill monsters from on top of the swaying wagon.

“Snort, snort.”

The weather is clear, and underneath it, my Horsie who is pulling the wagon is snorting in good mood and walking forward energetically.

The roads connecting the cities is well-maintained so that it’s easy to tread upon. Once in a while, we come across information boards where information such as ‘how long does it take to reach the next city, how long does it to take to leave the current territory, and what city the road leads to’ is written. They are similar to the ones I saw on national highways in my previous life.

“Speaking of which, that horse is Tōru’s right?” (Ethel)

“To be exact, he’s like a shared property of me, Higaki, and Iris.” (Sakurai)

“Horsie-san is smarter than normal horsies and is a good child who doesn’t need to be trained.” (Iris)

“Hmm~. So, what’s his name?” (Ethel)

“Horsie.” (Sakurai)

“You don’t give it a name?” (Ethel)

“No, I’m telling you he’s Horsie.” (Sakurai)

“……?” (Ethel)

“Ethel-san, Sakurai-san meant literally what he said. This horsie’s name is Horsie.” (Iris)

Surprised at Iris’s words, Ethel looks at me like she’s seeing something unbelievable.

Why is she reacting like that out of the blue? Does she prefer not to give a pet a proper name because it’s troublesome as well?

“Unbelievable! A horse is a fortune for an adventurer, y’know!? What if someone stole him and he can’t be identified!?” (Ethel)

“This girl sure is scolding me for a strange reason.” (Sakurai)

“What’s strange with that!? What you’re doing is like carrying your gold coins not in your wallet, but between your fingers!? It’s highly likely that they’ll get stolen! Give him a proper name!” (Ethel)

“Sakurai-san, what Ethel-san said has some truth to it. Horsie-san’s name is a bit inconvenient. Let’s take this opportunity to give him a proper name.” (Iris)

“Hihiiiin, bufuru!”

Perhaps he has been listening to our conversation, Horsie lets out a scream as though to say he agrees.

And he starts slowing down as though saying he won’t work if I don’t give him a proper name. This guy, since when did he learn to go on strike?

“Hmm~… name, a name, huh~.” (Sakurai)

I’ve never kept pets, even in my previous life, so I don’t really know how to name them.

When it comes to a horse name, the first thing to come to people’s mind may be racing horses’ names, but I’m not really knowledgeable regarding that sport.

And the more I think about it, the more troublesome I feel it is. Even when I turn a gaze of asking for help to Iris and Ethel, they just look back at me with gazes which seem to say ‘You name him!’.

I mean, Iris-san? Weren’t you the one who paid for him? In that case, I think you have all the right to name him, though?

“The one who made the money was Sakurai-san, and Horsie-san looks like he wants Sakurai to be one to name him, you know?” (Iris)

“Hihiiiin!”

“Uoh!? Don’t stand up without a warning!?” (Sakurai)

Horsie suddenly stands up on his hind legs as if to say he agrees with Iris’s words.

Iris and Higaki are the ones who takes care of him daily, and yet I wonder why he’s most attached to me. I totally have no clue as to what is running in Horsie’s mind.

“Then… ah~… how about, Freon?” (Sakurai)

“Freon, Freon, eh. Isn’t it good?” (Ethel)

“Hihiiin! Hihiiin!”

“Freon-san is happy with it too, it seems! Thank goodness!” (Iris)

Although I just said out loud whatever came to my mind, it’s good that they’re pleased with it. Let’s stay silent about how the name actually came from ‘freon gas’ that suddenly popped up in my mind.

I can’t tell why such a thing came to my mind, and it’ll be troublesome to explain what freon gas is if they ask.

“Snort, snort!”

Freon, in a better mood after receiving a proper name, continues to walk ahead energetically. The road to the Elf Territory is still long.

While thinking that we have to take a break in the next city, I work hard on my practice-swinging on the coachman’s seat while occasionally giving sounds of agreement to the chat between the two girls inside the wagon.

Then, a day and a half after leaving the adventurer academy and staying at a city midway, we arrived at Ethel’s birthplace.

And our destination was the white cathedral towering over the most prosperous city in the Elf Territory, the place where Ethel’s mother— Cordelia Tyner, the current ‘Saintess’, lived.