I Became the Hero Party's Porter (3)

After spending the night in the forest, we got back on the carriage road.

As yesterday, I took the reins.

“Ugh…….”

I rubbed the back of my neck and moved my head from side to side.

“Couldn't sleep well?”

Ash asked from the cargo compartment.

“I was raised rather delicately, so I'm not used to sleeping somewhere like this.”

“Really? Were you some young master from a wealthy family?”

“No, I've been a slave from the beginning. But I'm different from ordinary slaves, so I grew up sleeping in good places, wearing good clothes, and eating good food.”

“What are you, some kind of premium slave…….”

Was it really all right for someone as pampered as me to sleep in a place like this?

Master, if you have ears, listen.

Condemn everything.

Guarantee this and that.

“I'm sorry, but the more uncomfortable we are, the more comfortable the common people can be. We captured Rahav, and now you're whining about a mere place to sleep? You're not a child.”

Shabel, who had been silently listening behind us, spoke up.

“I'm the type who needs to maintain peak condition to deliver my best performance. I proved that by capturing Rahav.”

“If only you knew when to keep your mouth shut…….”

As though she no longer wanted to exchange words, Shabel, crushed by logic, closed her eyes as usual.

After that, we continued through the forest, defeating monsters and making camp.

For several days.

“What? You mean we've run out of food?”

Shabel's bewildered voice rang through the forest.

Because all our food was gone.

“Th-that can't be. We had enough to eat for at least two weeks.”

“What's so strange about it? We threw a feast at every meal, so of course this was going to happen.”

I thought back over the meals we'd had these past few days.

They had been such lavish banquets that anyone watching might have mistaken our expedition for a camping trip.

After indulging like that, it would have been strange if we hadn't run out, no matter how generously we'd stocked up.

Shabel furrowed her brow and fixed her gaze on Esca, the cause of the situation.

“Sir Esca, how many times have I told you not to use ingredients so indiscriminately?”

“I'm sorry, Princess. I forgot that we'd gained another mouth to feed. I didn't realize he would eat that much.”

This bastard?

Blaming me all of a sudden?

“Don't be too hard on him, Shabel. We'll be reaching a city soon, so we can restock there.”

“That's true, but the money…….”

“It's fine. I told you, we have plenty of money. Even if we spend it all, we can earn more from quests. Why are you so worried?”

Ash patted Shabel's shoulder with an easygoing smile.

Since it wasn't entirely wrong, Shabel couldn't scold her any further.

“……All right, then. We're almost out, so let's leave the forest before evening.”

***

Fortunately, we reached the next village before sunset.

It was all thanks to my driving.

If we'd traveled at a leisurely pace, we'd still be in the middle of the forest.

Then we'd have had to go hungry with no food left, too.

That's me for you.

Praise me for that excellent judgment.

“First, let's secure an inn. It's late, so we might not be able to get rooms.”

“Hmm, do we really need to get rooms?”

It was Ash who questioned Shabel's instructions.

Shabel cocked her head.

“Are you suggesting we sleep rough? We'd do that if we had no money, but we can afford lodging.”

“That's not what I mean. I'm asking whether we really need to look for an inn when the lord would give us the finest rooms if we revealed our identities.”

At that, Shabel's eyes narrowed.

“I've told you repeatedly. We aren't honored guests who came here to sightsee.”

Shabel cut Ash's suggestion down flat in a voice as cold as an icy wind.

“If we go to the lord's castle, the people will go out of their way to entertain us. Where do you think those luxurious beds and sumptuous feasts come from? They're all paid for with the blood and sweat of the people in this domain. We can't claim we're here to make the people's lives easier while actually bleeding them dry.”

Shabel recited one sound argument after another.

It was a truly noble rebuke, worthy of a Hero.

My heart swelled at the princess's moral lecture about considering the lives of the common folk.

‘Then why does she treat only me differently?’

So I don't even count as one of the people?

“Ahaha. That's just like our princess. All right, I misspoke.”

Ash gave an awkward laugh and raised both hands in surrender.

“Thank you for understanding. We'll just pay a fair price and stay at an inn. Leon, drive the carriage farther into the village.”

“Aye aye.”

Following Shabel's instructions, we booked rooms at an inn. We ate there, too.

“We'll be leaving early tomorrow morning, so everyone go to bed early. Mr. Leon, inspect the carriage and horses, then get some rest.”

“I don't mind that, but can we really leave as soon as we're ready?”

“What do you mean?”

“We need to replenish our supplies, don't we?”

“Ah…….”

Shabel let out a sigh.

Only after hearing me did she seem to remember that our supplies were completely depleted.

“I suppose you're right…… We need to resupply again. Ash, how long will that take?”

“Who knows? A day or two, maybe?”

“Two more days in this city.”

Shabel exhaled in dejection.

“……All right. It can't be helped. Resupply as quickly as possible. And get everything ready so we can leave as soon as it's done.”

“Don't worry. Leave it to me.”

Shabel gave a wry smile at Ash's confident promise.

She looked like she was watching someone utterly unreliable.

***

This time, we spent a day at the inn.

The bed creaked, but it was no comparison to a dirt floor. It was fairly comfortable.

If there was anything I disliked, it was that I had to share a room with one other person—and my roommate was Simon the drunkard.

He snored so loudly that I couldn't sleep at all.

I only managed to fall asleep after deliberately dulling my hearing.

After giving my face a cursory wash and going down to the dining hall on the first floor, I saw Ash, who had already started breakfast, beckoning to me.

“Ah, Leon. You're up? If you're awake, get ready to head out.”

“Where are we going first thing in the morning?”

“Where do you think? We have to get supplies. Come on. We need someone to carry the luggage.”

“Nyeh.”

I left the inn with Ash.

The road to the market was bustling from early morning.

Vendors' calls rang out from every direction.

Ash walked leisurely with both hands clasped behind her head, as if she'd just come out for a stroll around the neighborhood.

“What are we going to buy?”

“Dunno. Shabel did nag me to buy only preserved food with a good cost-to-quality ratio, but……”

Ash turned to me with a mischievous smile.

“Honestly, what fun is an expedition if you can't even enjoy the food while camping? Right?”

“Won't the Hero scold you later if you don't listen?”

“It's fine. Shabel is the type who folds when you push back hard. Besides, they say it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, right?”

Ash's remark just now not only revealed her character, but also showed in a nutshell what kind of story this route was.

[Lady Maker]'s DLC.

Like Elodie in the main story, Shabel has various routes.

Will she abandon fighting the calamities and enter the political arena, aiming to rebuild the Kingdom of Breta?

Will she give up on revenge and quietly live in a small domain while running a potion shop?

Will she fail to subjugate the calamities and disappear as the last princess of a fallen kingdom?

There are all kinds of endings.

Among them, the main route is unquestionably becoming a Hero and defeating the Three Great Calamities.

The most difficult route, but also the most orthodox and the most exhilarating.

I had cleared this route several times myself.

The problem was—

‘It wasn't enough to raise Shabel well.’

Her companions.

In other words, managing the Hero Party was damn important. You had to take care of them too for subjugating the calamities to go smoothly.

It was closer to a party-building RPG.

Take Ash, right in front of me.

Her role in the Hero Party was scout.

She found hidden rooms in dungeons and served as a debuffer who inflicted various status ailments,

increased your odds of haggling when trading with merchants, and unlocked more choices in information-gathering events.

In a sense, she was the most adventurer-like companion.

A versatile utility character who made all sorts of things easier when she was in the party.

The debuffs attached to Ash were [Wastefulness] and [Kleptomania].

Their effects were simple.

A chance of funds being spent while staying in a city.

Rewards slightly reduced upon clearing a dungeon.

In short, she was powerful, but bringing her along left you constantly strapped for cash.

It was still bearable when playing the game.

You could watch your currency dwindle, curse, “That thieving bitch is pulling this crap again,” and make the money back on the next quest.

But reality was different.

If our expenses increased here, I'd have to earn that much more money, and to earn money, we'd need to take on quests.

That would drag out the expedition, and naturally push back the day I was emancipated.

‘That absolutely cannot happen.’

I don't care if you waste money or steal it, but not while I'm around.

I held out my hand to Ash.

She looked back and forth between me and my hand.

“Why?”

“Give me the money.”

“Why would I give you my money?”

“I'm in charge of supplies, so I should be the one to buy them.”

“No way. Even so, how can I entrust money to a slave?”

Ash waved her hands as though it were absurd.

A slave?

She seemed to be under some kind of misconception.

“I was officially emancipated by His Majesty the Emperor. I'm a bona fide free citizen. I only have to follow the Hero's orders during this expedition because of special circumstances.”

“And?”

“It means that you and I stand on equal footing. In other words, as members of this party, we have a responsibility to ensure the party moves in the right direction.”

“What? The right direction? Ha, I can't believe my ears.”

Ash let out a derisive laugh as though dumbfounded.

She put her hands on her hips and shot me a sharp look.

“People keep calling you a hero, so I guess you really think you've become one. Even though you're a slave.”

“You're not going to give it to me?”

Ash raised her middle finger.

“Don't get uppity, slave bastard.”

“If you don't want to, then I suppose it can't be helped.”

I shrugged as though it were no big deal and turned back toward the inn.

“Where are you going? To tattle to Shabel?”

“You saw right through me.”

“Hey, do you know how long Shabel and I have been together? How much she hates you? You think she'd take your side?”

That would be true.

For an ordinary person.

But Shabel is a little different.

I'll show you just how hopelessly inflexible she is.