Chapter 139
Clip-clop, clip-clop, I rode north along the highway, swaying on Sire's back.
But it wasn't just Sire and me making this journey; Jizo, whom I'd met in White Tail Town, was walking beside us.
Jizo and I left White Tail Town soon after that incident.
Because, although I personally had nothing in particular to be ashamed of, our actions had broken the law.
The merchants' guild would likely be punished, but the officials and soldiers who had accepted bribes from them would surely come to hate us.
We decided that staying in town would only invite more trouble.
Both Jizo and I.
It might seem that meant the water-transport guild had won outright, but apparently that wasn't how things would turn out.
Apparently, this Huanggu Empire—or rather, White River Province—was home to enough wandering heroes to make Su envious, and our actions this time would be the envy of those heroes as well.
So, while they wouldn't exactly be following in our footsteps, many wandering heroes would probably visit White Tail Town for a while, hoping to hunt down ruffians.
And for those wandering heroes, the perfect target would be the water-transport guild—the organization that had sparked this whole affair despite escaping without a scratch.
Jizo said that if the water-transport guild made a clumsy move, those wandering heroes would be delighted to attack it in the same way.
That was a terrifying thought.
After all the wanton rampaging I'd done, I might not be in a position to say so, but wasn't that basically the logic of outlaws?
Even if their actions were guided by justice and goodness, everyone's standards differed, making it an exceedingly precarious situation.
Then again, I was an Elf—a High Elf, at that—and I often broke human laws under that excuse, so I truly had no room to talk.
Setting aside that arbitrary impression, the outcome of this affair had ultimately worked out rather conveniently for me.
I had come to understand that the countries of the central region and the Huanggu Empire were entirely different, and learning about the existence of shikishi was significant, too.
What's more, I'd even acquired actual examples of the simple magical tools used by shikishi: talismans.
I recognized many of the patterns drawn on the talismans as spell formulas, but some were unfamiliar, and I also determined that a special wax coating applied to their surfaces protected the talismans.
I couldn't determine the wax's ingredients or how it was refined, but if I took it back to the central region and delivered it to Odine, Kaushman would be overjoyed...
Ah, no—by the time I returned, Kaushman might already be dead, but his disciples, who would presumably be in Odine, ought to be delighted.
Regardless, I was happy simply to have gained new knowledge.
...Yeah.
And the greatest gain from this affair was undoubtedly getting to know Jizo.
Watching him fight, with his superb technique and overwhelming physical ability, was exhilarating.
Of course, for those on the receiving end, it could only be called horrific, but I had no intention of making an enemy of Jizo.
I was a little drawn to long-handled weapons, too.
But learning how to use one from Jizo was probably a bit much.
His fighting style depended on that overwhelming physical ability, so it absolutely wouldn't suit me.
I did keep myself in fairly good shape through swordsmanship, smithing, travel, and mountain hiking, but Jizo's feats were on an entirely different level.
The people from the merchants' guild whom I'd struck with my sheathed magic sword had suffered injuries limited to broken jaws and arm bones, but those forced to fight Jizo ended up looking as though they'd been hit by a large carriage.
Even though he'd been holding back considerably, as I could tell from the sidelines.
There was no way I could imitate that, no matter how I looked at it.
If I ever found a good teacher, I'd try to learn from them.
To be clear, I wasn't cheating on Yosogi-ryu by taking up something besides the sword.
If I learned how to use a long-handled weapon, I'd also learn how to fight against one.
That would surely help me hone my swordsmanship as well.
Just as learning swordsmanship and gaining a deeper understanding of smithing had done.
I was already using a sword more often than a bow in actual combat, and having more means of fighting could hardly be a bad thing.
If I put it that way, Kaeha would probably forgive me.
Actually, would she even get angry over something like that?
As long as I didn't neglect my sword training while pursuing other interests, she was the sort of person who would listen to me talk about them with interest.
"Come to think of it, Eisa, does your journey have a destination?"
Jizo, who had been walking silently along the highway, suddenly asked me as though the thought had just occurred to him.
It was such an absurdly belated question that I couldn't help laughing a little.
"I do, in a manner of speaking. It's to the east. But I'm in no hurry, and I have plenty of time, so I'll look around the Huanggu Empire as I go. I don't seem to be able to head straight east, anyway."
If I could get into Huanggu Province, I'd head east from there, but since I can't, there's nothing to be done.
I'd have to go around via southern Red Mountain Province or northern Black Snow Province to reach eastern Blue Sea Province.
From there, I'd take a ship to an island nation even farther east.
If I had to take a detour anyway and wasn't in a hurry, I might as well go wherever my curiosity and the wind led me.
"I see. ...Then why don't we try heading north to Black Snow Province? It isn't a pleasant place by any means, but there's someone I'd like you to meet."
Jizo said this, then pointed north—toward the road ahead—with his three-pointed double-edged polearm.
I couldn't see anything ahead yet, so what exactly could he see?
My interest was piqued, if only a little.
I had to choose between north and south sooner or later anyway.
With a guide available, north was the obvious choice.
I nodded once and lightly patted Sire's neck.
The wind in the sky shifted from east to north.