Chapter 47
It took less than a minute for it to be over.
When the bandits started talking about ‘women,’
Arti climbed down from the driver’s seat without a word. Those behind Arti were more precious than anything, so there was no hesitation.
“….”
Then Arti picked up one of the nearby rocks.
With one hand.
Rumble—!
A shadow fell across the plain.
A rock over a meter across rose above Arti’s head. Like a stone from a catapult, it loomed as if it could be launched at any moment.
Arti looked at them expressionlessly.
Well,
what are you going to do?
“!”
“!”
“!”
The bandits fell to their knees.
They were ordinary people who couldn’t wield even a handful of mana.
Clang!
Rusty farming tools and daggers fell from their hands.
All they could do was beg desperately for their lives.
“Eeeek—?!”
“S-sir knight?!”
“Damn it! We went to all that trouble avoiding the patrols… There are knights even on Gallia’s frontier?!”
“P-please spare us—!”
“?”
Arti tilted their head at how much weaker the bandits were than expected. Arti didn’t seem to realize they were part-time (?) bandits, not professionals.
That was it.
It hadn’t even taken a few dozen seconds.
Lydia gave a hollow laugh from inside the carriage.
‘The growth-story protagonist who was supposed to struggle against even bandits early on has turned into an overpowered protagonist.’
Wasn’t it said that winning without fighting was the truest victory?
If so,
Arti had achieved true victory.
‘…It’s just unsettling because the opponent was such a small fry.’
Lydia looked back the way they had come.
The patrolmen who had been far off were now rushing toward them, shouting. Knowing there were royals among those in the carriage, they were desperate.
-Th-those guys, stop them—!
-Are you crazy?!
-Hurry and tie them up—!!
-Damn it, where were they hiding?!
“….”
In a word,
it was a complete mess.
Aria, Mave, and Morgan’s eyes darted about.
“?”
“?”
“?”
Watching the bandits being bound, Lydia said,
“…They’re probably vagrants who drifted here from the commercial district. They lost all their money at the gambling den, cut ties with their past, and then clumsily turned to crime.”
It was Aria who answered.
“A gambling den?”
“That’s right. They went into a gambling den in the commercial district without knowing their place, fell to rock bottom, and then ran away. Judging by the way they acted, they don’t seem to have any real experience with kidnapping or crime.”
“H-how do you know that?!”
By then, the patrolmen had begun leading the bound bandits away. Lydia gestured to them, thanking them for their efforts. They saw her gesture and looked relieved.
-Your Highness…! W-we wish you a safe journey!
Lydia nodded and said to Aria,
“Anyone could tell that if a carriage carrying only young people was traveling on the highway to Arhen Academy, it would be more than they could handle. And their shallow plan to grab only the women and do who-knows-what was utterly foolish.”
“….”
“They probably escaped after being worked like slaves in Saintroix’s back alleys. They don’t even have the sense to understand how the world works.”
“…Sometimes I don’t understand how you know these things, Lydia.”
At Aria’s words,
Lydia shrugged.
“I happen to know some people.”
“In Saintroix’s back alleys?”
“Mm.”
“That’s so… Lydia, I guess.”
At that moment,
Arti, looking dejected, poked their head through the window.
“Um… they’ve all been taken away. Nothing much happened, but is everyone all right?”
“Yes. Good work.”
“Huh? I didn’t even do anything….”
“Weren’t you the first to step forward to protect everyone? Even with a powerful fighter like Mirian beside you, you still tried to take the lead. That is the attitude of someone who truly takes responsibility.”
“Th-that’s….”
Lydia reached out through the window and stroked Arti’s head. Stiff, straw-like brown hair rustled between her white fingers.
“Well done. Don’t forget that mindset. What you need to step forward isn’t credentials, but the desire to protect.”
“!”
Arti’s eyes widened slightly.
Aria was the next to speak.
“Arti.”
“Yes?”
“Come here.”
“Ah, okay.”
Arti bowed to Lydia and moved away. Then Arti suddenly poked their head through the window beside them.
“Why’d you call me? Do you need something?”
“….”
Aria didn’t answer, but stroked Arti’s head. Her touch was somehow a little rough.
Rustle—
“W-wait a second…?! A-ah, that hurts…!”
“You. Did. So. Well…!”
“A-Aria…?! Wait—?!”
And so, the extra layer of praise was complete.
Arti tried to return to the driver’s seat.
“…Hmm?”
“Arti, what is it?”
“No, the cargo compartment looks a little messy. Did the bandits touch it…?”
“They didn’t come anywhere near it.”
“Hmm….”
Arti accepted that.
“It must’ve gotten jostled along the way.”
The carriage set off again.
Clip-clop
Clip-clop
Peace returned as if nothing had happened. The plain stretched quiet all the way to the horizon. But inside the carriage, the atmosphere was awkward.
“….”
“….”
“….”
“….”
Mave muttered dejectedly.
“That was over in an instant.”
“Perhaps because this is a highway maintained by the Kingdom. And all the more so because a responsible guardian is protecting us….”
At that,
Arti awkwardly scratched their head from the driver’s seat. Mirian, pulling the carriage alongside, chuckled softly.
Morgan was the one who broke the warm atmosphere.
“Those guys are probably getting their heads chopped off by now.”
“?!”
Aria was startled.
“Wha—?! W-what do you mean?!”
“?”
Morgan tilted her head.
“This is a major highway leading to Saintroix’s commercial district. There’s no reason to spare fools who rob people in such an important area.”
“Th-that’s….”
“Besides, those guys… according to Lydia, they’d already gambled away everything they owned and were wandering around like a pack of field mice, cut off from their village and family. Practically beneath even the lowest-born….”
“….”
“There’s no way people like that are still alive. Even the lowborn die like flies in this world.”
Somehow,
that last remark resonated deeply.
*
Except for the clumsy bandit incident,
the highway was clear, so they were able to travel without hindrance.
After spending the night in a rest area beside the highway, the group continued toward Saintroix. They quickly passed through the occasional checkpoints thanks to Lydia’s royal status.
-Y-Your Highness?!
-Pardon our discourtesy!
-W-we’ll be happy to assist you!
Lydia waved a hand and said,
-We are merely heading to Saintroix during the academy break, so pay it no mind. You may return to your posts.
Turning down their hospitality,
they drove for several hours before a striking sight came into view.
Murmur, murmur—
The vast noise seemed to have taken physical form.
The gate to Saintroix’s commercial district was crowded with people waiting to pass through. The throng was enormous, especially since the inspections focused on merchant caravans.
“!”
Arti sprang to his feet and exclaimed.
“Wow… there are so many people?! Will they all get through today?”
“Hehe, please sit down; it’s dangerous.”
“Ah…! Sorry, Ms. Mirian.”
“Not at all. It’s a natural reaction at your age.”
Arti sat back down sheepishly.
Lydia smiled at that innocent reaction and looked out the window.
“….”
‘It’s been a while since I came here.’
Saintroix’s commercial district.
She had often visited thanks to the Ember Knights, who mainly operated here. Of course, she’d come secretly with Mirian, so Leonard didn’t know.
‘Beatrice… she must be at the academy, so she won’t be here. It feels a little strange to come to Saintroix without Beatrice for once.’
If it had only been Lydia and Mirian,
they would’ve brought Beatrice along too, but….
“….”
Lydia looked to the side.
The others in the carriage were each exclaiming in awe.
“Wow…! So this is the commercial city of Gallia I’ve only heard rumors about!”
“Hmm…. A little rough around the edges compared to the royal capital, but worth seeing.”
“Hmph, it’s just pointlessly crowded.”
Wow….
Hmm….
Hmph….
Though each of them made their signature interjection,
none of the girls could take their eyes off the view outside.
Lydia smiled as she watched them.
‘It’s nice to come here with everyone else like this. I can come again with Beatrice someday, but I don’t know when I’ll get to come with them.’
The carriage passed through the gate.
Once again, they got the royal pass.
-Gasp?! Your Highness…?!
Aria, Mave, and Morgan looked at Lydia with renewed wonder. They found it strange that someone so casual and unassuming at the academy was treated so respectfully everywhere.
“Even as a Saintess, I don’t receive this kind of treatment everywhere in the Theocracy. This is incredible.”
“I thought I knew how noble Lady Lydia was, but now I realize just how absurdly honored I am.”
“….”
Morgan seemed about to say something,
but quickly turned her head away.
“….”
Lydia casually said to them,
“…I am simply myself. Nothing has changed.”
“Haa….”
The group wore uncertain expressions.
*
They arrived in an area of Saintroix packed with high-end accommodations. The carriage stopped in front of one of the most elegant inns.
<The Black Rose and Thorn>
A well-kept exterior.
The clean white building was luxurious.
Arti, Aria, Mave, and Morgan gaped.
“Good heavens….”
“Wow….”
“We’re staying here?”
“Hmph… I-it’s not bad.”
Lydia looked at the group and said,
“If you give my name here, you may take any room you like. You can unpack later, so go in and rest. If you’re hungry, you may eat in the restaurant on the first floor.”
“R-really?!”
Lydia nodded, and the group went inside.
Morgan paused and looked at Lydia.
“…What about you?”
“Mirian and I have a few things to bring in while she parks the carriage. We’ll join you shortly.”
“….”
Morgan turned and went inside.
Lydia went to the carriage storage area. But her pace gradually slowed. There was something strange in the air.
“Mirian?”
“….”
Mirian was staring at the luggage compartment with a grave expression. Lydia leaned over to look where she was looking.
And she couldn’t help making the same grave expression.
“….”
“….”
“H-hello…?”
A stunning woman in her thirties wearing black rabbit ears was crouched seductively in the luggage compartment. She was trembling in a very revealing outfit.
Beatrice said in a strained voice,
“I’ve been like this for three days…. It’s getting a little rough. Could you let me out…? Ah! Don’t worry. My body was uncomfortable, but at least my mind was at ease.”
“….”
“….”