Chapter 150
The border dividing the empire and Ganiphus.
A bizarre-looking carriage came to a halt in front of the massive gate that controlled entry and exit to the outside.
“What is that…?”
“It has wheels, so it seems to be a carriage…”
“Hey man, if everything with wheels is a carriage, then the carts farmers use would be carriages too.”
The guards shared their opinions upon seeing Franz’s carriage.
It was a natural reaction, as it was an object from the modern 21st century, far beyond the current era.
Soon, one of them approached the carriage with a face mixed with curiosity and wariness.
Whirrr-.
As Franz pressed a button, the window smoothly disappeared downward.
“M-Mage…?!!”
The guard’s face flushed with astonishment upon confirming that the person riding in the carriage was Franz.
Back when he was active in the Hero’s Party, he was used to being called a Mage, but since he was frequently called the Magic Tower lord lately, it felt a little awkward.
Anyway, it was a good thing that he recognized him.
Because his name alone would make things flow a bit more smoothly from here on out.
“Thank you for your diligence. We are trying to go to Ganiphus, and I was wondering if you could help us.”
“O-Of course…! I’ll help you however I can. Once I verify your purpose and the identities of your passengers, I will issue the documents right away.”
“I have business outside for a while under the special orders of His Majesty the emperor. I hope you can understand that I cannot disclose the details.”
The one who ordered the subjugation of the Seven Great Evils, the core force of the cult, was none other than the emperor.
And Franz was currently chasing the Seven Great Evils according to that order.
It was strangely exaggerated, but saying it was the emperor’s special order wasn’t a complete fabrication either.
“The passengers are the members of the Hero’s Party, and the eldest daughter of the Ducal House of Phrygia. If you wish to verify, we will step out and show our faces.”
“N-No, that’s fine…!”
The guard, whose complexion had turned pale, shook his head vigorously.
Everyone riding in the carriage, including Franz, was a high-ranking figure of the empire, so it was far too heavy a burden for a mere guard like him to handle.
“Then I will issue the documents right away and bring them over…!”
With those words, he sprinted toward the guard post at full speed.
He ran so fast that he even lost his balance and stumbled along the way.
Yuna, who was watching him through the glass window from the passenger seat, spoke.
“Franz, aren’t you scaring him too much?”
“I didn’t really do anything…”
Franz had merely answered the questions honestly.
If the guard had requested to verify, he genuinely intended to step out of the carriage.
Yet the guard had gotten scared all on his own, so Franz felt incredibly wronged.
“Come to think of it, did the Saintess and Miss Hera bring packed lunches?”
“P-Packed lunches? I didn’t think of that…”
“I always carry emergency rations, so I’m fine, but…”
The three sitting in the back seat were chatting about something.
Even though they had been glaring at each other as if ready to kill over the passenger seat just moments ago.
Well, they must have found their own way to a compromise.
Thanks to that, it seemed the world wouldn’t be destroyed, so that was enough.
While Franz was organizing his thoughts, the guard who had headed to the guard post arrived in front of Franz, running frantically.
Heaving rough breaths, he handed Franz a piece of paper.
“It is an official permit. If you show it to the guards of Ganiphus, they will grant you entry.”
“Thank you. However, what in the world is written here?”
Franz expressed his doubt as he read the text written on the permit.
And for good reason…
[Purpose of Entry: A trip with wives]
Something completely absurd was written there.
Furthermore, wasn’t this an official permit authorized by the empire?
At this rate, it was no different from becoming an officially recognized married couple by the empire.
“Since you mentioned a special order, you must be moving in secret, no? I wrote down something plausible in my own way, but if it makes you uncomfortable…”
“It’s fine. Let’s just leave it as is.”
Franz folded the received document and tucked it into his pocket.
Roman
That didn’t mean he had no complaints at all.
He could have just written them down as friends, but he had gone out of his way to write wives.
“Then I will take my leave now.”
Saying so, he bowed his head and quickly headed back to the guard post.
Watching his retreating back, Franz rolled up the window and immediately started the car.
The accelerating car passed through the massive gate and headed toward the distant gate.
“Franz, what did you say earlier?”
“About what?”
At Yuna’s sudden question, Franz answered with his gaze fixed straight ahead.
“You said something was written on the permit, right? Is something wrong?”
Something was definitely wrong.
Very much so, to an unimaginable degree.
But there was no reason to go out of his way to explain it.
“It’s fine. There’s no problem at all.”
“That’s a relief then.”
Imperial Capital
…Probably.
However, Franz’s wish did not come true.
The border of Ganiphus, which they arrived at not long after.
The guard they encountered there spoke.
“A trip with your wives, I see. It must be nice.”
“…Yes, it is.”
To face the guard, he naturally had to roll down the window.
There was no need to confirm the fact that his words had reached all the way to the back seat.
If he had known this would happen, he would have stepped out of the car; it seemed he had made the wrong choice.
“Then please have a wonderful time in Ganiphus.”
Saying so, he handed the permit back to Franz.
Franz gave him a light nod and immediately started the car.
A suffocating silence, where even the sound of swallowing saliva could be heard loudly, lingered inside the car.
Unable to endure the atmosphere, Franz opened his mouth first.
“…The empire’s guard wrote it by mistake. So don’t pay it too much mind, everyone.”
He had mustered his courage to say it, but not a single reply came back.
He had to drive for more than three hours from now, and with this kind of atmosphere, it seemed it would be quite difficult.
It was then.
“Well, mistakes like that can happen…”
The one who replied in a low voice was Arian.
And starting with her, the others also offered their replies.
“Of course. There is no such thing as a perfect person in this world.”
“That’s true. It is only because we have flaws that we can be called living creatures.”
“If it’s a mistake, it can’t be helped. I understand.”
Not only Arian, but Yusti-ah, Yuna, and Hera all had their ears flushed red.
Hera was even twitching her long ears.
Though Franz, who had to look straight ahead to drive, was completely unaware of this.
How much time had passed since then?
“Alright, one hour has passed. Miss Hera was next, right?”
Yuna, who had been sitting in the passenger seat, moved to the back seat, and Hera took her place.
There was no way they had misread the time, so it was safe to assume exactly one hour had passed since departure.
“Franz, if there is anything difficult or bothersome, tell me anything.”
“Don’t worry too much about that. If you’re tired, get some sleep.”
“If I had intended to do that, I would have slept in the back seat. I don’t want to miss out on this one-hour limited seat.”
“Suit yourself.”
Franz responded nonchalantly and drove the car.
Their destination was the nearest coastline.
Even while driving, he was emitting mana in real-time to detect the surrounding terrain and landmarks, so there was no worry of getting lost.
“This seat somehow makes it hard to calm down. It feels like we’re going to plummet somewhere at any moment.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I made it incredibly sturdy.”
“If it’s something you made, then of course it is.”
As he drove while sharing a friendly chat with Hera like that, another hour quickly flew by.
The car gradually slowed down before coming to a complete stop.
It was partly to switch the person sitting in the passenger seat, but also to have a late lunch.
The gazes of everyone who stepped out of the car, including Franz, naturally turned in one direction.
A feast of endlessly stretching blue waves.
They had finally arrived at the sea.
“Wow…”
“It’s my first time seeing the sea, so this is what it’s like…”
“The air is a bit salty and humid.”
“It’s so pretty…!”
Facing the sea, the girls shared their impressions.
It seemed they had all only heard rumors and were seeing it in person for the first time.
Franz had also seen the sea in the distant past, but it was his first time in this world.
Perhaps because of that, the impression he felt also came across as a bit special.
The sense of openness that felt like it was clearing his mind was quite pleasant.
And so, everyone began their meal on a hill where the sea could be seen at a glance.
Since Yuna and Arian had prepared plenty of food, there was no shortage even though some people hadn’t brought packed lunches.
Franz picked up a sandwich made by Arian and spoke.
“By any chance, does anyone know someone in Ganiphus?”
They had found that borrowing the wisdom of a local was the fastest way to decipher the codes used by the Cultists several times?
He asked the question because he intended to use the same method this time as well.
“I don’t, for one.”
“I don’t know anyone personally either, aside from the Goddess Church.”
He had somewhat expected that from Yuna and Yusti-ah.
But he hadn’t expected even Arian to not know anyone.
“My family has business contacts, but since it’s strictly family business, I think it might be difficult to visit them personally.”
Hera, who only stayed in the Great Forest, naturally wouldn’t know anyone, so at this rate, it was a situation where they would really have to ask a random passerby on the street.
At that moment, Hera spoke.
“I know one person. I definitely saw their face not too long ago.”
An unexpected helper had appeared.