Become What You Want to Be (7)

Though we were hiding in the wagon, we took detours to avoid towns along the way as much as possible, hoping to prevent trouble caused by the magic power leaking from Menou. But thanks to the Centa-Uros’ incredible stamina, strength, and speed, we arrived sooner than expected—in five days, almost as quickly as if we’d gone straight there.

“There it is... It’s been a long time.”

Takako murmured wistfully, as if remembering something from long ago. Alice, riding in the wagon, responded with an excited “Wow...!” She leaned out with a smile, delighted that they’d finally arrived and eager to see inside Salmaria—a place most people would never even get to enter.

Kagami, who had been here many times before, and Menou, who had seen it countless times from above, looked at Takako instead of Salmaria, their expressions blank. What lay before them was even more astonishing than the city.

By the time they reached Salmaria, Takako was no longer in the driver’s seat. She was already riding on one of the Centa-Uros’ backs. The sheer strangeness of the sight was beyond words.

“Still, we got here surprisingly smoothly. I thought we’d run into more trouble.”

Kagami murmured sleepily as he looked at the enormous gate looming ahead.

“We managed to bluff our way through when we encountered humans, and whenever monsters appeared, you and Takako-dono defeated them in an instant.”

“I mean, I thought the Demon King’s army might show up and get in our way. Like one of the Four Heavenly Kings appearing and saying, ‘I can’t let you reach the Demon King’s castle...!’ You see that kind of thing in manga all the time, right?”

“The Demon King’s army has no reason to defeat us, so there’s no way they’d come. They might attack a Hero’s party if they considered it a threat, but... by the way, Kagami-dono, what is manga?”...