Chapter 40: Urgent Delivery
While exchanging medicinal herbs and Rush Wolves at the Adventurer’s Guild, I asked Yahan if there were any places that offered lessons in horseback riding and carriage handling. I heard that the guild could provide instruction for a fee, so Shara and I signed up together.
To cut to the chase, I managed to handle the carriage somewhat, but my horseback riding was a complete disaster. The adventurer who was instructing me laughed and said I was being looked down upon by the horse, explaining that sometimes there are people who simply can’t get a horse to obey them. Apparently, I was one of those people. It wasn’t that I was getting kicked or anything, but the horse acted as it pleased, completely ignoring my commands.
I tried several different horses, but it was all in vain. I decided to give up on riding altogether and left the handling of both the horse and carriage to Shara. What frustrated me was that whenever Shara was nearby, the horse would obediently follow her commands. Since Shara had a solid foundation as an adventurer, her training only took two days, as she just needed to gain experience and confidence.
After exchanging six Rush Wolves, I ended up with nine gold coins, three silver coins, seven copper coins, and two iron coins, totaling 937,200 Dala. It was quite a hassle. Since it was heavy, I stuffed it into Shara’s wallet pouch and headed back to the hotel. Once again, I made my way to the Commercial Guild, this time to get introduced to a vendor who sold carriages.
The owner of the All Manufacturing Company, Old Man All, was a dwarf-like figure full of character. When I told him I wanted a two-wheeled carriage, he started asking detailed questions about what kind of carriage I wanted and how many horses it would need. I mentioned that if possible, I wanted it to accommodate one or two military horses, with two seats for the drivers and space for two more people behind, ensuring that someone could stand in the middle between the driver’s seat and the back.
I requested a canvas roof that could be folded down, as I wanted to avoid getting wet on rainy days. Since adventurers would be riding in it, I also asked for the back seats to face backward for easier lookout.
He sketched a simple diagram, showing a box-like space between the front and back seats, which would be used for storing horse feed and any prey. The seats were surprisingly cushioned, made from wood that was about three times longer than the seat’s surface, covered with canvas, making it quite comfortable even when the carriage was pushed to its limits. I planned to keep the feed and water in my Magic Pouch, so I asked him to shorten the overall length of the carriage.
The horse I borrowed through Old Man All was a magnificent beast, worthy of being called a military horse, but it behaved like a loyal dog in front of Shara. According to Old Man All, the horse wouldn’t resist Shara because of her Forest Clan scent. When I asked about it, the horse just looked me over from head to toe and snorted, as if laughing at me. Ouch, that hurt.
After unhitching the horse from the carriage, I let Shara take the reins, and she maneuvered it with ease, making me a bit envious. The wheels of the carriage were covered with the skin of an Armored Buffalo, making it surprisingly quiet as it rolled along. The two-wheeled carriage looked ordinary, but it was made from carefully selected luxurious materials, costing 85 gold coins. The horse was on lease, with a daily fee of two silver coins and a security deposit of eight gold coins.
I deposited ten gold coins for now and took the carriage out of the city for a day to test its performance and the horse’s capabilities. I planned to visit the Marquis’s residence and, while testing the carriage’s long-distance performance, I asked if Fiene had any errands for me to run in the Royal Capital.
Since I was heading to the Royal Capital, Fiene asked me to deliver the remaining ten pieces of Armored Buffalo meat to His Majesty, handing me a letter addressed to the Prime Minister. I also received a letter for Fiene, along with a request to attach the small crest of the Marquis family to the front left and right of the carriage. When I inquired about it, I was told it was the mark of the Marquis’s official carriage, meant to avoid any trouble from nobles and officials.
After spending the night at the Marquis’s residence, I was surprised to find Hyaru tagging along when we set off. She explained with a wry smile that she didn’t want to hear any complaints from adventurers about carrying offerings to His Majesty.
The carriage journey went smoothly. It usually took an average of twenty days to travel between Egdra and the Royal Capital Herisen using the Marquis’s carriage, but we arrived in Herisen by the afternoon of the eighth day.
With the horse’s military-grade capabilities and the specially made sturdy yet lightweight carriage, even at a brisk pace, the horse didn’t seem burdened at all, easily overtaking other carriages along the way. We set off at dawn and set up camp at dusk, putting the horse in the stable that Shara had prepared in her Magic Pouch, allowing us to cover more distance.
Dressed as adventurers, Hyaru was grinning as she ignored the greetings from the lords of the towns we passed. At the gates of each town, we had the Marquis’s crest and the pass issued by the Marquis himself, allowing us to breeze through without any issues.
Upon arriving in Herisen, we headed straight to the Royal Castle, where Hyaru requested an audience with the Prime Minister. Shara and I went to the waiting room for attendants, along with the carriage.
The two-wheeled carriage, which seemed out of place in the Royal Castle, drew suspicious looks from the surrounding people as two children approached us. I was dressed as an adventurer, while Shara wore a samue-like outfit adorned with a pattern indicating her connection to Fiene Hamawar.
Feeling small in such an unfamiliar place, Shara was suddenly addressed by a knight in fine attire.
“Hey, girl, who are you with?”
Caught off guard, Shara stammered, “I’m with Viscount Hyalda Hamawal.”
“I wasn’t asking you. Don’t interrupt, adventurer! I’m asking that little girl over there. Is it proper to arrive at the Royal Castle in a two-wheeled carriage? It seems the upstart country viscount doesn’t know proper etiquette.”
“That’s enough. You can say what you want, but your master will end up embarrassed.”
“You think a mere kid adventurer can speak to me like that?”
What a troublesome man. Clearly, his master hasn’t taught him any manners.
“If you’re going to say that, I should at least get your master’s name. Even though I’m just a hired guard, I’m here to protect the Viscount. I can’t just laugh off being insulted as ‘an upstart country viscount who doesn’t know proper etiquette.'”
“What are you making a fuss about? Hmm, I don’t recognize your face. What’s all this noise about?”
“I’m the guard for Viscount Hyalda Hamawal, and I came directly from Egdra to the Royal Castle, but it seems he doesn’t like that. I apologize, but I would like to know the name of his master.”
“And why do you want to know that?”
“Even though I’m just a hired guard, I can’t just let an insult towards the Viscount slide. I was sent here as a representative of Marquis Sharda Hamawal to urgently deliver offerings from Egdra to the Royal Family. If I let slide a man who insults Viscount Hyalda Hamawal as an upstart viscount, it would tarnish the Marquis’s reputation and damage my own credibility.”
The arrogant man’s face changed color when he heard the name Sharda Hamawal, but it was too late. He could have avoided this if he had just kept his mouth shut when I told him to.
Even though the soldier who came to intervene was just a low-ranking officer, he couldn’t speak carelessly since the matter involved the dignity of nobles.
“Are you planning to insult the head of another house in front of everyone and act as if nothing happened?”
The surrounding crowd fell silent as the situation escalated. Sensing the unusual atmosphere, a superior officer arrived, and I discreetly flashed my official pass to him.
With a sharp thud, I stood at attention and saluted. This card has some serious power.
“I apologize, but I would like to know the name of his master.”
“Yes, I believe it is Count Eluna Karosag’s subordinate.”
“I’m sorry!!!”
Suddenly, he dropped to the ground in a bow, apologizing profusely.
“Apologizing after the fact doesn’t mean anything when you’ve insulted another house in front of everyone. The child’s actions must be apologized for by their parents, and the servant’s actions must be apologized for by their master. You need to call Count Karosag here when he returns.”
“Yes, sir!”
The surrounding crowd froze at the absurdity of a child adventurer summoning a count, but the soldier’s superior responded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Eventually, Count Eluna Karosag was stopped by the waiting superior officer, who informed him that I, holding a royal crest identification, had summoned him. He appeared with a suspicious expression.
“Kaito, do you need something from me?”
“No need for the honorifics. Count Karosag, I apologize for summoning you. The behavior of your subordinate was utterly unacceptable…” I began to explain the whole situation.
Not long after the recent uproar regarding Prince Herarus and the disrespect shown towards him, a significant number of nobles faced repercussions. If my subordinate continues to behave so atrociously, it could very well lead to my own downfall. Even without reprimands from the Royal Family, turning the Marquis’s house into an enemy is unavoidable.
“Is there no way to settle this peacefully?”
“I thought so too. I told him to stop after his remarks about the rural Viscount, but he just laughed it off. I’m merely an Adventurer, but I’ve been hired as a guard by the Viscount. I can’t just pretend this didn’t happen, nor can I resolve it on my own. I believe that if we receive a formal apology from the Count when Viscount Hyalda Hamawal departs, it should settle the matter.”
“Understood. Can you facilitate that?”
“Of course.”
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When Hyalda left the Royal Castle, I explained the situation in detail and accepted Count Karosag’s apology to bring the matter to a close. However, I made sure to deliver a firm warning.
“From what I’ve heard about the behavior of your house’s retainers, it seems there’s a tendency to mock other families regarding their territories and estates. As the head of your household, you must be cautious; otherwise, it could lead to dangerous consequences.”
Count Karosag could only nod, beads of cold sweat forming on his brow. It was as if I had directly told him that I was aware of their usual conduct. If the King were to find out, it could lead to his retirement or demotion, exposing him to shame across the realm.
“Why is it that, knowing how troublesome things could become, one would insult others in a public gathering? Don’t they realize their words could put their master in a precarious position?”
“In the Karosag household, they routinely belittle the Hamawal family as country nobles, so it’s no surprise their subordinates act the same way. When I mentioned this to the Count earlier, he turned pale.”
“Considering the state of this practical, utilitarian carriage, I can understand why one might want to mock it, but normally, people would keep such thoughts to themselves.”
Hyaru let out a wry smile.