Chapter 84: Trip
Now that the alliance with Lestall was formed and we were out of that tight spot, I was craving some long-awaited alone time with Yuri.
I mean, honestly, I was mentally exhausted. I wanted to go hang out with Yuri and heal.
“So, uh, I was wondering if it’d be okay for Yuri and me to go on a trip?”
I clasped my hands together as if in prayer and stared intently at Pops.
“A trip, huh? Anywhere specific you want to go?”
“Hmm… Not really. I just want to go to a Town in a scenic place and wander around.”
“True, if you miss this chance, you might not be able to go for a while. If you’re willing to take on a job, you can go for about a month.”
A whole month!?
Yes! Seriously!?
But what kind of job is it?
Seeing Pops grinning, I sensed something ominous and requested, “First, please tell me about the job.”
“We’ve received a request for aid from Orde, a Town in the southernmost reaches. Lestall’s magistrate has returned, so that place is currently vacant. Mary is there, but the issue is a water shortage. I need you to transport water.”
Oh, is that all?
It’s just a simple job of going to Aunt Mary’s place!
“Okay. Is that really all?”
“What, you’ll do more? Well then, let’s see…”
“No! That’s plenty, plenty! You don’t need to force yourself to think of more!”
Waving my hands side to side, I quickly stopped Pops’ train of thought. He laughed and sent me off, saying, “Just kidding. Go have fun.”
After that, when I told Yuri we got permission, she exclaimed, “I’ll go get ready!” and dashed off.
It seems she plans to leave right away.
Well, that’s fine, I guess.
But where should I get the water from…?
Is it okay to take that much from a well?
Well, I can come back easily, so maybe from the river is fine.
We normally use river water for drinking and cooking on long trips anyway, so it should be alright.
After gathering my thoughts, I headed to Yuri’s house to get permission from Milis-san, and then Yuri and I went to get permission from the General as well.
When I told him Pops had asked me to handle the water shortage, he readily gave his permission.
Yuri looked down on the General and said, “I’m going off to have fun, so Father, please do your best with your work all by yourself,” then darted away with a pyuu.
His work stopped, and the bear—no, the General—had a soft, doting expression on his face.
I gave a small bow to the General, who was clearly pleased by Yuri’s overly sweet attack, and chased after her. She was standing just outside.
It somehow reminded me of our academy days, and a small laugh escaped me.
And so, with our preparations complete, we mounted our cute Familiars and set off.
Raku and Fuu, overjoyed, carried us as they gallantly ran south.
First, we took a detour to secure water from the river.
I took out the contents of my Storage Magic, made a Cart, and loaded it up.
After that, while playing with Yuri by the river, I kept the Storage Magic Circle active and continuously filled it with water, so a considerable amount must have accumulated.
All that’s left is to go to the southern Town and release it.
I might have played around a bit too much and put in too much, but it’s better to have more, right?
“Alright, let’s go!” we said, racing each other down the road.
We left late, so the sun set quickly, but we continued running through the night, taking breaks.
The nearest Town wasn’t that far, so we should arrive without issue.
And so, we reached the Town, got a room at an inn, and it was rest time.
I’d almost instinctively gotten just one room, but there were two beds, so it should be fine. Thinking that, I peeked at Yuri’s face, and she was looking at me as if to say, ‘Don’t tell me, is that what this is about!?’
…It’s not, but maybe I should just go with it.
Such thoughts crossed my mind, but her youthful appearance made me anxious about whether it was okay to make a move.
There’s also the desire to cherish her more.
Well, the scariest possibility is that I’m misinterpreting her awareness, make a move, and end up being hated.
While I was pondering what to do, Yuri had already lain down on one of the beds by herself.
Ah, right. It’s morning now, isn’t it?
It was just a misunderstanding, huh…
And so, I also lay down on the other bed and closed my eyes.
We woke up in the evening, did some sightseeing, and the next morning, we decided to depart.
We should reach the southernmost Town today.
The occasional Monsters that appear are easily dealt with by Yuri, who shoots them down while still riding Fuu, making things very easy for me.
“You’ve gotten really good. It must have been tough, huh?”
“N-Not really! I was just shooting Monsters relentlessly!”
Yuri-chan was acting somewhat suspiciously.
Seeing her like that reminded me.
“Oh yeah, I heard you were pretty messed up when you heard I died.”
“W-What are you talking about? I don’t know anything! Fuu-chan, full speed, gooo!”
With Yuri’s sudden shout, the race restarted.
I thought maybe my phrasing was a bit off, but still, I yelled, “Raku, go too!” and chased after Fuu at full speed.
After a while, Yuri had Fuu stop, and we took a break.
We ate, and gave Raku and the others Magical Power. When it was just me, I’d sometimes make them run non-stop, but Yuri always stops after a certain amount of time.
I felt somewhat apologetic towards Raku and decided to be more considerate from now on.
Well, the main time I made him run non-stop was that one time when I rode Raku to Razbel.
Back then, Raku was also super enthusiastic because it was his first time outside.
And so, after finishing our break and restarting, we quickly arrived at our destination.
You could tell there was a water shortage just by looking at the ground. It was bone dry.
It was the kind of cracked, parched earth you see in places where it doesn’t rain.
From what I hear, this place frequently suffers from water shortages. Apparently, there’s a mountain right next to it, and the sea is on the other side, but with sheer cliffs and strong Monsters, using the sea is completely out of the question.
Well, seawater would be a hassle either way, though.
Yuri and I looked at the ground, talking about how “this is pretty bad,” as we entered the Town.
It’s a small Town, but judging by how close the houses are built, the population density seems high, so there are probably a lot of people.
But in this situation, where should we go?
“The person who raised Rui is here, right?”
“Ah, yeah. It’s a request from the kingdom, so should we go to the Lord’s mansion?”
“I think that would be fine. But it’s sad how everything is closed…”
Just as she said, nearly half the shops seemed to be closed.
There weren’t many people around, but there were some, so we asked for directions and finally arrived at the Lord’s mansion.
However, there were no gatekeepers, no one at all.
With no other choice, we entered on our own, walked through the garden, and approached the mansion.
When I banged the door knocker repeatedly, someone finally came out.
“L-Lui-chan!? Eh, why is Lui-chan here?”
Yuri, changing her tone, whispered “Lui-chan” with a smirk and a challenging look on her face.
Alright, you just wait.
“Pops asked me to bring water for the water shortage. Where should I put it?”
“Oh, that’s a great help. How much did you bring?”
“Eh, even if you ask how much… I don’t really know…”
When I tilted my head, she asked back, “Well then, how many carts’ worth?”
No, no, even when I replied that I brought it with magic, she just tilted her head.
I told my aunt to just guide me to a place where water could be stored and pushed her back to get her moving.
“Alright, alright. So I just need to show you the reservoir, right?”
What we arrived at was just a pond.
The bottom was damp, but there was no water.
“Can I release it here?”
“Yes, please put what you brought here. The Townspeople also come here to get water.”
Alright then, without holding back, I started releasing water from my Storage Magic, but she stopped my hand.
“Lui-chan, don’t tell me you were planning to solve this with magic!? Water created by magic doesn’t last, you know?”
Aunt Mary lamented, “Ahh, it’s because we didn’t teach him anything…”
Don’t underestimate me!
I’m an active Hunter, you know!?
I know that!
“Alright, Mary-chan, let’s take a good look at this Magic Circle, shall we? Is this water magic?”
I deliberately changed my tone, attempting to get back at her.
“N-No, it’s not… But, could you stop with the ‘-chan’? When Lui-chan says it like that, it makes me feel… fidgety…”
“That fidgety feeling, I’ve been enduring it for a long time too. I’m not a kid anymore, so it’s about time you called me by my name without any honorifics.”
“That’s impossible,” Aunt Mary said, showing some incomprehensible stubbornness.
“Well then, can Lui-chan call me without an honorific?”
“Yeah, I can. Mary!”
“Kyun!”
“Hey, no ‘kyun’! Stop it, Yuri will get the wrong idea!”
“I won’t!”
Huh? Cornelia-san and the others aren’t okay with it, but Aunt Mary is?
Ah, maybe it’s because of her age. Well, I won’t say it out loud, though.
Anyway, getting back to the main point, I explained again that this was magic that could transport things, and I had brought river water.
“What amazing magic… Just as I thought, Lui-chan is a genius!”
“This woman… She kept saying I was ordinary and average, and now she says this so shamelessly…”
“Uuuu… I said that hoping you’d give up on being a Hunter… I’m sorry, okay?”
Aunt Mary looked like a scolded child, so I soothed her, saying, “I get it. It’s fine now,” and asked where else I should release the water.
“You can still release more?”
“I haven’t even released half of it. I have several times this amount, easily.”
When I replied as such, she asked me to take her to a spring that still had water, so we headed there.
When we arrived, we found ourselves at a place enclosed by a wooden wall, with several soldiers standing at the gate.
“May we pass?”
“M-My Lady Auberon! Of course. Please, go ahead!”
Whoa, as expected of a Marquis’s daughter. She gets a free pass even to the lifeline spring.
“She’s a wonderful person, isn’t she?” Yuri said, looking at my aunt.
“Nah, that expression is faked. It’s the first time I’ve seen it too.”
“Hey, Rui-chan!?”
She shot me a sharp glare, but it suited her so little that I couldn’t help but laugh.
While we were having this exchange, we went inside, and this spring too was almost completely dry.
Wanting to get it over with quickly and be free, I started releasing water from a large magic circle.
The sound was nothing like a mere waterfall. It made an incredible roaring noise, ZUGOGOGO, enough to make the ground vibrate.
A soldier, startled, came in, but he stopped in his tracks, dumbfounded.
Enough water had accumulated to the point of overflowing, but it seemed there was still more.
“What should I do with the rest? Just spread it around?”
“No! Please wait. You there, if you please?”
My aunt called over a soldier and told him that this place could now be opened to the public.
“But, that is…” The soldier looked perplexed, so I stood before him and explained.
“It’s alright. This water won’t disappear. If it’s not enough, I’ll bring more.”
“How can such a ridiculous thing be true! Water created by magical power doesn’t last. That’s common sense!”
“This isn’t a place where you can do as you please based on a child’s fantasy!” the soldier shouted, grabbing me by the collar.
Whoa. He’s pretty ticked off. Water is a matter of life and death, after all.
If the water disappeared after opening it up, a great many people would truly die, so it’s understandable that he can’t easily believe it.
I was thinking I’d have to show him the water actually going in to convince him, when I noticed Yuri had, at some point, donned her Maso.
Huh, an enemy!? I scanned our surroundings, but we were inside the enclosure. There was no one else but us.
“If you mean to harm Rui, I will kill you. Let go of him!”
Huh… Is she perhaps talking to this soldier?
Wait, wait, this person is just trying to protect the town.
As I tried to stop Yuri, my aunt stepped forward.
“This gentleman is His Highness the Prince. Such disrespect will not be tolerated.
Now that you know the truth, there will not be a next time.”
When she told the soldier that, he let go of me, still confused, and froze. Immediately after, he began to apologize profusely.
I assured him it was fine and stopped him, then explained that this water was transported using a rare magic capable of carrying large quantities of things, and actually showed him the magic. Well, since it would get soaked when I took it out, I just moved some water in and out, but it seems he was convinced by that.
Then, with him guiding us, we went around to several dried-up wells and released water into them.
After visiting a few locations, the water I had brought ran out.
Alright, job done. I told the soldiers they did well and dismissed them, then we strolled through the town, chatting idly.
“Does it not rain much here?”
“That’s right. This year is especially bad, but I hear it’s always been scarce.”
Why would they build a town in a place like that…?
When I asked, it seems the town was apparently built by the grandson of King Oldol, who was famed as a wise ruler.
Because it was a town built by a prince, named after the king, they couldn’t back down later due to prestige and whatnot, or so I heard.
It was a foolish reason.
“Can’t they use seawater somehow? By purifying it.”
“Well, it’s completely surrounded by mountains. You know that the monsters in the mountains are strong, right?”
I know that, but it varies by location, so I asked, “I know, but how strong are they here?”
“I hear that these mountains are such that four high-ranking soldiers could somehow manage to climb them.”
However, beyond those mountains, it’s apparently sheer cliffs as far as the eye can see, so steep that there’s no way to descend. And this supposedly continues all the way to the middle of Mildrad.
“Can I go take a quick look?”
“No! It’s dangerous!”
No, if high-ranking soldiers can manage it, then I’ll be fine. With that, I took out a badge from my luggage.
It was the Holy Knight badge I received from King Lestall.
“Silence, silence! Does this emblem not enter your sight!?”
“Y-Yes, Your Highness! W-Wait, that’s a Lestall Holy Knight insignia, isn’t it? Is it real!?”
After playing along with the joke, I turned to my astonished aunt with a smug look.
“Rui, if you want to go, I will protect you, okay?”
“No, I told you, it’s fine… Actually, Yuri, how far can you really go?”
That’s right, I still don’t know her true strength.
I don’t intend to make her fight on a battlefield, but I figured we’d probably go into a dungeon together at some point, so I asked.
“If it’s the one in Oldam, probably around the fiftieth floor. The difficulty is different from here, so that’s just a rough estimate…”
Wow, so she really is about as strong as a high-ranking Knight…
I see. It seems the difficulty really varies depending on the place. The one in Oldam, especially, is for students, so it’s one of the easiest, ranking first or second in low difficulty.
That’s why, generally, you don’t really judge things by floor numbers.
For soldiers, the ranks are: Lower, Middle, and High-ranking, then Knight, High-ranking Knight, and Holy Knight.
Hunters are also mostly similar in strength to soldiers up to the high-ranking level, but they don’t become Knights. Only those summoned by the country can call themselves Knights.
Hunters who dislike that don’t receive Knight certification, so it doesn’t mean Hunters are weak, but since many aspire to be Knights, the absolute number of strong individuals among them is small.
There are also some Hunters who don’t want to fight people or don’t want to be subordinate to anyone.
But still, around the fiftieth floor, huh… As expected of Yuri.
I see.
That explains why Yuri, who isn’t usually overconfident, could declare “no problem” when facing an assassin hired by Karl, whose abilities she didn’t even know.
“I can also solo as a vanguard up to nearly the fiftieth floor, so it’s a piece of cake.”
“Are you two… really that strong…?”
My aunt has an incredibly shocked expression on her face.
She should know about my mock battle with Uncle…
“If I weren’t, I wouldn’t be able to fight on the front lines in a war.”
“I see… So the story about winning thanks to Rui wasn’t entirely just for prestige, was it?”
Huh?
Ah, right. I made them keep the bombs a secret, so that’s what she’d normally think, huh.
Well, it’s fine if she thinks that part is a lie, though.
It was thanks to the bombs, after all.
I relied on my past life’s knowledge, and even if they asked me to make more, it would be difficult.
There aren’t many weapons that even I can make.
“More importantly, since we have the chance, why don’t we go see what’s beyond those mountains?”
When I casually said, “Sightseeing, sightseeing,” Yuri’s spirits lifted, and she exclaimed, “That sounds interesting!”
It was getting quite late today, so we decided to go tomorrow and returned to the Lord’s mansion.