Episode 535: To the Kingdom of Heron (1)
Did I get on the wrong carriage?
The woman looked at herself and greeted her coldly.
“See the son of the baron. My name is Silveria, the second daughter of Count Sylvester.”
Receiving a bewildered greeting, Ray took a seat in the spacious carriage and sat down.
At that, the wagon rattled and started slowly.
“I heard there was a party, but I didn’t know it was a young person.”
Usually, when they go to a foreign country to invite a famous person, they are bound to be accompanied by a seasoned aristocrat who has an enemy in the family.
I never thought that a woman who might have turned twenty now would be with me.
However, it was the same for women.
‘Phi. It’s a pretty famous knight family, so I expected it, but it looks like a shame.’
She liked her face, but in her eyes, who worshiped nothing, Ray’s body was not up to par.
I even wondered if I could wield the sword properly with that.
Not knowing what kind of evaluation he was getting, Ray quickly turned his attention away from her.
If you travel by wagon, it will take almost a week to reach Heron Kingdom.
It was more efficient in many ways to rest even a little than to waste one’s energy on useless work.
He immediately lay down in the carriage seat.
Silveria, taken aback by that, raised her voice a little.
“What are you doing right now?”
“The journey ahead will be long. You should save your stamina by resting in advance.”
I was at a loss for words to stop at the words he spat out naturally.
under!
My stamina is low enough to just ride a wagon?
Besides, although Heron’s kingdom is a bit inferior to Celia’s, it is a small and medium-sized kingdom.
Besides, isn’t he the golden jade leaf of Count Sylvester?
The second son of a baron in the Kingdom of Silia is not an opponent that you dare lie down in front of!
I felt like an idiot for expecting that it would be an interesting journey even for a short while because I had a companion.
“follow your heart.”
She shook her head coldly.
Ray focused more on the outside of the carriage than Sylveria’s reaction.
‘It must have been followed.’
The distance was quite far, so I couldn’t figure out exactly what it was, but judging by the skillful stealth, it was by no means sewage.
Is it a spy in the black room?
If not him, could it be that he was a contractor targeting the sons of nobles?
After thinking about it for a while, Ray spoke to Sylveria as he was lying on his back.
“Someone caught up with the carriage. I think it would be good to reinforce the boundaries.”
What did you say
She snorted slightly.
“There is not a single monster wandering around. Aren’t you mistaken about something, son of the baron?”
It was obviously sarcastic.
Because of the distance, it seems that they are not able to detect their tailing with the level of their senses.
‘I don’t think it will cause any harm right away.’
It was easy to jump out of the wagon and subdue the trailers, but there was a risk of being noticed.
It bothers me a little, but it’s better to leave it alone.
Ray waved his hand.
“I must have been mistaken.”
“joy. Then it is. Why are you bluffing?”
Ray didn’t react much to her muttering.
Aren’t you upset when a little child gets a little tantrum?
He didn’t know it, but that made Sylveria even more resentful.
‘Am I losing face by becoming a man on a rude subject?’
I was blown away when I saw him lying on his back and trying to sleep without questioning.
She looked out the window trying to ignore him.
I felt a little better when the clear sunlight warmed me.
* * *
The men who were examining the situation in the wagon spoke as if they were concerned.
“No matter how much it may not be a lady’s taste, isn’t it a man and a woman? Is it okay if I leave the two alone in the carriage?” “Ha ha ha. Are you worried that something will happen to Sylveria?”
“First of all, we are also escorts. If you even meet the eyes of the baron, who only has a smooth face, you will be beaten to death by the head of the family.”
At that, Gideon shook his head.
“You don’t have to worry. Aren’t you like that?”
“Your lady has a little bit of a personality, but doesn’t she have a good looks? The author is also a man in his prime, so he may have a change of heart.”
It would be even better if he had a change of heart and said he would meet Silveria.
It was self-evident that the father and the king would probably hold a grand banquet, welcoming them with open arms.
Gide didn’t even budge at their words, so the men changed their minds.
‘The young master has already passed.’
‘The boy, who had never called anyone since he was born, was invited to the estate, so there was nothing to ask.’
To protect those who serve is the duty of a subordinate.
The men exchanged glances with each other.
‘We will protect the lady.’
‘I’ll have to make sure that the baron’s son doesn’t dare to look over it.’
Each of the three escorts nodded.
* * *
They were able to leave the borders of Silia only when it was early evening and the sky was getting dark.
The outside of the kingdom is unexplored land infested with monsters.
Thanks to this, the nerves of the escorts also sharpened.
“At this point, let’s try to find a place to camp.”
At Gide’s words, the men skillfully drove the wagon and explored the surroundings.
However, this area was not suitable for camping because there were many bumpy places.
“Boss, I think it would be better to find the village, even if it takes a little time. If you look at the map, there is a slash-and-burn village ahead of you, so why don’t we stay there today?”
it’s a village
Gide also wanted to sleep on a soft bed, if possible, rather than on an uncomfortable floor.
Besides, letting her sister Silveria sleep in the carriage was something that bothered her.
“Then let’s head to the village today. How long do you think it will take?”
“I wonder if it will take three more hours.”
“It’s a bit far.”
It’s far, but how is it?
Wouldn’t it be better to go to sleep for three more hours than to sleep in an uncomfortable bed?
Having made up his mind, Gide gave the order.
“Start the wagon. There is enough food, but it would be better to reorganize it in the village.”
“yes.”
As he tapped the carriage, the escort, who acted as a coachman, pulled the horse by the reins.
Rumbling –
Since it is a famous horse, the carriage started quickly after doing a tour to see if it was not tired even after running all day.
As the carriage, which had stopped for a moment, started moving again, Silveria glanced around.
Looking at the way they left the forest and headed for the main road, it seemed that they were heading towards the village.
She rubbed her heart inwardly.
“I can sleep comfortably today.”
If there was anything to be thankful for, it would be that I could avoid sleeping with the faceless loach-like man in front of me.
“Who is talking about me?”
Judging by the way he picks up his ears, his persimmon is in good shape.
Silveria, stabbed inwardly, averted her gaze.
* * *
It was already midnight when we arrived at the slash-and-burn village.
Seeing a small fire burning in the village, the escorts looked around.
“Who is it?”
“It’s late at night, so it’s not easy to find a place to camp. Please help.”
As soon as their voices spread throughout the small town, people flocked to them.
However, the behavior of the villagers is unusual.
It was unreasonable to look at the hard armor with fur attached as a slash-and-burner.
Judging from the fact that he had a sword and a spear pole in his hands, he couldn’t be considered friendly no matter how good he thought.
“Why are you like this?”
“Calm down. We are not suspicious.”
The escorts tried hard to defeat them.
However, instead of retreating, they stood around the carriage as if they were surrounded by spears.
An old man from among the crowd walked out.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t be of any help. I have no desire to see blood, so please leave what you have and quietly leave the village.”
Gide nodded.
“Okay. Please take the food in the wagon.”
At that, the escorts were frightened and said,
“Boss, these are mere bandits! There is no need to show mercy!”
“We still have a long way to go to the kingdom. We can’t just graze and eat grass, can we?”
There are no villages on the road from Celia to Heron Kingdom.
If you want to buy food, you have to go round and stop at the nearby manor, which will take a good week.
Gide did not give up despite the escorts’ warnings.
“Look at them. Due to the continuous famine, the situation has become pitiable, so you can only make a living by banditry. If they had been willing to take their lives, they would have resisted, but weren’t they the ones who had no choice but to become bandits due to the poor environment?”
At Gide’s words, the men slapped their foreheads.
Even if people are good, they should be good enough.
How could he be robbed by bandits who were trying to rob his pockets!
Giving in to the mere bandits hurt my pride, but I couldn’t refuse the order, so the men let out food while drooling.
The eyes of the bandits widened when all the provisions that were filling the wagon’s luggage compartment were released.
“It’s worth buying and buying.”
“As I live, things like this happen.”
As they delivered the food, the children who had been hiding in the house watching them jumped up and down as they saw the food.
Gide looked at the children with a happy expression.
Ray, who had been lying down all day, stretched and got up when there was a commotion outside.
From what I can see, bandits have invaded.
“This is why we shouldn’t drive a wagon to an unnamed village.”
As he muttered, Sylveria tilted her head.
“What do you mean?”
“If the famine continues, the outer villages that are not protected by the kingdom scatter or turn into bandit dens. If you have a log fire lit in the middle of the night like this, you’re ready to think of total banditry. In the meantime, the Hogu was caught in a good way.”
I pointed my finger out the window and saw Gide smiling happily.
Normally, I would have been moved by his brother’s upright behavior, but somehow, when I heard him say it, I had the feeling that he looked like Hogu.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she glared at Ray.
“The remark you just made is disrespect for this family.”
Disrespect is bullshit.
Even if people like it, it’s a oil bunsuji.
The villagers who said they didn’t want to see blood probably killed dozens more of the peddlers they had visited before.
Ray said firmly.
“Thanks to that, we lost all our food for a week. If you do something that deserves to be criticized, you should be criticized.”
Since he is also a descendant of a noble, he will speak with some degree of goodness.
Thinking so, Sylveria, who had thought of 20 things to refute, was at a loss for words at Ray’s straightforward words.
