The leaves had fallen off and the trees in the garden, which had been lonely, were putting on buds one after another and about to open their flowers. There was the chirping of a bird that resembled a warbler, which seemed to herald the arrival of spring.

　The temperature was gradually rising, not too hot and not too cold, but good enough.

　In the garden of the mansion, which was beginning to be surrounded by such greenery, luggage was being hurriedly packed into the carriage.

　Yes, to go to the royal capital.

　There are still some days until the party is held, but the road to the capital is a long way away because Coriat village is in the countryside.

　In any case, since it is located in the farthest east from the royal capital of the Misfirito Kingdom, it would take a week to reach it by carriage.

　That long........

　It's normal to leave early because you don't know what's on the way.

　Well, I don't want to arrive in King's Landing and suddenly be told that we're going to have a party the next day. Carriage travel is not that easy. I have rode in it a few times, but it is very shaky unlike a carriage.

　It may be that the road is not as well maintained as in Japan, but it was shaking even on the flat road.

　I don't think it will be a comfortable trip.

　Because of all these reasons, we're leaving today, two weeks earlier than the date of the event.

　The only thing I'm bringing with me is a change of clothes, so I'm already well prepared.

　All I have to do is pack them in a large bag.

　Well, even if you have a lot of things, you can go empty-handed because everything is stored in the bag using space magic. Any kind of luggage will fit into the bag. You don't have to worry about forgetting anything. I've got everything from food to underwear in there.

　Once again, this ability is an ability that merchants want by the throat. And so is transference.

　With nothing to do now, I sit near the door and watch in a daze as everyone puts their things on the wagon.

　The maids, Meena, Mel and Bartolo, put the luggage on the wagon. Among them are the rumba and an uncle I don't know.

　They run around shouting to each other that they have loaded that one, and not that one.

　It's not a good thing if we don't have enough of what we need or food on the journey.

　As if he was used to being a former adventurer, Nordic Dad seems to have calmed down and is helping Erna's mother prepare for the trip.

''Did you make sure the tea set is in the right place?

Meena gave me a ride earlier.

The rest is just books to pass the time and cookies and candy and pasta and...

　Erna, Mom, it's mostly food.

'Yes, yes, your stuff is fine now.

If you say so, it's okay.

　They both walk side by side to the carriage, looking like they are both close.

　Then Saara shuffles up to it and hands the bag to Mother Erna.

''Well ma'am, I have forgotten my party dress.

I don't want it.

'No!　I'm here!

　Mother Erna hurriedly persuades Father Nord to take the bag hatefully and roughly toss it into the wagon.

　What a ploy. Pretending to worry about her own luggage, but leaving her dress for the party at the mansion. If it weren't for Saara, by the time we arrived at King's Landing, the "I forgot my dress, so I can't join the party" strategy would have worked.

　As you can see, Mother Erna, as you can see, doesn't want to attend the party. She doesn't like dealing with the wife of a black-hearted aristocrat to a great extent. That's why she didn't seem to attend the last party.

　However, I received a letter from Erna's parents' house in the capital, asking me to come to their home, so I reluctantly joined the party.

　You'll be able to find out what's going on in the house.

　If it weren't for the drama, the ingredients, and the magic tools, I wouldn't either.

　I'm your son, after all.

　It's a good idea to make a plan for forgetting something.

　It's a good idea to make sure that you don't have to attend any noblemen's parties.

　With that in mind, I move my bag to a discreet corner.

　I also have my own formal wear in here. If I forget this, I should be able to do the plan I forgot that Erna's mother couldn't realize.

　I was just about to leave my bag and casually head for the carriage when I was hit on the head from behind.

'What are you doing? Take your bag with you. Either way, there's a clothing store in King's Landing as well, you're just going to have to buy some hastily-made formal wear.''

　Elinora sister thrusts out her bag while making a dumbfounded expression like this idiot is a complete idiot.

　I'm not sure if that's true or not. I'm definitely going to participate from the outset. It's just like Elinora's sister said, you can prepare children's clothing right away. That was a technique that was possible because it was a woman's dress. It would take a lot of time and money to make a woman's dress for adults. Then I might not attend this time.

　Not to be underestimated, Mother Erna.

''........when did you get so close.......''

'Just when you think you're making a dumb face in front of the front door, you suddenly get a creepy smile on your face I'm going to warn you.

　What a rude thing to say about a dumb face. Are you trying to tell me that I look like Thor?

"I don't look like a dumbass. I was just looking around, looking at my surroundings.

Yeah, yeah, get in the car.

　Even though it's very important to talk about, when it comes to Elinora sister, she puts her hands on her hips and gestures away with one hand to shush.

　It's true that my face isn't as neat as Brother Silvio's and Sister Elinora's, but I can't go so far as to look dumb... as it should.

　When I silently turn my gaze in protest, Elinora sister says, "Hmm," and roughly pushes her bag against my chest.

　Please don't do that for a second, that's cute.



　The Elinora sister pushed me into the carriage like a piece of luggage.

　By the way, the men who are going to the capital this time are me, Father Nord, Mother Erna, Meena and Saara.

　The guards are an old man named Gates, an immigrant and former adventurer. For the servants and governors, we have Lowe, a villager who takes care of the cattle and horses in the village.

　Brother Silvio, Sister Elinora, Mel and Bartolo are waiting at the mansion.

　They said it's a hassle to get to the capital and that if they join the party, trouble will happen like last time.

　I think that's a bit unfair.

　Hurriedly, a smaller wagon carrying our luggage and two guards and a larger carriage with a dragon emblem on it that we're riding in leave.

　At the front door, Sister Elinora and Brother Silvio, Mel and Bartolo wave us off.

　Elinora's words, "You don't want to get entangled with some strange nobleman," make me very uneasy.

　Come to think of it, she said that she returned the man who made a pass at her with a sword. That man wouldn't resent you and mess with me or something, would he?　



　The carriage leaves the village of Coriat in the blink of an eye, thinking that my fears have nothing to do with it.

　The houses, fences, and viewing platforms seen from the outside become smaller and smaller in the blink of an eye.

　I'm not going to be able to return to the house for the time being because of this. But when push comes to shove, you can always transfer back home.

　The special training to increase the magic power is done every day without fail, so it should be fine. I don't know if I can return to the village of Coriat in a single shot from the capital city, but at worst, I can return in two days if I can pass through the villages and towns on the way.



　When I thought of that, I felt my anxiety lighten somehow.



　× x x x


Nah, still, it's peaceful around here.

It's nice to see so much greenery up here.

　A few hours of straight and flat roads for a while. We pass one small village and give the horses a rest. Now they have parked their carriage on a single road and are resting on the grassland with good visibility.

The village I just visited, Poda, has become very lively. When I was a kid, there wasn't much food to eat and even fewer houses...

　Gates, a man who looks up as if he were reminiscing about the past.

　He has a deep, sharp face and blue eyes. His hair is a wild and masculine soft mohawk.

　The long and thick sideburns give him a darker impression.

　And the most remarkable thing is his chin.

Yes, this guy has a long chin.

　The shape of his face, looking up at the sky, looks like a crescent moon floating in the night sky.

　Gates used to be an adventurer, but he seems to have retired and returned to the country with his wife.

　The village of Poda, which he just passed, is his hometown, he said, but when he came back to his family's house, he found a stranger living there and he had no home to live in.

　He decided to immigrate to Koliat village when he heard from his neighbors that his parents had emigrated to Koliat village and that Lumumba, whom he knew, was there.

　When they came back here, they were very surprised to find the village more lively than in the past.

Gates looks into the distance, laughing, "I was surprised at that time.

　I'm sure he's remembering something from the past.

　I'm sure he's reminiscing about the past as well. I'm sure you have a long chin.

There are things in this world that are not to be touched even out of curiosity, you know?　Just like a woman's breasts and ass... well, the kids don't know that yet.

　Gates, who noticed my staring gaze, said a word of advice and let out a huff of laughter.

　I'm definitely thinking in my mind something like, "I just said something nice.

Yeah, I'm just a kid. Yes, I'm too young to understand. I'll touch it to the hilt.

　He poked Gates' smug face in the jaw with a fallen branch.

'............'

...twang...

　I kept poking and stroking it, and the branch broke off.

　Wow, the branch was broken.

　I stared at the broken branch, but it was useless when it became too short, so I threw it to the side.

　I was just about to look for the next branch when I heard the sound of plants shaking nearby.

　For some reason, it looks like Gates was trying to grab me, but I don't care. Now I'm worried about the being that made the noise. Maybe it's a demon.

　When I turned back toward the sound, I noticed that the bushes behind me were shaking a bit.

　Gates sniffed with a snort.

...it stinks. A demon a goblin.

　At the same time as the words, a goblin comes out.

　The goblin smells harsh, so you can tell if it's there or not by smelling it. I think that's what Roomba said too. It certainly smells somewhat up here.

　The goblins scampered around, and when they noticed us, they gave us an ugly smile and jumped out.

　It looks like it's just happy to find its prey.

Back to the carriage. We'll take it from here.

　With a cool smile, Gates drew his sword from its scabbard and held the circular shield equipped on his left arm.