Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku (LN) - Volume 5 - Chapter 6

Journey on the Great River 

Satou here. My parents always thought of travel by boat as a luxurious cruise, but as a member of the lower middle class, I tend to think of taking a ferry to a remote island. Either way, I believe the image of a boat leaving a wake through the waves is classic. 

Two days after Miss Sara departed, we embarked on the viceroy’s ship with Tolma and his family, Miss Karina’s party, and the temple knight guards. 

The ship was bigger than I’d pictured, with enough room to load several carriages onto the deck. 

Ours was the only carriage this time, so we had some of the harbor workers load it up the day before. Most of them were twenty-foot-tall golems or little giants, and watching them use the harbor’s loading crane to move our carriage onto the ship left us impressed. 

The steam whistle sounded, signaling our departure. 

Actually, since it’s a tool that operates on magic instead of steam, maybe I should call it a magic flute? 

“Weigh anchor!” 

The sailors moved quickly at the captain’s command. 

The captain was a human, but more than half the sailors were beastfolk. Flying-type demi-humans, like birdfolk and batfolk, were in charge of lookout duties on the main mast. 

I leaned against the deck railing, waving to the people who had come to see us off. 

“Lord Satooou, Lady Mia, come play again somedaaay! Oh, and you too, Arisa.” 

The loudest voice belonged to the viceroy’s daughter. 

She was one of the children who’d been in the peanut gallery during the demon battle. I had assumed that they were all boys, so I was quite surprised when I first found out. 

She had begged for magic lessons upon learning that Mia was an elf, and Mia had delivered, with interpretation and supplementary explanations by Arisa and yours truly. 

She had evidently gotten a little attached to me in the process, not that I let that go anywhere. She was only around middle school age. 

Despite being acknowledged as an afterthought, Arisa was waving back quite cheerfully. 

That was Arisa for you, though. Being a reincarnation and all, she was really very adult— 

“Mwa-ha-ha! Like I was going to let a new character raise any flags. Disappear from our story forever!” 

A “new character”…? Was that how Arisa saw the viceroy’s daughter? She was particularly wicked today. 

As the ship turned, I bopped Arisa lightly on the head. Then we both walked to the bow, where Pochi and Tama were gleefully watching the water. 

“Are there members of that cult in the old capital, too?” 

“Yeah. It’s a bigger group than I realized at first.” 

As we spoke, I dutifully supported Arisa by the waist as she stretched her arms out wide at the prow. 

“Will you be cleaning them out again, then?” 

“As much as I can. Some of them are high-ranking nobles this time, though, so it might not be as easy as before.” 

The Wings of Freedom members in Gururian City had been rounded up and imprisoned after I gave their names and whereabouts to the authorities. 

A few had escaped, but I captured them in the dead of night under a black hood and brought them to prison with the rest. 

“Are you going to tell the duke about that horn?” 

The horn Arisa was referring to was the “short horn” that could turn humans into demons. 

“Probably. I just want to meet him and get a feel for him first.” 

“Yeah, good idea.” 

Sure, the idea of lesser demons suddenly appearing in cities was scary, but so was the idea of an insurgence bred by paranoia and fear. 

“I never expected terrorists to exist in a fantasy world.” 

“No kidding.” I agreed wholeheartedly with Arisa’s complaint. 

“Um, Sir Viscount, this is rather dangerous, so if you wouldn’t mind…” 

Where we were standing was supposed to be off-limits, but we had managed to get permission at Arisa’s insistent request. 

The guide who was in charge of meeting our needs looked distressed, though, so I returned to the deck with a satisfied-looking Arisa in tow. 

“That’s one more thing I can check off the bucket list from my old life!” 

It seemed she had wanted to reenact a scene from a famous American movie. 

It did seem familiar, and the movie had achieved enough acclaim for me to recognize the title, but I had been too busy with work to see anything but the trailer. 

“Now then, allow me to show you to your rooms.” 

The tour guide led us down the stairs to the guest rooms at the rear of the ship. 

The sizable ship had three floors altogether, including the deck; the second floor had guest rooms and the captain’s cabin; and the third floor had rooms for livestock, cargo, and the sailors’ quarters. 

The old capital was almost two hundred miles downriver, but with the viceroy’s special vessel, we would get there in a scant two days. 

On a normal ship, it would take three or four days with all the stops in the four other cities and towns on the way to the old capital. 

I’d been concerned about seasickness, but the only victims were one of Miss Karina’s maids (who was down within the first half hour of the trip) and Tolma (who went down after an hour). 

There were many others who had never been on a ship before, but nobody else got seasick. 

The tour guide gave seasickness medication to Tolma and the maid, so they would recover soon enough. 

After we put our luggage in the room, I gave everyone some free time. 

“I love this breeze.” 

“Yes, it smells very nice. Like the river and the flora.” 

I leaned back on the sofa that the tour guide had set up for us on the deck and took a sip from a goblet of fruit-flavored water. Instead of a fancy sofa you might see in a noble’s house, this one was simple and moisture-resistant. 

Liza was sitting nearby on a round mat made of woven grass, squinting into the gentle wind that rippled through her vermilion hair. 

Even on the ship, she still had her beloved magic spear close by her side. 

Obviously, wearing armor would’ve been a bit much, though, so today she had put on a simple dress that matched the other kids’ clothing. Each of them had a unique pattern; Liza’s was designed after red flames. 

The other kids were off exploring the ship. 

I hadn’t expected Lulu to join them, but I could understand why her curiosity got the better of her when she’d never been on a ship this size before. 

While I reflected on this, Miss Karina came back from touring the craft. 

“I’ve nothing to do at all.” 

“Lady Karina, why don’t you join the girls in exploring the ship?” 

“…Am I not welcome here, Sir Pendragon?” 

Miss Karina looked down at me with a pout that was almost entirely obscured by her enormous chest. I exchanged glances with Liza, who stood to prepare a spare sofa for her. 

Well, the only “preparation” involved was just removing the waterproof sheet draped over it. 

“Of course you are. Would you like to have a seat?” 

“…Yes, thank you.” 

Miss Karina sat down gracefully on the sofa Liza had readied for her. 

Making a mental note of how the law of inertia affected her giant breasts, I addressed Miss Karina. 

“Would you like some fruit water? It’s quite energizing.” 

“It’s…energizing?” 

“Certainly. It’s like nothing you’ve ever had before.” 

“Energizing… Like nothing I’ve ever…” 

Mumbling something incomprehensible, Miss Karina glanced a few times between my mouth and the goblet I was holding out to her. 

“N-no, thank you, I’m…I’m not terribly thirsty at present.” 

Flushing bright red, she emphatically shook her head and both her hands no. The dance of her magical boobs was captivating. 

I don’t know what she thought I meant, but I suppose a young woman of her age had quite a powerful imagination. 

After a few minutes, she seemed to calm down a little, but she remained scarlet-faced and avoided my eyes. 

Just then, Tama and Pochi returned from their exploration. 

“We’re baaack.” 

“Sir!” 

“Welcome back.” 

I caught them in midair as they leaped at me, placing them on either side of the sofa. 

They looked thirsty, so I offered them more fruit water from the side table. 

“So fizzyyy?” 

“It’s bubbling in my mouth, sir!” 

The two beastfolk girls jumped to their feet on the sofa, staring at the cups they were clutching in both hands. 

Both of them were widening their eyes in surprise. Tama’s tail was even puffed up. 

“Ooh, this is carbonated, isn’t it?! Goodness, it’s been so long!” 

Arisa stole my goblet, took a sip, and exclaimed loudly. 

In this duchy, natural carbonated water existed, so it was sold relatively cheaply in the cities along the great river. 

“Unfair.” 

Mia yanked the goblet from Arisa’s hands and put it to her lips. 

She didn’t seem surprised by the carbonated fruit water, so maybe it was common in the elf village. 

“No need to squabble, girls. There are plenty more cups right there on the table.” 

“You just don’t get it, do you…?” 

“Mm. Dense.” 

That was rude. All I did was point out the obvious. 

Lulu smiled affectionately at the scene as she poured the drink into a new goblet. 

“Lulu, make sure you only fill it halfway.” 

“R-right… W-waah!” 

Lulu panicked as the carbonated liquid started to bubble up. 

Quickly, I scooped away the goblet and slurped up the foam before it could overflow. 

“There, it should be fine now.” 

“Thank you very much, master. Stay still for a moment, please.” 

Lulu wiped away the foam on my upper lip with a handkerchief. 

“Well done, my dear sister. Allow me to dispose of this handkerchief for—” 

“No, thank you, Arisa. I’ll wash it myself.” 

Arisa, who had somehow reappeared next to Lulu, tried to tug the handkerchief out of her sister’s hands. 

While Lulu seemed occupied with their little game, I poured some fruit water for Nana in her place. 

“Thank you, master, I report.” 

“Be carefuuul?” 

“It’s very fizzy, ma’am.” 

Tama and Pochi gave a serious warning to Nana as she lifted the carbonated beverage to her lips. 

“Your advice has been registered. I will be careful, I report.” 

After nodding to Tama and Pochi, Nana took a sip… 

“Master!” 

…and jerked toward me with a doll-like movement. 

“Master, this fruit water is alive, I report.” 

“It’s just carbonic acid. It fizzes because of a chemical reaction.” 

Nana seemed alarmed despite her ever-present blank expression, so I tried to reassure her. 

For a moment, I’d considered making up a story to tease her a little, but I decided against it; she’d probably believe me. 

“Sa— Sir Pendragon, could you perhaps spare a glass for me as well?” 

Miss Karina, who’d been peeking at us surreptitiously for a while, finally gave in to her curiosity. 

“Sure, I’ll pour you one.” 

“Let me take care of that, master.” 

Having triumphed in her battle with Arisa, Lulu returned to her work with a lively smile. 

Tama and Pochi, already tired of the novelty of carbonation, clambered onto the sofa to sit next to me. 

It was meant to be a two-seater, so it was pretty cramped. 

“Togetherrr?” 

“Sir!” 

Once Tama and Pochi were settled on the sofa, Liza handed them the rest of their drinks. 

“I call the lap!” 

Arisa raised her hands demandingly, so I picked her up and placed her on my lap as requested. 

“Mrrrr.” 

Mia grumbled crossly, but there was no space left. 

Instead, she tottered around behind the sofa and sat on the back behind my head, messing around with my hair. 

“Mia, please stop touching my hair.” 

“…Mm.” 

Mia did leave my hair alone, but then she started prodding at my ears with her fingers instead. 

I would prefer only adult women to do that, thanks. 

“It’s disgraceful to be acting so improper this early in the day!” 

Miss Karina, apparently miffed by the perfectly innocent snuggling going on, narrowed her eyes, snatched the goblet Lulu offered her, and knocked it back in one gulp. 

Uh-oh. 

I think everyone else present had the same thought in that moment. 

With a loud sputter, an orange spray arced through the sky. 

Miss Karina, having encountered carbonation for the first time in her life, performed a dramatic spit take, dropping the goblet from her hand. 

The drink sprayed all over poor innocent Lulu, while the goblet bounced off Miss Karina’s ample breasts to nearby Nana’s, then to the ground. 

Oh boy. 

I put Arisa on the floor and stood up, handing out towels from the Garage Bag to the three victims. 

Nana’s and Lulu’s white dresses were soaked through, providing a glimpse of their modern-style underwear beneath. I forced myself to avert my eyes. 

Arisa designed and I tailored the underwear, by the way. The three-dimensional sewing was pretty difficult. 

Miss Karina’s clothes were transparent, too, but the chest wraps of this world didn’t hold any sex appeal for me. 

Speaking of which, I would’ve thought Raka would be able to fend off a goblet— Oh, wait. If Raka’s defense had activated, the fruit water would’ve bounced off it and caused even more damage, so it was probably a deliberate decision. 

“Miss Nana! You mustn’t undress to dry yourself off in public.” 

“But, Lulu! This fruit water must be removed at once for sanitation’s sake, I insist.” 

“No.” 

Lulu and Mia scolded Nana as she tried to take off her clothes. 

“Nana, go back to the room to change. That’s an order. You can dry yourself off there.” 

“…Master, your order has been registered, I report.” 

The sticky soda probably felt pretty gross. 

For whatever reason, there was a short pause before Nana’s reply. 

“Lady Karina, you may change clothes in our room as well, if you’d like.” 

“O-of course.” 

“Lady Karina, please clean me off as well, if you could.” 

Miss Karina was still frozen in place when Raka spoke. 

The unladylike incident must have distressed her, as she had made no effort to cover her chest with the towel. 

Her eyes followed Nana and Lulu to the room. She must have been feeling guilty. 

Taking another towel out of the Garage Bag, I draped it over Karina’s shoulders, hiding her chest. 

“Lulu and Nana aren’t angry. And it’s difficult to look at you without being rude in this state, so please, go ahead and change clothes.” 

At my second prompting, Miss Karina turned red, clutched the towel to her chest, and hurried to the stairs to follow the others. 

In the entrance, I caught her apology to Nana and Lulu thanks to my “Keen Hearing” skill. 

While the crew cleaned the area around the sofa, we stood at the railing on the side of the ship and watched the river go by. 

“Look, look! Mermaids, mermaids!” 

Did you have to say it twice? 

I followed where Arisa was pointing, and sure enough, there they were. 

The AR display called them finfolk—water-dwelling demi-humans. 

There were gillfolk soldiers on the ship, but I hadn’t realized there were other kinds of fish people, too. 

The finfolk were gathering mollusks, prawns, and so on and carrying them to people on a small fishing boat. 

Somehow, they seemed less like beautiful female divers and more like trained cormorants. 

I was content just to watch the little boat, but when the guide noticed, she flagged them down. 

The conversation quickly turned to the buying and selling of marine products, so Liza and I headed over to the lift at the front of the ship. 

Liza, the guide, and I were loaded into a gondola on the lift, which was lowered to the water’s surface so that we could see into the small boat. 

There were mollusks the size of plates, prawns the size of spiny lobsters, and even octopuses that were more than six feet long. 

I didn’t think octopuses could live in fresh water, but I guess there was no point in assuming this world would operate on the same logic as mine. 

“Th-this bizarre creature is edible?” 

“Yeah, it’s called an octopus. I know it looks strange, but it’s actually very tasty.” 

Liza looked alarmed, so I explained. 

She didn’t seem to be aware that she was clinging to my arm in her shock, but I decided it wasn’t worth pointing out to her. 

“Sir Hereditary Knight, how much shall we buy?” 

I figured a prawn for each person, a few mollusks, and three or so octopuses should be enough. 

When I gave my order, the tour guide reacted with surprise. 

According to her, most nobles or people from other territories tended to avoid octopus. 

The price of all the products came to two large copper coins, which was far less than the price my “Estimation” skill suggested. 

“Octopuuus?” 

“Let go, sir.” 

Tama and Pochi caught an octopus as it tried to escape the bucket, only for them to get tangled in its tentacles. 

Fed up with the suckers, Pochi was gnawing ferociously on one of its appendages. 

It might taste good and all, but I wish she would stop biting raw food. 

Tama finally freed herself, then went to join Pochi, scratching at the offending tentacle with her nails. 

Quit playing around and rescue Pochi, would you? It was cute how mad she was, though, so I couldn’t blame Tama for not being more helpful. 

All right, I guess I should help them out… 

“Satou.” 

Hearing Mia call out miserably behind me, I turned to find that she, too, had fallen prey to an octopus. 

If an older woman were in this helpless situation, it might bring to mind some unsavory associations, but with Mia it had no such effect. 

I wished Arisa would rescue her instead of cracking jokes about sexy elves. 

With help from Lulu, who had just returned from changing clothes, I extracted Mia. Meanwhile, Nana and Liza helped Pochi escape. 

“Sticky.” 

Mia looked very unhappy indeed. 

At my request, the tour guide went to fetch some water. 

Behind me, I heard Pochi exclaim, “Help, sir!” 

When I turned, I saw that she was covered in black ink from the octopus. Liza and Tama had managed to dodge it. 

“Master, permission to use Magic Arrow, I request.” 

The octopus they’d removed from Pochi was now entwined around Nana’s upper body. 

Unlike with Mia, this was way too sexual. 

Liza and I pulled the creature off her, but like a skunk defending itself, the octopus managed to shoot off one last ink attack, soaking the shirt that Nana had just changed into. 

“Master…” 

Though Nana was expressionless, she looked miserable as she stared in my direction. 

I got the feeling that she was going to develop an aversion to water. 

Because the ship was in motion, we couldn’t use water in our rooms in case it sloshed over the sides of the container. 

Instead, we had to set up a partitioning screen on the deck for the three octopus victims to bathe behind. 

I stealthily put up an Air Curtain spell around them so that the screen wouldn’t get blown over. 

This was to prevent them from getting colds as much as it was to prevent anyone from seeing them, including myself. 

The knights and sailors were kind enough to turn their backs to the whole affair as they worked. What a gentlemanly lot. 

“Dry.” 

“Please dry Pochi, too, sir.” 

Mia and Pochi came around the screen to ask me to dry them off, but I instructed them to do it themselves and hustled them back behind the screen. 

It wasn’t my fault that I happened to catch a glimpse of Nana in the process. So there was no reason for me to feel guilty. 

“You’re smirking, you know.” 

“Oh, hush.” 

At Arisa’s words, I covered my mouth under the pretense of stretching and yawning. 

Well, since I got to see something good today and all, I might as well try my hand at cooking some octopus myself. 

The guide asked the captain whether I had permission to cook on the ship. 

I was told that it was no problem as long as I didn’t start a fire, so I agreed to use a magic heating tool designed for cooking. 

“Piiink?” 

“Rolled up, sir.” 

Tama and Pochi were gazing curiously at the boiled octopus. 

I sliced it into thin pieces, added herbs, and divided them into small bowls to be pickled. 

“Master, the rice is ready.” 

“Thanks, could you bring it here?” 

I used the rice Lulu brought me to make octopus pilaf. For Mia, I used carrots and broccoli instead of meat to make a vegetable pilaf. 

Meanwhile, I had Liza prepare the mollusks and prawns, then line them up on wire mesh. 

When I finished the pilaf, I put the wire mesh over the high-powered magic heating tool to start grilling. 

When I sliced them up and scooped some soy sauce over the mollusks, a tempting aroma filled the air. 

“Ooh, smells amazing!” 

“Can’t waaait?” 

“My stomach is shriveling up, sir!” 

Arisa, Tama, and Pochi sniffed around excitedly near the wire mesh. 

While we were waiting, I sliced the uncooked octopus and tasted it. I’d been concerned that it would taste muddy, but it seemed like it would actually make good sashimi. 

“Lemme taste it, too!” 

“Me toooo?” 

“Pochi too, sir.” 

I handed a slice to each of the sharp-eyed children. 

“Ah, fresh octopus is always a treat.” 

“Chewyyy?” 

“It doesn’t taste like much, sir.” 

Arisa seemed to like it, but Tama and Pochi weren’t as thrilled. 

“Master, you’ll get sick if you eat it raw like that.” 

“Forgive my insolence, but I do agree with Lulu, master.” 

Lulu and Liza looked concerned. 

“Don’t worry. Something this fresh should be fine.” 

Sashimi, the classic Japanese method of serving sliced raw fish, might not be very popular here due to health and freshness issues. 

But I had used my oft-neglected “Analyze” skill to check whether it was safe, so it should be fine to consume. 

The crew looked a bit envious, so I gave the guide a gratuity and requested that she make sure they got a good lunch. 

By the time I was done preparing the food, the youngsters returned with Miss Hayuna, as I’d instructed them. 

She was carrying baby Mayuna, but Tolma was nowhere to be seen. 

The temple knights weren’t here, either. The second they saw that I was cooking octopus, they’d excused themselves on the pretext that they had other food. 

Instead, they were standing upwind on the rear deck to avoid the smell, surveying the ship’s surroundings. 

…Well, their loss. 

“Young Master Pendragon, thank you for inviting us. Tolma said that he had no appetite, so I left him in the room.” 

Miss Hayuna was using very formal words with me, perhaps because she was originally a commoner. Tolma’s family wouldn’t allow him to marry a commoner, I’d learned, so the two of them had eloped. 

Later, when they learned that the couple’s child Mayuna had the oracle gift, Tolma’s family approved the marriage and welcomed them back to the old capital. 

“All right, it’s ready. Take your seats, please, everyone.” 

The only “seats” were circular floor mats, but oh well. 

Miss Karina’s maids took care of the serving, and we all chorused “Thanks for the food” and began to eat. 

“Yummy! I can’t stop!” 

“Tasty, sir!” 

Arisa eagerly snatched up some octopus sashimi with her chopsticks and threw it into her mouth along with the pilaf. 

Pochi imitated her, too, filling her cheeks like a chipmunk. 

Their faces lit up like the sun as they chewed their huge mouthfuls of food. 

In the face of such joy, I couldn’t bring myself to tell them to slow down. 

“The unique crunchiness, the sweet, strong flavor of the prawn that wells up from within the bitterness… Quite wonderful.” 

“Yummy yummyyy?” 

Liza and Tama were chomping wildly on grilled prawns without peeling away the shell. 

They seemed to like it that way, so I didn’t bother correcting them about how to eat it. 

Miss Karina, intrigued by how much they were enjoying the whole prawns, tried to imitate them and received a prompt scolding from her maid, Pina. 

“Yum.” 

Mia looked a little forlorn as she chewed on her vegetable pilaf. 

I grilled some vegetables on the wire mesh, whipped up a quick sesame miso sauce, and served them to her. 

“Satou.” 

Breaking into a pleased smile, Mia gave me a little hug. I was just glad to have cheered her up. 

“Mia, please share one of your stars, I entreat.” 

“Mm, here.” 

The “stars” Nana referred to were carrot slices that had been cut into star shapes. 

My attempt at having a little fun while I sliced the veggies must have struck a chord with Nana. 

Maybe I could try making more shapes out of the vegetables next time we made stew. 

“Master, you seem to be enjoying yourself.” 

“Yeah, I am.” 

Lulu passed a particularly plump mollusk onto my plate, and I responded with a smile. 

How could I not, eating delicious food with cute girls and pretty young women under a blue sky? 

I hope I can spend times like these with Zena and Miss Sara, too, someday. 

Miss Karina’s maids took care of the cleanup, so the rest of us stretched out on some soft furs the tour guide had spread on the deck for us to enjoy an afternoon nap. 

Miss Hayuna joined us with Mayuna in her arms, as did Miss Karina. 

I learned this was the fur of a monster called an eight-legged leopard. With a quick glance at my map, I discovered that they lived in the southeastern part of the duchy, so I would have to go hunt some when I had the chance. 

As I entertained such idle thoughts, I gradually drifted off. 

…I had a dream. 

A dream of a hot summer day from my childhood. 

Below me, amid the incessant cries of cicadas, a young boy sprinted up a long flight of stone steps. 

It was me. I was tugging the leash of my grandfather’s pet dog as I skipped every other step. 

If memory served, the backpack hanging off my shoulder contained the latest portable game console of the time. 

This dream seemed to be from a bird’s-eye view, so I turned my gaze farther up the stairs. 

On the grounds of a Shinto shrine, my childhood friend with chestnut hair was quietly kicking a rock around for fun. 

As soon as my childhood self arrived at the shrine grounds, my point of view merged with his. 

As I entered the grounds, a little girl with blond hair turned around excitedly to face me. 

“My, my! I’ve been waiting for you, Satou!” 

“Man, call me Ichirou when we’re not playing games, will ya?” 

Satou was my grandfather’s dog’s name. It was a weird name for a dog, but he inherited it from the person who gave the dog to my grandfather. My family has always had a tendency to be arbitrary about that kind of thing. 

“Hmph, I was speaking to the dog, not you.” 

“Really? Then I guess we’ll skip the games for today and play with the dog outside.” 

As soon as I made this teasing remark, the girl dropped her haughty attitude and started flailing in a panic. As usual, she was sticking with her weird, old-fashioned way of speaking. 

“W-wait, just a moment! If not us, then who will save the Trojans from the Achaean Empire?” 

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go play in the shade, then.” 

We sat side by side on the shady porch of the shrine. His leash removed, Satou the dog dashed around the grounds in defiance of the summer heat. 

I pulled out two handhelds from my backpack and gave one to the girl. 

She liked the one that made a clicking sound when the joystick moved. 

As she always did, she fiddled with it even before turning on the power, relishing the sound it made. Once I’d connected the two consoles with a link cable, I turned them on. 

“Oh-ho, it begins!” 

The game was a space-battle simulation themed around the Trojan War. Despite being for children, it included mechanics like supplies and enemy detection. 

“Hmm, attacking me from outside my enemy detection field, eh? You dog. This is why I call you Satou.” 

I grinned wryly at her irrational complaint. 

“Fine. Starting next map, you can have one ‘Map Search’ as a handicap.” 

“Huzzah! Then you ought to throw in a ‘Comet Shot,’ too.” 

“What? No way! That can turn around a whole battle in one go.” 

“Indeed! C’mon, just one. Please? Have mercy—only one.” 

Shaking her red hair, she pleaded with me until I finally gave in. As they say, there’s no winning against a crying child or a count, after all. Although I’m not sure why a count, specifically. 

“Bwa-ha-ha! Take this!” 

She looked downright gleeful as she obliterated my main force with a “Comet Shot.” She continued cackling as she plundered my now-immobilized main battleship. 

“Ah, ‘Comet Shot,’ you are too kind. Why, I even got a battleship as a souvenir.” 

However, her smugness turned to shock after she brought the battleship over to her side. 

This game was modeled after the Trojan War. So of course it included a “Trojan Horse” strategy. 

“Robots are coming out of the battleship! Argh, I just completed that carrier… Nooo, you must not touch that factoryyyy!” 

Once my robots destroyed her supplies from the inside, I revealed my real main force and went after her army. It was a close fight, but I somehow managed to pull out a win. 

“Alas, so cruel. Have you no mercy for a little girl?” 

She pounded the porch with both hands in regret, her beautiful indigo hair brushing the floor. 

“I mean, it’s impolite to fight someone with anything but your full strength, right?” 

“Hmph! I despise you, Satou. May only the most flat-chested of lasses fall for you!” 

Even as a joke, that’s a pretty mean curse. 

Everyone in our class was crazy about idols with big boobs, after all. 

“Anyway, you sure get upset whenever you lose, huh?” That was what made it fun to play with her, though. 

“But of course! You must lash out with all your strength if you lose, or else you will never grow! People mature only by making mistakes!” 

With tears in her eyes, the girl brushed her orange hair out of her face and struck a pose as she made her declaration. 

As she raised her arm, the blue bells on her bracelet reflected the sunlight. 

“Huh? Hey, have you always worn that bracelet?” 

“Ho-ho, it is my lucky charm today!” 

The girl puffed up her little chest, then took off one of the bells and presented it to me. 

“I shall give you one, too, Satou. You must treasure it always so it can bring you fortune, understand?” 

“Sure, thanks.” 

I carefully tucked the bell into my breast pocket… 

What a nostalgic dream. 

I didn’t remember when exactly it had happened, but I did remember playing games with my childhood friend on the grounds of a shrine. 

What I hadn’t remembered until now was that the origin of my go-to game character name, Satou, was actually the name of my grandfather’s dog. 

I’d have to make sure no one else ever found out about that… 

Just like in the flashback I had at the Travel Gate back in Seiryuu County, the girl’s hair color was totally inconsistent. Dreams do tend to come with a little randomness. 

As I sat up to get a drink of water, my eyes fell on the bell sitting at the sleeping Miss Karina’s side. 

It was the demon-sealing bell, a gift from the forest giants. 

Still half-asleep, I started to connect it to the dream I’d just had, when… 

Suddenly, Arisa bounced over to me. 

“What’s wro—?” 

“Master!” 

Before I could finish speaking, Arisa latched onto me and wrapped her arms and legs around me tightly. 

At first I thought she was just harassing me as usual, but this seemed different. 

She anxiously repeated “Master…” into my chest, so I patted her head. 

“Arisa…?” 

“I-I’m sorry.” Arisa pulled away abruptly, apologizing with uncharacteristic sincerity. 

“Did you have a bad dream?” 

“Yes, it was about…” 

She stopped without finishing her sentence. 

“…I can’t say it.” 

“Arisa?” 

“I can’t tell you it was about you being surrounded by muscly macho dudes in a festival of manliness, master!” 

Arisa clutched a handkerchief to her face, feigning tears. 

Most likely, she’d actually had a dream about the past that she didn’t want to relive, so I decided to let her fool me. 

“Then why did you just say it?!” 

I wrapped an arm around Arisa’s head, pretending to put her in a choke hold. 

I was being extremely careful, but Arisa still shrieked, “Uncle! Uncle!” and batted my chest dramatically, so I let her go before too long. 

All that horseplay ended up waking the others. 

“I don’t wanna be cooold…” 

“I don’t wanna be hungry, sir.” 

“Master! You’re safe!” 

The beastfolk girls hugged me so hard I could barely breathe. 

“Satou.” 

Mia, still half-asleep, latched onto my head and started rubbing my hair. 

“Master.” 

And Nana did the same thing as Mia. 

As I enjoyed the sensation, I looked around and made eye contact with Lulu, who was silently crying. 

When I did, a relieved smile appeared on her face, and she wiped away the tears. 

I wasn’t sure why, but it seemed like everyone had had some kind of bad dream. 

For some reason, my eyes fell on the oracle priestess, baby Mayuna, but that probably had nothing to do with it. 

If she could influence people’s dreams just by sleeping nearby, her mother, Miss Hayuna, would probably be stuck with strange dreams every night, after all. 

Because traveling on the river after dark was prohibited, our ship entered the harbor of Zurute City near sunset. 

Still, the journey was going quite smoothly. We’d gone a hundred miles downriver today alone, so we should reach the old capital as early as tomorrow. 

Along the way, pirates attacked us once and monsters three times, but before my group or the knights could get involved, the ship’s gillfolk and birdfolk soldiers disposed of them easily. 

“You truly shan’t be joining us, Sir Pendragon?” 

“I’m afraid I wasn’t invited.” 

Miss Karina entreated me in front of a carriage that had stopped at Zurute City’s harbor, but I shook my head. 

Fortunately, her evening gown was a modest one. 

If it had been a more revealing design that showed off her bust, I might have gotten charmed into nodding despite myself. 

The event she was referring to was a dinner party hosted by the viceroy of Zurute City. 

Tolma’s family, Miss Karina, and the imperial knights had been invited. The temple knights would be going to the viceroy’s castle as Mayuna’s guards. 

While I had been invited to the banquet in Gururian City as thanks for vanquishing the demon, hereditary knights like me were the lowest class of noble and rarely received invitations to an event like a viceroy’s dinner party. 

Joining Tolma and his family, Miss Karina boarded the carriage sent by the host. 

She continued looking back at me as the carriage pulled away, so I waved and smiled cheerfully. 

“So we’ll explore the shopping district near the harbor, then head to the restaurant Sir Tolma told us about, shall we?” 

“Can we get in without a reservation?” 

“Not to worry. I had the tour guide book a table for us.” 

She’d told us we should be fine thanks to our connections, and even if they canceled our reservation, we could always go to some other eatery or food stand. 

After all, part of the joy of travel was dealing with the unexpected. 

The shopping district of Zurute City had narrow streets, and the shops themselves were only about twenty square feet. Instead of asking patrons to go inside, most of the vendors stood out front to make sales and attract customers. Generally, there were no storefronts at all. 

There was no rhyme or reason to the layout; it wasn’t unusual to find restaurants next to galleries. 

I didn’t want to lose anyone in the chaos, so I had everyone hold hands in groups of two or more. 

As another precautionary measure, the beastfolk girls and Nana were equipped with cheap bronze weapons instead of their usual equipment. 

“Master! It’s kombu!” 

“Oh, dried kelp, huh?” 

“You should make kobumaki with it!” 

That was a pretty complicated request. But the seaweed would be good for making stock and such, too, so I decided to buy a few bundles. 

“How about some dried sea slugs, sonny? They’re good for stock, too.” 

“Then I’ll take a bag of that as well, please.” 

“Thankee.” 

The bundles of kombu and bags of dried slugs were very cheap at only a copper coin each. 

“Master!” 

Nana pulled my arm to her chest and urgently steered me to the shop next door. 

“I would like to request one of these objects, I entreat!” 

Nana was pointing to some small glasswork hair ornaments. 

The accessories came in many designs, fashioned after baby chicks, fish, cats, dogs, and so on. 

“How about it, young man? They’re all one large copper apiece.” 

“Hmm, that seems a bit high…” 

According to my “Estimation” skill, they should be only one regular copper. 

The other children came over as well, so I let them each pick one out. 

While I waited, I decided to chat with the shopkeeper. 

“Is there a glassblowing workshop around here where all this is made?” 

“There is indeed. But it’s past the inner wall in the nobles’ quarters, so you can’t buy ’em directly, you know.” 

The shopkeeper seemed to be on guard, perhaps suspecting I was a foreign merchant or something along those lines. 

“Do you have any mirrors?” 

“In a place like this? ’Course not. Flat panes for mirrors and windows are only made in the glass workshop in the old capital, so you’ll have to stock up there.” 

Thanking the shopkeeper, I checked on the girls, and they seemed to have made their choices. 

To kill time, I picked out a few extra pieces for friends like Miss Karina and Miss Sara. 

For a moment, the face of my friend Zena from Seiryuu City came to mind, so I decided to get something for her, too. For that, I chose a blue glass brooch that would match the clothes she’d worn on our date. 

Haggling over all of it would’ve been a pain, so I simply paid up. 

Obviously surprised that I’d bought everything without trying to talk down the price, the shopkeeper smiled as he finished up the transaction. 

“Young master, if you’re buying souvenirs, why not pick up an orc glass goblet?” 

He had probably pegged me for an easy mark and pulled out a box from the back of the shop. 

“What is orc glass, exactly?” 

“It’s glass made in the Orc Empire, of course,” he answered as he opened the case. “Did you know that this area used to be shared with the orcs until the ancestral king defeated the demon lord?” 

“Yeah, so I’ve heard.” 

“Well, it’s called orc glass because it was a specialty of that empire.” 

Out of the box came a red glass goblet. 

It had silver decorations around the handle, and blue glass in the shape of a flower was welded to the center of the body. The welding was so seamless that it looked as if it had all been one piece from the start. 

“…It’s quite impressive.” 

“Isn’t it, though? I only have two, so how about six silver coins?” 

That was actually slightly cheaper than the market price. Perhaps he hadn’t been able to find any buyers around here. 

I decided to buy it at the asking price and use it for drinking alcohol and such. 

After shopping at a few more stalls, we arrived at the restaurant as planned. 

I wasn’t sure what sort of introduction the tour guide gave for us, but even the beastfolk girls were welcomed in without a problem. We were given a private room and an excellent feast. 

The main dish consisted of giant prawns made into boat-wrap sushi, with carefully crafted sides in small dishes and bowls, as well as a spread of colorful fruits and vegetables for the taking. 

As far as I could tell, the tour guide had even informed the place that some of us couldn’t eat meat or fish. 

If I ever built myself a mansion, I’d like to have a butler or a secretary as talented as her. 

“Tummy’s fuuull?” 

“So happy, sir.” 

Tama and Pochi murmured contentedly, their stomachs swollen with food. All that eating had made them sleepy, so they were starting to stagger around. 

In fact, all of us had eaten a bit too much for dinner, so we took a stroll along the harbor before heading back to the ship. 

“The steamed prawns were adorable, I report.” 

“Yes, the plating was exquisite.” 

“The food was delicious, and the prawn shells were delightfully crunchy.” 

Nana, Lulu, and Liza all spoke highly of the meal. 

Liza’s comment was a little strange, but I decided to do the polite thing and ignore it. 

“Full,” Mia mumbled as she took my hand. 

Arisa, who was holding my other hand, was very quiet. 

She’d been very cheerful during dinner, but once we started our walk, she took on a worried expression and seemed to be deep in thought. 

“Did you eat too much and give yourself a stomachache?” 

“…Yeah, a little.” 

That almost certainly wasn’t the cause, but I didn’t want to bring up the dream she’d had during our afternoon nap. 

If she wanted to talk about it, she would probably bring it up herself. 

We walked in silence for a while, enjoying the night breeze. The stars and the city lights reflected together in the great river, creating a beautiful picture like none I’d ever seen. 

When I stopped to gaze quietly at the scenery, Lulu gave an emotional sigh. 

“How dreamy.” 

“Lulu’s observation is correct, I affirm.” 

By all appearances, they were enjoying the view of the river, too. 

I had a strange suspicion that they weren’t actually looking in that direction, but… There wasn’t anything else around to call “dreamy,” so it must have been my imagination. 

“Should we get going?” 

Sensing something was off, I looked down. 

In the brief time that we’d stopped walking, Tama and Pochi had fallen asleep at Liza’s feet. 

Since both their bellies were so full, I had Nana and Liza carry one each, instead of Liza carrying both under her arms like usual. 

“Master, there is a ship moving on the river,” Liza murmured discreetly into my ear. 

Wondering who would be sailing after sunset when travel on the river was prohibited, I opened up the map to check. 

Affiliation: Wings of Freedom 

“What, these guys again?” 

Arisa broke her long silence to react to my muttering. “Is it that group of demon-lord worshippers?” 

“Yeah, looks that way.” 

The city’s Wings of Freedom members were going somewhere on that ship. 

It’d be one thing if officials were just chasing them away, but I couldn’t let it slide if they were off to get up to no good somewhere. If I ignored them and they summoned a demon lord or something, that’d be a huge pain. 

I put a marker on the ship itself and the most important-looking members. 

Wondering if Miss Sara’s emergency summons had anything to do with this development, I opened the map to check her status. 

—What?! 

“What’s wrong, master?” 

I was too shocked to answer Arisa about what I’d found. 

Condition: Possessed 

It was Miss Sara’s current status.