Read Novel Full Vol 17 Chapter 1
Vol 17 Chapter 1
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Chapter 1 – Departure
We all went to the port city of Toyen prepared to stand out, and as expected, we stood out. Of course, things got messy. But because we were so conspicuous, a soldier accompanied us, and we worked together to round up all the troublemakers and solve the trouble smartly.
“…We could solve the problem smartly, and I thought we could go sightseeing in Toyen for a couple of days…”
The next day, after we had rounded up all the troublemakers, we left Toyen just before the gates closed.
This was because there were many people who wanted Pent, Ines, and Felicia, as well as others who wanted to hire Alessia-san’s party.
During the information-gathering period, it was less of a problem because they were out of the public eye, but if they were conspicuous, their good looks could not be hidden.
Pent, in particular, had become a strong icon and was the center of attention wherever he went.
The people who want to hire me as a tamer or want to know how to tame a sea serpent are still a decent category. The problem is those who want to join or hire Alessia-san and the others, Ines and Felicia.
The recruitment of mercenaries was simply fierce. They were intrepid men who knew not to give up even when they were rejected, saying, “If you join us, we’ll show you what we can do.”
Even though Alessia-san’s group was the lowest class of mercenaries (10th class), men with rich atmospheres flocked to them and offered third- and fourth-class escort fees, making it clear that their goal was something other than escort.
I can’t speak for others, as I also tried to lure Alessia-san and the others with my Ship Summoning skill, but whether or not I would allow other men to mess with them is another story.
I don’t think Alessia-san and the others are driven by money, but you have to take precautions, right?
So we decided to leave Toyen early. I was frustrated only after I thought we could take some time off.
“Fufu, well, it can’t be helped. If there was a guarantee of rank and safety, I could be more aggressive, but that’s not the case here.”
Alessia-san comforts me as I mutter my dissatisfaction.
Guarantees of rank and security, huh? In the central continent, Alessia-san’s status as an A-rank adventurer probably protected a lot of things, including me.
As for safety, I would be able to assess the level of danger in a familiar place, but in an unfamiliar place, I would not be able to take any risks because I would not know what would work against me.
Even on the same continent, different countries have different laws, and it’s even more true when you’re in a place across the ocean where there’s no communication.
“I don’t mind, but aren’t Alessia-san and the others unhappy that you didn’t get to see much of Toyen?”
“Fufu, it was a bit like going back to the beginning, wasn’t it?”
Alessia-san, Dorothea-san, and Ines laughed and nodded at her words. They are all beautiful women, so they must have had a lot of experiences like today when they were beginners.
Well, the part about having fun is something I don’t understand at all.
Felicia, who looked at them blankly, was in the same category as me since she had hardly ever left the dark elf village.
“Anyway, Wataru, isn’t it about time?”
Hmm? Yes, we’ve been walking for quite some time despite all the muttering, and the sun has completely set, and it’s dark. In fact, it might be a good time.
“We’re not being followed or anything, are we?”
“Marina?”
“I don’t feel anything. Everything is fine.”
“Wataru, it looks like everything is fine, so I’m counting on you.”
“Roger that. Ship Summoning!”
First, I summon the Ranger, followed by two consecutive summons of the Add.
I have three Adds in my possession, but I’ll keep one for emergencies.
“Then please board each of them.”
Quickly, the group is divided into three groups and boarded.
Ilma-san and Marina-san are in Add No. 1. Felicia and Dorothea-san will be in Add No. 2, and the rest will be in Ranger with me.
Ines and Alessia-san, who like to steer and drive, are in the Ranger group because the members who can see at night were assigned to the Add in priority.
Pent slips aboard the Ranger and takes a position in the back. Then, the rest of the group gets in, and I take my place in the driver’s seat.
Marina-san waves her hand in our direction. This signals that we are ready to go.
“Then let’s go!”
Marina-san leads the way through the dark roads. We had decided on our destination after discussing the information we had gathered.
Southwest of Toyen is a vast desert, and there are several oases that have been turned into villages and towns.
There is a part of the desert that cannot be explored due to the harsh environment and strong monsters. There is a royal capital of a civilization that was destroyed there….. Perhaps.
If we get such information, there is no reason why we, who can only afford to live and can prioritize romance and exploration, should not bite the bait.
In my case, if I didn’t have the Ship Summoning skill, I would be afraid of the harsh desert, but fortunately, I have the Ship Summoning skill that can handle the desert, so I’m fine.
And I have high expectations. Since it is the desert, I expect to meet a beautiful Arabian woman…
With hope in my heart, I walk along the dark night road. A bright tomorrow surely awaits me. More specifically, I hope to meet a dancer.
“Master, is it okay if we let them out of our sight?”
“Huh? Oh, it’s true. Thank you, Ines.”
I fantasized about Onee-san dancing in a revealing dress, and before I knew it, the taillights of the Add were quite far away.
I thanked Ines and stepped on the gas to catch up with the Add.
“Whoa!”
Suddenly, a magic circle appeared in front of us and shot out a fireball. As soon as it landed, the fire spread.
It was probably Ilma-san’s magic, but why so suddenly?
Oh, I saw a black shadow moving in the fire. Probably, some kind of monster was being burned.
“Huh? Dorothea-san and the others continued without stopping. Shouldn’t we take the magic stone or something?”
“If it’s worth money, wouldn’t they burn it?”
“I see.”
If they ignore the money, which is in short supply on this continent, then maybe it’s goblins or other monsters who don’t have much need to go to the trouble of collecting it on the way.
“Come to think of it, what if there are bandits or something?”
I have not killed anyone yet, and I have no desire to do so in the future. But if they attack me in a place like this, I’ll be in trouble regardless of whether I lose or not.
I don’t want to kill them, and if I caught them, they would get in the way. If we overlooked them, it would be a little unpleasant if the bandit caused trouble for other people.
I know it’s a little late to say this, but bandits are very annoying.
“Master, there are almost no people passing by at night, so unless it’s a camp, there won’t be any bandits. Even if there were, do you think they would mess with something faster than a horse?”
“…I don’t think so.”
They might know about the magic vehicles, but as Ines said, the Add and the Ranger are a bit special. Even if they are well prepared, it would be hard to touch it out of the blue.
So, for now, we just have to watch out for accidents and monsters. Driving at night may be less stimulating than you think.
“By the way, what are we going to do tomorrow? Are we going to break the rhythm of our lives and move every day after dark?”
That would get us to the desert fairly quickly, but most of the travel time would be spent in the dark.
I wonder what that would be like if you were adventuring on an unknown continent. But if we want to move around while it is still light, we can do so on foot or by horse-drawn carriage, as we did in Palermo.
Walking takes too much time. Then it would be a horse-drawn carriage, but it would be hard to take care of a horse-drawn carriage like the one we took. It would be safer to rent or buy one, but would we be able to get one now?
“Oh, yes, we had already decided where we were going, but we hadn’t decided how to get there. It was so careless of me.”
Alessia-san thought about it, but I think it’s no wonder that things were left out since we spent so much time studying the language, organizing the information we had gathered, and figuring out how to operate in Toyen.
I also wondered what a ruined royal capital in the desert would look like! I was so excited about the idea of a ruined royal capital in the desert that I couldn’t help myself.
“We need Dorothea’s and the others’ opinions, and we’ll discuss it during the break. Until then, I want you all to gather your opinions.”
“I understand.”
Alessia-san, having finished thinking about the situation, immediately gave her instructions. This is what it means to be a leader, isn’t it?
So, what should I do? For now, I’m against walking.
＊＊＊
“The night is getting light, and I think we better call it a day.”
Despite a few breaks, we took off and went quite a distance.
It’s still early in the day for people to be active, so we have time to move on, but the sun will be rising in less than an hour. We need to find a place to camp, so it would be safer to end up in this area.
It would be a big problem if someone found us by accident and the nobles or others were interested in us and made a big deal out of us as Zabo did, and I was tired of court cases.
“I agree, let’s end it.”
Alessia-san agreed, so I honked lightly, and the Add in front of us, noticing the sound, turned off the road and went to the back of the road.
After a while, the Add came to a stop.
We decided to camp in this area. It was plain, but there were big rocks, and the surrounding area was flat, so it was not a bad place even for a beginner like me.
I stopped the Ranger next to the Add and got out.
“Let’s set up camp, shall we?”
We discussed it during our break and decided to travel by night on the Ranger and the Add. However, we would make side trips to larger towns and cities.
We wanted to conserve transportation, but we also wanted to see the sights and have adventures. It was a very human decision.
After returning the Add and the Ranger, I called two hut boats around the rock and set up two tents in the middle.
I would have preferred to use the Hideaway, but even though it was far from the road, there was no guarantee that adventurers would not come.
Besides being a shabby hut, a structure like the Hideaway would be dangerous because of the commotion it would cause if discovered.
It’s a bit uncomfortable, but it feels more like traveling when it’s so uncomfortable, right?