16 – Warrior’s Party (6)
“Hmm….”
It feels comfortable.
Both my mind and body feel at ease… I feel like I want to stay like this for the rest of my life.
It’s a hazy yet ethereal sensation that envelops my entire being.
It’s like being in a dreamland.
I just want to live here…
Boom!
“Ah!”
Suddenly, a sharp pain surged from my forehead, because something hit me hard. Thanks to that, I was abruptly brought back from the blissful sleep and plunged into a cold reality.
“Pff, you loser~♡”
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“What else? I’m waking you up now that we’re here~♡”
“Huh?”
Now that I look, it wasn’t just me who was being woken up, Frey was waking up the other people who were already awake. That means…
“…We’re already in the Kingdom of Estelle?”
“The border, rather. So stop sleeping like a 30-something unemployed man and get up now~♡”
“……”
Before the possession, I was in my 20s and I still am, you jerk.
I stood up from my seat and lifted the carriage curtain slightly to see a long line stretching back, waiting to pass through the border.
It seems like a country with a lot of interaction with the Dern Empire, judging by the number of people here. While I was sleeping, we had come quite far ahead.
“Where are you heading back, driver?”
“I’m planning to cross over to the kingdom first and then take other adventurers back with me. Saw some ominous signs in between…feeling uneasy.”
“Oh, I see.”
That might be a good idea. It would be safer to have adventurer guests on board.
I returned to the carriage and said,
“Will Estire Kingdom be on the other side of the border?”
“You might find out if you ask at the border checkpoint, right? Well, if there’s any thoughts, they’ll come out ♡”
Surely you’re not sending nothing.
And so it soon became our turn. We got off the carriage for a moment to have our identity checked, and we also had to make sure that everything was okay inside the carriage.
Thanks to that I had to unpack and repack the luggage that I had neatly organized, and ended up being the only one inconvenienced. While I was organizing the luggage that had been inspected in the carriage, I heard the sound of soldiers checking their belongings and saluting them.
“You are Deren Empire’s warriors and your party. Welcome!”
“How do we get to the Northeast?”
“This is what we’ve been informed of. We will provide horses for you to ride, please come up to the capital, and from there, we heard that you will move northeast with our warrior.”
“Hmm, with the warrior bearing the Saint Flag?”
What? Did I hear something wrong now?
“…Yes. You will be moving with the warrior Orland, who bears the Saint Flag”.
I didn’t hear it wrong. No…that’s the name of a hero. “Sword Hero.” I think I know what it means. Just like how Erin, who wields a sword, is known as the Hero of the Holy Sword, Orlando, the hero, must possess a flag-shaped symbol of victory. But why is he called that just because he has a flag? He also uses a bow and a spear…I don’t understand why it’s just a flag. I feel a little awkward. I bet it’s weird for him to be called that too…but since it’s not inaccurate, there’s nothing he can say. “How sad…” “What’s sad?” “Huh!?” Since when has he been looking at me from the side? He doesn’t think I’m talking about him, right? I quickly hit him.
“Thief, don’t misunderstand. I’m not talking about you!”
“…Yeah, I know.”
“…Oh, really?”
“…I just came here a moment ago.”
It seems like I was worrying for no reason. I explained and cleared up the misunderstanding.
“Well, the alias of the Hero Erlando can sound a bit strange sometimes. It’s often misunderstood and mocked for no reason.”
“…But it’s not his real name anyway.”
“That may be true, but I call him by that alias for no reason. It’s another name that represents him.”
“…Indeed, names are important.”
“That’s right…”
Nodding, Dowgeogu stared at me intently.
There is a sense of anticipation in Dukgeo’s eyes. Maybe he’s asking about the name we talked about last time. But since I still couldn’t remember the name, I just had to offer an apology.
“Sorry, I’ll think about it a little longer.”
“…Okay.”
Come to think of it, this little guy Dukgeo, seems like he’s not really thinking about it either.
“Are you really thinking about it?”
“…Yeah.”
He’s the type to answer late, so I don’t know if he’s hesitating or really thinking about it. Is it really true that he’s thinking about it?
“Lame~ ♡ Hurry and load the luggage.”
“…Okay.”
Carrying my luggage, suddenly Doggeo spread his arms out.
“?”
“…I’ll help.”
“…Really?”
“…Yes.”
In an instant, I was almost moved. No one had ever helped me carry my luggage before. As expected, Doggeo may have low self-esteem, but he’s a good guy.
While I was feeling that sentiment, suddenly Doggeo’s expression turned sour as he extended his arms with a sigh.
“…You don’t want me touching your luggage. Sorry for saying unnecessary things. I didn’t consider that it would only be a disturbance…”
“Huh? No, no! I didn’t say anything!”
“…Then why aren’t you giving it to me?”
Shouldn’t you feel moved? Their personality is more impatient than expected.
I pointed at a box that hadn’t been touched yet.
“Well, then, besides that one, can you please lift the box over there?”
“…Sure.”
After carrying the load with Duggeo, the party members were bringing back the message from the border guards.
“Which message are they carrying?”
“It’s better to divide and carry it. We can’t afford to slow down if just one message is delayed.”
Following Frey’s suggestion, Duggeo and I divided the load into four places. Thanks to Duggeo, we only had to move once instead of twice, so it was quick.
“Do you all know how to ride a horse?”
As the party members nodded their heads, one person couldn’t bring themselves to nod.
…That person was me.
“How do you ride?” Erin looked at me and chuckled.
“You forgot how to ride, huh? Clumsy~?”
Forgot? It seems like I actually knew how to ride a horse. How did that guy from the rural village do it…
Anyway, it was true that I didn’t know. Honestly, I nodded my head, and Erin laughed gleefully and said.
“Then I must walk, I can’t just return the favor like that~ ♡”
The woman offered us a ride in her carriage and now wants to repay her kindness like an enemy…
At that moment, Frey stepped forward to stop Erin and spoke.
“That’s not right. We can’t leave Alan, who arranged the carriage for us. Alan, please ride behind me.”
“Uh…?”
I’m grateful for the offer, but it’s a little awkward behind Frey.
Because of the way her clothes are, there’s nowhere to look, and even if I try not to be conscious of it, my eyes are instinctively drawn to her strangely useless body when I’m close by.
Just the thought of Erin or someone else seeing us and starting to say something… makes me feel dizzy.
“…Do you want to ride behind me?”
“Huh?”
Doggeoga asked me like that, and I nodded my head naturally.
“Is it okay though?”
“…Yes.”
There’s no reason to look at Frey’s body, and since everyone knows Doggeoga’s personality, there’s not much to make fun of. I couldn’t afford to make Doggeoga cry for no reason.
For me, it could be called the best choice.
“hehehe, then let the clumsy thief ride and let’s go. If he feels for any strange places, tell me right away ~♡.”
“Don’t do that.”
Who do you know by abusing your power?
Thanks to Doggeo’s suggestion, I was able to confidently mount my horse. Doggeo jumped up lightly and sat in front of me. Until now, I thought there wouldn’t be any problems, but I realized belatedly that there was a big problem with this too.
“… It’s better to hold onto the waist.”
“Uh…”
Waist? I saw Doggeo’s waist.
Although it was covered by the cloak, she was dressed lightly and agilely like Doggeo usually does. So, what does that mean… well, it means that her top and bottom are not connected, just like in other games where the Doggeo profession is known for showing off their midriff.
Holding her waist was no different from touching bare skin. In that sense, there was no difference between riding behind Frey or anything else. It might even be worse…
“… Allen?”
“Uh, yes?”
“…We have to leave.”
“Oh, okay.”
There’s no other choice. I had to wrap my arms around him if I didn’t want to fall.
“Excuse me.”
I asked for permission and reached out my arms. Then I lightly hugged his waist not because of affection, but to keep myself from falling.
Yes, that’s all it was…
“…Your waist is so thin.”
That’s what I wanted to think, but it isn’t that easy. As much as they were all beautiful women beyond looks, Dong-geo was also very pretty because he wasn’t conscious about it.
Her arms lightly wrapped around her slender waist, even if she tried not to be conscious of it, thoughts of her face kept popping into her mind and made her aware. The firm texture of her skin was clearly transmitted through her arms, making it impossible for me not to pay attention.
…I avoided Frey’s back because of things like this, but this place is also a dangerous area.
“Puhu♡ It feels like I’m clinging to the girl’s back like a parasite~♡”
“…It’s noisy.”
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah~ Everyone, let’s go straight to the capital~♡”
Riding on horseback to the capital supposedly takes less than half a day. This is because Stellium, the capital of the Estelle Kingdom, is very close to the eastern border of the Empire… Or, according to the standards of the Estelle Kingdom, it is very close to the western border.
It’s actually a really long journey from the capital to the northeast.
We should have arrived at the capital in the afternoon, as we had arrived at the border in the morning. None of us were unfit to travel on horseback for half a day.
The other party members had no problem, of course. Ser-Arya, who worried that he’d run into problems, was drinking from a liquor bottle as he rode.
I thought it was reckless to drink while riding a horse… isn’t that just like drink driving? Isn’t there any legal punishment for horseback riding under the influence?
While I was musing on these thoughts, Erin, who was at the head of our group, suddenly stopped his horse. We all stopped too and Ser-Arya took the bottle out of his mouth and asked, “What’s up, Erin?”
“It looks like things are pretty urgent over there~♡”
“What?”
I looked ahead, wondering what was being said, and saw a splendid procession in elaborate attire approaching from a distance.
Their bright plate armor and shields, even the scabbards of their swords at their waists, were pure white. Most of the armor was adorned with silver or gold decorations.
It was clear to anyone that they were paladins from the Estele Kingdom.
And leading the paladins was a peculiar quartet.
A man, dressed in the same snowy armor as the paladins, but instead of a sword, he carried a large flag. He had a muscular build, even bigger than me, with a tight buzz cut and tattoos.
Next to him was a hooded figure, who somehow seemed like a fan of isekai anime.
And among them, standing like a cliff’s flower, was a magician dressed in a white robe.
Leticia told me the answer in her place.
“They are the hero party of the Estirre Kingdom.”
“That’s right~♡”
Then, the man who approached from the front said…
“…the hero of the Holy Flag?”
“hahahahaha!”
“Kook, Allen, don’t talk like that in front of the person involved.”
Cer-Aria burst out laughing and Leticia tried to stop me, but it was funny. But I didn’t say it to be funny…
“hehehe♡ Saying that is too much~♡”
You guys are the worst for not even trying to hide your laughter, damn guys.
They came close enough for us to meet face to face. And then the knight…no, the warrior of the Estere Kingdom dismounted first, and Erin followed suit.
“Do we need to dismount too?”
“…No, it’s fine since the warriors will talk among themselves.”
Just as they said, the comrades of Orando, the warrior of the Estere Kingdom, also mounted their horses. That seemed to be all that was necessary.
But for some reason, Hikikomori with a hood was staring in our direction. It wasn’t a friendly gaze, but rather one that seemed like it could devour me.
…Did I do something wrong to that friend before I possessed them?
I turned my attention to Erin, unable to take my eyes off her. It was the moment when the character I had chosen met a warrior from another country. It was impossible not to be captivated by it.
Orlando, the warrior of the Estere Kingdom, slightly bowed his head and greeted politely.
From Noble mtl dot com
“It’s been a long time, Erin.”
“Where did we see each other before~?”
“When I saw you during the hero recruitment and we exchanged our identities… Don’t you remember?”
“Oh, was that it~? My apologies, I didn’t know. Your impression was rather vague♡”
Erin chuckled awkwardly, finding herself using her usual expression. In fact, it felt even more forced than usual.
‘Is this okay…?’
However, Orlandeau’s personality seemed to be quite forgiving as he didn’t utter a word about Erin’s attitude. Then she spoke.
“Oh, I remember your name.”
“I see. At least that’s an honor…”
“The heroic warrior of reproductive organs, Orlandeau♡”
“Ah, you were a hero of victory~? Sorry, I got confused♡”
Why…why is that crazy woman acting like that?!
