Chapter 8 (1/2)

“Come on, I’ve already even prepared bentos for us, so let’s get going!”

Now that breakfast is over, Mora is pressing me to depart, with her face full of motivation. That’s fine and all, but……

“What is with all that luggage?”

The girl in a one-piece is shouldering an enormous jute bag filled to bursting. I can only see her as someone either looting or fleeing from a fire scene.

“This is Dad’s property that the bandits had seized. All of the luggage would be impossible for me, but I thought to grab as much as I can……”

Indeed, this place was the mountain bandits’ base, so if I spent some time searching, I would most likely be able to find the treasures of the various people that they’ve attacked. During yesterday’s search, I think I saw something like that down in the storeroom. If this was D&B, I would have just gladly taken it all. Wait, so if I had taken everything yesterday, I would have inadvertently also taken Mora’s family’s property…… what a close shave.

“Ah, please wait a bit. I have preparations to make.”

After calming down the Mora who looks ready to bolt off at a moment’s notice, I chant a few spells.

“H-, Horse?!”

By means of the level 3 spell [Phantom Horse], a black horse appears in the courtyard of the fort, causing Mora to raise a hysteric voice. This horse that is covered by a faint green aura is, depending on the caster’s level, capable of displaying various abilities for traversing different terrain types. Of course, since I am max level, my horse is not only capable of running on water, but can also fly, rendering all walls meaningless to its rider.

“It would be quite tough walking on a mountain trail for a whole half day, and it’s also better to reach the village as soon as possible, so let's use this horse. As for the luggage, I also have this……”

My gaze turns to the Jyagul statue that had been left abandoned the entire night. I then chant the spell that had come to mind during breakfast.

“Wha-, it’s floating! That too……!”

[Sprite Porter]. This is a spell that creates an invisible follower who carries luggage. Being a level 1 spell, the porter has no other ability than to shoulder luggage and follow behind its caster, but its strength is quite significant. First Mora’s luggage, then the Jyagul statue—both were lifted handily. Then again, this follower is invisible, so it just looks like the jute bag and statue are floating together in midair. Quite surreal. Mora seems to be of a similar opinion, muttering “uwah…… ” and stuff.

Originally, I was quite troubled as to what to do with the Jyagul statue. I currently do not have the time to return him to flesh to question him, but neither can I just leave him be, not when he’s got my Wizardry Staff. In the end, I decided to bring him along. Just in case, if I get called an evil magician from here on, I can also use him as an eyewitness.

“There are a few other spells that I want to use as precautions, but let’s set off first.”

“O-, okay……”

I mount the phantom horse, then pull Mora up behind me. What I grasped is not a ‘white and slender hand’ like the ones often described in novels, but a warm hand hardened by daily ch.o.r.es and work.

“Umm…… haiyah!”

“......?”

The last time I’d ridden a horse was several decades ago, when I was at a farm in Hokkaido just trying it out as an experience. However, I am able to properly handle the reins. It is most likely thanks to The Guardian faithfully realizing D&B’s basic rulebook, in which it was written that all characters possess basic horseriding technique. Then again, it’s a monster that I’ve called up, so it’ll move according to my orders without me needing any special techniques.

Mora timidly settles herself crossways behind the saddle.

I instruct the phantom horse to start walking (the statue and jute bag bobbing in mid air behind really look so strange). We pa.s.s through the side door in the gate and exit the fort.

The front yard is extremely narrow. One side is a cliff, while the other is a precipitous slope. Any army intending to attack this place would most likely have a really hard time. In the first place, I’m impressed how they even managed to construct a fort made of stone all the way up here……

“Let’s hurry to the village to show Dad that I'm fine, then let’s come back. I’m worried about the cargo.”

So said Mora with a serious face.

“Good point, since the mountain bandits might come back. Alright, let’s put up a countermeasure then.”

“Countermeasure?”

While looking up at the fort’s tall stone walls from atop my horse, I invoke my next spell.

“...... [Renovation].”

“?! What is it this time?!”

From the ground—more specifically, the ground beneath the fort—come tremors and rumblings.

“T-, the fort is……?! The ground is……?!”

This spell allows me to freely alter the surface of the earth. Along with a ‘GOGOGO’ sound, the land that the fort is built upon rises vertically. After lifting the fort by 20 meters or so, the effects of the spell abate. What we are now looking at is a 90 degree precipice.

“With this, I don’t think anyone will be going inside for a while.”

“............”

Vanity a.s.saults me as I look at Mora, who is staring at the fort on top of a precipice with mouth and eyes wide open. Goodness, what a worldly-minded person I am.

I shake my head lightly, then get to casting a few other urgently needed spells.

“I’m sorry for having made you wait. Alright, we’ll be departing now.”

“...... Ah, yes.”

I try to act cool and kick the horse’s flank, but instead of that signal, it is my mental command that prompts the horse to step off…… into the air.

“Ohhhhh, it's actually flying!”

“GYAAAAHHHH?!”

♥♦♣♠

“...... eurgh……”

“Seriously, it’s going to be troublesome if you don’t think things through, alright? I don’t know anything about your magic—wizardry, you call it?—alright? What were you going to do if we had fallen off!”

“...... You are right…… I'm very sorry…... “

Several minutes later, the phantom horse that we are riding is quietly proceeding down the mountain trail.

It was well and all being excited about my first experience of riding a horse through the sky, but problems emerged almost at once. The first is that Mora started panicking. The second is that I got sick. Furthermore, we realized that we might miss her dad if he’s on his way to pay the ransom. The third might have been a non-issue if the way was flat, but it’s not, so that’s that.

Fortunately, the swaying is not so bad when we are on land.

Despite the unfavorable conditions of a dense and luxuriant forest, we are still making good headway in relative comfort. The scolding from Mora behind me isn’t showing signs of ending any time soon, though.

Anyways, according to Mora, going down this mountain trail for half a day will eventually bring us to a highway. Going west along the highway will bring us to Lelis, while going east will bring us to the village (its name is Yuule, apparently).

We swayed on the phantom horse’s back for about 2 hours.

“...... It seems that Gio-san really is different from the other magicians.”

“Is that so?”

While I was thinking that it is about time to find a place to stop and eat our bentos, Mora speaks up with a sigh.