Chapter 50 (1/2)

The Clear Afternoon

The wagon shook.

Pulled by the h.e.l.lhound, their wagon shook as it went down the road.

“Gata gata~”

“Goto goto~”

Maal and Irina were singing as they leaned out from the wagon.

This was the first time Irina had seen the outside world, so everything she saw was new for her.

Maal was describing everything to her.

If Ria was her big Onee-chan, Maal was her small Onee-chan.

For a Dragon like Irina, there wasn’t much of a difference between a human and a beastkin. Maal, who affectionately played with her, was simply her Onee-chan.

Inside the wagon, Serge looked through his grimoire, trying to master his Skills.

Gig was training his grip strength with a hand gripper that Ria made.

Ria, Carlos, and Lulu were all swaying on the backs of their horses and donkey.

Skipping some important times, there a redheaded girl sat alone in a gloomy mood in the corner of the wagon.

“How did it turn out like this…”

It was s.h.i.+zuna.

She’d whined to herself many times now. As a reflex to her dark mood, Serge sang out, ‘Dona dona’. [1]

Yeah, she was sold by her own father.

Returning from the Dark Labyrinth, Vargas had become a hero.

He was a warrior from a famous party to begin with, and after clearing the Dark Labyrinth he brought back an orichalc.u.m greatsword that could be called a sacred treasure.

Unlike the other members, Vargas’ wish was easy to be granted.

After that, Ria was caught up in a vortex of people similar to like what happened in Labyrinth City.

From the mayor who they had already been acquainted to, to local n.o.bles and celebrities, everyone wanted to become acquainted to them.

So Ria, who had returned late, talked about the villages working together for the Millennium.

One way or another, it turned into a serious discussion. No matter what though, whether they liked it or not, Jaeburg would become the front line of humanity when the Millennium took place.

During that difficult discussion, Ria had an even more difficult problem.

The first thing that had to be taken care of before all else… Matsukaze’s well-being.

Matsukaze had been left alone for more than half of a month. Though there were of course other people taking him for walks, that was a separate issue.

That horse had a high pride.

She ran together with him in a nearby meadow, washed his body, and brushed him, taking up the whole day.

Then she exchanged information with Serge.

The Demon King-sama may be a good natured person, but for now their countermeasures for Cordova hadn’t changed.

They would meet that s.e.xy dark elf sooner or later.

Their plans hadn’t changed.

For now, they decided to return to Labyrinth City and collect some more information, as well as deciding on which day to leave Jaeburg.

Vargas came over to where Ria’s group was staying at the inn.

In his hands was the figure of s.h.i.+zuna, caught in his hands by the nape of her neck like a cat.

“Please this one too.”

Vargas said that.

Vargas had already said himself that he wanted to take his family somewhere safe beforehand.

So, he ordered s.h.i.+zuna to find a good place to live in Casalia.

“Why me…”

“Because it’d be bad for me to go.”

Thinking about her safety on the way, there were no problems with s.h.i.+zuna’s skill.

Above all, s.h.i.+zuna was liked by Ria.

Hoping for his family to have success in life as an aristocrat, he presented the beautiful damsel to an influential person.

Vargas would actually hold out his beautiful daughter to an influential person himself.

“I didn’t think my father was a person like that!”

“Don’t say that. Even if you say that, Ria is a woman. It’s not like I’m selling you to a lecherous n.o.ble.”

Though s.h.i.+zuna wore a look of despair, her mother and younger brothers’ futures were serious, so she would go with Ria.

Additionally, she was shouldering the safety of the other members of Thunder Fangs’ families. She couldn’t run away.

“Foremost, aren’t you happy that such a beautiful girl is wooing you?”

“I’m not happy! Aren’t I a woman!?

“From my point of view, you look like you are on close terms.”

Seeing Vargas incline his head with a sigh, something came to Serge’s mind.

This Oyaji… has some accomplishments in yuri.

At any rate, s.h.i.+zuna joined as a travelling companion.

The group was aiming for Labyrinth City for now. To trade for important goods and gather information.

From there, they would head to Ogre Village and go around planning with its surrounding villages.