Chapter 34.1 - Ogre-ruled Land (1/2)

Chapter 34: Ogre-ruled Land

◆Sword Maiden, Shirone

We are heading toward the north by air.

Our departure was quite delayed. The reason was the hippogriff that was flying behind.

Riding the flying hippogriff behind me are Kyouka-san and Kaya-san. The reason for our delayed departure was due to Kyouka-san’s preparation.

To be honest, I was about to travel alone. I didn’t want to create problems for anyone with respect to Kuroki’s matter.

I will definitely free Kuroki from the Demon King’s control.

I am really enjoying after coming to this world. I actually felt the thrill of exploring this world.

There’s Reiji-kun, Chiyuki-san, and everyone else with me.

There were painful times, but together, we managed to survive those trials.

But then, how about Kuroki?

Kuroki is just a normal human. He had nothing to do with our adventure. He’s different from Reiji-kun. He’s just an ordinary boring guy that you could find everywhere.

He shouldn’t have been summoned to this world and forced to fight.

That’s why I must save him at all costs.

But, the hippogriff is too slow. I want to fly faster but then, there’s no way I can complain after coming this far.

There are two reasons why they’re coming along. Firstly, Chiyuki-san was worrying about my safety. Secondly, Kyouka-san wanted to tag along.

I gaze at the hippogriff. The hippogriff is a demon beast with a lower body of a horse and an upper body of an eagle.

They’re weaker than griffons but are more suited as mounts due to their docile nature.

The luggage loaded on that hippogriff is clearly overweight. Kyouka-san’s luggage is just too much.

It would be better if we had one more hippogriff, but using demon beasts as mounts isn’t that common. Since Reiji-tachi were also using them for their part of the journey, we ended up with just this one.

As expected, this weight is simply unbearable for the hippogriff. We might need to take a break.

「Shirone-sama! Let’s take a rest」

Kaya exactly suggests what was running in my mind.

I nod at her and lower the altitude.

I let the hippogriff rest on a slightly open place.

「We shouldn’t continue our journey for the rest of the day. Let’s look for a place to stay today」

「Eh!? We have not traveled that far, though」

「We shouldn’t continue for today. The night is coming soon. Hippogriffs cannot fly at night」

「Ah, you’re right…」

Yeah, hippogriffs basically become blind at night. Thus, they can’t fly at night. But, I’m different. I can still fly even at night. I should be able to arrive at Algore or Veros by the end of the day if keep flying at my top speed.

「Shirone-sama… Please stop with such foolish impulses to go there by yourself」

Maybe because she could easily guess my train of thought, Kaya warns me about my thoughts.

In the first place, the reason they are coming along is that Chiyuki-san was worried about me going alone and made a request for them to tag along.

By the way, there was also the idea of letting the temple knights escort us. However, such an idea was dropped when the matter of distance between the Rox kingdom and the Holy Republic Lenaria was taken into consideration.

Most of all, everyone is worried about me. Thus, I can’t just flatly reject their goodwill.

「I know, Kaya-san. Even so…」

I’m saying so while looking at the baggage.

「Shouldn’t we decrease the weight a little…」

The sluggish speed of the hippogriff is thanks to the heavy baggage on its back. It should be able to fly faster with lesser load.

「Oh my, we don’t know how long we’re going to stay in the northern country, you know. So, this much is normal」

I can’t say anything to refute Kyouka-san’s reasoning.

It’s my selfishness that brought us to Velos or Algore, the northern land. We might be able to get information about Kuroki if we got closer to Nargol.

Thus, we are currently traveling to the north while betting on such a tiny possibility. Since I do not know when I’ll get hold of such information, I have to prepare myself to stay there for a long time.

Thus, I must express my gratitude to the two of them who had been preparing themselves for staying so long with me.

Moreover, despite saying it’s Kyouka’s luggage, most of the luggage is, in reality, mine. Thus, I really can’t say anything to them.

「Uuh. I understood…」

Thus, I gave up in the end.

「Well then, since you agreed, let’s take a little detour since I found a human country a while ago, let’s stay there for the night」

… … …

◆Sword Maiden, Shirone

This country is too small to be considered as one.

The population hasn’t even reached a thousand. The buildings are also shoddy; it reminded me of a thatched hut I saw in a book a long time ago.

This country-like village, despite saying so, is called Koki. Coming to such a small country isn’t the first time for me. There was a time when we were staying in the middle of the road during our journey to Nargol.

But then, the majority of such small countries are closed countries, and many of them even refuse a short visit.

Naturally, Reiji won’t accept such reasons. He would force his way to stay inside such countries.

He told us that there’s no way he could let women sleep on the field. Thanks to that, we almost never camped outdoors.

Kaya-san will be negotiating with the chief of Koki country. Will they refuse our request?

What is Kaya going to do in that case? Since there is no chance for her to let Kyouka-san camp outside, will she break through with raw power?

As we walked all the way until the house of the Chief, the residents seem to have been scared by the hippogriff mount we had. We might be able to do something if we use it as a threat against them.

「We’re travelers. May we stay here for one night? We will pay for our stay, too」

「No, no, no, don’t mind about such things. If it pleases you, feel free to stay in my house」