Chapter 271 - 271. The Beginning of a New Journey, and New Companions
After leaving the city of Migul, we headed east, following a path through the harvested wheat fields. The stalks, cut at the base, were still green, while pastured cattle grazed on the remaining grass. Marmie and I were heading toward the fort that guards the irrigation channel. We traveled by horse back then, but this time, we were on foot. The contrast in color and height between the lush wheat fields and this path made it feel like we were walking a completely different trail. Beyond the fort, the road narrows into undeveloped land, becoming a mountain path difficult for carriages to pass. Fam’s village was far ahead.
"This isn’t wheat," Fam said, pointing at a short, harvested stalk.
"Really? I thought it looked the same as what the village Aidan and I visited was growing."
"That is wheat. This is oats."
She picked up an ear that had fallen onto the road, took a single seed, and placed it on her palm. The small grain was rounded and oval, with a pale yellowish-green hue.
"It’s larger than wheat, and the husk is thicker, isn’t it?"
I couldn’t recall the shape or size of wheat when Fam asked, but now that she mentioned it, the seed did seem bigger. According to her, autumn-sown crops like wheat are harvested in early summer, and the harvesting season for spring-sown crops like oats was ending around now. She explained that wheat is a representative example of autumn-sown crops, and oats of spring-sown ones.
"That’s why oats are harvested at this time,"
She puffed out her chest, raised her index finger triumphantly, and let out a small sniff.
"In our village, we ate it as porridge and bread, but in the city of Migul, it’s probably used as livestock feed."
Listening to her, I glanced at Marmie. Her strides were heavy, unlike Fam’s. I and Fam were in the lead, followed by Mizuki and Maila, and then her behind them.
"What’s wrong?"
"...What?"
Marmie looked up, a red dragonfly fluttering around her. It landed on the tip of her long ear. Her ear twitched slightly, and the dragonfly flew into the sky. The clear blue sky felt somehow distant.
"You’ve gone quiet all of a sudden. What happened?"
Normally, she had good posture, but now her center of gravity was lower, and her shoulders seemed rounded.
"...The road."
Marmie murmured. Just then, Mizuki and Maila stopped, and sent a somber glance forward. Fam’s steps also paused. We gradually turned to look ahead.
"A demon?"
"No, it looks like a person, but..."
Maila answered my question. Ahead of her, a single tree stood tall, easily three times her height. Branches near the base of the trunk had been removed, leaving a canopy for shade. Someone was standing in the shadow of the tree, as if trying to conceal themselves. That person slowly stepped away from the trunk, as if realizing we had noticed them. Cloaked in a long robe and carrying a staff longer than their body, they had two distinct horns on their head. However, the contrast in light between the sunlight and the shade made it hard to see their expression clearly. They walked leisurely away from the tree until they reached the center of the path and turned to face us. Sunlight poured down on them. She was about the same age as Maila, with red eyes, and curly red hair that reached past her shoulders. Silver horns grew from her ears, pointing upwards. Her gentle smile showed no sign of hostility. However, the members of Eastwind《Levante》glared at her with sharp, murderous intent.
"You are…"
I stared at her for a while, but couldn’t recall her name. I lightly nudged Mizuki to see if she knew, but Mizuki nudged me back.
"It’s not like I would know."
As we whispered to each other, Fam placed a hand on her katar and stepped forward.
"You are a Savior of…"
The female demon nodded at those words.
"Nephie."
Her eyes, with their slightly tilted outer corners, were cool and refreshing, like a breeze passing between us. She smiled, raising the corners of her red lips. She seemed soft-spoken, but there was a hint of steel in her finely shaped eyebrows.
"Nephie-san, do you have some business with us?"
Maila didn’t draw her mace, but held it close to her chest.
"I haven’t come to fight. I’ve been waiting."
"Waiting? For how many days here?"
"Of course not. I know you frequent the Mateo Trading Company. I obtained information from them."
"You were in the city of Migul?! But who told you about us?"
Leaving the city was supposed to be a way to avoid her. Maila asked with a hint of accusation, and Nephie shrugged.
"I don’t know who, but they said it was Mash’s woman, and they’d tell me."
Every member of Eastwind《Levante》 turned to glare at me. Claire must have been gossiping.
"So, how long have you been here? What about the men?"
The Mateo Trading Company needed a serious talk about their information management, but I prompted Nephie to continue to avoid trouble. I needed to keep her talking to avoid collateral damage.
"He said he was heading to the Imperial Capital, so we parted ways. I heard you were planning to go to the Demon Kingdom, so I waited."
"Why don’t you travel with them?"
"The Saviors are members gathered by Klovis from those who were swept into this city. To say there’s no affection would be a lie, but even after he was lost, we don’t necessarily travel together. It’s hard for me to stay in the Imperial Capital, completely dominated by humans. Since I can’t stay in Migul, I decided to return to the Demon Kingdom."
Nephie spread her hands as if declaring her freedom.
"So?"
"Eastwind《Levante》is five people, right? I thought I’d join."
We exchanged glances at her sudden offer.
"Wouldn’t it be better to have a guide from the Demon Kingdom? Since we are going to the Demon Capital, we will give you a guide there. If not, we can introduce you to a powerful noble. That’s all. You can think of it as a quest from me."
Her words came one after another.
"You...I mean, what do you think we should do, Eastwind《Levante》? We fought with the Saviors, sent you into hiding, killed one of you, threw one into prison, and enslaved two. You aren’t upset about that?"
"Of course I’m not saying that. But it was Klovis who caused the internal conflict in the city. And it was that man who put me in this position. So I thought I might as well entrust myself to that man too."
Maila’s expression darkened at Nephie’s words.
"You...you don’t hate us?"
"I’d like to know that too. Doesn’t Eastwind《Levante》hate me? If you don’t, why not let me join?"
"Don’t change the subject. I am the one asking questions here."
"I’ve also found and killed otherworlders along with Klovis and the others. I think it’s natural to be hated for that. But, otherworlders are humans, not demons. The same goes for my companions. I think you’d understand that feeling, wouldn’t you, Marmie?"
Nephie turned her gaze to Marmie, but she remained silent, her face expressionless. Maila sighed as she watched her.
"In other words, you have no grudge and cooperating with us is just a means to get to the Demon Kingdom. And you have no special feelings about it?"
"I do have feelings. I’m interested in that man."
She said as she looked over at me. Before I could respond, she shrugged her shoulders.
I leaned in closer to her and with head nodding stated,
"Then, what do you think of the guys back there?"
"I don't really have an opinion. Did they have any romantic relationships in the group?"
"Nah."
Nephie paused, looking almost pained as she thought.
"Were you and Kurovis hitting it off pretty good? That’s what I gathered, though."
My question was meant to be sarcastic, but Nephie shook her head with a serious expression. Mizuki glared at me from beside her as if to scold me.
"No. Not at all. Maybe he was only interested in his own kind?"
If she asked me, I’ll have to admit that it’s the same with Mizuki. That was why she said she was porked.
"What then about Yuuki… the male one? Did he have someone in his heart?"
Mizuki blushed and clenched her fist at Nephie's words. What was she talking about when she said I’m into her?
"Were you guys like a group of monks or something?"
I said ironically, and Nephie gave a wry smile.
"If you put it that way, it wasn't. It was more like avoiding excessive interference within the team. I couldn't tell with Klovis, but the remaining two often bought prostitutes in Crystal Garden."
I gave Mizuki a smug look this time. Mizuki puffed her cheeks and turned away.
"What about Nephie-san? Did you have someone you liked?"
At those words, she let her thoughts drift as she gazed into the distance, then looked up at the sky and smiled.
"I left the Demon Kingdom to escape that kind of thing... But now, I’m going back like this, huh?"
Her eyes narrowed into slits, and her smile at the corner of her lips transformed into a sensual one.
"I didn’t say that to refuse. I understand what it means to join Eastwind《Levante》, and I’m prepared for that."
I noticed that Marmie, who was supposed to be walking in the lead, had strayed to the back. I found a stone for her to sit on and took off her shoes and socks. The marks from the shoelaces were bloodied, and the tips of her toes seemed swollen and red. Looking at the soles, there were several blisters.
"Are these new shoes?"
Marmie shook her head.
"...It’s hard to walk on this road."
When I lightly pinched her toes, she grimaced. Her equipment wasn’t off the shelf but made for her. The shoes had chafed, and she probably tightened them too much. She usually walked on flat, well-maintained ground. That paved road had ended a long time ago. There were areas where pebbles lay scattered and tips of buried stones jutted out. There were ruts left by carts, and uneven ground. The path to Fam’s village would be even more mountainous. We decided to walk to the fort to toughen our feet, but she must have been enduring it even before that. I glanced at the others, worried if anyone else had shoe chafing, but Fam and Mizuki seemed fine. Fam grew up in the countryside, and Mizuki said she went mountain climbing with her father. Maila also seemed alright. Had Aidan trained her? Nephie was probably an adventurer and used to it. Come to think of it, she was the first to notice that Marmie’s discomfort was due to her feet.
"Maila..."
I called out to her to cast healing magic. But she put a hand on her chin and tilted her head.
"It would be a waste of effort to heal her with the power of miracles and ruin the process of toughening her feet."
"Can’t you heal her just enough? She can’t walk properly like this, and she might get infections."
"Don't be absurd."
As Maila looked troubled, Marmie picked up the socks she had taken off.
"Moooo, what’s wrong? Are you bothered by the smell of the socks?"
"...No. I’ll endure it and walk to the fort."
"Wait. The destination isn’t the fort. It’s Fam’s village, much further ahead."
Marmie made a pale, almost despairing expression for a moment, but quickly returned to a blank one.
"...It’s fine."
"It’s not fine!"
Pressing on the blisters, she made an indescribable, twisted face.
"I’ll heal the bruising around her ankles and the swelling in her toes. Let’s see how the blisters do after draining them."
While Marmie was receiving healing magic, I had Fam walk with her.
"Walk like this, dangling legs."
"Hmm! I feel like I’m being made fun of."
Saying that, she stopped walking.
"I'm not making fun of you. Fam was a complete beginner for Aidan's quest, but she didn't get shoe chafing. Your gait is good. Moos's gait is useful for you because you have a similar physique. Walk a little more."
"I feel like I was just scolded."
Fam strode forward, puffing out her cheeks. Perhaps because of that, the characteristics of her gait became more pronounced.
"Marmie, you’re used to walking on buildings and paved roads, so it might be a little hard to imagine, but think of pushing your upper body forward while stepping down without kicking off the ground too much."
Marmie nodded faintly at my words. Maila’s treatment was over, so I had her put on her socks, and adjusted her shoes to fit snugly without tightening them too much. Marmie stood up and started walking briskly.
"N-no way, that’s not how I walk. Like this."
Fam hurriedly chased after Marmie, showing her how to walk as she followed. After watching them for a while, Nephie stood next to me.
"A group of amateurs..."
"Everyone except Maila has only been an adventurer for about three months. You lost to those guys?"
Nephie chuckled at my words.
"Indeed. I may have made a wrong choice. It seems it would have been easier to return to the Demon Kingdom alone."
I continued to watch her profile as she shook her shoulders and kept laughing, but her tone was weak and seemed calm.
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