Chapter 45 - An East Wind and the Journey by Land
The caravan made its way down a forest road. We were riding in the rearmost carriage. The pace was slower than I'd expected, and the breaks were long. It almost felt like we could have moved faster on foot.
Our carriage held two drivers, while I, Fam, Cecily, and Aira were on standby inside the covered wagon. Mizuki and Maira were on watch at the rear. We were scheduled to rotate positions. The rocking of the carriage was absolutely awful. This road would take us all the way to the port city of Flucht. From there, we would transfer the cargo to a ship and travel down the Valis River to the city of Heilong. Then it would be back to land travel to reach our final destination, Migul. The entire journey was expected to take about thirty days.
Cecily's face was pale. Aira was rubbing her back. Why is it that seeing someone else get sick makes you feel queasy yourself? I could use some motion sickness medicine too.
"About that match earlier," I said, turning to Fam beside me to distract myself.
"Yes," she nodded.
"Where did you learn that stance and those movements?"
It was the same during the Hecatoncheir fight. I wondered if Fam had practiced kendo, but I knew she was a complete amateur.
"I was watching your movements, Master-sama."
"...You can learn just by watching?"
It was unbelievable. Was she even more of a genius than Mizuki?
"When I'm in that stance, I feel like I can't lose. It's my invincible mode."
She said it with a strange sense of pride.
"That's just your imagination. You were losing, completely."
It was genuinely dangerous, so I had to set her straight.
"What I do is called kendo in my original world. It's a sport where you score points by hitting each other with swords made of bamboo. It's not a real sword fight. To put it bluntly, it's an extension of play. I only do it that way because I can't do anything else."
"When I take that stance, I somehow understand how I should move. But I still can't move exactly as I imagine."
"...Is it your guardian deity?"
I remembered her telling me that her guardian deity had told her the name of the God of the End.
"I believe so. Do you know the words ichigan, nisoku, sandan, shiryoku? They came to my mind while watching your movements, Master-sama."
Those were words an elderly teacher of mine used to say all the time. They describe the most important elements of swordsmanship, in order. She must be seeing through my form to the fundamental, original state that kendo is supposed to possess. One is the eyes. My teacher used to say, "like gazing at a distant mountain." It warns against a fixated mind, promoting an all-seeing perception. It stresses the importance of grasping the enemy and the surrounding situation. Two is the feet. My teacher would say, "footwork like waves washing upon a sandy shore." This is a caution against swordsmanship that relies only on swinging the sword. A strike only becomes true when accompanied by core strength and footwork. The foundation of swordsmanship is the forward step. Without it, the unity of spirit, sword, and body—ki-ken-tai—is impossible.
It was similar to what Aidan had taught me. Three is guts. My teacher called it an "unshakable spirit." It's courage, mettle. A heart that remains unmoved by anything. I'm so aware of my lack of this that I tend to forget everything else. It's a bit complicated, but an 'unshakable spirit' is a mind that isn't agitated by any situation, whereas a 'stopped mind' refers to a state where the mind is fixated on something. Finally, there is power. My teacher never said much about this. It's the strength and skill forged through training, without need for explanation. It is placed fourth partly as a warning against relying too much on brute force.
I gave Fam a brief explanation.
"Master-sama, please teach me more. Did you notice anything else during my match earlier?"
"You fall for the enemy's bait too easily. There are two concepts: 'seizing the initiative' and 'striking after the attack has begun.' By acting just before your opponent begins to move, you can more easily overwhelm their momentum."
I felt a little embarrassed lecturing Fam like that. Talk is cheap. I couldn't do it myself, but it just proved how important the eyes truly are.
"...Master-sama. I used to think you were a person who only ever thought about lewd things."
Fam's casual comment was brutal. Was she starting to become like Mizuki? Even now, I was suppressing the constant urge to grope Fam's breasts. I was trying really, really hard.
"...How can you look me in the eye and call me 'Master-sama' when you think I'm a guy like that?"
"B-But Master-sama is Master-sama!"
"Fine. From now on, I'm not speaking to you unless you call me 'Mash-kun' or 'Mash-chan'!"
"Are you a child?!"
I turned away from her. I was just a ridiculous adult who only thought about perverted things and wrote 'nose' on his forehead, anyway.
"M-M-M... Maaaash!"
Fam started patting my shoulder. It didn't hurt at all, of course.
"Speaking of perverted things, I'm summoning Racshell the next time we stay at an inn."
"What about the others?"
Fam seemed to assume she would be present. Did she want a new pair of panties?
"It's too much of a hassle. Anyone who wants to participate can just be there."
"Will Big Sis's resistance really work?"
Maira claimed she could resist the 'Charm' that Racshell projected, but could she really resist a goddess? At this point, I didn't care what happened.
"Who knows? But on that note, if you're willing to call her 'Big Sis' at her request, why can't you grant my request?"
"Ugh... Master-sama. I love you very much. That's why I can't say it right now. ...Is that not okay?"
I would think saying 'I love you' is more embarrassing than calling someone by a nickname, but maybe I'm wrong. I could tell she was hiding something. I wanted to draw it out of her, but I preferred she tell me on her own terms.
For a while now, Aira and Cecily, sitting across from us, had been giving me cold stares.
"You two... if you're going to be all lovey-dovey, go somewhere else. I'm already so sick I feel like throwing up..." Cecily said.
"You two are welcome to put on a show yourselves, you know?"
"Shut up!"
"They say lack of sleep can also cause motion sickness, you know?"
I figured they were up all night doing lewd things with each other anyway.
"..."
Cecily fell silent. I felt a little bad for her, but then I saw the 'nose' written on her forehead and felt conflicted. The 'nose' on Aira's forehead, as she worriedly rubbed her partner's back, was also bothering me. I wanted to laugh, but I had a feeling they would get seriously angry if I did. I really wanted to get this writing off by the end of the day. I'd try out my various slime oils tonight.
"Some of them brought spare horses to ride, right? Let's have you switch. You shouldn't get sick while you're riding a horse."
"...I'll do that."
Cecily nodded.
Night fell. We were camping out. The barrier of stone pillars meant to ward off monsters wasn't large enough to contain us all, so we formed a circle with the cargo wagons at the center. The cooking was handled by the Mateo Trading Company staff, who distributed food to everyone. We split into several groups, eating around campfires. The days were hot since it was summer, but the nights were cool.
Claire had invited me, so after getting my food, I went over to where the Mateo Trading Company members were gathered. They led me to a spot that felt like a couple's table, just for me and Claire. I should have brought Fam. It was painful being watched by the other members from a distance. I felt incredibly out of place. Fam had actually tried to come with me, but Maira was even more insistent on tagging along, so Fam ended up having to hold her back.
For now, I'd just eat this hearty soup quickly and get it over with. But what was I supposed to do if this became a daily thing?
"..."
"..."
I had no idea what to talk about, so we fell into silence. It seemed Claire felt the same. I'm the type who can respond if someone talks to me, but I can't say anything to someone who stays quiet.
"The stars are beautiful, aren't they?"
Claire said, looking up at the night sky. A crescent moon hung in the eastern sky. The Milky Way was clearly visible again tonight. On both banks of the celestial river were exceptionally bright stars, looking like one part of the Summer Triangle. If the date on my phone was correct, today was July 5th.
As always, I found myself wanting to look for the North Star. I searched for the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia like before, but couldn't find them. Was the arrangement of the stars different in this world, or were there just too many for me to pick them out?
"The stars look like a river."
"Yes," Claire nodded.
"Do you see those two especially bright stars on either side of the banks?"
"...There are too many for me to tell."
I figured as much. I had been planning to tell her the story of Tanabata but gave up. I could have killed a fair bit of time talking about stars and the speed of light. Oh well, I'd just have to tell Fam this story instead.
"Mash-sama, what do you plan to do after we arrive in Migul?"
"The '-sama' isn't necessary. Just Mash is fine. For now, I plan to gather information while exploring the dungeon."
Even as I said it, I felt like I was at a dead end.
"Information?"
"Yeah, information on people transferred from other worlds, and information about the Demon Lord. ...And I want to look into the Crimson Brigade."
"The Crimson Brigade was originally a mercenary group. Now they engage in all sorts of underworld activities, including thievery. They also deal in slaves."
Did she know about Fam? The way she added that last part made it sound deliberate.
"Are they a large organization?"
"Their current overall structure is unknown, but they were once a mercenary band of about five hundred."
I couldn't imagine if five hundred was a lot or a little.
"Would you be willing to entrust that investigation to our company?"
"Sorry, but I can't have you doing it so openly that it leads back to me."
"Please, leave it to me. We will, of course, be discreet."
Claire smiled.
"How much?"
It sounded like it would cost a fortune.
"Saying it's free would sound like I'm pressuring you, wouldn't it? How about two magic seeds? We can add another seed depending on the quality of the information. And shall we say a term of one year?"
"Alright. You've got a deal. Also, I'd appreciate it if you kept the fact that I'm investigating the Crimson Brigade a secret."
Labor costs in this world must be significant. This was probably a bargain price.
"Hehe, it will be our little secret."
I still had some left over from the last magic seed fever. I pulled two seeds from my storage and handed them to her.
"...So you did have them."
"Were you testing me?"
"No, my apologies. Well then, one more thing. What do you intend to do for lodging during your stay in Migul?"
"About an inn? I'm a freeman, so I'll have no choice but to stay in one, I guess."
Only citizens could own residences within the city.
"Shall I provide you with a house?"
"Really?"
"How about one gold coin for a month?"
A single room at an inn was seven silver coins per night. One hundred silver coins equaled one gold coin, so this was cheap. But the hassle of cleaning and cooking sounded like a pain. I could easily imagine us starting with a chore rotation, only for me to end up doing everything in the end.
"Well, I'll have to see the place first."
"Of course."
Claire nodded. And then, the conversation died again.
"...I heard from Mateo. Are you really okay with this?"
"...I have prepared myself. It is how I was raised. Mash-sama—no, Mash. If I am not embraced by you, my own position will become rather delicate."
This was heavy. I never thought I'd be in this kind of position.
"Look at the character on my forehead. I'm just some old guy, you know?"
"Are you perhaps waiting for me to say I don't want this?"
I felt like she'd seen right through me.
"My dream is to do lewd things to a woman who says she doesn't want it, and make her fall in love with me."
"Hehe, well then, I will try to resist a little on our first night."
I couldn't figure Claire out. I had expected an extreme reaction like Fam's or Mizuki's, but she'd just brushed it off lightly. What was she feeling as she sat here eating with me?
"Do you have a lover?"
"Of course not. And you, Mash? Which of your party members is your lover?"
"All of them."
"..."
Yeah, that was about the reaction I expected. She probably didn't think a man who gleefully wrote 'nose' on his forehead for no good reason had it in him.
"Maira-sama as well?"
"That's right."
I wasn't sure of her intent, but it was probably because Maira was a special figure in Richelle. Claire placed a hand on her chest and let out a deep sigh.
"I cannot join you on your adventures. Will that be alright?"
"Adventuring together isn't a condition for being lovers."
"You're right. Still, I hope we can build a relationship where we can speak more freely."
Claire leaned her shoulder against mine. I gently put my arm around her. She looked up at me.
"I spent so long wondering what kind of person my father would bring. But I never imagined I would end up kissing a man with a character written on his forehead."
"Just close your eyes."
"I will."
Claire gave a mischievous smile and closed her eyelids. I gently pressed my lips against hers.
Thank you for reading. To those who have bookmarked and rated the story, I'm truly grateful. It encourages me to keep going. I'll do my best.