Chapter 61 - Mizuki, Maira, and the Flower Field
Our journey to Migul continues. A carriage of the Wandering People follows at the rear of the caravan. It’s a large group. It would be a spectacle to see from a distance, but we’re still in the forest. Today, we’re supposed to arrive in the city of Niel. It’s said to be about the same size as Richelle. We’ll stay there for two nights before heading to the port city of Flucht. Though it’s called a port city, it doesn’t face the sea. It’s a city built along a large river, and from there, we’ll board ships to sail downstream. I’ve heard it’s a massive galley with sails. The roads and waterways we’re currently using were supposedly developed under imperial decree.
Inside the carriage are me, Mizuki, and Maira. Cecily is riding horseback and patrolling around the caravan because she gets carsick easily. Originally, the person who was supposed to be on guard duty was on Claire’s carriage, not ours. Besides the coachman, no one else is in our carriage. It’s clear we’re being well-taken care of by the Mateo Trading Company. Come to think of it, the carriage is shaking less. Is it because the road is better maintained as we get closer to the city? Aira and Fam are guarding the rear. Since the Wandering People are at the back, it’s just for show today. I was dozing off when Fam entered the carriage.
“Master, we’ve left the forest!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, I can see the city in the distance.”
While I was talking to Fam, the carriage stopped. It must be time to let the horses rest. I got out of the carriage and gasped at the scenery before me. The trees that had been blocking our view were behind us. Ahead of the caravan were low hills stretching out in layers, covered almost knee-deep in light purple and white flowers. I could also see the silhouette of a small city wall surrounding the city. Far in the distance, I could dimly make out a mountain range.
“Are those linaria?”
Mizuki and Maira followed me out, turning their eyes to the flower field. Looking closely, I saw several small flowers blooming on each stem. They were pretty, but I didn’t know the names of flowers, so I couldn’t answer Mizuki’s question.
“Did someone plant these?”
“They’re probably growing naturally.”
I couldn’t imagine how this flower field had come to be. It didn’t seem high enough to be above the treeline.
“Maybe they do controlled burns here,” Maira said. Maira pointed to cattle grazing in the distance. It wasn’t just that one group. Other groups were scattered across the landscape, visible among the hills.
“They’re raising livestock. The flowers are just a coincidence.”
“Don’t monsters attack them?” Mizuki muttered as she stared at the cattle. She’d been asking non-stop questions. I didn’t know either, so I waited for Maira’s answer.
“They’re watching from over there.” Maira pointed again, this time at a lighthouse-like watchtower on the top of a distant hill. Similar towers were built at intervals across the landscape. The lower levels were stone, and the upper levels were made of wood. I couldn’t tell if anyone was actually watching from this distance. It reminded me of the goblin-occupied village. That village had towers too.
“What was that movie where the girl confesses in a church and runs through a field of flowers?” Mizuki muttered. I thought I knew the scene she was talking about—it felt vaguely familiar.
“Was that a field of red flowers?”
My memory was hazy.
“Was it? I can’t remember…” Mizuki tilted her head. This is a world without the internet. There’s nothing I can do.
“Never mind. Mizuki, why don’t you run through the flower field? I want to take a picture.”
I took my phone out of storage. It’s been a while.
“…I’m embarrassed,” she said as she ran into the flower field, surrendering with a grumble. I took several pictures. Looking back at them, they all turned out well. She looked like she was in a scene from a heroine’s story. Maira peeked over my shoulder to look at the photos too.
“Muuh… aren’t you being a little unfair always having Mizuki do things?” Maira protested. She was right. Mizuki was being unfair.
“Maira, will you be my model too?”
“Of course! Take cute pictures of me so I can prove I’m Mash’s wonderful lover!”
She puffed out her chest. It jiggled. She was my lover, so she was already wonderful. This was a video! I had to capture her dynamism on video.
“Mash is trying to take erotic photos of Maira!” Mizuki said, her face scrunched up in thought. I didn’t want her to have such a strange look on her face—did she intend to look so constipated?
“It’s fine. No matter how much I try to appeal to him, I’ll always be an afterthought!” Maira replied.
“That’s not true!”
“Why don’t we all strip naked and get everyone to see us hugging!”
“Don’t say stupid things!”
Mizuki was sharp as ever. Maybe that gave her too much leeway.
While Mizuki and Maira and I were taking pictures and videos, Fam and Aira came over. Cecily ran up too. The horses were resting, so she ran on her own two feet. The last three miles had probably made her tired already.
“Yoo-hoo! Let’s all get pictures taken!”
“What exactly are you saying in such a carefree way?” Cecily cut in, destroying my attempt at playing it cool.
“Monsters appeared or something?”
“Master, an adventurer party is approaching. You should hide your phone.” Fam said. Even as we were playing, they were still on watch. I felt a little guilty. The adventurer party Fam mentioned was approaching us, weaving between the Wandering People’s carriages. There were six of them. They seemed to be heading to the city as well.
“What a pretty flower field!” A short girl spoke to us. She looked about Fam’s age. Behind her stood a man with two horns and another with one horn, and their powerful builds only emphasized her short stature. She had tied up her red hair in a large ribbon. A ponytail. And the way she spoke was in Kansai dialect. Was she another transfer student? Or does the local dialect just sound like Kansai?
“That’s right. It’s tempting to lie down and take a nap.”
Hearing my reply, the girl laughed.
“It sounds pretty nice. We might come back and do that tomorrow too.”
“What do you mean? Are there going to be storms?”
“We’re the ‘New World’. What about you?”
The rest of her party paused. “My name’s Momoka of the ‘New World’. Like this flower field.” She spread her arms and spun around once. Maybe she intended for the metaphor to be extended with her party.
“We’re Levante. I’m Mash.”
I wanted to do a cool pose, but nothing came to mind. Instead, my words caused the ‘New World’ members to stop moving completely.
“Seriously? That’s a really hot celebrity’s name!” Momoka’s eyes raked over me.
“I don’t know. It’s probably just a coincidence. I’m not a celebrity. Just a low-ranking F-rank adventurer.” I showed her my character sheet.
“Is that so? Then,” she looked at Mizuki and Maira. “Who are those two?”
Mizuki and Maira. Strange choices.
“My wonderful wife, Maira, and my wonderful daughter, Mizuki.”
““Eh!?””
Maira and Mizuki exclaimed in surprise. Mizuki’s face turned bright red in an instant.
“Mizuki, what are you so nervous about? Say hello.”
I pushed her on the waist. She turned and hugged my neck. I was lost.
“Mizuki?”
Not understanding, I called her name. Then, she brought her mouth close to my ear.
“Daddy, I love you. Here, I picked this for you.”
Her breath brushed my ear. I received the linaria she had picked. Then she ran back into the carriage.
Momoka’s party walked past us.
“Was it okay to tell them our names?” Maira asked, looking worried.
“I think it would be better if they didn't. I didn’t want to give a bad impression. More importantly, didn’t you notice anything strange about the way she talked? The intonation?”
“I thought it was normal.” Maira replied.
“Fam too?”
Fam shook her head, meaning “no.”
“She was speaking in Kansai dialect. She’s a transfer student, isn’t she?”
Maybe just Mizuki and I noticed the difference. Unless Momoka easily hid it.
“I think so too.”
“‘New World’—that’s her name from her world. The Europeans who discovered the New World probably called themselves pioneers. Maybe she's a settler.”
“Don’t force that weird logic on me. Maybe she's from a world under a giant robot crab!”
Mizuki interjected her humor. Maybe I accidentally reminded her of her family in her original world. It was sad to imagine her feeling homesick, so I probably shouldn’t prod her about that.
“Is that so? Well, never mind. I think Momoka noticed we were transfer students too. Why did she ask Maira and Mizuki’s names? Is there something different about us?”
“I don’t think there is. They probably saw you taking pictures. And you were shouting ‘Yoo-hoo!’ especially, Mash. It was your carelessness.” Cecily answered. She was making a funny face, trying to imitate my expression when I said “Yoo-hoo!”
“…Is that it?”
Momoka didn’t try to hide that she was a transfer student. Did that mean she didn’t intend to fight us? Or was she confident that she would win?
“There was a boy in their party who looked just like Momoka-san,” Maira said. There was a boy with an androgynous air resembling Momoka. While we were talking to Momoka, he had been ready to draw the short sword at his waist at any moment.
“Is he a girl?” Mizuki asked.
“He’s a boy!” Maira declared.
“Then maybe they’re siblings? Maybe they were transferred together?”
“That’s possible,” I replied to Mizuki. I didn’t know for sure, but the guess was probably right.
“Maybe he's cute…” Maira muttered. Come to think of it, she had confessed to liking that sort of thing before. She had jokingly said she would strike out if Fam was a boy.
“Hey, aren’t you my partner?”
“Hmph! It’s your fault for always ignoring me and making me feel left out! I’m so, so angry! What happened last night was terrible!”
She puffed out her cheeks and turned her face away. Her gestures seemed more playful than genuinely angry, but this was always the pattern. I pinched the puffed-out part of her cheeks. And then her expression softened.
“Maira, don’t forget! Flucht city! Boats and grilled fish and beer! That’s what comes after, a promise!”
“E…? Ah… yes… I’m looking forward to it…”
Maira blushed and nodded. While we were doing this, our break was over. We got back on the carriage and started heading toward the city.
Thank you for reading. Thank you to everyone who clicked the like button, bookmarked, and rated it. It's encouragement. I'll do my best. Thank you for pointing out typos. Nazeru → Naderu. I'm really sorry.