Chapter 33
The next morning, they put their scales, money and valuable items in their pouches and attached them tightly around their waists before putting their shirts on . The wigs went on after that, and once they picked up their old, worn-out bags, their disguises were complete .
“Edmond, Kreis, Emma . Thank you so much for your hospitality . ”
Maki and Chiharu thanked them once again .
“No, thank you . We had a wonderful time . ”
“Maki, Chihaaru . Thank you for visiting the dwarven territories . ”
“Don’t push yourselves too hard . ”
“Of course!”
“Of course!”
They replied, and then ran off .
“I wonder if we will be able to meet them again?”
“We should visit them next time . ”
“Oh, that’s true . We can bring some good alcohol as a gift . ”
“Exactly . They did seem to like eating quite a lot . ”
Kreis and Edmond said to each other . Emma was holding her hands together tightly and praying for the safety of the two Saintesses .
“Good morning . ”
“Good morning . ”
“Ah, good luck, you two . ”
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They greeted the gatekeeper before rushing toward Paulo . There was already a line of soldiers waiting in the training grounds in front of the barracks .
“You two barely made it . Is that all of your belongings?”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
“I’ll introduce you two to everyone gradually . We will wait here for now and listen to the representative’s speech before riding the carriage . ”
“Understood!”
“Understood!”
They left their larger bags with the carriage and then participated in the departing ceremony .
“These kinds of things rarely happen, you know?”
“These kinds of things?”
Paulo was surprisingly talkative, and he and the others taught them a variety of things .
“Like there being too many monsters in the dungeon . And having to send for soldiers over a lack of Adventurers . This is only possible because Midland is on good terms with the three territories, but this is still a very impressive lineup . ”
“It really is . We do see Prince Edwy here and there, but even the White Philosopher is here . ”
Here and there . There wasn’t much reverence in their tone . Well, he had seemed quite familiar when guiding them through the port town .
“The White Philosopher?”
“What, you don’t know someone so famous? Most elves have golden hair, but he has white hair . He is the philosopher, Aeris, who invented the airship . ”
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One of the young cooks explained to them . And Chiharu had thought he was just a retired elf who had too much time on his hands and was a worry-wort . Well, he didn’t look any old than 30 . And his hair had seemed more silver than white . Chiharu was very surprised by this . But there had definitely been something majestic about Aeris as he stood his platform, wearing his white robes with golden lining . And there was also something about him that looked tired .
“And the bird people . They are carefree and appear almost anywhere . But to have four of them participate in such an official way…”
“And Prince Nyran represents the southern territories . All three territories and both human territories are represented, it seems . ”
All of this information was quite new to them .
“Um, Prince Nyran…”
“You know, the one next to Kaider and has blonde hair . I think he was the second or third prince of the southern territories . They have so many princes and princesses there that I can’t keep track of them . ”
“There are so many of them, and so he must be one of the ones that were sent out to different castles . ”
“Yes, yes . He used to be smaller than Prince Kaider, but it turned out that he was much more reliable than him, as he was quite reckless . And so now he watches over Prince Kaider . ”
So there were three princes, not two . Kaider was a dwarf but the size of a slightly short human . He now wore a uniform of deep green and had a sword at his belt as he faced the troops . His red hair was blowing in the wind . Nyran was wearing a dark orange uniform . Perhaps it was a sign that he was from the south .
“And it’s that rascal who is the commander on this expedition . Our Prince Edwy is still young and seems a little weak . ”
“What are you saying? Appearance aside, he is a heavyweight among the three territories and is a good friend with the royal families of the human territories . In spite of his young age, he has an important part in Midland’s diplomacy . Besides, you know . He is very popular with young women . ”
It seemed like Paulo was strongly partial to Edwy .
“So I guess the inland humans didn’t come after all . ”
“They don’t have the same sense of danger, as they are the furthest from the shadow world . ”
“By the way, have you heard the rumors about them insulting the Saintesses and being banned from entering Midland?”
“I did hear that . Damn it all . Who do they think they owe their peaceful existences to?”
So the inland people were not liked here either . Still, Chiharu wanted to visit it at least once . Maki was probably thinking the same thing . They caught each other’s eyes and smiled mischievously . One day . In secret .
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“Now, the representatives are going to make a speech . ”
Kaider took a step forward .
“Soldiers of the human lands! I thank you for coming . Monsters now prowl the dungeons in numbers not seen before, as the miasma has grown thick . While two Saintesses have come to our aid, they are young, frail women . We cannot allow them to shoulder the burden completely . We must face this danger together!”
It was a simple speech, and an enthusiastic cry came from the troops . The delicate Saintesses also raised their voices . So did Edwy, who was wearing a blue uniform .
“While the dungeon exists in the three territories, we are all comrades of the Sun World . We will help each other!”
And now, applause .
“Aeris, the white philosopher will act as the staff officer . Sauro, Saikania, Orne, and Puel will be messengers . From the human territories, Edwy, Nyran and I will participate . Let us fight together!”
A great cry erupted .
Maki and Chiharu had only seen Kaider as being a busybody and Edwy as being kind up until now, and so they were both surprised and thoroughly entertained by this display of coolness . I mean, they were princes! In uniforms! Giving a speech! And they were acquaintances . They shouted happily and waved their hands . People who saw how excited they were just smiled gently . But the bird people who were watching from afar just shook their heads in exasperation . Aren’t you trying to stay low? Really .
It would be possible to move quickly by horse if there were fewer people . However, with many people and lots of luggage, it would be more efficient to use carriages . They had sent word out in advance and ordered for food and fodder, but they would need to bring food with them as well to feed over 100 people . Maki and Chiharu were riding one of these carriages . Thankfully, it was a season for good weather . They climbed to the top of their carriage, which was carrying bags of hay, and made a space for themselves to sit in and enjoy the journey .
It wasn’t quite as comfortable as the carriages meant to have passengers, but it did give them a 360-degree view . They would start at Greige and pass through four different towns on their way to Gromble . They would mostly be going up and down mountains on their way to the dungeon . As the two of them watched Greige disappear into the distance, Sauro flew down to see them . As the carriage used a levitation stone, an extra birdman did not cause much of a strain to the horses .
“You found us pretty quick, Sauro . ”
“I can spot Maki easily no matter what she is wearing . We bird people have good eyes . ”
“You can see us from that far away?”
“No . It’s like how you can tell if the grass is edible no matter how big or small or dark or light it is . It’s the same thing . Maki and Chiharu are Maki and Chiharu . ”
“That seems a little too easy . ”
“I never thought about it too much . But the humans and dwarves and even the elves didn’t realize anything . So it must be a beastkin thing . ”
“I see . Who waved at us yesterday?”
“Orne was watching . ”
“I thought so!”
“Hey, do you want to fly with us?”
“But it will draw attention . ”
“Then maybe when we reach Lapondo? Don’t you want to see the view from high above, Maki?”
“If it’s done quietly after we finish work?”
“That’s fine . ”
Sauro said, and then he flew away with a flutter of wings .
“Chiharu, did he just compare us to food?”
“I’m sure it means that we’re important . ”
Their next stop was the farming town of Lapondo . It produced most of the food consumed by the capital of Greige .
“Mister Paulo said he would take us to the market tomorrow . ”
“It’s to buy food supplies . But I’m looking forward to it . ”
“Yes . ”
The birdfolk were flying high above them . Chiharu and Maki looked up into the sky and waved .