Chapter 176

* * *

“Now, now! This way!”

“Good heavens, you’re saying these are all weapons that arrived from the weapons district? For that Factory Manager, who is rumored to be strict, to support us this much……!”

Two days later.

A long procession of carriages lined the middle of Rosewobel Street.

The nobles passing along the street whispered among themselves.

“Is that Agabert?”

“Yes, I heard that magic stones sprang up at the old palace site not long ago too. They say they’re going in alliance with House Luminen to conquer it.”

“At this rate, I wonder if magic stones might really spring up in the noble district too……”

“Don’t even say something so ominous! If such a thing happened, then the holy knights would conquer it for us!”

“But I hear the trend these days is that magic stones are increasing outside the imperial capital too? What if the holy knights end up short on manpower because they’re busy conquering those?”

“Ha, honestly! Why would the holy knights care about outside the imperial capital?! Their duty is to steadfastly guard this place, inside the Boundary of the Old and New! If manpower ever leaks to the outside, I won’t stay quiet!”

Livia, who was sitting with her back against a carriage, let out a laugh.

Poking Aleric beside her, she muttered,

“Aren’t the nobles of the imperial capital seriously ridiculous? Looks like they’re scared out of their minds that magic stones will spring up near their houses.”

“They can hear you, Livia.”

“Honestly, let them hear. It’s fine when hundreds die every day outside the imperial capital. But having magic stones appear near their own houses absolutely isn’t allowed? Are only their lives important or what!”

Aleric let out a sigh.

Livia made a sullen face and shut her mouth.

Meanwhile, in another carriage behind them, Veil was wrestling with Tie, who sat on his lap.

“Brat! I told you to wear comfortable clothes because we don’t know what we’re going to end up doing!”

With Veil squeezing his cheeks, Tie turned his head away sullenly.

“But Tie wanted to wear my princess dreeess!”

“That damn princess dress again, seriously! You, can you run in this if a monster comes after you, huh?!”

“Tie can do it! I’ll tear the dress coolly and then run!”

“Why would you tear your clothes?! And who taught you that!”

“I saw it on TV! Brother Veil is a stupid nagger!”

Every time Tie shouted, Ppuppu quietly went thump, thump against Veil.

Beside them, Marbas had her head buried inside Tie’s bag with a worn-out expression.

[Twenty enhanced teleportation circles in three days…… I’m burned out……]

For this conquest, Marbas had worked five times harder than usual over the past three days.

Of course, when her power ran low, Tie shared mana with her.

But even so, he had suffered so much that it felt like all the grain of his wood had dried out.

At that moment Tesetan entered the carriage.

Tie’s mouth opened wide, and Veil glared at Tesetan with an irritated expression.

“Why are you riding in this carriage?”

Without even looking at Veil, Tesetan sat in the corner seat.

“It seems you didn’t hear from Basto.”

“Hear what.”

Just then Basto climbed up into the carriage and answered.

“We’ll be reorganizing the plan simply while we travel, Veil.”

Veil furrowed his brow.

“The plan? What plan. Shouldn’t everything be done together with the Luminen side anyway?”

“Which is why I have come along.”

Leonardo revealed himself behind Basto.

And behind him as well,

“I don’t know whether there will be a seat.”

was the Association President of the Frost Association, who had recently joined the mission.

Veil let out a sigh and muttered so only Tie could hear.

“……We’re moving a full day’s distance by carriage to save teleportation circles. There goes any chance of traveling comfortably.”

Everyone took their seats one by one.

The six-person carriage was quickly full.

In the front seats sat Basto, Tie, and Veil.

In the seats facing them sat Tesetan, Ardiana, and Leonardo.

‘……I’m excited!’

Tucking himself between Basto and Veil, Tie swallowed hard.

Even though this was the road to conquer a magic stone.

He couldn’t hide his pounding heart when he was sitting diagonally across from Dad.

These days Dad had become much kinder and no longer acted chilly to Tie as before.

The moment the carriage started moving, Leonardo opened his mouth.

“We plan to set up the campsite roughly 50 daio away from the old palace site.”

‘Campsite?’

While Tie tilted her head, Basto answered.

“Isn’t that too close to the magic stone’s location. In the case of monsters with wide activity ranges, they could narrow that distance quickly.”

Leonardo nodded.

“That is why I intend to place barriers. Not only mine; if we surround it with two or even three layers, it should be safe.”

When his gaze turned to Tesetan, Tesetan answered.

“Aleric can do it. Concealment magic.”

“Tie can do it too!”

As if to make Tesetan notice her, Tie too quickly raised her hand.

And he swiftly created a round-shaped barrier around the moving carriage.

“If you do it like this, it’s suuuper strong!”

Leonardo smiled and stroked Tie’s hair.

“If we need help, we’ll be sure to ask.”

Tie puffed out her chest and leaned her back against the backrest.

Apparently Tie’s barrier had been impressive, because she felt Tesetan’s gaze rest on her briefly, then fall away.

The adults began their meeting again.

“Are there enough weapons?”

At Veil’s words, the Association President nodded.

“The Factory Manager of the weapons district supported us more than sufficiently. There are enough consumables as well; are we setting the conquest period at one month?”

“For now, yes. If it goes on longer, then we’ll have to use teleportation circles to bring more supplies.”

“Why not organize a supply team midway and send them to the imperial capital? Wouldn’t that be faster?”

“If we’re going to do that, we’ll need to investigate whether there are other magic stones along the route.”

Making a hm sound, Veil suddenly looked at Tie’s bag with the gaze of one stalking prey.

There, before anyone knew it, Marbas had poked his head out from the bag.

“Can’t we squeeze a little more out of that thing? Moving without teleportation circles, that’s all stamina and money.”

Marbas made a hiiik sound and hid back inside the bag.

Watching Marbas, Ppuppu once again gave a mocking kkyut.

“How do you intend to divide the combat teams?”

“First, since we have Agabert’s forces and the holy-knight forces, it would be best to distribute them by making use of their characteristics. And if we add the thirty private soldiers Tie brought in, and the five the Association President brought along……”

At the complicated conversation that followed, Tie began nodding off.

When the child’s head wobbled, Tesetan turned an uncomfortable gaze toward him.

At that moment Tie almost pitched forward.

Beside him, Veil quickly let Tie’s head rest against his arm.

Seeing that, Tesetan barely turned the hand that had half gone out back onto his knee.

* * *

Tie opened her eyes inside the darkened carriage.

When he looked around, for some reason the seats were completely empty.

Voices were heard from outside.

“I thought I’d die from feeling so stiff. I told you we should just use teleportation circles to get here.”

“……How many times do I have to say we need to save them, Veil.”

“Was Tie doing all right? It’s been a long time since he rode in a carriage this long. He wasn’t tiring out, was he?”

“Old man, you really do worry a lot. He fell completely asleep the whole way over, no, until now, so you don’t need to worry.”

A smile slowly spread to the corners of Tie’s mouth.

‘It was break time!’

It was when the child rose from the seat to go outside too.

The door flew open and two people came in.

For some reason, Tie unconsciously shut her eyes tightly.

When he opened them to slits, he saw Dad leaning against the corner looking tired, and beside him Ardiana sitting straight and organizing a small bag.

“Isn’t it suffocating.”

At that moment Dad said in a low voice.

Pretending to sleep, Tie looked at Dad.

In the dim carriage interior, he could see Dad looking at the princess Association President.

“Not especially.”

The Association President answered.

The two people looked at each other.

Dad spoke again.

“Looks like you’ll keep doing that all the way to the conquest site too. It must be tiring to keep your face covered all day.”

Ardiana looked fixedly at Tesetan.

She answered haughtily.

“That is for me to endure. You truly have a great deal of interest in other people’s faces.”

Tesetan, whose brow had furrowed slightly, let out a hollow laugh.

After a while he opened his mouth.

“Isn’t that natural? Looking at your eyes, even someone with no interest would have no choice but to become interested.”

Ardiana froze with a start.

Her cheekbones visible above the mask turned bright red.

“……Wh, what are you saying.”

“Now that I look, what’s strange is how amazingly featureless they are.”

Tesetan spoke gently, then leaned his body against the opposite wall.

Ardiana, who had gone blank, immediately flared up.

“How rude……!”

Tie looked at Dad and Ardiana with curious eyes.

It was dark, but Tie could clearly see it.

A faint smile had definitely formed at the corners of Dad’s mouth.

Tie tilted her head.