6-16. People of Baron Muno Territory (7)


    Satou’s here. In my childhood, I couldn’t help but found ma which floated because it’s meeting another ma with the same prity to be mysterious. Magic show was popr back then, so I thought for a while that the floating ma was magic.


    In a parallel world, ma might be considered to be a magic stone.


    ◇


    The inside of the wagon which usually has a lot of space is now full of luggage.


    I make this camouge in order to prevent Hayuna and the man be suspicious. Iy around cookwares, boxes and barrels containing two days worth of food inside the wagon. Keeping them from copsing was hard.


    During this time, I feel thankful for having Item Box.


    Of course I’ve made sure to leave space just enough for people. Miains, "Cramped.", but this is probably still pretty spaciouspared to a normal carriage.


    As expected, even the indifferent Mia asked, "Where did you take those from?", after this, but I showed her magic bag <>.


    Putting aside Mia who will part way with us in Bornean forest, I don’t mind telling other members about Item Box, but I want to avoid situation where our girls get kidnapped because the rumor floats around, I’d rather the harmes my way. Of course, I don’t think that these girls would spread the rumor, but there’s no denying the possibility of someone overhearing them when they’re talking between themselves.


    It’d be safer to keep this a secret until everyone bes strong enough to fend themselves even if they get into trouble.


    In that respect, if it’s magic bag <>, then the aim would be the item, so even if it got stolen, it wouldn’t be particrly troubling.


    ◇


    "Should we wake them soon?"


    "Right, let’s leave them alone until the next camp. If they’re weird people, let’s leave them before we get to Muno city."


    "Okay."


    For the time being, we’re not going to encounter thieves or beasts, so I leave the driving to Lulu. Liza is training horse riding. Mia is on her side, she teaches Liza how to handle a horse. Of course, Liza is riding the horse with saddle.


    "Master, I want to touch the cheeks of this young organism. I request permission."


    "Don’t touch the baby."


    "I appeal for reconsideration, master."


    Nana fixes her eyes on the baby while asking, but it’s NG to touch the baby without the guardian’s permission.


    When I prohibit it, she strongly turns her face toward me in protest.


    Her impact is reminiscent of horror, so let’s postpone the problem.


    "Let’s ask for permission when the mother wakes up."


    "Master, I request permission to stimte the wakening of the mother."


    "No, don’t wake her until she naturally does."


    "...Yes, master."


    Nana consents while looking a bit sorrowful, but when she looks at the baby, she sits on the floor, hugging her knees, and she puts her chin on her kneecap while looking ecstatically at the baby.


    Arisa is not here, she’s with Lulu on the driver’s stand. It seems she doesn’t want to be near Toruma with his sweaty smell.


    Pochi and Tama look quite interested with the baby, but they don’t get close to her. The two seem to be a bit gloomy somehow, I wonder if they’re not good with babies?


    When I asked what’s wrong, they only answered back with, "It’s nothing nodesu."


    It doesn’t look like nothing at all, so I’ll got talk to them after the mealter. When you’re full, you’d feel better, and your worries would be lighter.


    ◇


    Pochi and Tama who have been looking down earlier rush off in high spirit after we get to the camping ground while saying, "We will hunt big prey today nodesu." Do they want to show off to the baby?


    Arisa and Mia are going to gather firewoods.


    "Arisa, the long cane would be a hindrance when you’re gathering firewoods."


    "I want to test some new magic, it’s hard to use new magic for the first time with a short cane you know."


    "Finally huh, what kind of magic have you decided to learn?"


    "I’m still undecided. I’ve narrowed my pick to three magic, so I thought of picking one after trying them. Since it’s a wastnd beyond that cliff, I won’t set the forest in fire even if I fail at it right?"


    "It’s alright."


    "Even if it burns, Mia will extinguish it she said."


    "Leave it to me."


    "Be careful not to get Pochi and Tama caught on it."


    "Okay."


    "Nn."


    I give the permission while feeling exhausted toward Mia who’s giving V-sign with her expressionless face. Nah, I guess she’s not expressionless, her cheeks look a bit red, she might feels a bit embarrassed.


    It seems that she’s still minding the failure of magic testing yesterday which had gotten the camp flooded.


    Today’s meal are being prepared by Lulu and Nana, I’m going to teach Liza how to take care of the horses. From what I’ve read in some manga or magazine, you would bond with your horse if you brush it after riding on it. I’m also thinking that Liza should learn horseback for the sake of warding the thieves.


    "Liza, are you doing well with the horse riding?"


    "Yes, I’ve done something simr to a mount beast called Lineback back in my hometown."


    I could somehow can and cannot imagine the creature from the subtle name. Let’s not pursue it.


    I tie the horses on the tree nearby and give them some grains and straws. The three of them eat quite heartily. I don’t think it’s because of hunger since they’re not that thin. It might unexpectedly be because of the fodder.


    ◇


    Since we’ve gotten more horses, I’m thinking of putting them in practical use.


    I’ve thought of putting more pulling horses for the wagon, but I’m worried with the suspension system of this second-hand wagon if it bes faster. I’m afraid that the axle would break since the road is rough. I’ve also thought of making suspension, but I don’t have the equipment for makingrge-scale spring, so I give up.


    If I could make a magic tool that could replicate the floating magic that the magic shop girl have demonstrated, our transportation capability would go up. It’d be like a linear motor somehow.


    There is a method to make magic tools that could reproduce simr magic inside the books from Trazayuya, but since it needsrge-scale facility and nature magic user, it’s unreachable. It looks like the blocks at the maze were moving by using the same principle.


    In the end, all the three horses are to be mounts. If the beastkin girls ride on it while armed, it likely would ward off thieves.


    First, I decide to try making harnesses for horseback riding. Fortunately I have a lot of leather, so I make them while checking the sewing and cutting method from textbook. I shave woods for the stirrups since it’s can’t be made with just leather. I have samples, so it’s easy.


    I’vepleted it in 30 minutes, and I immediately try putting it on the horse to check the fit. Yup, there doesn’t seem to have any problem.


    I should make small harnesses for Pochi and Tama.


    When I’m taking off the harness, Nana calls for me. Seems Hayuna-san has woken up.


    "Thank you very much. You even used magic potion for the sake of Toruma."


    "I don’t mind it, there’s no substitute for human life after all."


    Although it was a magic potion, the one I used was the cheapest to make, but that doesn’t need to be said.


    Hayuna-san takes of her hood while saying thank you. She’s a woman with reddish blond hair. She’s rtively beautiful, but she doesn’t look like a 25 years old with her childish eyes. Even so, she looks like a proper mother as she cuddle the baby. Her breast arerger than most, but she couldn’t be called "Kyonyuu", though her waist lines are nice. Her level is 3, she has [Cleaning] skill.


    The man who’s sleeping beside her, Toruma-shi, is a 30 year man with unreliable looking impression due to his tall and thin figure. His hair is light brown, no beard. His level is 4, he has [Social] skill.


    When I’m having a quiet friendly chat with Hayuna-san, Arisa sits beside and asks me in whisper with anxious-looking face. She’s wearing her hood, probably because Hayuna-san and the man are here today. Her hair which could be peeked from the hood looks to be golden-colored. Since she isn’t going through some kind of awakening, it’s probably a wig or magic.


    "You don’t have interest with married women right?"


    "I don’t, adultery is fruitless."


    "T, that’s right huh! You understand don’t you."


    I face toward Hayuna-san since it’s rude to talk in private.


    "It looks like you’re going on a journey, where are you heading?"


    "Yes, we were eloping, but we had been forgiven by the parent’s house, so we were going back to the capital city of the dukedom."


    Isn’t eloping a word you’d want to hide?


    Oh yes, this Toruma-shi, is a nephew of the duke. Arisa shouted, "Temte, kita", when she looked at this person. I was d that it happened when they were sleeping.


    "Ufufu, you guys are really intimate."


    "Today, they’re strangely attached."


    Hayuna-san is smiling while looking at us. Arisa and Mia are sitting on my sides since some times ago for some reason. At first, it was only Arisa, but midway, Mia imitated Arisa and also joined. What are you girls plotting.


    The chat with Hayuna-san moves to when she was caught by the thieves. Apparently, they were captured three days ago.


    "Yes, I didn’t think that we would be alive. The merchant who was driving was killed and the five mercenaries we hired as escort escaped as soon as they saw the thieves."


    "That was harsh. Even though the thieves number was a lot, the ones in this area aren’t that strong."


    "We disparaged the mercenaries, ’Betrayers’, many times at that time, but it was too reckless to challenge dozens of opponents... "


    Normally you wouldn’t know how strong your opponent is until you fight, so I guess it can’t be helped. It would look like you’d lose against armed people double your number.


    "Even so, it’s good that youe out safe."


    "Yes, Toruma used a self-protection scroll to cast magic."


    "Hoo, that’s amazing. What kind of magic was it?"


    "It was really amazing, after the magic was used, wall of light appeared covering the carriage, the thieves weren’t able to get close."


    So the one that Toruma-shi had used huh was the Shelter scroll from the thieves’ hideout. That means, the Remote Arrow scroll that came together with it might also be Toruma-shi’s belonging. Although I don’t intend to give it back in the first ce. ording to Arisa and Liza, the things taken from thieves elimination are to be divided to the people who participate on the elimination. In this case, it’s fine officially too since the knights have given the permission.


    "Did you not escape after you put up the wall of light?"


    "The magic didn’t allow us to escape from that ce, so it became a staring contest with the thieves for two hours."


    Naturally, that would make you feel more dead than alive. During that time, they survived after they frantically persuade the thieves, "You can get ransom money." They were forced to became hostages since the opponents were knights at that time.


    "Ransom money is it?"


    "Yes, Toruma’s parents are noble, so Toruma wrote letter asking for ransom and gave it to the thieves along with his ID."


    I see, so the luggage only contains Hayuna-san ID.


    "That reminds me, when you were held hostage, you didn’t call for help to the knights?"


    "The thieves threatened to kill our daughter if we uttered even a word."


    However, I don’t understand why they brought Toruma-shi along. They should made the delicate men in the hideout to do it. Well, whatever.


    When we’re having that talk, Toruma-shi wakes up.


    "Ha, Hayuna!"


    "Toruma, you’ve woken up. It’s alright now. Look, Mayuna is also safe."


    "I’m so d, I’m so d, Hayuna, Mayuna."


    I have to say, please give more thought for your child’s name.


    Their reunion scene continues until Hayuna-san’s baby bursts out crying.