Chapter 17: The Hard Way (4)

Finally, the day had come to leave the estate to meet Shione’s fiancé.

I worried that I might have to pack a lot of things, but the preserved foods and daily necessities could be stored in a bag enchanted with storage magic.

The armor, bow, and other luggage had already been moved by the servants to the carriage at the entrance of the mansion…

With the bag slung over my shoulder, all I had to do was fasten the sword I chose yesterday to my waist and get on the carriage.

Originally, I intended to leave the sword in the carriage along with the bow…

The reason I decided to carry the sword on my waist instead of handing it to someone was all because of Shione.

“Hmm.”

She was intently watching the blade of the sword half-drawn from its scabbard.

Being a sword user, she had wielded swords before, but she had mostly handled long, double-edged swords as her main weapon, not as a secondary one.

She asked if I could help her until she got the hang of it.

While quietly observing the blade, Shione suddenly turned away from me and swung the sword in secret.

It seemed like she was trying to get a feel for the length of the blade.

Swish. Swish. Swish. Yes. Yes, this brat……………!

Why was she making those strange noises?

Thinking I wouldn’t notice, she tried to whisper, but unfortunately for her, I was watching closely.

Shione swung the sword and giggled as if she were having fun.

‘She really can play well by herself.’

After completely sheathing the sword, Shione finally shifted her gaze from her sword to her surroundings.

Thanks to that, I ended up making eye contact with Shione, who had been playing quietly with a swish-swish sound.

“Ah……………”

“It’s time, so I think we should head to the carriage now.”

“Y-yeah. Let’s go quickly.”

She abruptly stood up and began to walk away with determination.

I moved as quickly as I could to match Shione’s swift pace, almost like a small animal.

Thanks to that, we arrived at the entrance of the mansion at a reasonable speed and could see the two carriages waiting to depart. The front carriage looked ordinary, but the one parked in the back had a relatively vintage design.

In front of the carriage stood a man in a priest’s robe along with Diolya.

“Welcome.”

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Sir Diolya. But who is this man?”

“He is a priest from the order. I thought it would be better to have at least one priest with us, as we don’t know what might happen on the way.”

“Hmm.”

Shione looked at the priest with an indifferent gaze.

Unlike when she was with Diolya and me, I could sense a growing wariness in her demeanor.

Forget about Shione being prickly like a hedgehog.

I found myself quite interested in this priest.

He couldn’t use mana, but he was said to be able to wield divine power, right?

I had seen a female priest come to treat the sick slaves before, but this was my first time seeing a male priest.

I was curious why men couldn’t wield mana but could wield divine power, but it was clear that the people here would simply brush it off as the grace of the gods without any proper explanation.

I accepted the situation as it was, as best I could.

While I was lost in thought, the male priest bowed his head slightly to Shione and greeted her.

“I am Ian, a priest from the order accompanying you to the Marquis of Feiosha. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Shione.”

“…It’s my pleasure as well.”

Shione awkwardly returned the greeting, and Ian responded with a kind smile.

As soon as the simple greetings ended, Diolya stepped in between them as if he had been waiting.

“Lady Shione doesn’t like to travel with strangers, so let’s have her take the back carriage with her maid. Ian and I will take the front carriage.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“Not at all. Your luggage is already placed in the back of the carriage, so you can check it once you get in.”

Nodding at Diolya’s words, Shione got into her carriage.

I also followed her and climbed into the carriage.

The carriage I got into was beyond my imagination.

Not only was it spacious, but all the seats were covered with leather.

It was a far cry from the creaky carriage I had ridden in the dungeon before.

Despite the luggage piled in one corner at the very back of the carriage, it felt comfortable for the two of us.

“The luggage is all over here. You should place your bag here too.”

“Understood.”

I carefully placed my bag down among the various items, including the bow, quiver, and clothes.

After that, I started unpacking lightly.

“We will be departing now, Lady.”

With the driver’s words, the carriage began to move forward.

I took out some snacks wrapped in small packaging from my bag and sat across from Shione.

“I brought some snacks. Would you like some?”

“That sounds good. Just a little, please.”

I handed over the snacks wrapped in paper.

Shione quickly took them and started eating one while gazing out at the scenery outside.

The bustling scenery of the estate flowed by outside, and soon a massive wall came into view.

As I watched Shione marvel at the long, thick walls that surrounded the estate, she proudly remarked, “What do you think of the walls?”

“They’re impressive. It doesn’t seem like they would be easily breached even if a lot of enemies attacked.”

“The walls were built during the war with the demons hundreds of years ago. They stopped countless demons back then, and now they protect the estate’s residents.”

“…That’s remarkable.”

“It’s one of the proudest things about our House Sianela.”

Perhaps feeling happy about her family’s pride, Shione began to hum a tune while looking outside.

In contrast to Shione’s bright atmosphere, I couldn’t help but sink into deep thought.

‘Demons…….’

The future of this world I was trying to conquer.

That place was undoubtedly a hell filled with demons.

I wondered how long it would be until the demons began to infiltrate and devour this world and if I could return to Earth before that happened.

As I fell deep into thought, I regained my composure.

I realized that the carriage had left the estate and started entering the forest path.

Inside the estate, the roads were maintained well enough that it was comfortable to ride the carriage, but outside, there were only roads frequently used by merchants.

Without a proper road being maintained by the estate, it was evident that the road conditions would be uneven.

From now on, my backside would surely be sore from the jolting of the carriage.

However, contrary to my expectations, I hardly felt any shaking in the carriage.

“…It seems that the carriage doesn’t shake as much as I thought.”

“Carriages used by nobles are generally magically treated to provide a comfortable environment. At least, you won’t have many inconveniences while traveling.”

“I see.”

That was a relief.

Now that I was sitting across from Shione in the carriage, there wasn’t much to talk about.

I quietly looked out the window until I noticed Shione staring out as well.

Unlike me, she seemed to be halfway dozing off.

Noticing my gaze, she shook her head to dispel her sleepiness.

“Why are you staring at me so intently? Do I have crumbs on my lips or something?”

Shione quickly wiped her mouth.

This time, there were no crumbs, but whatever.

I continued to stare at her without concern.

“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen you speak comfortably before.”

“You say you haven’t seen me speak comfortably? I talk comfortably on a regular basis, don’t I?”

“You can lower your speech tone with me if you want.”

“Lower my tone? What do you mean?”

Shione tilted her head in curiosity.

It was amusing and somewhat gratifying to see her acting dazed in front of me, even though she was icy cold in front of the strange priest.

I spoke with a more relaxed expression.

“May I excuse myself for a moment?”

“Sure, don’t mind me and just speak.”

“Then I will.”

Taking a deep breath, I spoke again in the friendliest tone I could muster.

“Like this, Shione. You can speak casually.”

“Ah, I see, you meant that etiquette thing.”

“If it makes you more comfortable, I don’t mind at all. Just do it as you please.”

“Ah, I understand.”

Shione looked flustered as if she hadn’t expected me to talk so casually.

Even though Shione had allowed me to do so first, it wouldn’t look good for a slave to speak casually to a noble.

I hurriedly composed myself and returned to my usual loyal demeanor.

“What will you do then?”

“Then I guess I’ll start speaking more casually when I feel like it… Ah………….”

In the middle of her sentence, realizing something, Shione shook her head.

“Will I…?”

“Understood.”

It seemed Shione was uncomfortable with her usual tone, and she couldn’t easily speak.

If it was that difficult, she could always revert to her original way of speaking.

I merely thought that her authoritative tone might be a bit tedious and cumbersome, but seeing her struggle made me feel like I shouldn’t have brought it up.

Well, if it was truly difficult for her, she would naturally return to her usual way of speaking.

“…Ray, by the way, can you explain what kind of feeling this sword is meant to give me… um…?”

“Of course.”

I drew the sword that was at my waist.

“Of course, a sword won’t be as light as a dagger. Still, if you swing it lightly, it should feel comfortable.”

I swung the sword and handed it to her.

“You can try wielding it.”

Shione, who hesitated for a moment, carefully grabbed the sword and mimicked my stance.

“Wow, this feels a lot better than the long sword I usually use!”

She beamed with excitement, swinging the sword lightly in both hands.

“This sword fits my hand perfectly!”

As she continued to swing the sword happily, I felt her joy emanating, filling the carriage.

However, her concentration was on the sword, so I took the opportunity to quietly retrieve the small blade I had previously hidden in my shoes.

Then, I waved it around, brushing against Shione’s sword to catch her attention.

“Shione, can you also try swinging a small sword like this?”

“Ah!?”

Shione tilted her head curiously.

A moment later, she replied with determination.

“I will!”

She then switched to the small sword I had shown her and attempted to wield it.

I thought it would feel heavier, but surprisingly, she looked quite comfortable swinging it.

As she continued to practice her swordplay, I grinned, thoroughly entertained by her cuteness.

I couldn’t help but feel that I might be raising a little sister for myself.