Chapter 5: The Protagonist Tailing(?) , Part 2

Ta-da-da~
Da-dan~

A cheerful yet majestic march echoed through the streets.

“…”

“Relax, Hero.”

“I’m just a candidate…”

The royal capital of the Solarite Kingdom.

A procession of ornately decorated carriages paraded down the main street.

At the head of the procession sat a girl, clutching a sword almost as large as herself.

Despite the half-mask covering her eyes, glimpses of blue shone through. Golden hair cascaded down to her shoulders. It was Lucia.

Though a softer shade than the vibrant gold of the royals, her hair still exuded an air of nobility.

How did this happen?

Lucia recalled yesterday’s events.

The attack by the Raagands, monsters that shouldn’t have been in the area.

The kingdom had dispatched knights, scholars, and priests knowledgeable about monsters to investigate the incident and its cause.

The knights encountered Lucia by her campfire, a short distance from the ravaged village.

Then, a priest suddenly convulsed, proclaiming,

[The one who bears the symbol of the kingdom, the symbol of the Holy Dragon, and the symbol of the ancient hero shall change fate.]

He then collapsed, a faintly glowing scar visible on the back of his hand.

It perfectly matched an ancient prophecy.

The devout knights, inquisitive scholars, and fanatical priests excitedly discussed the revelation before noticing Lucia’s unease and falling silent.

The golden hair, symbol of the kingdom.

The deep blue eyes, said to be like the Holy Dragon’s.

And the holy sword of the ancient hero, the first swordsman. The girl before them possessed all three.

Overcome with zeal, they brought Lucia to the capital without her consent.

King Andrea Solarite, whose reign was unstable after usurping the throne from the rightful heir, immediately seized upon this opportunity, proclaiming Lucia the divinely appointed sword of the kingdom.

Thus, Lucia, thrust into a position of prominence, was paraded through the cheering crowds, thinking only,

‘I want to go home…’ Longing for a place she could no longer return to.

Even after the hasty adventurers departed, the staging area remained bustling.

Adventurers undertaking long-term quests, unconcerned with early departures due to the extended travel times.

This was the relay station, where they rented horses and carriages, or joined merchant caravans as escorts.

Snort

Horses poked their heads out of the stables, leisurely munching on hay.

Camping gear? Check. Food? Check.

But a horse and carriage? Transportation? I had nothing.

Walking wouldn’t take that long, but faster was better.

While there was a considerable distance between the first shop I’d been transported to and the next, if our protagonist deviated from the main story to explore a side quest, she might reach a shop sooner than expected.

Also, since this wasn’t a game, there might be deviations from the game’s script, as evidenced by the protagonist’s reaction.

What would happen if I couldn’t afford the transfer fee? It couldn’t be that I simply wouldn’t be transported.

As far as I’d seen, the game’s systems seemed to function normally, especially when it came to the protagonist.

So, the fee would be forcibly deducted, and I’d be transported… but then what? Would I have to desperately sell things to the hero to earn back the 24 silver coins?

It was an unfriendly system. At least tell me the penalty!

Of course, there might not be one. Maybe it would just show up as a negative balance.

Even game companies known for their difficult games provided tutorials. This was just inconsiderate.

If this were a game, it would have killed off the player base.

Anyway, the reason I was petting horses at the relay station despite being broke was…

“Young lady, what brings you here?”

“Oh, nothing. This horse looks magnificent.”

It was to make contact with a side-story character.

“Is that so? I’m Hans. You seem to have an eye for horses-”

It was an encounter with Hans, the renowned coachman of Vagus’s relay station.

I smiled at the familiar face, and Hans paused, staring blankly before clearing his throat.

“Ah, my apologies… I shouldn’t be startled by someone’s appearance… I’m sorry…”

“It’s alright. I’m used to it.”

I chuckled at his flustered expression.

At first, I was uncomfortable with people’s reactions to my appearance, but now I found it somewhat amusing.

Of course, I’d be sad if our protagonist or my favorite characters were wary of me.

My light laughter made Hans’s lips twitch.

Was my smile that shocking?

I was confident in my appearance, but both Hans and the shopkeeper from before had reacted strongly.

“Ahem… My apologies. Let me do something for you as a token of apology.”

“Do something?”

“Yes. If you’re loitering around the relay station without renting a carriage, you must have some trouble. I’ll help if I can.”

He took the bait.

“Then, could I perhaps join your trading company’s caravan?”

“What…?”

“Not as a customer or an escort, but as a coachman’s assistant. I want to learn how to drive a carriage… Would that be alright?”

His expression soured.

If I pushed further, he might hit me… It was understandably difficult to add someone to an already organized caravan.

You’d need to be a direct descendant or the head of the company to make such last-minute adjustments.

Proving my identity would be a hassle, and there was always the risk of the added person being connected to bandits and sabotaging the caravan.

I doubted Hans would punch me, considering his reputation, but just in case, I smiled.

“That’s absurd-”

You can’t spit in a smiling face, right?

See? Even Hans, who looked ready to throw a punch, hesitated. My appearance was indeed a weapon.

Thank you…! Amadeus…! Thank you…! Character Design Team…! You’ve saved me again…!

But this wouldn’t get me anywhere. It would just upset Hans.

So, time for the finishing blow.

Hans’s side story.

Why would I remember the side story of a random NPC? Because it was shocking and impactful.

It had caused quite a stir in the online community when it was released.

I leaned in close to Hans, whose face was now a mix of anger and confusion, and whispered in his ear.

He was taller than me, so I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach him.

“What are you-”

“You’re seeing a girl my age, aren’t you?”

Hans’s face, which had been flushed with anger or embarrassment, turned pale.

His affair with a girl decades younger than him.

The community had been outraged, questioning the necessity of such a storyline.

Hans’s reputation had somewhat recovered later when the girl’s identity was revealed, but the ‘child predator’ label had stuck.

Anyway, the deal was sealed.

His wife would eventually find out, but that was his problem.

Now, Hans had no choice but to listen to me. Perfect.

What was the name of the trading company he worked for? It was ‘Wilfre-‘

“Ah…”

Wilfred.

As I recalled the name, a man nearby gasped, staring at me.

It was the kind shopkeeper who’d given me the discounts.

I smiled brightly at him.

He looked incredibly flustered.

That previous transaction was a success but also a partial failure.

Kevin’s strategy had generated significant profits compared to other shops, but things went sideways at the very end.

It hadn’t wiped out all his profits, but the damage, primarily psychological, was significant.

His confidence had plummeted, and he’d developed a slight stutter, impacting his usually smooth salesmanship.

To address this, his father decided to include him in the traveling caravan, allowing him to observe other veteran merchants.

Kevin, being naturally talented, would surely learn from their strengths and weaknesses, regaining his confidence.

Another objective was to network with merchants from the Solarite Kingdom, their primary client.

Determined to impress his father, Kevin headed to the relay station.

Upon entering the bustling area, he spotted a familiar face.

A middle-aged man with a sharp look in his tired eyes, wearing worn clothes.

It was Hans, the long-time caravan coachman.

He raised his hand to greet him, but then he noticed the person Hans was talking to.

Long hair down to her waist. A cloak draped over her shoulders.

A curvaceous fi- no, ignoring that. A perpetually smiling face, half-closed eyes.

And the occasional flash of unsettling red in those eyes.

It was the girl who’d terrified him.

Thinking back, she probably wasn’t a guild inspector.

Inspectors would assess prices, not buy items outright and carry them away, nor would they be so persistently unnerving.

One thing was clear: he couldn’t let things proceed according to her whims.

It was happening again. Every time the girl spoke, Hans’s smile faltered, replaced by fear and then anger.

He was usually a kind-faced man. Such a range of emotions suggested the girl was up to something.

After breaking him, she was now targeting Hans. Was she a spy sent by a rival company? Trying to sabotage them from within?

He had to stop her.

As Kevin stepped forward, the unexpected happened.

The girl stood on her tiptoes and whispered something to Hans.

Hans’s face went white, an expression Kevin had never seen before.

It was over. Hans had fallen too.

“Ah…”

A gasp escaped his lips.

And the girl, noticing Kevin, smiled brightly.

To Kevin, that smile felt mocking, as if she was saying, “You’ve already lost. Everything is going according to my plan.”