Chapter 16: The Hard Way (3)

Yesterday, Shione had annoyed me to go out.

Today, I had to be busy preparing for the journey to the Marquis of Feiosha, which would take place tomorrow.

After finishing my morning jog, I began to ask Shione about it.

“What should I know to help you?”

Ever since she chased me away yesterday, she had been avoiding conversations with me, leaving me with a mountain of questions.

“Could you tell me about what will happen tomorrow?”

“Did I not say anything yesterday…?”

“You only talked about your fiancé and then chased me out of the room, avoiding conversation with me all day.”

“Cough.”

See, she’s feeling guilty, which is why she’s clearing her throat.

Please, don’t be so frustrating and tell me quickly.

I mean, it’s not just any trip; we’re heading out of this territory, known as the Count of Sianella, to the Marquis of Feiosha.

For me, who has fallen into this dungeon world before its destruction, this is my first time leaving a safe territory. I’m filled with anticipation, anxiety, and curiosity.

“Literally, we will be leaving for the Marquis of Feiosha tomorrow. It will take quite a while to travel from this outer area in the western part of the kingdom to the central south where the marquis is located. There will be many things to prepare.”

“Isn’t it possible to use teleportation magic or something like that?”

“Unfortunately, the Count of Sianella does not have enough personnel to maintain and activate a teleportation magic circle. We’ll have to take a carriage.”

“…I see.”

So, the Count of Sianella is located in the western part of the kingdom.

Moreover, the fiancé that Shione has hidden is waiting for us in the south.

I suppressed a sigh that I wanted to let out in front of my lord.

“How long do you think it will take to travel from here to the Marquis of Feiosha?”

“Probably about two weeks by carriage. If we stop by villages along the way to buy necessary supplies and take breaks for a day, it will likely take a bit longer.”

“…That’s a long way.”

“It’s something we can’t help, so just accept it.”

“Weren’t you also having a hard time with it yesterday, Shione?”

“I… have already let go…”

“…I see.”

Shione has already resigned…

Her pitiful little smile looked truly sad.

However, even if Shione has stopped denying reality, that doesn’t mean I have to stop denying it.

‘It’s not like they’ve dug a highway through the forest.’

This world isn’t so developed.

It means I have to endure two weeks on a bumpy road by carriage.

I already feel like my backside will be wrecked from the carriage’s jolting.

How nice would it be if the Sianella family had a reputation built not on swords but on magic?

If that were the case, we could just use teleportation magic, and the dangerous journey would end in the blink of an eye.

I recalled the memories of traveling by carriage in the dungeon.

‘That was truly hell.’

It was during the scenario dungeon where I was trying to correct the history of the world that was on the verge of destruction.

To find the boss hidden in the dungeon, I had to ride in a carriage for three days straight.

Every time the carriage wheels rolled over the stones, it was unbearably uncomfortable, and I was driven to madness by monsters that appeared at any time, targeting horses and hunters.

Since then, just the thought of a carriage makes me nauseous.

“Your expression doesn’t look good.”

“It’s nothing. Please don’t mind it.”

“Hmm, I see.”

After that, Shione stood there blankly for a moment.

Dori dori dori dori.

Suddenly, she started shaking her head side to side rapidly.

“Are you crazy…?”

At Shione’s sudden behavior, I couldn’t help but blurt out in Korean, which isn’t the common language of the continent.

“Crazy? What does that mean?”

“I didn’t say anything… Perhaps you misheard?”

“Oh? Then that’s fine. By the way, with short hair, it’s easy to shake off sweat. I like it.”

Saying this, Shione shook her head as if she found it amusing, wiping off her sweat. Under normal circumstances, I might have found it somewhat cute, but with her sweat splattering onto me, it wasn’t so cute after all.

“Um, Shione.”

“What?”

“…I think it’s not good to shake your head like that when you’re with others.”

“……Ah.”

It was indeed a behavior that might seem a bit embarrassing for the daughter of a noble family.

Only then did Shione stop smiling innocently and lowered her head.

After shaking her head with her hand for a moment, she lifted it up. Seeing her slightly flushed cheeks, it seemed she was quite embarrassed.

“…W-we should hurry back!”

Without making eye contact, she hurriedly started walking.

I silently followed behind her, and after a brief moment of silence, Shione finally stopped and glanced back at me.

“You should find the chamberlain separately and return.”

“Are you referring to me, the chamberlain?”

“Yes.”

“Did you perhaps mean to say servant?”

Shione shook her head.

“As my personal attendant, you should be wearing the attire of a personal attendant, not that of a servant.”

“…Personal attendant? Surely I didn’t mishear.”

“You heard correctly, so stop asking.”

“But being your attendant is too much for someone of my status.”

…This status of a s*ave is far too excessive.

It’s not just being quiet and doing menial tasks; it’s a dignified position as a companion accompanying the noble.

This is something that generally an uneducated s*ave wouldn’t be capable of.

“It seems your mother and I have already finished our discussion yesterday, so just do as you’re told.”

“……”

It seems they discussed this yesterday with the head of the family and decided to give me such a position.

Should I be grateful, or should I commend the boldness?

With a perplexed expression, I ended up letting out a small laugh.

“I understand.”

“Good. Well then… I look forward to your assistance, Ray.”

“I will do my best to repay your trust.”

“Hmm.”

After tidying her collar, Shione headed towards her cozy room.

This time, unlike earlier, she didn’t dash; instead, she walked leisurely while humming a tune.

I followed her quietly.

Before long, Shione stopped humming and looked back at me as if puzzled.

“…Why are you following me instead of going to the chamberlain?”

“Isn’t the time getting late?”

“ot.”

Shione’s eyes started to tremble.

“I’ll go find him when I wake up.”

“Ah, I see.”

Her cheeks reddened as she turned away abruptly.

Dodo dodo dodo.

With an awkward gesture, she hurried into her room.

Whatever.

I slowly made my way to her room.

Sure enough, I could see Shione hiding under the covers.

Not like a chrysalis or anything. What is she even doing?

I checked my new outfit again.

The personal attendant attire was indeed of good quality, more comfortable and lighter to wear, and unlike the slightly baggy servant attire, it resembled a more sophisticated suit.

And the most significant feature?

Above the chest pocket, the alphabet of Sianella was written in the common language of the continent.

While this may seem trivial, it gave me a sense of belonging to the Sianella family.

Meanwhile, I noticed Shione eating an apple for a snack.

“Shall I peel you another one?”

‘…One is enough. By the way, that personal attendant outfit suits you well.’

“Thank you.”

As I lightly bowed my head, she pushed the chair back and stood up.

After putting the remaining piece of apple into her mouth, she wiped her hands with a handkerchief and said,

“Let’s go.” To the training ground.

“Isn’t this a bit earlier than usual?”

“My mother said she would assign Sir Diorlia as a guard, so I thought I’d have a little chat. And even if the guard is Sir Diorlia, it’s said that it’s always good to be cautious, so I should choose some armor and weapons to protect myself.”

“I’ll follow you.”

I recalled Diorlia from when she was sparring with Sia Belle.

With her level of skill, she could probably pass without incident even when encountering thieves or decent monsters.

The fear of unknown dangers began to lessen a little.

Shione and I headed straight to the training ground.

If nothing unusual happened, at this time, Diorlia would likely be demonstrating her swordsmanship to warm up.

I should be able to find her there.

And indeed.

“There she is.”

As soon as we entered the training ground, we saw Diorlia gracefully stretching as she warmed up.

As Diorlia was about to finish her warm-up, Shione approached her and spoke.

“Sir Diorlia.”

“Oh, Lady Shione. Welcome.”

Diorlia greeted Shione with a friendly smile.

I overheard the beginning of their conversation, but it seemed they were just asking about each other’s well-being and discussing tomorrow’s events, so I felt there was no place for me to interject.

Instead, I chose to look around the training ground at the soldiers and knights training.

Among the regular soldiers, I could see some men, but there were none among the knights.

In this world, men couldn’t accept mana and have thus been eliminated.

Those who strengthen their bodies through mana and reach a level where they can imbue their swords with mana to perform various techniques can’t even dream of being knights.

It was an unavoidable circumstance.

As I blankly gazed at the training ground, Shione tugged at my clothes.

“What are you staring at?”

“Just looking around.”

“Hmm, you should be careful. I’ve heard there are still rumors of some new monsters appearing near the borders.”

“That might be true, but don’t worry too much.”

“Are you sure?”

“Even if they show up, they wouldn’t dare cross the territory of the Count of Sianella.”

“Are you that confident?”

“Because I believe in the knights of Sianella.”

As I said this, Shione glanced at Diorlia, who was practicing.

“Sir Diorlia is someone we can trust.”

“Yes, we should be okay for now. But what if something goes wrong and you get hurt?”

At Shione’s words, I was taken aback for a moment.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll keep myself safe.”

“Are you sure?”

“I promise.”

Shione nodded, and I couldn’t help but smile.

I gazed at the knights training in the distance, feeling a mix of worry and excitement.