Kays Translations

Chapter 403: The Surrounding Situation

The knight who had gone to gather information at the Adventurers’ Guild returned. His expression was somewhat clouded. It seemed like he had some bad news.

Still, I had to hear it. If any countermeasures were needed, we had to act immediately.

“How was it? Don’t hold back.”

I made an effort to sound cheerful. Fabienne’s face was also clouded—she must have been worried.

Everyone present turned their eyes to the knight. Although his face remained dark, he began to speak about what he had seen and heard.

“It seems there are no medicinal herbs in this area. Apparently, the guild has posted a large number of collection requests for them. If we really want some, we’ll have to go deep into the forest.”

“At what point does the area become a magical zone?”

“I’ll explain that part.”

Lionel cleared his throat with a small cough. It seemed he had already investigated the magical zone and the creatures inhabiting it to ensure our safety.

According to him, this entire region was a magical zone.

When I heard that, I couldn’t help but raise my voice. However, he clarified that although it was a magical zone, it was one where very few monsters lived.

“A magical zone with few monsters? A place like that exists?”

“So it seems. If it were a magical zone as we typically know them, large-scale subjugation forces would need to be sent regularly. But it seems that wasn’t necessary here.”

“So just hiring adventurers was enough?”

That must have been the reason the monster outbreak this time had caused so much damage.

A complete lack of vigilance.

Since adventurers rarely ventured into the depths of the magical zone, monsters must have been steadily increasing in number. Looking at the map, this area seemed to be a vast, lush forest.

That said, this map might not be reliable anymore.

“This is troublesome. The subjugation force seems to have eliminated the monsters in the area, but there could still be some lurking deeper inside. And we can’t obtain any medicinal herbs. At this rate, even if we go to the Mulan Marquisate, there might not be any herbs there either.”

“I hope the Mulan Marquisate has managed to secure some…”

“Hmm… Lionel, that’s a bit iffy, isn’t it? After all, collected herbs degrade in quality over time. Freshly picked ones are always the best.”

Even if they had already gathered some, high-quality recovery potions couldn’t be made with old herbs.

Of course, if they had already been turned into magical potions, they would last longer. But unless the Mulan Marquisate had ice storage facilities… did they?

After gathering a general understanding of the situation, we took a proper rest before heading toward the Mulan Marquisate.

Since we had confirmed that this whole area was a magical zone, security had been tightened. Because of that, our pace had slowed.

I wanted to say, “I’ll handle the scouting, so let’s move ahead without worry,” but that would make the knights look bad.

Being in a leadership position is tough. I could use some stomach medicine.

The road was still as rough as ever. Then suddenly, it became smooth.

It seemed that some areas had suffered more damage than others.

“Hm? Lionel, there’s a village ahead, right? It looks like it’s under attack by monsters. Hurry over there!”

“What?! That would mean this area is also in danger. We can’t just leave you here, Julius-sama—”

“It’s fine! There are no monsters around here. Even if some show up, I’ll take them down myself. Or would you rather I go instead?”

Lionel’s eyes widened slightly, and his mouth opened just a little.

When I flashed him a grin, he immediately sent a few knights forward.

Fortunately, the number of monsters was small.

But for mere villagers, they would still be too much to handle.

“We’re moving at full speed too. Advance!”

“Oh, but if we go full speed, the carriage will shake too much, and Fabienne’s backside will hurt. It’d be a problem if it split in two…”

“What are you even worried about? People’s lives are at stake here. And besides, it’s already split in two.”

Fabienne looked worried, so I tried to say something to reassure her, but now her eyes were narrowed in suspicion. Does this mean she’s okay now? I called Nero, Giles, and Christopher, who were running alongside the carriage, to come inside.

“What happened?”

“Well, I was thinking of increasing the speed of the carriage. A child’s stamina can’t match a knight’s, after all. Fly.”

The carriage gently floated up. Fabienne, startled by the floating sensation, clung to my arm. Before I could even take a moment to enjoy the happiness of that, questions started flying at me. The three sitting in front of me were wide-eyed in shock. The only one who seemed to understand what was happening was Mira, who remained calm on my lap.

“Julius-sama, you’ve done something again, haven’t you?”

“Ah, well, you see, when you speed up, the carriage shakes a lot, right? So, I just…”

“Julius-sama! What is happening?! The carriage—it’s floating!”

Lionel, his face pale, leaned in through the window. Noticing Lionel’s outburst, the knights outside began murmuring amongst themselves. Damn, I had intended to make it float just a little to avoid detection, but it seems like it’s visibly obvious. It’s hard to adjust something you can’t see.

“This way, there won’t be any shaking, right? And it should put less strain on the horses. Come on, don’t just stand there—move forward.”

At my command, the Heine Count’s group advanced at full speed. It was clearly faster than before. At this pace, we should reach the village in no time.

“Julius-sama, I assume you understand, but this is the first time I’ve seen magic like this.”

“Really? Flying magic is pretty useful, you know. Ahaha…”

“So, Julius-sama, you were capable of flying on your own. No wonder you were completely unfazed when riding on Mira’s back.”

Fabienne gave me a slightly exasperated look. Ugh… I did this for her sake, but could it be that I just lost points instead?

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