Chapter 44: Luggage Carrier ⑤

Two days later.

In the morning, I went through my usual routine.

Recently, I’ve started running to improve my stamina, along with stretching.

I also doubled my knife-handling practice and movement drills.

Building a solid foundation is crucial.

For now, my goal is to handle a knife as if it were a natural extension of my hand or arm.

When I finished, I went to the top of the tower to fold the laundry.

A bird flew over and landed gracefully on the windowsill.

It looked at me, then dropped a scroll tied to its leg onto the floor with its beak.

After another glance, it flew away.

“…”

I picked up the scroll and unrolled it.

It was a letter, and there was only one person who would send it.

The next day, at the witch’s house.

“Ah, welcome, welcome.”

“I received your letter, so…”

“I’m glad it reached you safely.”

The sender was, of course, this witch.

The concept of correspondence exists here, but there’s no formal postal service yet.

That’s why there aren’t any mailboxes outside houses.

One reason letters are only used by a select few is the low literacy rate.

The era is shifting from scrolls to books, but it will still take time before literacy becomes widespread.

For now, there’s no standard way to exchange letters, nor any established rules.

Some, like the witch, use birds to send messages.

In the usual cluttered living room, there was a young man.

He had flaxen hair, light brown eyes, and white horns. His face was strikingly handsome.

He was of average height and build, wearing a black tunic over green clothing.

Around his waist was a well-worn black battle belt, holding pouches and a knife.

Beside the sofa, a sword was propped up.

The wooden sheath and hilt were unusual.

“So, you’re Wof?”

“Y-yes.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ax, leader of Thunderfang.”

He gave a slightly awkward smile.

Ax, the leader of Lightning fang, looked like an ordinary faun.

“Come, come. No need to stand; have a seat.”

“O-okay.”

Feeling a little nervous, I sat down on the sofa across from him.

The witch, smiling, chimed in.

“Now, now, I’ll prepare some herbal tea.”

“No, thank you.”

“I’ll pass as well.”

We politely declined.

“Oh my, how cold of you. It was my best blend, too.”

The witch looked a bit dejected, and Ax chuckled awkwardly.

“Well then… Wof.”

“Yes?”

“I truly apologize!”

Suddenly, he bowed his head deeply.

“Huh?”

“Hmm, what’s this about?”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“To explain, I’ll have to talk about my mother.”

“Your mother?”

“Yes. As you might know, my mother is a grade 2 explorer.”

[Oh yes, indeed. The Lightning Storm: The Claw Blade. She’s famous.”

“…”

I… didn’t know that.

I decided to stay quiet.

“She has an apprentice.”

“An apprentice? Not just a hired hand?”

“Exactly. It’s rare, isn’t it? Anyway, that apprentice will be joining us in the dungeon. In other words, they’ll be accompanying us.”

“So you’re saying the Luggage Carrier request is off the table?”

Well, if that’s how it is, then there’s no helping it. Yeah, no helping it at all.

“No, that’s not it.”

Ax slowly shook his head.

Puzzled, I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“The apprentice… she’s a ten-year-old girl explorer.”

“Oh my, a ten-year-old explorer, you say.”

“Aren’t explorers supposed to be at least fourteen years old?”

Wait.

Now that I think about it, I’ve heard rumors about a girl who became an explorer under special circumstances.

A bad feeling crept into my mind.

“She has extraordinary talent and was granted special permission to become an explorer.”

“I’ve heard about that. It was just a rumor, though.”

“Right? That’s all we knew too—rumors. We never imagined she was my mother’s apprentice.”

“You didn’t know?”

“Not at all. I haven’t seen my mother since I became an adult.”

It’s normal to separate from your parents after reaching adulthood.

In my previous life, that wasn’t the case.

“So why are you apologizing to me?”

“Lightning fang consists of just the three of us guys, including me. It’s been like that for nearly nine years.”

“And?”

“…I hate to admit it, but none of us have ever had a girlfriend.”

“Uh… huh?”

What exactly was he getting at?

Seeing my confusion, Ax continued.

“That’s why I’d like you to be her Luggage Carrier.”

“Me?”

“Yes, and maybe help her out with other errands and chores.”

“Uh, well…”

“Please. You’re close in age, and the witch says you’re good at dealing with girls.”

I shot a glare at the witch, but she was utterly unaffected.

“No, I wouldn’t say I’m used to dealing with girls…”

“Actually, at the cider Inn, I saw you having a meal with Pakira from Torquetum, and then going up to the VIP room with Megadia, the Black Swallow…”

“That, um…”

It wasn’t wrong, but the way he said it…

“Oh my, oh my, oh my~?”

Stop grinning like that, witch.

Don’t twirl around looking so amused!

“It’s true, there’s no lie or exaggeration, but…”

“Oh ho ho, oh ho ho.”

“What’s with you? Since earlier…”

This witch is seriously annoying.

“Oh, nothing at all, really.”

“…If you say so.”

What’s with that smug smile?

“So please, I’m begging you! I need your help. I’m really counting on you!”

Ax bowed his head deeply, pleading desperately.

If this went on, he’d probably prostrate himself on the floor.

Honestly, I didn’t like how this misunderstanding seemed to be growing.

But, well, what can I do?

“Fine. If you’re okay with me, I’ll do it.”

“Really?! Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Ax stood up and clasped my hand firmly.

“You must really be in a bind.”

“…Honestly, we don’t know how to interact with her.”

“Why not just treat her normally?”

I tilted my head.

There’s nothing particularly difficult about it.

“Pathetic as it sounds, we’ve barely ever talked to girls.”

“…I think that’s kind of a problem in itself…”

Even I, who prefers to avoid people, can’t help but think so.

“Y-yeah, you’re right…”

“Well, well, you’re young, so you can work on that from now on.”

“I hope so…”

“By the way, by the way, doesn’t Kon count as the opposite sex?”

The witch smiled, though her eyes didn’t.

“Ah, well, she is technically the opposite sex, but, you know, we’ve known each other for ages…”

Ax awkwardly tried to explain himself.

The witch didn’t look convinced, but she acted as if she were. Her eyes were not smiling.

“We’re departing in three days.”

“Understood.”

“We’ll have a meet-and-greet the day before. Tentatively around noon, at the cider Inn.”

“Got it.”

Three days, huh.

Ax thanked me once again before leaving.

The witch spoke up a short while later.

“Well, well. Sorry about this.”

“For what?”

“For this whole situation. I didn’t think it would turn out this way.”

“It can’t be helped.”

I was already aboard this ship, so to speak.

Besides, they’d promised to bump up my reward.

“Actually, actually, Wof, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about Lightning fang.”

“What about them?”

“The truth is, none of them—not even Ax—possess a relic.”

“…What?”

I was stunned.

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