Текст книги "Overlord Volume - The Two Leaders"

Автор книги: Maruyama Kugane

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

The truth was that although their job was to stop dangerous things from entering the city, investigating these things once they entered the city was no longer their problem.

The soldier nodded with a grunt, and watched Enri’s expression.

Up till now, their conversation hadn’t been suspicious, and he didn’t feel that she was lying.

Which meant that after the cargo inspection was complete, his job would be over.

At this moment, the soldier who had just returned nodded his head.

That was to say, a girl called Enri was recorded in the register.

However, that record simply said that there was a girl called Enri born in Carne Village. Without any guarantee that the person in front of them was the real Enri, there was also no proof of the kind of life Enri had led. Perhaps during her travels, she had acquired some powerful magic, or she had died in her journey and some criminal was using her name.

Because of that, one final check was needed.

“Understood. Then, call that man here.”

The soldier nodded, and left the blockhouse.

“After this, we will be examining your body. Is that alright?”

“Eh?”

A surprised expression dawned on Enri’s face. The soldier hurried to qualify his words.

“And, there won’t be any other questions. I’m sorry, these are the rules. And we won’t do anything weird to you, so don’t worry.”

“…I understand.”

Seeing that Enri was okay with it, the soldier sighed with relief. He didn’t want to be the one who angered a possible magic caster.

The soldier who left returned once more, this time with a man trailing behind him.

This man was a magic caster.

His nose protruded like an eagle’s beak, while his thin face was sallow and pale. His body was wrapped in a black robe that looked very hot. His sweat flowed freely, and his hands which resembled claws clutched his curved staff tightly.

If the soldier had his say, he would have gotten rid of that robe if it was so hot, but the magic caster personally liked that style, and stubbornly refused to change his clothes. As such, when the magic caster entered the room, the temperature seemed to rise by a few degrees.

“So it’s this girl, then?”

The magic caster spoke calmly, which his soldier escort found strange, as usual.

Although he seemed to be a man in his twenties, his extremely hoarse voice made it impossible to determine how old he was by his voice alone. Was it that his appearance was abnormally young, or that his voice was abnormally hoarse?

“That…”

Enri turned a surprised look at the magic caster who had replaced the soldier. In his heart, the soldier thought that her surprise was inevitable. He too, had been frightened the first time he saw the man.

“This is a magic caster from the Magician’s Association. He’s going to perform a simple check, so please wait.”

The soldier gestured to Enri to remain seated, and then nodded to the magic caster.

“I’ll leave this to you, then?”

“Of course.”

The magic caster took a step toward Enri, and then he cast his spell.

“「Detect Magic」.”

After that, the magic caster squinted his eyes, like a beast sizing up its prey. Yet, Enri remained calm in the face of this strange sight.

Seeing that, all the soldiers could think was “No wonder”.

Someone who could remain calm under such a mighty gaze could not be a simple village girl. At least, if she hadn’t had experience confronting monsters or people who wanted to kill her, there was no way she could have borne that pressure. In the soldier’s mind, that just cemented his suspicions.

“Don’t try and deceive my eyes. You’re hiding a magic item. It’s on your waist.”

Enri heard it, and looked to her waist in surprise, for the first time since she came here.

The soldiers took up a stance. They understood weapons like swords, but magic items were a mystery to them.

“You mean this?”

Enri produced a small horn from her clothing, small enough that both her hands could hide it. The soldiers couldn’t overlook this.

“…Is that a magic item?”

“That’s right. You’ve been deceived by her appearance. That thing is imbued with powerful magic.”

The soldiers were speechless. If this was an item the magic caster considered powerful, then how mighty was it?

As the soldiers considered that this girl must have dressed plainly for a reason, they couldn’t help but feel a piercing chill through their chests.

“Ah, this is―”

“No need for excuses. My magic has already seen through it.”

In order to shut Enri up, he cast another spell.

“「Appraise Magic Item」 ― uoooooooh!”

The magic caster’s facial expressions changed several times in as many seconds. They went from shock, fear, terror, and then confusion.

“What, what, what is this? Like a sea of power with no shore… Impossible! What on earth is this?!”

The magic caster’s face was red, and flecks of spittle flew from the sides of his mouth.

“You, you, what the devil are you! Don’t try to trick me!”

The magic caster’s dramatic attitude shift took the soldiers by surprise, and Enri was no exception as her eyes widened.

“No, I’m just, I’m just a normal person! A simple village girl! Really!”

“A village girl? You, why are you lying? Then how could you have obtained a magic item like this? If you really are a simple village girl, how could you have gotten something like that?!”

“Eh? This, this is a gift from the one who saved our village, Ainz Ooal Gown-sama―”

“Lies again! A priest from the Theocracy must have given it to you!”

“Eh? What’s that about the Theocracy?”

“Men! Assemble! This girl is just too suspicious!”

Although the soldiers didn’t understand what was going on, up till today, they had never seen the magic caster freak out like this before. So if this were an emergency, they should drop whatever they were doing and respond to the summons.

“Fall in! Fall in!”

In response to the soldier’s shouts, several of their comrades stopped their cargo inspection and entered the room.

“Who gave you an item like this? How did you get it? You can’t possibly be a simple village girl!”

“No, this really was given to me by Gown-sama! Please, you have to believe me!”

Two of the soldiers exchanged looks. All of them, as well as their assigned magic caster, believed that Enri was a magic caster as well. However, given Enri’s nervous reaction to the sudden change in the situation, they could not help but think she was a normal girl.

“What, what else is there? Tell me why you think she’s suspicious!”

“Hnh! To begin with, this horn can summon a group of goblins – although I’m not sure how many it can call up, but it can do such a thing.”

The soldiers frowned. It would be troublesome if something like that was used on the streets. However, was that so bad? Certain people, such as adventurers, possessed a plethora of magic items. Just because this one could summon goblins wasn’t too unusual in itself.

“And this so-called village girl’s testimony is riddled with inconsistencies. That item is worth several thousand gold coins; why would anyone just give it to a mere village girl?”

“Several thousand?!”

“Several thousand?!”

This unbelievable sum drew cries of disbelief from the soldiers, and Enri herself.

Several thousand gold coins was a sum no normal person could earn in their entire life. It was hard to believe such a simple-looking item could be worth so much.

“That’s right. Nobody would hand out such an item without a good reason, let alone to a mundane girl! I could accept it if she were a top-class adventurer or magic caster. But she says she’s just a village girl! It’s far too suspicious!”

That much the soldiers understood. Exceptional people would tend to gather exceptional items to themselves. In the past, both the great men of good and evil persuasions were known for their acquisition of powerful equipment. It was their destiny, and it was inevitable.

“No, really, I’m just a simple village girl…”

“And, I’ve never heard of any Ainz Ooal Gown fellow. At least, he’s not part of our Association, nor have I ever heard of an adventurer by that name.”

“The Warrior-Captain knows Gown-sama!”

“The Kingdom’s Warrior-Captain, Gazef Stronoff-dono? …You must be uttering nonsense. How would a simple village girl know of such things?”

“Because he came to our village! It’s true! Go ask him and you’ll know!”

It would be impossible to communicate with the Warrior-Captain, who resided in the Royal Capital, from E-Rantel. More to the point, if she really was a simple village girl, it was unlikely that she would stay in the Warrior-Captain’s memory, so proving her identity would be hard.

“So what do we do?”

“Detain her for now, then investigate further. Given that she didn’t conceal that item, and was planning to take it into the city openly, she might not be a spy or a terrorist, but that is no guarantee.”

Enri looked around in a panic.

She looked just like a normal village girl. If this was an act, she must have been a very good actor.

Suddenly, one of the soldiers watching the perimeter exclaimed in surprise. At the same moment, a voice that Enri couldn’t quite remember rang out.

“I wish to enter the city, but… what’s going on?”

As they turned towards the voice, they saw a man wearing jet-black plate armor.

“Uooh!”

The soldiers and magic casters exclaimed in surprise. Everyone in E-Rantel knew the man who wore that armor. The adamantite plate which swayed over his chest was the conclusive proof of his identity. A living legend, a man who made the impossible possible, the ultimate warrior.

Momon from ‘Darkness’.

“I-It’s Momon-sama! My sincerest apologies!”

“Now, what’s going on here… hm? This girl is…”

“Yes! Because of this girl, we spent a bit of time checking up on her. I apologize for any inconvenience we’ve caused Momon-sa―”

“―Enri, is it? Enri Emmot?”

The air in the room seemed to freeze over. Why would a legendary adventurer know a village girl’s name?

“That, you are… ah, yes. That, that time, you were the adventurer who came with Enfi. Although I don’t think I spoke to you… did you learn my name from Nfirea?”

Momon put his hand on his chin, as though he were thinking. Afterward, he gestured to the magic caster and they exited the blockhouse. Although the soldiers wanted to follow, they couldn’t leave Enri alone.

Only the magic caster, now calmed down, returned to the room.

“Let her go. That great man, Momon the Black, has vouched for her with his status as an adamantite-ranked adventurer. I think there’s no point in keeping her here. What do you think?”

“That’s an obvious decision… but, is it really all right?”

“Is it really all right to doubt him, of all people?”

“O-Of course not! I get it. We’ll grant her passage. Enri Emmot of Carne Village, you are allowed to enter the city. You may go.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you very much.”

After bowing quickly to them, Enri left the blockhouse. As her back receded into the distance, the soldier turned to the magic caster.

“What about Momon-sama?”

“He left first.”

“Then… what connection would that hero have with that village girl?”

“Hell if I know. Momon-dono told me what I told you, he vouched for her and asked that we let her go.”

“Then, another question. That Enri Emmot girl. Do you really think she’s just a village girl?”

“Certainly not. There’s no way she could be a simple village girl, otherwise why would a great hero like him help her? And it wasn’t a coincidence she was carrying that item… Could it have something to do with the Theocracy?”

“That Ainz Somethingorother fellow. If he’s from the Theocracy, shouldn’t we let the brass know?”

“Frankly speaking, I don’t know. After all, Momon-dono already vouched for her. If we let the people on top know… well, you would be just doing your job, but do you really want to upset Momon-dono?”

The soldier’s face twisted.

The exploits of Momon the Dark Hero in the graveyards of E-Rantel were a common conversation topic when the soldiers gathered.

There was nobody whose blood wouldn’t be boiling after hearing the legend of how a hero destroyed a horde of tens of thousands of undead. Even those who simply watched from afar could feel the overwhelming pressure of his heroic swordplay. The man who could make a mighty magical beast kneel before him and offer to serve as his mount set the soldiers’ hearts ablaze.

Just as women would have a crush on strong men, many men were admirers of Momon the Dark Hero, and it could be said that most of the armed forces of E-Rantel were his fans.

This soldier was one of them.

As a fan of Momon, just being patted on the shoulder by his idol was enough for him to boast about it to everyone he met. As such, he had no intention of upsetting the man he worshiped.

“There is that. Well, since Momon-sama vouched for her, I guess it’ll be fine.”

“I think so too. If we treat a friend of Momon-dono poorly, I don’t think it’ll turn out well. I guess all we can do is avoid rocking the boat. Now then… I guess I’ll go back to standing by.”

“Ayup. I’m heading back to my post too.”

♦ ♦ ♦

Enri drove the wagon with her back to the gate of E-Rantel’s city gate, wondering what on earth had just happened. That man in the jet-black armor ― the adventurer who had come with Nfirea to Carne Village to pick herbs ― he had helped her out of a tight spot.

By right, she should have immediately gone to thank him, but unfortunately she’d lost sight of him once she entered the city.

If I thank him the next time we meet… will he forgive me? Although she was thinking that she should immediately start searching for him once she had the time, there were reasons why she couldn’t. Those reasons were what she was currently worried about. She clutched a portion of her clothes, feeling for the horn inside it to banish her uneasiness.

The goblin-something horn.

This… this is worth several thousand gold coins? No way. Please tell me that’s not true…

Enri’s sweat flowed like a river. The horns had been given to her so casually that she hadn’t expected it to be that valuable. No, Nfirea had said it was a high-end magic item… but the amount was beyond her imagination.

Is it alright for me to use this item? Will it be okay? If she was told to return the other one she had already used, what should she do?

I’ll need several thousand urns of herbs… I might not be able to afford it in a lifetime of picking herbs… In addition, she had another item worth thousands of gold coins.

Is Gown-sama a man who can give out such items so easily?! Or maybe, he didn’t know its value… no way, there’s no way someone like him wouldn’t know… but, if he didn’t know…

Enri’s stomach grumbled and ached.

She looked around her surroundings in suspicion. There weren’t many people around, but it was still several times more than Carne Village. Was there anyone who would want to steal the horn? Other such distasteful ideas surfaced in Enri’s heart.

If only I hadn’t brought it out. There’s a lot of crime here, right? What if the horn got stolen… if the horn was blown and goblins showed up to make trouble, wouldn’t that make me the criminal?

Just as the cold sweat was pooling around Enri, a person descended on the seat next to her in the driver’s cab. The way she landed like a feather in defiance of gravity must have been magic.

Who—

As the surprise of seeing the newcomer faded, an even bigger surprise was awaiting her.

She was a raven-haired beauty whose face could launch a thousand ships. She was the one who had come with the black-armored adventurer to her village. Her ice-cold eyes resembled nothing so much as onyxes as they turned to Enri.

“Inferior creature (gadfly). Momon-san wanted me to ask you a few questions―”

“So pretty…”

“Flattery will get―”

“As pretty as Lupusregina…”

As she saw the consternation in the eyes looking at her, Enri immediately regretted the stupid things she’d said. She probably didn’t even know about Lupusregina. However, there was nobody else who could even come close to the vision in front of her.

What should I do, I’ve upset her… well, that much is clear, but…

“About that, Lupusregina is a very pretty person in my village―”

“―Thank you.”

“Eh?!”

Her eyes were hard, and so was her voice, and even her eyebrows were straining. But the thanks she had given was genuine.

“…Haaaah. Momon-sa―san has some things to ask you, which is why I came. Don’t waste time. Why are you here?”

Enri had no obligation to answer. However, this was the partner of someone who had helped her. If he wanted to know, then she should answer.

“That, before that, can I ask a favor of you? Momon-san helped me earlier, and I’m very, very grateful. Please tell him that.”

“I will do so. So why are you here?”

“Ah, yes, I, I’m here, because there’s a lot of things that need to be done, for instance, selling the herbs.”

The woman gestured with her chin, indicating that Enri should continue speaking.

“Then, I’ll go to the temple, to see if there’s anyone who wants to move to our village to live. And then I need to go to the Adventurer’s Guild to talk about some things. And I need to buy some things we can’t get in the village, like weapons. Something like that…”

“I see. I understand what you’ve said. I will relay it to Momon-san.”

With ethereally graceful movements which seemed independent of gravity, the woman alighted from the wagon, and left without looking back.

Enri’s impression of her was that of a frozen hurricane which tore people apart.

“She’s an amazing woman… it feels like she’s ten times more powerful than Brita-san…”

There were no girls in the village like her. Nabe had probably become an adventurer because her personality was like that. That made her feel even more troubled about her visit to the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Ahhhh, oh no!”

Nabe was a powerful adventurer, but Enri had only noticed after she had vanished. In addition, she was the partner of the man who had subdued the Wise King of the Forest. She might have been able to tell Enri about what was going on in the forest.

“The Giant of the East and the Serpent of the West, and whatever that Monument of Destruction is… if only I had asked her about all of those. Ah~ I’m such a dummy, why didn’t I think of that earlier?”

Enri drove her wagon through a gate while scolding herself for her carelessness.

♦ ♦ ♦

E-Rantel could be roughly divided into three zones, separated by the walls of the city. The middle zone was where people lived.

It was also where the Adventurer’s Guild could be found.

Ideally, it would have been safest to sell the herbs at the Pharmacist’s Guild. However, that would have involved a lot of troublesome paperwork, so she had chosen to go to the Adventurer’s Guild instead to use them as a go-between. She had considered drawing on Lizzie’s help for this, but Enri had decided that using her best friend’s grandmother’s name would be too shameless, and reconsidered.

The plan of going to the Adventurer’s Guild was Nfirea’s idea.

If Nfirea had come in person, they wouldn’t need to use the Guild and he could sell everything directly. A simple village girl like Enri doing this by herself would be left to the tender mercies of the shrewd members of the Pharmacist’s Guild.

Enri headed down the road Nfirea and Brita had told her about.

Although she had been travelling with the goblins before that, they were all waiting outside the city for Enri to finish her business. Ever since she had set out from the village, she realized that she was alone, and her hands gripped the reins even more rightly.

The tension stiffened Enri’s shoulders. Finally, unable to stand it any longer, she looked around in all directions and her destination was in front of her.

“I found it!”

Enri squealed a little squeal of joy. Now that she was here, she probably wouldn’t get lost.

She handed the reins of her wagon to the sentry standing at the door of the Adventurer’s Guild, and pushed open the door.

Inside, warriors in full plate armor, hunters with bows on the backs, and magic casters both arcane and divine were walking around. Some were enthusiastically swapping information about the monsters nearby, others were looking closely at the parchments on the nearby noticeboard, and a few were getting a feel for their newly-purchased gear.

The place was filled with a heat and activity that made Enri unsteady on her feet, a world of unrelenting scrutiny and tension. This was the world of adventurers.

Enri’s mouth dropped open as she beheld a sight she would never see in her village, then hurriedly shut it back up.

It was true that she hailed from the boondocks, and it was no surprise that she’d be startled by the mood of the big city, but for a girl her age, staring dumbly with her mouth agape was just shameful.

Enri set out, her back ramrod straight, consciously checking her movements so that she wouldn’t move the arms and legs on the same side or do anything which would make her a laughingstock. However, Enri started to have her doubts about whether it was all right for an obviously out-of-place village girl to be strolling so boldly amongst the muscular adventurers.

At the counter, she was welcomed by the receptionist’s smile.

“Welcome.”

“Y-yes, I’m here to visit.”

Enri locked eyes with the receptionist. Following which, the two of them smiled faintly. Enri felt her shoulders relax, for what might have been the first time since she came to E-Rantel.

“Then, may I ask what business you have with the Adventurer’s Guild?”

“Mm. First, I’d like to ask for some help with the sale of herbs.”

“Understood. Where are the herbs now?”

Enri told her they were on the wagon outside, and the receptionist turned to speak to a woman beside her.

“The appraiser is going to check it now, please wait within the Guild until he’s done.”

“Understood. Then, another thing… although we won’t be putting out a request right away, we might do so in the future.”

Enri crudely explained the situation to the receptionist. The other woman’s smiling face became more and more serious as she heard Enri’s story.

“Is that so… I’m just a receptionist, and I don’t decide the difficulty of requests, but if it involves the Wise King of the Forest, it might be a task that only the adamantite-ranked Momon-san can handle. Of course, his services will not be cheap.”

Enri sensed a shift in the receptionist’s mood. She seemed entirely unmotivated, as though she had decided “it’s no use even if I tell you, what a pain”.

While living with the goblins, Enri had gradually learned to read the emotions of others. This was because goblins were ugly and looked much different from humans, and she had worked hard to recognize and deduce their feelings. It was a way Enri had grown.

She must be thinking the village doesn’t have so much money, huh… well, given my clothes, it’s a reasonable conclusion to make… and she is pretty well-dressed, after all. Enri briefly compared her clothes to those of the receptionist, and concluded that fashion-wise, she was completely outclassed.

But clothes like these are far too cumbersome to work in, and they’re too expensive besides. Thus, according to Enri the woman, this battle was a draw.

“Then, I heard the city would provide a subsidy…”

“That’s correct. However, the subsidy is only a portion of the fee, and you’ll have to pay the rest yourself. Adamantite-ranked adventurers are very expensive, and even after the subsidy they’ll still cost a lot of money to hire. Of course, you could offer less money for a request, but the Adventurer’s Guild would never allow it. If you offer less money than the minimum required, your request will be placed under low priority, so you may have to consider that there may be no takers.”

She must have memorized the regulations given the way she’d rattled that off with eyes glazed. The receptionist looked at Enri like a customer who wasn’t buying.

That was only natural. A customer who didn’t spend money wasn’t a customer at all. Everything the receptionist had said was turning out like how Nfirea predicted, so she didn’t feel too upset. It was a reality that nobody would help the weak.

Ainz Ooal Gown-sama is truly the village’s savior for helping us. And he even gave a simple village girl like me a valuable treasure like that. She wondered how the receptionist would react if she used this horn as payment. It would be great to see the look on her face, but Enri knew she would never do such a thing. This item had been given to her by that great magic caster with the instruction to “use it to protect yourself”. She couldn’t sell it off, not even for the village’s sake. She couldn’t do such an ungrateful thing.

“Understood. Then, please tell me how much the fees will be. That way I can go back to the village to discuss things.”

“If it’s like that… then how about this? Please come back after the inspection for the herb sales are done, that way we should have finished calculating the amount.”

After thanking the receptionist, Enri left the counter and sat on a sofa in the lounge, staring at the ceiling to while away the time while the inspection dragged on.

So tired…

Every moment since she’d entered the city gates had been a grand adventure. Or rather, when she thought about it, ever since the day her parents had died, the confusing things had just piled on.

All I wanted was to lead a simple, unchanging life in the village…

As she thought about the things she’d lost, Enri sighed.

She thought about what had happened after that – the goblins, her childhood friend, and shook her head.

Can’t they go any faster…

If she had something to do, she wouldn’t have the free time to think about such depressing things. She would rather focus on work than think about things that made her sad.

“Enri-san, the appraisal is complete.”

Enri rose and headed for the sound of the merchant’s voice.

“Thank, thank you very much!”

“The fee is—”

At this moment, Enri heard the sound of someone striding, no, practically sprinting over to her. As she turned, she saw the receptionist from earlier in front of her.

“Haaa– haaa– Enri-san of Carne Village. No, I mean, Enri-sama. About the matter from earlier, could I discuss the details to you?”

This was the same receptionist from just now, but her attitude was completely different. Even her eyes were bloodshot.

“Ah, I’m sorry, but I was just about to tell her about the results of the appraisal—”

“You shut up, I’m talking here.”

The receptionist’s reply made the merchant’s face twitch.

“If it’s alright with you, would you like to discuss this over a drink in the receiving room?”

She was smiling, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. Instead, there was a desperate, struggling feeling in them.

Perhaps she had sensed something from the confused Enri. The receptionist’s eyes were moist, and her hands were clasped together as though in prayer.

“Please, I’m begging you, you have to let me hear you out! If not, I’ll be done for!”

After hearing that desperate, almost pathetic plea, Enri didn’t want to talk to her at all, but it seemed too cruel not to give her a chance. She glanced back to the merchant, who seemed to pick up on her intentions, because he nodded slightly to her.

“Got, got it. Then, could you show me the way?”

The receptionist’s body visibly relaxed as she heard the reply.

“Thank you very much! Really, thank you very much! Come, come, let me show you the way.”

Enri followed after her, bathed in the curious stares of everyone around. The receptionist was tightly gripping her right hand, as though she didn’t want Enri to escape.

Was I too rash?

She entered the waiting room with traces of unease in her heart.

Enri silently looked around the inside of the room. It was unoccupied except for herself and intricately decorated, filled with furniture that looked so expensive she wondered if it was even meant to be sat on.

“Come, come, please, have a seat.”

Part of her wondered if she would be arrested or bound or confined the moment she sat down.

However, nothing happened when she sat on the sofa. All she felt was the comfortable furniture taking her body weight.

“Would you like something to drink? How about some liquor? Too early? Yes, kind of… how about fruits… no, sweets and desserts, maybe?”

“Ah, there’s no need to go to that extent…”

The dramatic change in the receptionist’s attitude was starting to scare Enri. In the first place, she hadn’t felt that the receptionist was treating her coldly. She had reacted naturally, without such extreme emotions. At the very least, it seemed much more normal than she did now.

But why had this leopard changed its spots? Was it because of the horn again?

“No, no, what are you saying? Anything is possible for you. We can provide liquor, brandy, and the snacks to go with them too.”

“No, there’s really no need… and besides, I’m running out of time. Can we start discussing the matter?”

“Certainly! You’re absolutely right! Then please, by all means, do continue!”

The receptionist whipped out a pad of pure white paper. All the paper she had seen before had been much coarser and had other colors mixed in. This must be some high-class stuff here. Was it really all right to use it?

Enri began speaking. Although the preamble had been easy enough to talk about, this was the annoying part – the details.

Finally, just as Enri’s throat was starting to dry out, the conversation finally came to an end.

“Thank you for your help! There’s some drinks here, please help yourself before you leave! It’s fine to leave the cups here, but thank you for coming to us today!”

The receptionist suddenly stood up, and left the room as though she had been chased from it.

“Really… what happened?”

Of course, there was nobody here to answer her rhetorical question.

♦ ♦ ♦

In the end, Enri didn’t spend the night in E-Rantel and headed back home to Carne Village.

She would be sleeping on the plains, but she didn’t feel worried. On the contrary, she had a very good night’s sleep. That was because of the goblins, who were riding shotgun on her cargo-laden wagon.

“Ahh~ I see it at last.”

Ahead of them was the wall of Carne Village. Although the neatly-arranged logs looked impressive in their own right, Enri couldn’t help but think they looked shabby compared to E-Rantel’s fortifications.

“Indeed. I need to report to the chief quickly.”