Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody

※Correction of typos made on 8/11.

This is Satou. When I was little, my workaholic father would come home late at night and leave early in the morning, so I don’t really remember seeing much of him. That said, I never thought I’d end up in a similar situation before getting married.

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It’s been a while since the last carriage trip. Although I ride the carriage every day moving around the Duke’s Capital, the atmosphere is different between the well-paved main roads of the capital and the narrow, undeveloped backcountry roads.

A tributary that flows into the great river runs parallel to the highway, so there are only a few other carriages traveling along the road. Usually, goods are transported by small boats on the tributary.

“Clatter clatter~” “Clatter clatter, indeed!”

Since leaving the city, Pochi and Tama have been unusually cheerful. They've been tugging at my sleeves from both sides in rhythm with the carriage’s movement, making it hard to read the book displayed in my menu.

“Geez, what’s so fun about this?”

“You don’t get it?”

“Arisa is not quite there yet~”

“No way, no way~”

“Ugh~ Pochi and Tama, you’re being cheeky again~”

Arisa sounds like some boss kid, but I don’t think she’s actually offended.

Lulu, sitting in the coachman’s seat facing forward, has been giggling quietly. Seeing that, it seems she knows why.

“Lulu, stop laughing and if you know, tell me.”

“No way, it’s a ‘quiz,’ so you can’t just ask others for the answer.”

Arisa groans in frustration at Lulu’s reply—something she often tells everyone, so she can’t argue.

But since I don’t get it either, maybe I should get a hint.

“Sorry, Pochi, Tama. I don’t know either?”

“Gah~” “What? Really~?”

Tama, please stop making sound effects with your mouth. I ruffle their heads, who are looking up at me like puppies betrayed by their trusted master. I wonder, am I the one at fault?

“Master should be exclusive~” “Being together is best!”

“I see.”

Come to think of it, while we were in the capital, especially in the latter half, I was only with them during meals and bedtime. In the latter half of our stay, I was like an overtime-working dad coming home after everyone was asleep. So I guess it’s okay to spoil them a little.

“Satou.”

Mia, who had been scouting on the hornless beast with Liza and Nana, returned. She jumped from the hornless beast to the carriage, so I caught her and helped her get down. She seems to have gained a little weight, but she’s still light. Unlike Arisa, it seems she doesn’t need to watch calories.

“Master, there’s a fallen tree blocking the highway ahead.”

“Master, the way the tree fell looks unnatural. I sense it was done deliberately.”

The fallen tree was probably placed by robbers to stop the carriage. When Liza and the others went scouting, they spotted robbers on a low cliff a bit off the highway, so they had already taken them out with remote stun bullets. Magic really is convenient.

“Pochi, Tama, change into your work clothes. We’ll clear the fallen tree.”

“Roger~” “Understood~!”

Though I told Liza we could clear the obstacle with magic, she wanted to use the fallen tree as a training target for the demon blades, so I gave permission. It’s a good chance to check everyone’s demon blade performance. When fighting robbers, you have to be careful with how much you hold back, or you might kill them for sure.

“Master, I want you to charge.”

“No way~”

“Tama’s right. If you don’t channel your own magic power, it won’t be proper training.”

I dodged Pochi’s pleading attack, who was offering her small magic sword with big puppy eyes. Without Tama’s support, it might have been dangerous.

Besides Liza, who can use her demon blade skillfully, Nana and Tama have also learned to infuse magic power into their demon swords without problems. Only Pochi seems to be struggling. According to Arisa’s analysis, it’s not that Pochi has little magic power, but that she has so much that she can manipulate instantly that she can’t control it well. Still, their total MP seems about the same.