Published: January 17, 2026
Having understood the dire situation of the Marquis Fertio family and knowing that My Daddy was doing his best behind the scenes, I finished preparing for departure with the determination to do my best as well.
“Is all the luggage in order?”
“Yes, sir!”
This time, Espada stayed behind, while Dee, Arb, and Row participated leading fifty cavalry and the mechanical bow unit. Dee was as excited as during training. The same went for Ort and the others who were assigned to escort duty.
“Let’s go, you guys!”
“Yessir!”
“I’m not a guy, you know.”
Ort was full of spirit, almost off the charts, while Kusala and the others looked sleepy, and Pluriel had half-closed eyes and pouted. They had been holed up in the dungeon recently and were almost experiencing a reversed day-night cycle. I wondered if the escort would be fine.
“Espada, I’m counting on you while we’re gone!”
“Understood. Lord Van, please be careful not to overexert yourself. Do not forget that you already hold an important position protecting part of the Kingdom of Scuderia…”
“Y-Yes! We’re off!”
It seemed the conversation would drag on, so I hurriedly cut it short. This time, considering the possibly longer period and various uncertainties, we decided to travel by armored carriage. Three armored carriages, two regular carriages, and knights on horseback lined up around us. Leading the way was the veteran adventurer team, Ort and company, serving as guides and escorts—the strongest formation.
Furthermore, an unusual situation had arisen this time. I quietly peeked out from the armored carriage window and looked toward the river flowing near the road.
“Hm. Son-in-law, do you need something?”
Radavesta of Apcaluru, sensitive to my gaze, turned her face toward me.
“N-No, it’s nothing.”
I replied with a wry smile and withdrew back inside the carriage. Til and Kamushin, sitting across from me, glanced sideways out the window.
“…I didn’t expect to be traveling with Apcaluru’s group.”
“Priora-chan wanted to come too.”
“That would be too dangerous, though.”
I lightly teased Kamushin’s muttering. We had decided to head downstream along the river toward the sea, and for some reason, Radavesta became motivated. She said, “If it’s the sea, I have comrades there, so I’ll try asking for their cooperation.”
There were Apcalurus by the sea as well. Although I was concerned because large demonic beasts lived there, it would be helpful if they could assist with shipbuilding. So, we adopted Radavesta’s suggestion.
“Lord Van, shall we take a break soon?”
“Roger that.”
As I watched Radavesta skillfully navigate down the river, Dee suggested taking a break nearby. We had been traveling precisely half a day, so an efficient lunch-cum-rest was in order. Ort and the others surprisingly didn’t complain.
Getting off the carriage with Arte, I looked ahead and saw Ort and company sitting on the roadside ground. They looked like they’d just finished a marathon. I thought I should help them with their luggage later.
“Ah, Lord Van…”
“Hm?”
As I observed Ort and the others, Arte tugged at my sleeve and called my name. When I turned, she pointed behind me as if wanting to say something.
“Well… those who are falling behind…”
Arte said hesitantly, looking troubled.
I got the gist just from that, but reluctantly glanced back. The knights were busily preparing for the break nearby, but far behind, Sesto and his group, moving at a slower pace, were approaching. I watched closely to see the reason and found that the problem seemed to be the performance of their carriage. There were only two carriages, but either the wheels or the shaft were faulty. They didn’t look capable of high speed.
I furrowed my brow, pondering, when a short-statured man stepped out of the rear armored carriage, flared his nostrils, and spoke.
“Should I modify it for you?”
Havel, the Dwarf, roughly stretched his proud beard with one hand as he asked. Honestly, both the Seato Village and the adventurer town were so busy selling out their armor and weapons that the dwarves were extremely busy. However, since there was an unknown ship mechanism involved this time, we forcibly brought along only the most skilled dwarf, Havel.