NOVEL NEXT Chapter 164
164. Everyone Makes Mistakes, Isn’t It?
In the end, our envoy group became a twelve-member party. Well, maybe that’s standard for an envoy group. Considering we’re traveling through dangerous areas without proper roads, you could even say it’s too few.
Let’s go over the members again. Me, Kyle, Myrna, Persia, Leafan, Ryuuko, Raidoc, Solar, Eva, Camille, Marilyn, and Jitaro make up the twelve-person party. Moreover, eight of us possess high-tier colored crests, making it no laughing matter. Isn’t this almost on par with the Royal Capital’s Holy Knights?
…Thinking too deeply about it would just stress me out.
Currently, I’m in a carriage, along with Kyle, Myrna, and Eva. Eva is resting while also serving as a guard. Myrna, as usual, is sitting on my lap. There are open seats, but… The constant jolting of the carriage has made her slightly motion-sick, and she’s been clinging to me. While vaguely considering whether I should alchemize an anti-nausea medicine, Myrna looks up at me.
“Craft-niisama…when will we arrive?”
“Our final destination is a place called the Mizuho Divine Kingdom in the far north, but it’s still quite a ways off.”
The distance is, of course, a factor, but the lack of proper roads slows our pace the most. Thanks to Jitaro’s sharp instincts, we’re heading almost straight north, but the route has become quite challenging.
“By the way, I’d heard that there were a bunch of small nations aside from the Mizuho Divine Kingdom, but we haven’t seen any.”
“Huh?”
Eva looks up at me curiously in response to my mumbling.
“Aren’t we just aiming to reach the Mizuho Divine Kingdom as fast as possible?”
“Huh?”
This time, it was my turn to be surprised.
“No, I’d like to stop by various places to check on the situation of the smaller nations…Right, Kyle?”
“Yes. That would be preferable.”
Eva ponders for a moment.
“In that case, wouldn’t it be better to prioritize routes that seem at least marginally habitable, rather than rushing through desolate and difficult terrain?”
“Ah.”
Kyle and I exchange a glance and then smile wryly.
“That was a mistake on my part.”
“I didn’t notice either. Sorry about that.”
It was a rare misstep for Kyle, but it was also on me and Leafan for not catching it sooner. I lean out of the carriage window and shout using a voice-enhancing spell.
“Stop! Everyone, stop for a moment!”
With that, the entire group gathers to reconsider our route. After Eva’s suggestion, I relay it to Jitaro, who thumps his chest confidently.
“Leave it to me! Actually, there was a promising-looking area on the other side of the mountain we bypassed!”
“Then say something!”
“But this way heads north faster!”
“Like I just explained, prioritize areas that might be inhabited from now on!”
“Understood!”
It’s my fault for not instructing him earlier, but Jitaro, at least give a heads-up!
“Well, it was just a hunch.”
“That…is true.”
Saying something like “it feels inhabited over there” isn’t exactly a reportable insight.
“Let me know next time.”
“Got it!”
Jitaro—reliable or not, I still can’t quite tell.
Following Jitaro’s instincts, we adjust our path, crossing a mountain to find what indeed appears to be a town.
“All that trouble was for…”
“Don’t think about it!”
Coming from you, that’s irritating!
Anyway, we look down at the town from the mountaintop. Using the [Far Sight] spell, I see a town in ruins. It resembles a city devastated by war. Everyone immediately goes on high alert.
“Raidoc, can you send scouts?”
“Sure. Jitaro, Camille, you’re up.”
“Leave it to us!”
“…Understood.”
The scout duo of a crest-bearing hunter and kunoichi should be perfect for the job. Within a few hours, they return. Camille delivers a brief report.
“No one’s there.”
“As expected.”
I’d guessed from the [Far Sight], but to see it completely devoid of people…
“It doesn’t seem long since it fell.”
“What?”
That was unexpected. I assumed it was abandoned ages ago.
“Probably two or three months ago.”
Jitaro nods in agreement. If those two agree, it’s probably accurate.
“The cause appears to be a monster attack. Many remains—both human and monster—were found, heavily ravaged.”
“There are still quite a few monsters remaining in the ruins, likely drawn by the corpses.”
Given their expertise in stealth, they must’ve scouted undetected.
“Kyle, what’s our move?”
I direct the question at Kyle, who glances at Myrna.
“Let’s avoid this town.”
An investigation is tempting, but bringing Myrna to such a place isn’t right. Myrna, however, tugs on Kyle’s sleeve.
“I’m…okay.”
Oh. Myrna has been expressing herself more these past days. Kyle turns to me.
“Shall we? If it becomes too much, we can leave.”
“Sure. Got it. Raidoc, can you handle the remaining monsters in the ruins?”
Raidoc grins confidently.
“Easy.”
By evening, all the monsters in the ruins were defeated. …That was fast.
◆
“It seems to have been a walled city.”
Kyle stands before a crumbling wall, likely struck by a large monster or a magical one.
“Perhaps there was a stampede.”
Kyle’s words make Leafan frown slightly. He might be recalling his homeland. Thankfully, or perhaps not, most remains—both monster and human—were devoured by surviving monsters, leaving no grotesque piles of bodies. Myrna has been spared from witnessing anything too horrific. Jitaro inspects some remaining bones.
“Hmm. Something feels off.”
“If there’s anything on your mind, share.”
“Usually, a stampede involves a single species of monster, but there seem to have been various types.”
That’s strange. During the cockatrice incident, I don’t recall other species being mixed in. Eva considers.
“Perhaps other monsters gathered for the remains and were then attacked themselves?”
“Reasonable. That makes sense.”
“Hmm.”
Although logical, Jitaro still seems dissatisfied.
“There’s no point in speculating. Let’s focus on gathering more concrete information.”
“Agreed.”
“Understood!”
We decided to camp at the relatively intact royal castle remains. We identified it as a castle because of surviving documents that confirmed it was a city-state. These records also revealed that all nearby nations were city-states. In other words, each country equates to a walled city. Additionally, we found a valuable map. The adventurers who had previously scouted this area had produced a rough map, barely usable for basic direction. But this find would enable us to visit other city-states.
Incidentally, the adventurers’ survey predates Van’s orders to investigate this area—back when Kyle was merely a deputy, not a lord. Thus, their mission was limited in scope, serving as a precautionary exploration. Had it been Raidoc’s team, they might’ve detailed the area, but for ordinary adventurers, this territory was far too dangerous, yielding only basic reports. I knew most of the smaller nations were city-states… but I learned specifics just now. Given the adventurers’ timeline, this city’s fall must’ve just barely overlapped with their survey.
“Now we have a plan. We’ll head toward the Mizuho Divine Kingdom while visiting smaller nations along the way.”
“Understood.”
With our conversation over, I glance at Myrna. She’s off to the side, learning etiquette from Ryuuko. Fearing failure would force her to return, she’s diligently studying both academics and noble manners. Kyle’s lips curl into a sly smile.
“Let’s use this trip to rapidly improve Myrna’s academic and etiquette skills.”
Devious! Kyle’s more cunning than I thought! Kyle…a fearsome character!
Thus, the night in the ruins passes.