ALL NOVEL Chapter 160
160. Surprise Comes Last, Isn’t It?
Me, Kyle, Leafan, and Raidoc were riding in the carriage.
The envoy had already left the riverside base camp and was rushing forward.
Due to the speed and the lack of proper roads, the carriage was shaking a lot.
Even so….
“If this were an ordinary carriage, it would have broken long ago.”
Leafan’s eyes sparkled at my muttering.
“Right? The axles and wheels are made with a special hard mithril mixed with dragon bones. Plus, it has shock-absorbing devices made by layering Hydra leather and springs!”
Although I’d made several alchemical potions requested by Leafan, I hadn’t really understood how they connected to blacksmithing. So, that’s how he used it.
“Wow. I don’t really get it, but it sounds amazing.”
“Of course!”
“As expected of Andvari.”
“Please stop calling me that; it’s embarrassing.”
“Now you understand how I feel being called Twilight.”
“Only His Majesty and Batista call you that.”
“True enough.”
Honestly, I’ve gotten pretty used to it lately. Leafan probably will too.
“Speaking of amazing, Jitaro is pretty impressive too.”
Raidoc answered this.
“Yeah. That guy’s ranger skills are something else. Makes Solar look pale by comparison.”
“Really?”
“Even though Solar had the emblem of Artemis, her ranger skills haven’t decreased. But Jitaro’s instincts, his abilities—whatever it is—are just on another level. In my party right now, even though Camille surpasses Solar as a ranger, Jitaro is far above that.”
Currently, Jitaro was leading the way with Camille, and as Raidoc said, his skills were extraordinary.
As I mentioned earlier, there isn’t even a village around the base camp. This is frontier land with no roads.
The only reason our carriage can rush through is all thanks to Jitaro.
“Uh, this way seems passable for the carriage!”
“I think going around over there is a good idea!”
“If we climb this cliff, it looks open on the other side!”
With such inexplicable but accurate calls, Jitaro kept finding paths just wide enough for the carriage.
Sure, the carriage and horses were excellent, allowing us to traverse steep inclines, but still, it was beyond normal.
Inside the violently shaking carriage, Kyle forced a smile.
“At this rate, we’ll make much better time than expected.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
I nodded, and Raidoc glanced at Kyle with some concern.
“We’ve covered more ground than anticipated; should we slow down a bit?”
“No, let’s keep going.”
“Understood. But don’t push yourself.”
“I promise.”
Raidoc, who had come to check on Kyle, nimbly jumped off the speeding carriage and sprinted alongside it, kicking up clouds of dust like a wild horse.
Speaking of horses, Jitaro didn’t bring his beloved pony, Super Jet, this time.
Well, after gaining the Hunter’s emblem, he’s faster than most horses.
As Raidoc switched places, Eva boarded the carriage. She and Marilyn needed regular breaks inside due to their stamina limits.
I was fine with staying by Kyle’s side for close protection.
The carriage could hold six people comfortably, but having all guards riding would defeat the purpose.
A trip with everyone in the carriage would be more fun, though.
“Excuse me, Kyle-sama.”
“Take it easy.”
“Thank you. By the way, Jitaro’s skills are astounding. Maintaining speed while picking optimal paths—it’s beyond Camille.”
I folded my arms, and Eva smiled wryly.
“But his bragging about himself is a bit annoying.”
“Jitaro…”
If only he toned that down, he might actually be popular….
“Can we ban him from turning around and making smug faces whenever he picks the right path?”
“Ahaha…”
Eva’s serious complaint only drew a strained laugh from Kyle.
There’s no harm, so it’s best not to stifle his enthusiasm.
That’s how the first day of our journey went.
When the sky turned to twilight, we finally stopped.
On a typical trip, we’d start setting up camp earlier, but Eva and I had excellent spatial storage, so we could press on till the last minute.
As the carriage stopped, Leafan jumped out immediately.
“Okay! Let’s get camp set up!”
“““Yeah!!!”””
Leafan assembled a simple hearth, Marilyn helped with cooking, Jitaro and Solar gathered firewood, Raidoc kept watch, and Camille scouted the surroundings.
Eva and I began unloading provisions and lodging equipment from our spatial storage.
Ryuko distributed tea, set up bedding, and started preparing meals.
“Eva, your storage capacity really has improved.”
I admired her as she brought out a carriage for the women.
“I’m surprised myself. After becoming the emblem of Wise Sage Wiseman, my mana efficiency increased greatly.”
“That’s great.”
“But it makes me realize how absurd your storage capacity is.”
Even Jabeel-sensei was stunned by my mana reserves and spatial storage skills.
“Storing an entire carriage is impressive enough, but fitting a massive dragon is just…”
“Like I said, the emblem of a mage didn’t suit my body at all. That’s why I developed mana reserves, as Sensei said.”
“That sounds risky.”
“Exactly. That’s why Sensei and I agreed not to publicize it.”
Otherwise, we might get fools willing to risk deadly emblems for power.
While chatting, Leafan opened the carriage’s cargo.
Inside was a massive box.
“Hm? Did we have cargo in the carriage?”
Most supplies were stored in Eva’s or my spatial storage.
Curious, I joined Leafan, with Eva tagging along.
“Yeah, it’s a big box packed with wood chips to cushion pottery and glassware.”
“Huh? Why?”
“To test the carriage’s performance. Seeing how well fragile items can be transported.”
I touched my chin.
“Isn’t this journey a bit too extreme for a valid test?”
“Haha, I never thought the trip would be this intense.”
Jitaro’s keen sense meant we scaled cliffs that seemed impossible, saying, “The Black Dragon and White Fang can handle it!” And, incredibly, our two potion-boosted horses breezed through.
It made me want to sigh.
“Even if trade opens with some small nation, this route won’t do.”
“Road development is essential.”
Since we had the know-how, we could build a highway with approval using the Elixir Territory budget.
“Now, how many broke?”
Leafan carefully opened the box, but we were stunned.
“…Phew.”
Inside the box was a dizzy Myrna.
We stared in stunned silence at her limp form.
Why?
Seriously, why!?
“MYRNNNNNAAAAAAA!”
My scream echoed through the evening sky.