The Everyday Life of an Incompetent Crown Prince

20: A Walk in the Name of an Escort

And so, in the early afternoon. As promised, I headed to the meeting place outside the castle walls.

Inside my [Treasure Chest for Me Alone (Colorless Jewels)], there was a book called ‘The Structure of the Male and Female Body’ that I had bought and finished reading.

Unfortunately, there was no such grimoire in the store that sold grimoires, and even if I asked, there was no such grimoire, so I had no choice but to look for a book on human anatomy in a regular bookstore, and I found a book on the subject.

By reading it, I was able to understand the theory behind contraceptive magic. It was a great harvest just to have learned this.

I could even give Neil a gold coin as a reward.

“Oh, Jas, over here, over here.”

There were seven carriages, Neil’s party, the client and his servants, and two other parties. Judging from their clothes, both parties were probably adventurers (adbels).

“Mr. Larsel, this is the Jasper I was talking about. I guarantee his strength.”

“I see. Mr. Jasper, I’m Larsel from the Lars Trading Company. Nice to meet you.”

He held out his hand, so I shook it.

“Excuse me, I’m not doubting you, but may I see your adventurer’s certificate (Adbel Card)?”

“Oh, sure.”

When I showed him the one hanging around my neck, the man named Larsel silent in satisfaction.

“Just as Mr. Neil told me. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

After bowing his head once, he returned to the carriage.

“There are a lot of carriages. Didn’t you say it was a small merchant group?”

“Yeah, well. They’re carrying a lot more goods than usual this time, so that’s why. That’s why the other groups participating this time are all guild parties.”

Two groups of seven, and our group of five, for a total of nineteen people in the raid. I don’t know much about the standards of this industry, but is this trip really that dangerous?

I didn’t hear from Jarnall that the roads to the east or the surrounding areas were dangerous. Or maybe he only told me about the places suitable for hunting because that’s what I asked him about.

“I’m Keith, the sub-master of the ‘Liliano’ guild. I’ll be counting on you this time.”

“I’m Mash, the sub-master of the ‘Grieg Mercenary Group’. Let’s get along.”

One was a refreshing young man, the other a muscular middle-aged man. Both of them had confident expressions on their faces. Their equipment was well-maintained, and they looked like seasoned veterans.

Speaking of which, Mash doesn’t look like a soldier, but is he mainly a mercenary? That’s a bit surprising. Oh no, but I think the ‘Grieg Mercenary Group’ was the one that was making a lot of noise in the tavern the other day. Maybe Mash is just the odd one out.

As I watched them, I thought to myself. I’m probably the one who looks the least like an adventurer here. I’m completely out of place. I’m just wearing a slightly thicker adventurer’s outfit with a coat over it. My sword is a cheap one that I bought at a local store, I don’t have any armor to speak of, and all I have for my journey is a cloth bag for show. I wonder why they don’t complain.

It’s like going to a noble’s party in your everyday clothes. For adventurers and mercenaries, their equipment, weapons, and armor are their formal attire.

“Let’s get going.”

At Larsel’s voice, the representatives responded, and we set off.

*

I have no idea how to do this escort thing, but from what I’ve heard, ‘Liliano’ will be in front, ‘Grieg Mercenary Group’ will be on the left and right, and we’ll be in the back.

The order of the carriages is one ‘Liliano’ carriage in the lead, followed by five Lars Merchant Group carriages, and finally one ‘Grieg Mercenary Group’ carriage.

The guild provides the carriages as a resting place during the journey or when camping out, or to transport the injured.

However, this is usually only possible for guild groups, and for wild groups like Neil’s, it is often not used or is less profitable because it can lead to a deficit.

Instead, of course, the difficulty and risk of the journey increase.

“It’s like, you know, just walking.”

“No, you still need to be on the lookout for your surroundings. Look, the ‘Grieg Mercenary Group’ is riding on top of the carriages and keeping an eye on the left and right.”

Indeed, two people who seem to be in charge of scouting are constantly looking left and right. We can’t do that, so we just walk normally, but according to Neil, they have good hearing, so they’re always listening for sounds . As expected of a cross between a wolf and a dog.

Since we’re here, why don’t I ask the adventurer who’s ahead of me?

“Hey, for example, if you use a detection spell, can you tell that it’s being used?”

“Hmm. Basically, no. But someone with excellent perception skills, like [Color Sense], would probably notice. It also depends on how much mental power you use. If you need a lot of mental power, it means that you’re generating more soul waves and magic.”

“Huh.”

I thought about trying out [Mana Reed], which is a pretty powerful spell, but I decided against it because I didn’t want to get in the way.

After walking and walking and walking for about three hours, we took our first break.

Even though it’s a break, the guards are still on the lookout. They’ve just reduced the number of people a bit. I guess it’s so that they can rest in case something happens. I’d rather they just hurry up and move on .

“But Jas, you don’t look tired at all.”

“Well, yeah.”

I can’t help it, I’m not tired. I’m not called the Sixth Rank of Physical Strength for nothing.

“We’re supposed to arrive tomorrow night, right?”

“Yeah, if nothing happens on the way. Also, the estimated time is usually a bit longer, so if things go really smoothly, we’ll probably arrive by evening.”

What a pain, was my honest thought. Well, maybe it’s because I only have memories of riding in a carriage for long-distance travel.

But what am I going to do about camping out? It’s the first time in my life I’ve slept without a bed. Will I be able to sleep?

As we resumed our journey with such unease, one of the ‘Grieg Mercenaries’ who had been riding alongside our carriage approached us.

“It seems that Blade Birds are circling overhead.”

We all looked up at once, and sure enough, something that looked like a bird was circling above us.

“I think we’ll be fine, but be careful. If they follow us until nightfall, we’ll have to discuss it again.”

“Understood. Thank you.”

As the one who had reported this returned to his position, everyone’s faces turned grim.

Blade Birds, as their name suggests, have wings covered in feathers that are as hard and sharp as blades, which they can launch as projectiles in combat.

Their basic hunting method is to search for prey from the sky, then swoop down on them when they are off guard and seize them with their sharp claws. If that fails, they immediately flap their wings and launch their blade-like feathers. Of course , their beaks are also hard and sharp, and many adventurers have lost their lives to them. I believe their danger level is 4, considering how difficult they are to defeat.

If you are careful, these birds will not come down, but the problem is that they can see in the dark, and if they target you, they will relentlessly pursue you.

Fortunately, there is only one in sight, so it shouldn’t be a problem if we respond appropriately.

But this time, we are on an escort mission. If they were to target the horses or attack us at night, it would not be amusing.

“What do we do in a situation like this?”

“To be honest, there’s nothing we can do. We just have to be vigilant and wait for them to give up.”

“…”

I looked up at the creature as it slowly circled overhead.

Just like the Ape Spider I defeated the other day, there is something extremely unpleasant about being looked down upon. I don’t mind it when it’s my father or mother, because that’s natural, but it makes me feel sick when it’s anyone else.

Staring at the bird, I used [Enhanced Vision (Sapp)] to greatly increase my eyesight. As it came into clear focus, I clenched my fist as if to compress the air around its body. It was a spell I created during my first hunt, called [Wind Grasp (Breeze Crash)]. The spell name (Color Rays) was given to it arbitrarily.

If it had been close, it would have made a gruesome sound as its body was pulled from the sky and slammed into the ground with enough force to crush it.

The contents of its body must have spilled out, making it much lighter. Its wings will never flap again. That is where it belongs, as a lowly creature that looks down on me.

The sudden drop and accompanying explosion startedled all the carriages, causing them to stop. The scouting parties from the other guilds rushed out to investigate. From our group, Cyril with his squirrel ears flew out.

“What the hell was that?”

Neal must have witnessed it as well. His eyes were wide as he stared at the spot where it had fallen.

I met Iriel’s gaze as she looked at me and shook my head slightly.