Chapter 10 – The Former Demon King Goes on a Journey
What Odette’s father had done became a massive scandal at the Magic Guild. He had used the daughter of a count, Therese Michel, to put his own daughter in harm’s way—and during an official Guild orientation, no less. The senior mages were, justifiably, furious.
In the end, Odette’s father was summoned by the Magic Guild. The summons was issued in the joint names of Princess Iris, the high-ranking mage Prince Cain, and General Barnes. The duke, upon receiving the letter, hastily sent a messenger in his place. He himself was absent due to poor health—which, apparently, wasn’t a lie. The poor health was just a direct result of his scheme being exposed.
In front of the Guild’s senior mages, the Sley family messenger presented a letter, handwritten by the duke himself. It contained a vow to never interfere with Odette again and to grant her complete freedom until she willingly chose to leave the Magic Guild.
Lady Therese Michel got off with a light punishment. In a way, she was a victim, too. After a few weeks of suspension, she was allowed to return to the Guild.
As for Duke Sley… he reportedly vanished from high society. The reason, it seemed, was that the other ducal houses had found out what he had done. Well, that was to be expected.
Conversely, Odette’s reputation soared. Tales of her strength and her defiance of her own family to pursue the path of a mage began to inspire others.
“I’m not sure what to do with all the love letters I’m getting from the female mages,” she told me, blushing.
In any case, the most important thing was that the problem was solved.
A few days after the incident had settled down, Odette and I left the capital on a public carriage. Our destination was to the north of the capital, to the ruins of Fira Village, located in the lands of the border noble, Count Thorias.
If my guess was correct, that was where Lyle had hidden the Lord he’d stolen, the Lord of Nosferatu.
“It will be three days by carriage, one day by boat, and about a day on foot to reach the village,” Odette said, reviewing the route on a map inside the carriage.
The lands north of the capital were directly governed by the royal family. Further on, there was a town on the coast of an inland sea—a prosperous trading hub, rich with seafood. After crossing the sea to the north, we would enter the territory of a noble named Count Thorias. Fira Village was located in the mountainous region of his lands.
About 350 years ago, I had drifted into Fira Village by a similar route. It felt nostalgic. Back then, I’d traveled by foot and public carriage. I hated boats. If you fell off, you’d have to put your face in the water. It was the worst. I wanted to avoid the boat this time, too, but I knew that would be difficult.
“It will take about five days to reach the village.”
“It’s surprisingly far.”
“And that’s only if everything goes smoothly. If we run into any trouble, it will take longer. We have no choice but to stick to the main roads.”
“…I guess it can’t be helped.”
“Let’s travel along the road today and stop at the third town. I want to make as much progress as possible on the first day,” Odette said, looking up from the map.
The third town. At this rate, we’d arrive around evening. Rest, then set off again the next morning. It wasn’t a bad plan, but…
“I have a suggestion.”
“What is it?”
“Why don’t we get off at an earlier village and rest early?”
“We could, but it will slow us down.”
“No, I think it’ll be faster. I have an idea.”
“…Very well.” Odette nodded, seeming to understand.
I glanced around the carriage. This was my first time in a public carriage in this life, but it hadn’t changed much from my previous era. The other passengers were merchants, travelers, and some adventurer. The adventurers were watching us with interest. Wearing robes so close to the capital made us stick out as Magic Guild members. Once we were further out, I planned to just pass us off as regular adventurers.
“…You two from the Magic Guild?” an adventurer called out. She looked like a warrior, with a large, two-handed sword strapped to her back.
“Ah, y-yes. That is—”
“Yes. We’re trainees,” I cut in. Why are you so flustered, Odette? What happened to your real-world problem-solving skills?
“I see. I’ve heard that Guild mages sometimes do adventurer work to gather monster parts. Is that what you’re doing?”
“Something like that. Though the ‘parts’ I’m after are a bit on the large side.”
“Be careful, then. Outside the capital’s walls, there are monsters you can’t even imagine.” The woman grinned. “Don’t get cocky just because you’ve cleared a few floors in the capital’s dungeon. You’ll get yourselves hurt.”
“Wha—?”
“Monsters we can’t imagine, you say?” I quickly clapped a hand over Odette’s mouth and asked, “Specifically?”
“…Huh?”
“Specifically, what kind of monsters are out there?”
“Uh, well. Let’s see.” …Why is she suddenly looking away? “H-Hey, merchant. What kind of monsters were out this way again?”
“…You’re asking someone else?”
“Gathering information is a basic skill for adventurers! Right, merchant?”
“…Y-Yeah.”
The female adventurer was getting glared at. The merchant had been sound asleep, clutching his luggage. He looked extremely annoyed.
“…I’ve heard from my associates about a monster in armor. Just a rumor, mind you.”
“A monster in armor?”
“Yeah. Taller than a man, wandering the wilderness at night. The guy who told me only saw its shadow, though.”
“Sounds interesting. I’d love to go hunt it.”
“Right, right. You do you…” The merchant grumbled and immediately fell back asleep.
“…A monster in armor. Reminds me of the Lord,” I muttered.
“If a monster was wearing an ‘Ancient Artifact,’ it would be a major incident… Yaaawn.”
“You look sleepy, Odette.”
“My apologies. It’s just so boring, not being able to move… Yawn.”
“You can sleep. I’ll wake you up when we get there.”
“…Are you sure?”
“Actually, it’s probably better if you rest now.”
“…Then I shall accept your offer.” Odette closed her eyes.
The adventurer, having found another target, was now whispering with someone else. I stared blankly out the window. The sky was overcast. It looked like the moon would be hidden by clouds tonight. As long as it didn’t rain, we’d be fine.
Hidden in my luggage were Dick and several other bats. I’d left Niil and the main bat army back in the capital, which was more than enough to protect Iris. And Remy, the Silver Fenrir, was with Martha, so she was fine too. I promised them I’d be back soon, so I had to take the fastest route.
I leaned back against my luggage and relaxed. …I should probably rest now, too.
We arrived at the second town past the capital just after noon. We took a nap at an inn, waking up just before dawn. We checked out, claiming we were going to do some early-morning magic training, and headed outside.
“Are you planning to travel at this hour?”
“I’d rather not be seen, if possible.”
“Very well. I decided I would follow your lead on this journey. I trust you.”
“Thanks. In that case, I need you to get on my back.”
“…Sigh. Understood.”
Odette obediently moved behind me and let me get her on my back. “A little tighter. Really hold on.”
“…Like this?”
“Right. Now I’ll just tie you on so you don’t fall off.”
Preparations complete. It was before dawn, so there was no one around the inn. Dick had already confirmed the route was clear.
First, I drew the Boosted Enhancement sigil on both my hands. Then, I moved to a flat, open area for a running start. With Odette held securely… I ran.
“Wha—?! Yuuki?! You’re so f—”
“Activating ‘Flight’ skill, jumping—kicking off the roof—!”
“———Ah!”
I’d used Boosted Enhancement: Double for my running start and just leaped. Using a nearby roof as a springboard, I jumped again. After gaining enough altitude, I kicked off the town’s outer wall, launching myself even higher.
I caught the wind and flew.
“———Wha…” I heard Odette gasp from my back. I thought she might be scared, but I was wrong.
“A-Amazing! This is amazing, Yuuki!”
A vast, open plain spread out beneath us. We were flying straight over it. The moon was a faint glow behind the clouds. At this height, no one would be able to see us. Not that anyone would be standing in the middle of a field before dawn, anyway.
I glanced at the sigils on my hands. It had been over twenty minutes since I’d activated Boosted Enhancement, but the spell was still active. It seemed its duration was getting longer each time I used it. Maybe I was leveling up.
“Master~!”
“Dick! Can you keep up?”
“Barely~!”
“We’re cutting straight across the plains. We should be able to cover a huge distance and reach our destination by dawn.”
“Y-You’re right! Ha, hahaha! Hahahahaha!”
Odette was laughing, trying to hold down her golden hair as it whipped in the wind. “This is incredible! We’re flying!”
“You’re not scared?”
“I’m sure I will be, once reality sets in! But right now… at dawn… it feels like I’m in a dream!”
“Glad to hear it.”
“This is so much faster! It won’t take us three days to reach your village at this rate!”
“I’ll land when we lose altitude. I’ll run and jump again, so hold on tight.”
“Right!”
When I got tired, I’d land. In mid-air, I redrew the sigil for Boosted Enhancement again and again.
And just like that, Odette and I flew on, continuing until the break of dawn.
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