It’s been a week since I caught the suspects.
News came that a punitive expedition was being organized to subjugate the Halphas Cult. The fact that Karina almost got assassinated must have opened the lid for the top brass of Kalon Church, as they declared outright that the Knight Order and the Militia would gather to crush the Halphas Cult.
It was a sudden declaration of war, but no nation tried to intervene. To put it bluntly, there were hardly any countries on this continent that didn’t believe in the Kalon Church. If they didn’t want to be branded as heretics, they better know how to bow down.
Of course, the Halphas Cult didn’t respond to the declaration made to the entire world.
No surprise there. If they were honorable enough to fight fairly, they wouldn’t resort to ambush tactics in the first place.
By now, they must be preparing to flee, right?
… Or maybe they’re thinking of a countermeasure.
Maybe they’ve been hoping for this situation from the very beginning.
“… Not my concern.”
My current goal is to safely arrive at Kalon Academy with Karina.
No matter what happens, I have to keep Karina alive. She’s the very axis of the main storyline, and if something happens to her… there will be great chaos in the world, not just at the Academy.
… It’s also because I could call her a friend personally.
Anyway, as long as there’s no way back, I have to avoid at least getting a bad ending.
I don’t want to die in a world that ended in despair after barely surviving on a deserted island.
“Johann, Johann!”
“… What?”
“Look at this!”
Millia spun around with her arms open in front of me. Naturally, the same design of priest robes as Karina flapped around. Millia seemed to be very pleased with her new outfit.
“It looks good on you.”
“Right? Right? Hehe.”
“Don’t rush too much. If you fall from getting dizzy…”
Just as I said that, she falls over. I slipped my hand under her armpit and lifted her up. Since she was small, she wasn’t very heavy. It’s only natural since she’s a bit smaller than the little Karina. It’s true for both height and figure… Not that she’s weak or anything.
“Be careful. The band around your neck is holding your head up, but if you move too vigorously, your head might just fall off.”
Even though the band was painstakingly crafted from expensive materials bought in the market, you never could tell what would happen with rough movement, so it would be best to stay calm. I did make some spares just in case…
“Got it!”
“Don’t just answer with words.”
Feels like looking after a younger sibling. Is this what it would be like if I actually had a sibling?
I gently patted Millia’s head and stood up. The escort preparations must be nearly finished, so it was about time to get moving.
“Millia. Did you pack your things?”
“Yeah! Books to read, snacks, clothes, towels…”
“Did you put them in your bag?”
“Yep!”
“Well done. Now go grab your bag and come to my room.”
“Okay!”
Millia rushed out of the room noisily, just like when she came in. Sigh. I thought something had happened when she barged in, and it turns out she just came to show off her clothes. I couldn’t help but chuckle.
So, time for me to get ready too.
I picked up a towel from the bed and headed to the washroom.
——————-
“Renny, I have a question.”
“Huh? What is it…”
Renny, who was eating a sandwich next to me, gulped down her mouthful with gusto and looked at me, as if asking what I wanted to know. I tapped my finger against my right lip. At my gesture, Renny wiped a piece of ham off her mouth with her finger, sucked on her finger, and cleaned both her mouth and finger with a handkerchief.
Usually, when someone does that, they reapply their makeup, but Renny didn’t seem to wear any.
“What do you want to ask?”
“Why not summon a professor? Isn’t it faster to bring her than to go there?”
Surely a professor coming would be faster than the blessed Saint herself, right?
“Because there are holy relics of Sabrina at the Academy. It seems that the curse on Karina cannot be lifted without such a high-level artifact.”
“Sabrina?”
“Oh, you wouldn’t know. That’s the name of the first Saint who founded the Academy. The Kalon Academy was established under the motto of preparing for disasters. Saints traditionally hone their piety and skills at the Kalon Academy before enrolling. But…”
“Oh, that was the setting.”
“What?”
“Nothing!”
It wasn’t like I could quickly teleport there by clicking an icon on a map like in a game, so that was a pretty reasonable answer. If I remember correctly, the holy relic that protects the Academy shouldn’t be casually moved.
Then again, it’s not like the higher-ups didn’t think of that.
… Right?
“Johann, do you know how to ride a horse?”
… Ah. I was too busy making that band for Millia and crafting things from the stuff I bought at the market that I hadn’t had time to learn how to ride horses. I thought I could just wing it.
“… I’ll figure it out as I go.”
“No, that won’t do! I’ll teach you how to ride, so come here for a second!”
“I want to learn too!”
“You’ll be riding in a carriage since you need to attend to Lady Karina…”
“I want to try riding a horse…”
“Alright, alright. You come too.”
Leading a horse to a secluded area, Renny gave Millia and me a quick lesson on horseback riding. The lessons were surprisingly easy to understand, and I was able to pick up the basics of riding.
… But the real thing is different.
“… The rest you’ll learn as we head to the Academy.”
“Okay!”
“Thanks.”
“You don’t need to thank me. It’s just what I’m supposed to do.”
Her shy demeanor while scratching her cheek at my response was quite refreshing. It was the first time I found Renny cute. She usually showed a rough demeanor, both back on the deserted island and here. As I stared at her, Renny shot me a sharp glare.
“What are you staring at?”
A curt voice. But with her face flushed, she seemed to be embarrassed.
“Renny, are you feeling unwell?”
“Suddenly throwing that out there. No, I’m not.”
“Let’s start heading back. We’ll be setting off soon.”
“Yeah. Let’s hurry back…”
We rejoined the soldiers busy preparing to set off, Millia sandwiched between us, grinning from ear to ear.
——————-
“It feels like we just set off, but it’s already been a month.”
“Right? Time flies, doesn’t it?”
I handed a cup filled with water to Renny, who was sitting next to me. Chewing on jerky while soaking up the sun, Renny grabbed the cup from me and gulped down the water. Droplets trickled down her jaw to patter on her knee.
“It was fun playing with the horses!”
“Just don’t feed them anything other than carrots, okay? You know kids can’t eat meat.”
“They seemed to enjoy it!”
“Well, they might eat it, but it’s not good for them.”
“Got it!”
“Right, right. Good to know you listen…”
Renny chuckled and ruffled Millia’s hair. Millia seemed to enjoy Renny’s touch as she nuzzled against her hand like a puppy. A warm smile spread across my face. Looking around, I noticed other soldiers were smiling happily at Millia’s antics as well.
Seeing some of them blushing, I couldn’t help but wonder.
It’s hard to imagine her having a crush on anyone.
“Johann, why are you staring like that?”
“Nothing.”
“Whenever you say that, there’s definitely something!”
“Just take it as that.”
To evade further inquiries, I roughly patted Millia’s head and stood up to stretch. It was time to check on the state of the carriage since we finished eating.
The carriage, handcrafted by a skilled craftsman, always taught me a lot about structure and design, so I would often take a look whenever I had some free time. Honestly, I wanted to dismantle it, but that wasn’t possible, which was a shame. Understanding the design hands-on would make crafting or repairing carriages a lot easier with skills.
“… Should I take a little peek?”
I pondered as I looked at the five carriages lined up to conceal which one the Saint was riding. One could disappear without anyone noticing… No, I shouldn’t give in to temptation. Lost in thought while examining the carriages, I was startled.
“… Who’s there?”
I snapped back to reality, turning my head at the rustling in the bushes. Since the soldiers were on high alert, there was hardly a chance someone suspicious would be around, but I still felt uneasy—
“… A goblin?”
A green creature, about knee-high. The same goblin that often appeared as low-level mobs in games. In this bizarre encounter, I scratched my chin. Why is a goblin here? The little green creature seemed to have just noticed me as well and stared back.
The goblin glared at me with intent to kill in its eyes. For just a moment, we locked gazes.
“I’ll give it to you! Human!”
What the hell is this? Did those guards fall asleep or something?
Whoever it is, they deserve a good smack.
With a shout, I activated my skill just before the goblin could reach me.
“Crafting!”
I raised a mound of dirt to create a small pillar beneath the goblin’s feet. With just that simple maneuver, the goblin hit its mark and fell, frothing at the mouth. I scanned the surroundings, on high alert.
For now, only one was in sight, but I couldn’t dismiss the possibility of more. Goblins are known to live in groups, after all.
“… Did it just happen to break through the guard line?”
Just at that moment, the environment fell silent for a considerable time, leading me to draw that conclusion.
“Assault! Everyone, arm yourselves and prepare for battle!”
Damn it. I thought we could go on peacefully.
I kicked the ground and dashed to where I left my shovel.
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