Chapter 7 “There’s No Choice But to Run!”
“You want to run?”
In the early hours of the next morning, Roka suddenly started to say something. Shaula, still sleepy-eyed, yawns and asks what’s going on.
“I have had enough of horse-drawn carriage rides. I’m going to run to Granden!”
“…… Uuh, …… are you serious, Roka. It’s still going to take a long time to get there, right?”
“That’s why! I can’t limp along in a wagon for another ten days! I’m going! What are you going to do, Shaula?”
Seeing Roka’s sudden tyrannical behavior, Shaula let out an exaggerated sigh and then slunk up from her spot.
“If the master says so, it is the squire’s duty to obey.”
“Hmm. Well, then, get on with it and put the luggage on your back! Let’s go!”
“Yes, yes.”
Liz, who had been open-mouthed and dumbfounded by the fast-paced development, said.
“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Don’t you think you should just stop her right away? Are you sure you’re up for running from here? It’s along the highway, so there’s a fair amount of traffic, you know?”
“Don’t worry! We’ll be fine on the mountain roads! Even in the wasteland, it’s easy to run faster than a horse!”
“In retrospect, it would have been better if I had done that from the beginning. I have so much free time on my hands.”
Shaula was already carrying a bag on her back and was very motivated.
When Liz shrugged with a straight face in a “how do we stop these two idiots” kind of way, Keith, who was standing beside her, said.
“Have you forgotten what the Commander-in-Chief said? He told us to travel by carriage if we didn’t have any requests.”
“I didn’t expect to have so much time on my hands before I went, I can’t help it.”
“Yes, it is. It’s hard to sleep in a carriage. My body hurts.” Roka jumped out of the carriage. The pure white wolf girl followed suit.
“So long. You guys can enjoy your trip in the carriage. We’ll head to Granden first and beat up the strongest one in that military school.”
“Hey, you guys. ……”
“All right. I’ll go with you.”
“Keith? What’s wrong with your head too? I can’t keep up with you.”
When Liz held her head as if she had a headache, Keith frowned as if it was hard for him too.
“Think about it, Liz. If we send these guys to Granden first, we don’t know what they will do. It’s a matter of dignity in our Mildiana military school. I have to go with them and keep a close eye on it.”
“Bastard! What do you think we are?”
“It’s probably a rabid dog or something. You should be grateful I’m following you.”
“I don’t need it. I’m going to leave you behind. Don’t you expect lick the feet of the beastkin race later.”
“I’ll take that word back to you, Roka. I’m a human, but I’m also a prophet. I can run with a physical ability that far exceeds that of a normal person.”
For some reason, Keith promptly jumped off the wagon with a bag on his back.
“Good. I’ll leave the rest to you, Theo!”
As soon as she said that, Roka disappeared from my sight in a flash at a very fast speed.
After a short pause, Shaula also started running as fast as her master, and Keith followed suit.
The strange event that started as a whim of a fox girl ended in a few minutes.
Liz, who was unable to keep up with how quickly things were unfolding, groaned and said “uh” and “um” before sitting down.
“Well, it’s no use for me to be in a hurry. Well then, Theo, let’s enjoy the carriage ride alone together from now on, just two of us.”
“Hey, damn elf. Don’t forget about me.”
“Why don’t you go with Roka and the others, Julian? We’ll take our time.”
Liz said, but I was already getting my pack bag ready.
“Hey, Theo? What’s wrong?”
“No, I thought I’d go for a run. I enjoy traveling in a carriage, but I’d like to run directly into the wind of the empire.”
I jumped out of the carriage while Liz opened her mouth as if she had seen something incredible.
“Well, Liz, Julian, take care of the rest. Thank you to all the coachmen. Will you take them to Granden on schedule?”
“Oh, well… no problems.”
“I can’t believe you’re running from here to Granden, but …… I guess the chosen ones in the military academy are different.”
I was just about to go when Liz yelled, “Wait a minute!” she shouted.
“What’s going on?”
“‘All right, all right. Roka, Shaula and Keith are idiots. But, I finally realized that you’re an idiot too. Theo!”
“Don’t say that with a straight face, ……. I mean, what’s with that luggage?”
Before I knew it, Liz was carrying a bag on her back.
She said with a dumbfounded look on my face as she tied her long dark green hair back with a ribbon she took out of her luggage.
“I’m going for a run, too. I don’t really like exercise, but I’m not bad at it. I’m confident that I can move faster than you on mountain roads and in forests.”
“You got a point, Liz. Let’s have a race, shall we? Let’s see who can get to Granden first.”
“We’re going to do this! I’m going to go all out!”
Liz, who had somehow come to the point of resignation, made light of the situation.
As we were doing our preparatory exercises, Julian, who was still in the carriage with his back against the bag, said.
“Well, that’s five noisy people out of the way. Now I can enjoy my trip alone.”
“Hey, Theo-kun. You can’t stand the thought of being with that ‘thing’ for ten days, can you? At least not for me.”
“I don’t like the idea of being with a noisy bitch like you either.”
Liz stuck out her tongue and glared at Julian. The dragon race boy snickered at that.
“Can I leave the carriage to Julian, then?”
“Oh. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure we get there on time. Just get going. You’re interrupting my reading.”
“Yes, yes. Okay, Liz. Let’s go.”
“Theo~kun? This is a competition, okay? Don’t be too friendly. The winner gets to grant the loser one wish for everything.”
“Is it like a punishment game? Okay. I’ll think of all kinds of fun things for you to do.”
“Mmm…. I told you, didn’t I? I’m not going to lose at all! I’m going first!!”
Liz said and ran off in a flash, her dark green hair fluttering like a horse’s tail.
For what it’s worth, her physical abilities are also quite impressive.
I don’t know what my current body would do if I had to compete in the woods or on mountain trails. I’ll have to get going soon.
“You take care of the rest then, Julian!” That’s all I said, and I followed after Liz.
We ran through the forest area during the busy hours, and night fell before we could take a break at all.
In the end, I couldn’t see the four who had run off ahead of me, but I wondered if they would take a rest.
With the strength of a prophet, they should be able to run through two days without rest.
However, this aspect of physical strength is greatly influenced by the power of the original race. If you’re Roka or Shaula, you’ll be able to reach Granden without a day’s rest.
They’ll even probably say they can eat while running. Keith and Liz would need at least one big rest. Human
and the physical aspects of elves are almost the same.
Keith, who works out all the time, may have a slight advantage, but after all it will not be as good as the beastkin girls. It should already be quite a distance away. They must already be quite a distance away.
Liz also had a great initial speed, but I don’t think she can maintain that speed. I think it’s time for her to go to sleep.
By the way, if I use the Wind Swift Technique, I can probably catch up with Roka and the others even now.
But I won’t do that. I’m afraid they’ll complain about it later. Mainly from that white wolf.
Keith is okay, but I want to win against Liz. What do I do to her later if I win? While I’m sure it will be fun, I never know what she’ll ask me to do if I lose. ……
But today I’m just not getting enough sleep.
It would be better to rest my body for a bit, just in case.
I walked deeper into the forest and climbed up the biggest tree and sat down on a thick branch.
The moon is beautiful. The stars are not bad either.
Let’s enjoy this scene for a while and then go. Now, let’s stop this human state.
–I quietly vacated the space next to me and called out her name.
“Rena. Come out.”
“Yes.”
Rena jumped a foot and came up on a tree branch.
“Are you okay? Aren’t you tired?”
“That’s my line, Lucifer-sama. Running all morning, no matter how great Lucifer is, it will be a heavy burden on your body.”
“I can afford it, but it wouldn’t hurt just the two of us to see this kind of scenery once in a while, would it?”
“Well, then, Lucifer-sama, ……, you didn’t mean for me to?”
The moment I nodded, she hugged me with all her might and I almost fell off the branch.
“Rena, …… it’s dangerous.”
“This is exactly what I mean when I say we can’t be alone! I need to make sure I have enough for you, Lucifer-sama!”
The maid girl said with a sniffle and came close to my body, resting her head on my shoulder.
As I held her in my arms, I looked up at the sky and suddenly saw something strange.
A number of red shimmering lights spread out in the starry sky.
The red glow would disappear for a moment, then glow again in a nearby place, and then disappear again. It repeated itself over and over again.
“So that’s ‘The Glimmer of a Red Star. That’s unusual.”
“It really is ……. It’s something that only happens once every few decades. It’s not often that you get to see something like that next to your beloved husband, and I could die right here. …… Oh, no, no, I can’t die yet. There are plenty of things I want to do with Lucifer-sama!”
I stared at it as I stroked Rena’s head in pleasure.
The twinkling of a red star. It’s an astronomical phenomenon that can be seen all over this continent.
It’s a wonder that the red star shine so beautifully and is different from ordinary stars.
As Rena said, it happens once every few decades or so. At least I don’t know why such a phenomenon occurs.
I wonder if everyone else is looking at the glittering lights right now.
“It’s beautiful. ……. Hey, do you know? There’s a legend that couples who see the twinkling of Red Star together will always be tied!”
“We’re already tied together, aren’t we? It’s not like this is the first time I’ve seen it with you before.”
“That’s not I mean! More powerful! More powerful! A true couple must be tied to the point where they can never be pulled off! Moreover, when men and women meet with that brilliance in their backs–”
“Okay, okay. Easy, Rena.”
As I tried to quiet her excitement, I suddenly thought of something. It was a bad idea to say such a thing to a girl who was so happy to see such a beautiful sight. Maybe I should just be quiet and admire the beauty of Red Star for now.
…… But you know, Lena. The glimmer of a red star has a very different lore than the sweet words you say.
As I gazed at the glowing and fading red star, I was reminded of the legend behind the phenomenon.
“When the red star twinkle in the night sky, that is an omen. A bad omen.”
Lumiere knows more about this story.
Rena and I had witnessed this phenomenon several times before, and we had enjoyed watching this beautiful scene together, but Lumiere was different.
This girl, who at first glance seems to have no interest in this kind of thing, but she really hates this phenomenon. The mere sight of it makes her frown and grimace.
It’s supposed to be a sign from Orphelia, the Great Goddess of Creation, but…
…Anyway, I had never listened to her depth because Lumiere hated it like crazy.
But if you say that those red stars are a bad omen, I can’t deny it either.
Because, just before Satan disappeared, the red star shimmered.
Several hundred years ago. The entire demon race of Tenebrae has been suffering from an uncontrollable urge for destruction.
He was attacked by a movement that began to overrun the surrounding countries in the west one after another – when the previous Lucifer completely lost his mind.
Just before that, the red star was still twinkling.
