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The day after we finished making the rounds to say our goodbyes and announced we’d be leaving in three days, we were being seen off by the people who had gathered at the South Gate.

“We’ll get stronger someday and set out on our own journey too, so I hope we can meet again then.”
“By then, we’ll be legendary adventurers, nya.”
“Sufi will be even more amazing by then.”
“Give it a rest!”
“Nyahaha~”

Sister and Langbert had come with Nick and the others. From the Alchemists’ Guild, there were Chytis Philip and Casey.

Since it was early morning, no one was there except the gatekeeper; everyone was bidding us a reluctant farewell in hushed voices.

“This is from all the staff. Alice, take care of yourself, okay? Look after your health… I mean it, okay?”
“Yeah…”

Casey gave me some underwear and socks. The quality varies, so they look hand-sewn—honestly, they’re a huge help. Since I usually have to make these things myself, I was honestly running low.

“I couldn’t exactly make them for you, after all.”
“Of course not.”

Casey’s retort to Chytis Philip’s joking remark created a warm, friendly atmosphere.

“But I’m surprised you understand my cue. Was it that easy to tell?”
“No, I figured you’d shift your departure date from the one you’re telling people about. And honestly, if you’d actually stuck to the original schedule, I would have called you out on it.”
“That’s a relief.”

I’d been worried we might end up leaving without anyone seeing us off.

“Aah, right. Chytis Khaleed… Last night, he loaded about four child-sized bags onto a carriage and set off for the east in a ‘slight’ hurry, but he asked me to pass on a message: ‘Let’s meet in the east eventually.’”
“…Have we troubled him?”
“He was already being urged to return quickly, so yesterday’s departure was his own decision. If it’s just him, crossing the Dragon Mountains Belt in a short time isn’t a problem.”
“Typical of him.”

There’s an established route across, so it’s not that dangerous in terms of risk, but the path itself is rugged. Even then, that didn’t faze him—that’s what you’d expect from a B-rank adventurer.

“Actually, he seemed kind of apologetic that he couldn’t see you guys off.”
“We can’t afford to pay him, and we can’t keep up with his pace…”

If we take the route through the Dragon Mountains, we won’t be able to use the carriage partway through. Since we’d have to proceed on foot from there, we couldn’t possibly keep up with a high-rank adventurer’s forced march. By we I mean me, I’d die.

And even if it’s Chytis Khaleed, we still can’t tell anyone about 404 or the Amazing Pocket. Since we have a place to stay that we can use while traveling, it’s better for us to walk little by little on our own.

“I really wanted you to take more time here, but…”
“It’s hard to live here.”
“There’s just so much going on that you can’t settle down, huh?”

If we wanted to play it safe, we probably should have stayed in this town for a few years, but seeing how chaotic things have been these past few days, I can tell the situation doesn’t allow us to put down roots…

There’s a risk of being chased down, but it’s better to push forward—even if it’s a bit reckless—than to linger in a place where our whereabouts are known.

“Anyway, I’m praying for your safe journey.”
“I’ll pray to the Lord Star Dragon too, so please be really careful.”
“Yeah, thanks.”

As soon as our conversation wrapped up, Sufi and the others arrived, escorted by the orphanage group.

“Are you done saying goodbye?”
“Yeah, what about Alice?”
“Done.”

Sister Anansha, whose wounds seemed to have healed completely, gave a gentle smile.

“Sufi, Noche, Filia, and Alice, please stay safe. May a gentle light continue to illuminate your journey.”
“See you again!”
“Bye, everyone!”

As the Sister spoke her prayer, Nick and the others were waving from a short distance away.

“You better train harder by the time we meet again nya!”
“Bye-bye! See you later! Sufi’ll send you a letter!”
“Sister, I’ll do my best!”

Noche, Sufi, and Filia waved back one after another. Come to think of it, Filia seems a little more composed.

Well, as long as she’s calmed down, that’s fine.

Our preparations are going smoothly. I had Filia carry a large backpack for camouflage, and Sufi carried me on her back.

“Thank you, everyone.”
“Thanks a bunch!”

Waving until the very end, we pass through the gate.

And so, we set out from Forligen in the morning mist.

…That said, the people at the Alchemists’ Guild were really nice.

Grandpa kept harping on until the very end that “you mustn’t trust people too easily” and that we shouldn’t reveal more information about ourselves than necessary. He told us to be especially careful around alchemists with ties to the nobility.

Hearing what Chytis Philip said made me understand a little what Grandpa warned us about, but… I still feel uneasy.

What on earth was Grandpa so wary of…?

Maybe I’ll figure it out once we get to Alveria.

■■■■■

Leaving Forligen and heading south along the highway, a vast grassland stretches out before us.

If we went straight to Panadia Port, it would take half a month by carriage, a month on foot, and about two months at our pace. However, that would mean cutting right through the middle of uncharted territory.

So, the highway takes a wide detour in an arc, passing through a post town in a neighboring country along the way before continuing on to Panadia. If we take this route, it’s a month and a half by carriage, or two months on foot.

For us, it’ll be four months.

The problem with taking the main road is that the neighboring country we’d have to pass through is a severe human supremacist state. Because of that, we can’t use the shared carriages that follow their patrol routes.

So, even though it’s on the edge, we’ll be passing through uncharted territory… specifically, the Eternal Ice Cavern.

An underground cavern covered in unfrozen ice, located right in the middle of the northern grasslands of Panadia. It constantly spews out ice-attribute mana, turning the area inside into a snowfield ravaged by blizzards.

Walking through the mild climate of the grasslands, only to suddenly find a snowfield swept by blizzards spreading out before you… there’s no other way to describe it than as utterly mysterious.

If we stick to the edges, there aren’t any particularly powerful magic beasts, and the distance is short. If all goes well, we can get through in a few hours… It’s a tough spot, but the danger level itself isn’t that high.

“The wind feels nice, doesn’t it?”
“Nya~ It’s been a while since I’ve felt this, nya.”

Watching the plants sway in the gentle breeze, the three of them walk along, their tails bobbing. Even though we’ve only been in the city for a little over a month, walking outside like this feels like it’s been ages.

We’ve had plenty of chances to split up and go our separate ways, so it’s a bit of a strange feeling.

“Let’s prepare our camp at the rest stop two stops ahead—the third one is too far.”
“Got it!”

It’s a bit early in the day, but there’s quite a distance from there to the next rest stop. Time-wise, it’s still pretty early, but if we aim for the third one, we won’t be ready to camp until just before evening.

Considering the possibility of other travelers being around, we can’t use the Apartment 404 door in the wide-open grasslands.

We’re not in a rush, and there’s no sign of anyone following us, so let’s take it easy.

“It’s been bugging me nya, but why are you the one giving orders, nya? The leader’s me, nya.”
“Right now, I’m the most suited to call the shots”
“Yup, yup.”

It’s not that I don’t respect her as the leader, but Noche still lacks the experience to handle the role. Sufi is incredibly smart, but she has a bad habit of relying on her intuitive understanding and skipping over the logical steps in the process.

Even though my knowledge is a mix of video games and stories from seasoned mercenaries, I can probably put together the best plan of action. I’ll leave it to the two of them when it comes to combat, so it’s the right person for the right job.

“Grr… Well, I guess there’s no helping it, nya. Let’s set up camp at the rest stop two stops ahead, nya!”
“Wooo!”
“W-wooo…”

Even though she looked a little annoyed, Noche agreed, so our plans were successfully settled.
It seems she made her decision after properly understanding the reasoning behind my suggestion, so I have a feeling the day when I’m no longer needed isn’t too far off.