The next morning at the inn
"Yukito-san...it's morning already~"
I woke up to a soft voice calling me.
I opened my eyes.
"Ohayou gozaimasu, Yukito-san," (Hime)
I got up from the bed and sat down.
I yawned slightly.
"Hooaam… ohayou…" (Me)
I quickly got ready and put on my clothes.
"Let's go!" (Hime)
Today we have to complete the mission to Ulvur, right? Honestly… I felt kind of lazy.
On the way to the guild, I asked Hime and Yuu-chan:
"Hime, why do we have to leave so early?" (Me)
"It's best to start missions in the morning," (Hime)
"Yukito-sama, you never wake up early?" (Yuu-chan)
"Well… that's…," (Me)
Back in elementary school, I usually woke up at six, because… well, I was kind of forced to.
But once I entered middle school and started living on my own… I got used to waking up late, since no one woke me up.
I even got the nickname "The Late King" from my classmates.
"Late again, huh?"
"No parents at home, right?"
Hahaha… yeah, kind of depressing.
"Yukito-san, are you okay?" (Hime)
Turns out Hime noticed me zoning out.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," (Me)
The three of us finally arrived in front of the guild.
There, we saw a horse-drawn carriage already prepared for us… probably.
"Yukito-sama! Yukito-sama! Look, it's a horse carriage!" (Yuu-chan)
"Why are you so excited? Haven't you ever seen a horse?" (Me)
"Of course I have! Horses are awesome!" (Yuu-chan)
I examined the horse carefully.
Its coat was jet black, with a rather large horn on its head.
Its tail looked like burning black flames.
"Hime, what kind of horse is this?" (Me)
Horses like this are so different from Japanese horses.
"This is a type of monster horse, Yukito-san," (Hime)
"This particular horse we're using is the lowest rank," (Hime)
"Lowest?"
"Lowest? What do you mean?" (Me)
"It means this horse has the weakest abilities compared to the others," (Hime)
"Oh… got it…" (Me)
"Enough explanation? Let's get on!" (Yuu-chan)
Hime stopped Yuu-chan from getting on the carriage.
"We haven't bought supplies for later, Yuu-chan," (Hime)
"That's why we need to buy them first," (Hime)
Hime ended up buying only some bread and water.
"Is this enough?" (Me)
Just in case, if we run out of supplies, we might get stranded somewhere.
"Food, water… alright! Let's go!" (Hime)
"Let's go!!" (Yuu-chan)
The three of us got into the carriage.
Inside, it felt a bit cramped because an old man was riding with us.
And he carried a huge amount of luggage.
"Everyone on board? Let's go," (the old man said, guiding the horse)
During the journey, the old man suddenly spoke to Hime.
"Ojou-chan, you two are heading to Ulvur, right?" (He stammered)
(Yuu-chan didn't count, since only Hime and I could see him)
Hime replied,
"Yes… um…" (Hime)
The old man seemed to understand her meaning.
"Just call me Clever, Ojou-chan," (the old man)
"Yes… Clever-san," (Hime)
By the way, thinking about him reminded me of the useless god. I can't forget his antics.
Suddenly, Yuu-chan whispered to me:
"Yukito-sama, doesn't this remind you of that old man too?"
Turns out, Yuu-chan noticed it too.
"Yeah, I thought about that as well," (Me)
Then, Hime said to both of us:
"Yukito-san, Yuu-chan, don't talk like that to older people!" (Hime)
She probably thought we were talking about Clever-san.
Clever-san just chuckled.
"Don't worry, Ojou-chan," (Clever-san)
"Ojou-chan" is a polite way to say "Miss" or "young lady."
"By the way, Clever-san was a former member of the kingdom's special forces," (Hime)
Both Yuu-chan and I were a little surprised.
"Really!? Oji-san!?" (Me)
I usually call older men "Oji-san."
"Yes, indeed," (He replied)
"Yukito-san, that's rude!" (Hime, slightly annoyed)
"Relax," (Clever-san)
Clever-san glanced at Hime and me several times, sensing something was off. (Narrator)
Actually, Clever-san already knew who Hime and I really were (Narrator),
But for some reason, he didn't mention it at all.
"Oji-san, tell us a story about yourself," (Me)
I always enjoy listening to older people's stories.
"Where should I start…?" (Clever-san)
"Have you two ever heard of the war between Necvalion and Abbys 30 years ago?" (Clever-san)
I was a bit confused. Well, it's understandable—I had never heard of or read Necvalion's history.
I just shook my head.
"30 years ago marks the beginning of Abbys invading Velmoria. Initially, they only attacked Necvalion, but over time, their territory expanded. By 5 years ago, Abbys had conquered the entire Virosia island," (Hime)
Clever-san seemed slightly surprised at Hime's explanation.
"Ojou-chan, you read history books a lot, huh?" (Clever-san)
"Well… more or less. During the war's beginning, I was one of the leaders in the army," (Clever-san)
"Even though it happened a long time ago, I still remember the atmosphere back then," (Clever-san)
"But where there's good, there's also bad. Before the war started, I planned to marry a younger woman," (Clever-san)
Clever-san's story seemed to be heading… (an NPC preparing for war)
"What happened to that woman, Oji-san?" (Me)
"She suddenly had a son, and I didn't even know whose child it was," (Clever-san)
"Perhaps because I never noticed her figure, I didn't realize she was pregnant," (Clever-san)
"Even though we promised to marry after I finished fighting… but what could I do?" (Clever-san)
Suddenly, Clever-san seemed very confident.
"Even living alone, there's something you can achieve here… freedom," (Clever-san)
Then he held my hand.
"So, young man… don't waste your youth, which only comes once," (Clever-san)
I understood what he meant.
"Honestly, I think you two would make a great couple," (He said to both Hime and me)
Hime's face immediately turned red, and she looked away.
Suddenly, we heard the sound of crying from above the horse.
"Uh…," (Me, trying to ask)
It turned out that the rider was slightly crying after hearing Clever-san's story.
"Ji-san… you're a true man…" (The rider)
He wiped his tears.
"But yeah, you two better just enjoy your youth while it lasts," (He said, again addressing Hime and me)
"Oji-san, tell us another story!" (Me)
"I'm looking forward to hearing more than I expected," (Me)
"Yukito-san!? Look at the situation—" (Hime)
"I also want to hear more, Ji-san!" (The rider)
"Ehh?" (Hime)
"Okay, okay, what next?" (Clever-san)