Chapter 68
"We've run into a merchant caravan.
They say they're in a hurry. Shall we move our carriage aside?"
"Hmm……."
At a glance, there were at least eleven freight wagons.
Talk about rotten luck. Of all places on this vast plain, how did two wagon trains manage to meet at one of the few crossroads?
It would probably be more likely to run into a band of thieves trying to rob the carriages.
Still, what had happened had happened.
We weren't in any particular rush, so we might as well let them go first.
If we took the lead for no reason, just imagining that long line trailing behind us was exhausting enough.
"Let's yield. Tell them to go first."
"I'll convey that."
After Noah spoke with the driver at the head of the other side's freight wagons, we moved our carriage back and made room for them to pass first.
That was when it happened.
"Whoa!"
One of the wheels on a freight wagon near the front of the other caravan collapsed, and the wagon lurched, spilling the crates from its cargo bed.
"Ugh……."
It was a sight that made me want to cover my eyes even as I watched.
Because whatever that was, I could tell at once it was an enormous loss.
As the crates tumbled down, their lids flew open or shattered, and the red fruits inside, each about half the size of a fist, were crushed by the impact, staining the dirt ground red.
"Oh no, no!!"
The driver was, of course, horrified, and everyone watching let out a sigh.
"Oppa. What happened?"
"The freight wagon up ahead spilled all its cargo. Looks like fruit."
Karen also poked her head out the opposite window to check.
"Isn't that Kelip?"
"What's Kelip?"
"A really precious fruit. I've never even seen that much of it piled up and transported before. And now it's all on the ground……."
While Karen was speaking, our carriage suddenly shook.
"What's going on?"
After an abrupt stop, now an abrupt start? Are we going to overturn too?
"What in the world is… ugh!!"
Only after I bounced up and hit my head did the shaking stop.
What the hell? The one that tipped over was the other freight wagon, so why was our carriage shaking?
I kicked open the carriage door and stepped out.
As soon as I saw the situation, I understood at a glance what had happened.
An invisible fruit fragrance hung thick and suffocating, like dense fog.
After only a few breaths, a strange taste lingered in my mouth.
It was the scent of the luxury fruit, "Kelip," smashed into the ground.
And that scent had driven the horses mad.
Our horses, which had been standing still, lost control and charged straight toward the pile of fruit, turning the crossroads into a mess that looked like a multi-car collision.
Amid the horses that had broken away from the line and the carriages that had left their places, everything was tangled in chaos, while the horses buried their heads in the ground and ate the Kelip.
What is this hopeless situation?
Both we and the people from the other caravan could only stare blankly at the horses enjoying their untimely feast.
"Lord Dekal. I apologize. We should have kept more distance."
Noah said.
"Who could have known this would happen? It's not your fault. How do we clean this up? First, I think we need to move the horses away……."
The horses didn't look like they would obediently listen.
What kind of fruit was this, for animals to go so wild over it?
If we interrupted their meal, it seemed like we'd get a solid kick from their hind legs.
"……It would be faster to clean up the Kelip spilled on the ground."
The thought that Noah was probably right made me sad.
"What is going on here!"
At that moment, a young woman's shrill voice pierced my ears.
I instinctively knew she was the owner of the merchant caravan.
From the clothes she was wearing, it was a splendid evening dress more suited to a banquet hall.
Even with her face all crumpled up and her nerves on edge, I could tell at once that she was a girl raised in privilege.
She had meticulously styled pink hair that fell to her back, and blue eyes that seemed to sparkle.
Her appearance was top-grade, but how should I put it?
She looked childish.
The situation was a complete disaster, but the way she displayed her emotions raw and unfiltered made her look like an immature girl not yet quite a lady.
"Ahh! The Kelip. The gift I was going to present to Father!"
People rushed over to support the girl, who was so shocked she could barely stand.
"Lady Diana! Please calm down."
"Do I look like I can calm down? This was something Father was looking forward to so much! Who was it? Who caused this!"
What was this ominous feeling that sparks were about to fly our way for no reason?
Soon, the woman called Diana gathered the merchant caravan's people, listened to this and that…… then walked in a straight line toward Noah and me.
Her gaze stabbed into me like a spear. So she wanted to talk to me.
Just as I had recognized her as the owner of the merchant caravan,
she must have recognized me as the owner of our group.
Naturally, we ended up facing each other.
It was truly a situation I had never asked for.
Diana set a hand on her waist, looked up at me with a threatening attitude, and said,
"You. State your name and family!"
Name, fine, but family?
Noah seemed to notice something and stepped forward.
"Lord Dekal. I will speak with her."
"Executor. Step back. I am asking this man right now."
Seeing as she recognized Noah as an Executor at a glance, was she from the Holy City?
Judging by the way she ordered around people who looked two or three times her age with a jerk of her chin, I could guess roughly how much power her family held.
I spoke as politely as I could.
"My name is Dekal. I have no family, and I'm merely an adventurer."
"Ha."
Diana snorted as if I were ridiculous.
As though she had realized I was the sort of person she could look down on.
She folded her arms and looked me up and down with contempt in her eyes.
"An adventurer? A lowly wanderer dares to block the procession of the Vanguard family?"
"I regret that an unfortunate accident occurred."
"Regret?"
Sparks flew from Diana's eyes. She looked like she might devour me whole.
"According to my people, your horses suddenly rushed out, and in the shock, the freight wagon overturned.
If that is true, then the one who should be feeling regret is you."
"……."
Diana glanced at our carriage and continued.
"Judging by your clothes and carriage, you don't seem like an ordinary adventurer. Some fallen, nameless house, I suppose. How do you intend to compensate us?"
Hah. They were startled because our horses rushed out?
It seemed the driver had made up a lie to cover himself.
"That's a misunderstanding.
Look at the wheel of your freight wagon. The wagon fell sideways first, and our horses were merely drawn by the scent of the fruit."
"A misunderstanding? Don't give me that nonsense. Even if what you say is true, this isn't something that can be overlooked."
"Hmm……."
I pressed firmly against my temple and said,
"This is just an accident. Let's resolve it without getting heated. Miss Diana……."
Slap!
I was dumbfounded.
Because Diana had suddenly struck me across the cheek.
"I never gave you permission to call my name! You rude bastard!"
"……."
Noah forced himself between Diana and me.
"Lady Diana. Violence will only worsen the situation."
"An Executor dares talk back to me? It seems that man is more important than your life."
"Darling!"
Isti ran over to me.
Then she examined my cheek with a tearful expression.
"I'm fine."
"But…."
That little girl's hand had some sting to it.
It felt like fireworks had gone off inside my mouth.
Seeing even Noah flustered, she must have been someone fairly high-ranking.
"Noah. Move."
"Lord Dekal."
"I've lost any desire to settle this nicely."
"Are you thinking of laying a hand on me? If you touch me, you will be executed immediately."
I looked steadily at Diana.
How should I have her apologize for this…….
With that thought, quietly.
"W-what is it?"
Diana seemed to sense a threat in the strange atmosphere and took a step back.
That was when it happened.
"Diana!"
Someone called Diana's name and approached.
"Sister!"
A woman who had been at the very back of the carriage procession appeared belatedly.
She seemed to be Diana's older sister. Pink hair, blue eyes of a bright hue.
But the impressions the two gave were completely different. If the younger sister was truly a flower raised in a greenhouse, the older sister had an unrestrained air about her.
Her hair was grown out naturally, and there wasn't a trace of makeup on her face, but her features were distinct and her skin tone was so clear that she was beautiful.
Her height, over 170 centimeters, tall for a woman, and her slim, model-like figure caught the eye.
She gently pushed away her clinging younger sister and approached me.
"My younger sister was rude. I'm sorry."
"……."
When the older sister apologized so readily, the anger that had surged up in me subsided a little.
Not that I intended to let it pass. But I did feel like I should watch how the situation unfolded.
"Sister, there is no need to apologize to people like this!"
"I know you're upset, Diana. Still, you can't suddenly hit someone."
Diana, who had been raising hell, shrank back.
"I'm sorry. This man overheard my name and dared to call me by it, so I just……."
You should be apologizing to the person you hit. Why are you saying that to your sister?
Unbelievable.
"Interesting."
Diana's older sister gave us a quick once-over and said,
"An adventurer traveling with an Executor and an elf.
Did you not know you shouldn’t address a noble by name so casually? Or are you simply fearless?"
"Is that all you have to say?"
I answered indifferently.
"If it were up to me, I’d like to just let you go, but we’ve suffered losses too.
Since your horses ate our Kellip, this is a matter involving the honor of House Vanguard. You can’t say it has nothing to do with you, can you?"
Was she saying that even fruit eaten by a beast on its own was something the owners had to take responsibility for?
The woman’s intentions became clear.
"You want us to compensate you? For that Kellip or whatever spilled on the ground."
"Mm~ It would be nice if we could receive compensation.
But I doubt an adventurer’s income could handle it. At current market price, it’s worth 6,800 gold."
Six thousand what?
What kind of fruit was that expensive?
"To be honest, an amount like that is nothing to us.
I just want this settled properly."
"Settled?"
"Yeah. So… if you hand over your horses, and one coachman’s head, I think that should about cover it. Diana. Don’t you think so?"
"They should all have their heads lopped off. Scum like this."
"I’m not a murderer, you know. That’s a bit much."
In exchange for losing 6,800 gold, she meant to kill all our horses and hold one coachman responsible, ending it there.
Hearing that startled me a little.
She was only younger than me, or around the same age, yet she said such horrifying things without batting an eye.
This was the first time I had felt this way since transmigrating.
It truly felt like meeting someone from another world. I could feel it on my skin—that her way of thinking, the way she had been raised, were completely different from mine.
What had I been doing at that age?
Killing people or horses to hold them responsible? I probably couldn’t even have watched cattle or pigs being slaughtered, though I ate them every day.
Everyone’s eyes gathered on me.
They were all waiting for me to speak. Not only the esteemed sisters of House Vanguard, but Noah, Isti, and Karen as well.
But I wasn’t nervous.
I was a hypnotist. I had casually uttered even those few words that could distort another person’s life.
Purely for my own pleasure.
Yes. Let’s enjoy this. Right now, I had only just reached my hand into a gift box. No one knew what was inside. That thrill, that flutter of anticipation—these sisters had given it to me as a present.
"And if I refuse?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that not only will we not hand over our horses or coachman, we won’t be satisfied unless we see you sincerely apologize."
"Ahaha!"
The older sister laughed heartily.
"Wow. Did you come here after living in another world? You’re the first person to ever say something like that to me."
"This is why country bumpkins are frightening. They know nothing."
Even the younger sister chimed in, irritatingly.
Well, they didn’t know hypnosis existed, so fine.
But even if it came down to force against force, our side seemed far stronger. What were they relying on to act so cocky?
Honestly, it even felt laughable.
"I like your spirit. I’ll introduce myself properly. I’m Tilia. Tilia Vanguard. A hero candidate of Melbrit."
Melbrit—wasn’t that the hero school?
"When I state my name myself, you’re allowed to use it."
Tilia said breezily.
"To think you were my senior. I’m Dekal."
"It is the selection period for hero candidates. So that’s why an Executor is with you?"
"Yes. Lord Dekal is the one who completed the emergency mission."
"Good. Diana. Tell them to bring my sword."
"Yes, sister!"
Diana went off in high spirits.
What, was she planning to do a sword dance now?
"Dekal. You look like you don’t understand. Our opinions differ, but we each have something we want. In that case, we should duel."
"A duel?"
Soon, one of the underlings who had received Diana’s order brought over an unusually slender two-handed sword, knelt before Tilia, and offered it up with both hands.
The blade was curved like a Japanese katana.
"If I win, I’ll take your horses and the coachman’s life. On the other hand, if you win, I’ll apologize, just as you want."
"……."
At last, things had been sorted out clearly.
I grinned happily.