Genjitsushugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki

15th day, 3rd month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar

It was a sprawling prairie in the northwestern part of the Kingdom of Friedonia.

A single wide road ran across that prairie with its excellent view, and on either side of that road were demon-destroying trees from the God-Protected Forest planted at regular intervals. This was one of the national highways that had been laid down as part of the transportation network. If one were to follow this road, they might pass merchant caravans protected by adventurers, or rhinosaurus-drawn freight trains.

It was a quiet spring day with clear skies. There was a covered wagon drawn by two horses traveling down said highway. In the covered cart were the wares of a common traveling peddler, but the horses which drew it were quite magnificent beasts.

We were inside that covered wagon. And I was talking to the guy who was running behind the cart.

What do you think, Hal? I asked. Hows it feel running down a road you built yourself?

I wont deny its gratifying, but... when youre the one who says that, it pisses me off a bit... Halbert said grumpily, still running outside the cart.

Currently, there were four of us riding in the covered wagon: Aisha, Kaede, Tomoe, and me.

This was the group traveling to the Star Dragon Mountain Range at the direct invitation of Mother Dragon.

However, we didnt know the reason for this invitation, and only a few of my closest retainers had been notified, so we needed to travel incognito. That was why I was wearing my usual Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago travelers outfit, consisting of a conical straw hat and a travelers raincoat; Tomoe was wearing a white mages hooded robe; and Aisha, Hal, and Kaede were each dressed as adventurers.

Of course, once we arrived in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, we intended to change into our formal uniforms that were loaded in the wagon.

Incidentally, the last member of our party, Carla, had gone ahead to scout out things in the direction we were traveling. It was useful having a dragonewt who could fly at times like this.

Aisha and I were relaxing inside the wagon, while Tomoe was in the drivers seat, having Kaede teach her to control the wagon. Because Tomoe and Kaede were of the similar-looking mystic wolf and mystic fox races, when they sat together in the drivers seat, they really did look like sisters, which put a smile on my face.

Hal had been in the wagon, too, at least initially, but then hed said, My bodys gonna get all numb like this, and gotten out to start running.

You were going through hard training as a dratrooper, werent you? I asked. You should take the chance to relax now, at least.

Youre taking it too easy... Hal gave me a stern and somewhat appalled look.

Uh... Yeah, he might be right.

I was in the covered wagon right now, resting my head in Aishas lap. My hat was resting on my chest, and I was taking things maybe just a little too easily. I shifted my head backward to ask Aisha, who was patting my head with a goofy look on her face, a question.

Aisha, are you okay? Im not too heavy?

Aisha came back to her senses, and shook her head with all her might. Not at all! If anything, I should ask if my lap is too hard for you. I have a lot of muscle, after all...

Nah, I think it has just the right level of springiness. Look, my finger sinks right in.

Wah! Hold on, that tickles!

When I poked her thigh, Aisha writhed a little. It was kind of cute.

Oh, for the love of... I dont want to be in a wagon with that atmosphere, Hal said with an I cant take any more of this nonsense attitude.

Yeah, if I were in Hals position, Id probably feel the same. Tomoe was hogging Kaede, too.

But, if I hadnt chosen you to accompany me, you two wouldve been aboard the Hiryuu, training as usual, right? I asked. Isnt it nice being able to relax?

Well, yeah, but... why are we on this relaxed trip, anyway? Hal demanded. Theyre meeting us at the border, right? Couldnt we have just taken a wyvern there?

As he said, someone from the Star Dragon Mountain Range was going to be coming to get us at a village on the northwestern border of the Kingdom of Friedonia. Once we got there, a dragon would carry us to the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

From the standpoint of pure efficiency, we could have stayed in the capital until just before it was time to go, and then traveled to the village by wyvern on the day of. But that wouldve been bad.

Ive finally been given a long vacation, I said. Itd be a shame to ruin it by rushing things, dont you think?

It happened while I was resting my head in Aishas lap with my eyes closed, thinking about that.

Hey, Hal commented. Looks like young Miss Carlas back.

Hearing that, I sat up. I called out to Tomoe and Kaede in the drivers seat to have them stop the wagon.

When I got out of the car, Carla was in the middle of landing. It wasnt a vertical drop; she came in at an angle to land like a passenger plane. She was probably landing that way to make sure no one saw up her apron dress.

I have returned from scouting, Master, Carla reported, fixing her skirt which had gotten just a little ruffled in the landing. It looked like shed gotten used to handling her miniskirt maid outfit.

When I decided to have Carla accompany me, I had thought it was a bit much to make her wear the maid uniform while traveling, and I had planned to let her wear the armor shed used in the war. But Serina the head maid said, I thought this might happen, so I prepared a maid outfit for traveling, and with a cool look on her face, she handed over the thing.

I used some of the materials that were offered to the royal family as gifts, ones where there were no other uses for, to improve my Little Musashibos, and it looked like this maid outfit used them, too. It was a superior product: blade-, arrow-, acid-, and heat-resistant; hard to stain, and easy to wash.

...Where does our head maids passion come from, and where is it going? I wondered.

That aside, I praised Carla for her work.

Well done. How was it?

There were no dangerous creatures up ahead... However... Carla said awkwardly, looking at her winged back.

I looked at her, wondering what was up, when I noticed two tiny feet sticking out from under Carlas armpits. Carla turned to face the other way, and I saw a little human boy who was about five years old stuck to her back. The boy looked frightened, clinging tightly.

Carla seemed troubled, saying, I found this boy alone and crying in an open spot on the mountains, and I couldnt leave him alone, so I brought him back with me. He seems scared of something... and he wont get down. Carla shrugged as if to say she didnt understand the reason at all.

Isnt he just scared because you flew through the sky? I asked. It looked like shed been flying at a pretty high altitude, so the boy had probably been clinging tightly so that he wouldnt fall.

When I pointed that out, Carlas eyes opened wide in realization. Ah! Y-Youre right. I had forgotten that humans dont fly.

Oh, come on...

When I gave her a less-than-amused look, Carla blatantly averted her eyes.

Kaede and Tomoe spoke to the boy gently, and managed to coax him down from Carlas back. But once he was down and the tension was relieved, the boy started to cry.

He was probably from a nearby village, and had gotten lost after wandering into the mountains. We had a boy on our hands who didnt know his name, didnt know where he lived, and kept on crying.

If Id been the dog police officer in the song Inu no Omawari-san, this would be where I would start barking because I didnt know what to do, and then give up.

The boy seemed to have taken to Carla because he was still clinging to her, and she was still panicking when I asked her, Do we have anything to go on?

Uh... AH! Carla cried. Now that you mention it. I saw a number of strange men in the mountains.

Strange men? I repeated.

We traveled for maybe another thirty minutes after that. When we brought the boy to the foot of the mountain where Carla said she had seen the men, the men in orange breastplates came out in force to greet us. I sent Carla ahead to explain the situation to them.

Like Carla had said, the men certainly did look like bandits. Their skin was tanned and swarthy, their faces thick with stubble, and they were a burly band of louts. They looked bad enough that Aisha and Hal tensed for battle when they saw them (Tomoe and Kaede were waiting inside the covered wagon), but the men showed no sign of bloodlust, and displayed no tension whatsoever.

One man who was larger than the rest stepped forward. You the one, mister? Im told you took a child into custody.

The man spread his arms out in an exaggerated gesture, grinning.

Yeah, I said. A member of our group took him in when she found him alone in the mountains. It would be a pain to deal with it if our identities came out, so I explained the situation to him politely. Have the boys relatives come to collect him?

Of course, said the man. Hey, you louts! Hurry up and bring the kids parents out!

One of the men shouted, Yessir! and rushed off to the rear.

The way they talked, they were totally like a bandit boss and one of his minions.

Not long after that, a woman who looked like an innkeeper from a village threaded her way through the men to appear before us. That woman, who looked confused as she walked through the group of men, looked pleadingly at me with desperation on her face.

Th-The boy... is my son, all right?! He wandered into the mountains on his own, and I havent heard from him since!

So this was the boys mother? She must have been very worried.

Please, relax, I said. There was no sign of him being injured.

I asked Carla to bring the boy. When Carla brought him out from the cart, the little boy made a beeline for the woman the moment he saw her, jumping into her waiting arms.

Moooooommy!

The woman held him tight. Thank goodness... Honestly, you silly boy! You had me worried sick!

Im sor... sor... ry...

Im really... glad youre safe...

The boy and his mother were reunited, and embraced.