Chapter 39: Traveling to Selene - Verene Vige


    It was the fifth day since our departure.


    We were still in the air.


    There were two roads to Selene, one to the west, through the neighboring Baron Formst. The other was south, through Viscount Keten''s territory. Thetter was the route I took on my way back from an expedition when I was eight years old.


    The southern route was a big detour, so we took the safer way to the west.


    The day after we set out, we arrived in Formst, delivered the letter from my father that I had brought to the Baron of Formst, and were taken care of for the night. Since the baron is an imperialist, but my family has good rtions with him, we leave the barony without any trouble.


    After that, we stayed in towns and viges along the road and made good progress along our way.


    "What are we going to do?


    Under the clear sky, a giant body was lying in front of me.


    "Well, I thought you might want some beef soon."


    "No, I''m not thinking about it! I can''t eat it up!"


    Gowthus, the bull demon, was out of breath, exposing his giant body.


    Pidosios, who had gone out to scout during lunch break, brought him along, saying, "Ha-ha-ha, there''s a big one." Das fired the first shot, Rnd stopped the rush, and Markant and Salma pinched him. They easily defeated it, but the problem was what happened next.


    It was too big.


    When Ipare it to Eras Rhino, it was cute, but it must have weighed close to two tons.


    Speaking of Gowthus, it is popr meat that evenmoners can afford. I would collect it if I could, but…


    Comparing the giant body to the wagon, he peered into the back of the cart.


    "If we take out all the cargo – we can manage to get it on, right?"


    "I wouldn''t rmend it. It will take at least a full day to get to the next vige of Ilsana. It will take at least a full day to get to the next vige of Ilsana, and if we load it up, it will take even longer and put more strain on the horses and wagon. Even if you make it to Ilsana, there are no towns or viges past there until Selene. If one of them crumbles along the way, it will be difficult to reach them by the deadline."


    If I ran alone, I could make it in time, but that would be bad.


    If the baron''s son came alone and on foot, it would not only tarnish the family name. He would be aughingstock.


    I stared at the source of the problem.


    It was his fault too. Why did he bring him here?


    Pidosios noticed the look in my eyes and smiled.


    "Don''t make such an oopsie face. Don''t worry. I can eat half a Markant."


    "Seriously, I''ll give it a shot."


    "Don''t!"


    I mean, they''re all…


    But wait, it might not be a bad idea to dismantle it.


    We circled the lying Gowthus.


    If we drain the blood and the entrails are processed, we can reduce its weight significantly. W also can carry its skin on foot.


    What about the round head? Are these bones? I had heard it was a bull demon, so I thought it might have big, stupid horns. It looks like it is wearing an upturned bowl. I don''t remember such a dinosaur.


    While I am thinking about this and that, Pidosios opened his mouth again.


    "Well, then, let''s take it to a nearby vige. If we share the meat, we can get free lodging, right?"


    "That''s what I''m trying to figure out."


    "Not that way. It''s off the road, but it''s in the north. It''s close enough that we can get there while the sun is still up."


    He sounded as if he had just remembered that he was there, but his timing was surprisingly good.


    "You''ve been trying to get me here since the beginning, haven''t you?"


    "I don''t want to stay in the field anymore. I want to drink and stay in bed!"


    "……," he confessed.


    It was only the second day of camping. It''s an adventurer''s daily life.


    "Well, it can''t be helped."


    Unexpectedly, Rnd agrees.


    "We''ll just have to carry it to that vige. You seem to be thinking that if we dismantle it and make it lighter, please don''t make the streets bloody. It is a nuisance to other travelers. If I may give you my personal opinion, you should give up and move on quickly."


    Rnd sometimes says things out of line. Giving up is out of the question.


    But no demolition? I thought it was a good idea.


    The distance from Reedwald to Selene is about ten days. Considering the possibility of being stranded due to weather, etc., they left 15 days ago. Since everything had been going well so far, we estimated that we would be able to arrive there by the ninth day at thetest.


    Although it would take extra days to go either west or north, there was plenty of time to spare. We had no choice but to choose the north, where horses and wagons would be less burdened. It was unpleasant to feel like we were being manipted, but it seemed we had no choice.


    The Markant had no objections, and we grudgingly decided to head north.


    ◇◇◇◇


    "So that''s the vige."


    I lifted my hips from the dais and squinted.


    In the middle of the grassy meadow spreading out on the hillside, we see a vigee into view.


    "That''s Verene Vige. The cheese here is delicious."


    This ce has the shape of a shallow basin with a slope, a vige in the center, a vast meadow covering it, and a forest leading to several low mountains beyond. This ce also has a narrow river that flows from the forest to the north, through the vige, and the other one is into the forest to the southwest. It was convenient for humans in some way, so they may have cultivated the original grasnd and expanded it to this point.


    "Oh, they''re here early."


    Pidosios pointed to a corner of the meadow.


    Looking there, I saw countless mops walking around


    "Hmm, a new kind of monster, huh?"


    "Idiot. It''s a sheep."


    "Don''t lie. Sheep are furry, adorable creatures. That''s a mop."


    "It''s a Zunu, isn''t it?"


    Valerie opens her mouth from the side.


    Gowthus upied the back of the cart, so I was on the driver''s stand and the others were on foot with the cart on their backs. Incidentally, Pidosios, the original culprit, is sitting next to me because he is a Gyoja. Am I the only one who thinks this is strange?


    "We had them in our vige, too. They are resistant to hunger and cold, so they are helpful in poor viges. I miss it – but this vige has so many of them."


    "Oh, by the way, there''s Weld to the northeast. I see, so this is a mop production factory."


    "Probably right. I ate cheese in that town. And it''s not a mop factory."


    Weld is a barony in the northern part of the road to Selene. This is probably in that territory.


    While we were talking about this, a girl appeared through the gap in the mop.


    And when she saw me, she ran away in a hurry.


    I must have rmed her.


    Since we couldn''t find a route to the vige, we went through the forest and pushed forward along a roadless path. It was understandable to be surprised when a group of up to ten armed men suddenly appeared.


    The vige was surrounded by fields. Because of that, even the farmers stopped their work to look at us.


    Thanks to the knightly Rnd leading the way, there was nomotion, but several men were waiting for us in front of the fence surrounding the vige.


    A rather elderly man was standing among the working men. He was probably the vige chief, judging from his appearance.


    We stopped the carriage a short distance away, and I dismounted and headed toward the vigers.


    Rnd dismounted and followed behind me.


    "I am Alter Les Reedwald. I am the son of Baron Reedwald, who has a fiefdom east of here. Are you the vige chief?"


    "Yes, I am, but ……"


    "I don''t like to go through the hassle of this. I''m going to get right down to business. I''m in trouble."


    The vige headman''s gaze wandered in confusion.


    The vige chiefs are not the only ones who are concerned about the quality of the products and services they offer.


    He led the chiefs on a tour of the vige, and when he quickly showed them the actual product, they rolled their eyes at the giant body that had been crammed into the back of the cart.


    "Is this a Gowthus?"


    "Yes, it is. Gowthas were valuable livestock used by hunters and adventurers to enrich their towns and viges. We couldn''t leave them behind, so we brought them here."


    "I see. But we can''t afford to buy a single Gowthus……."


    The chief''s face clouded.


    Well, that''s right. I don''t think Gowthus is that expensive, but buying is not synonymous with wanting to buy.


    "We''re not talking about buying one cow, we''re talking about wanting to buy one. I''m not asking you to buy a whole animal. Some meat, all the skin, the round head – can you use it for something?"


    I ask Rnd behind me.


    "It would be material for a buckler. It''s lightweight and hard, but surprisingly fragile."


    "Then you don''t want them. I want to make a deal with the rest of it minus those. I''ll need a ce to sleep for the night and a carriage to maintain. Oh, yes. And if you have any cheese in stock, share it with me. I hear it''s good."


    "I can get you that much in a minute. …… Are you sure you don''t mind?"


    "Sure. The main thing is not to waste this guy."


    The vige chief''s expression brightens as he realizes that I am serious.


    The most important thing to remember is that the best way to get the most out of your car is to use the best car insurance policy. Considering the weight, the edible parts must be substantial. It would not be a lucrative deal.


    Vigers who had heard the story began to gather around and thanked us, intimidated by Gowthus''s huge body.


    In response, we headed for our lodgings for the night, guided by the vige chief himself.