It must have been about an hour since I left Schultria, the village of Half Elves. As I spent my time reading the book that Tori gave me in the carriage that continued along the narrow mountain road, I heard Kazur murmuring without anyone.

Well, it's about time.

In that voice, I close the book I was reading and turn my face towards the podium where Kazur is. Then the trees that had hitherto grown to surround the carriage slowly disappeared from sight, and instead, a vast grassland appeared in front of him, overlooking the horizon. It's a meadow where there are no trees, no streets, and no dead brown grass all - you - can - swarm.

It appears that the carriage passed through the forest safely. Through the green tunnel that was blocking the sun, you can feel the outside scenery even more dazzling. I narrowed my eyes by accident.

"Wow, this is outside the woods!

Esther raised her voice as she stepped forward on the podium. It's the first time Esther has lived outside the world in 15 years. You'll be touched.

Celine looked at the ester with a smile, and Nicolas lay face to face towards Celine's stomach on her lap pillow. Incidentally, Nicolas had been sleeping in a raccoon for a while, but she really fell asleep sometime.

When I walk on my knees behind the carriage, I push up the back curtain and peek out. Then I saw a deep forest with dense tall trees gradually farther away.

This carriage should have come out of that forest, but now we don't know where the exit was. It seems difficult to get around in a pedestrian market, but is it also a landmark for anyone who understands?

With that in mind, I decided to call Celine, who was gently stroking Nicolas' hair. I've been quiet since I wanted Kazur to focus on the dangerous mountain trails, but I think it's time we had a chat.

"We've been in the woods a long time."

"Yes, hey. Originally, the ancestors wandered through the woods and built a village around where they found the portal crystal. That's why it's so despicable."

I see, it was a village with portal crystals. Nevertheless, I found it in such a deep forest. Do you feel anything in the woods when you mix it with elf blood? Well, Deal seems to have a terribly good hunch about Celine... but that doesn't really matter.

Anyway, I think it makes a lot of sense to make a place with a portal crystal. Although purification takes time and effort, it is a very convenient substitute for anyone who wants it.... speaking of which, is it possible that anyone who wants it could be targeted by people?

"Hey, Celine. Is there a portal crystal somewhere else? For example, I don't think it's strange that such people as kings and nobles are secretly securing their lives no matter when they are targeted."

Celine answers my question with her head tilted.

"Hmm, I think there are other portal crystals themselves. They say it was a crystallized mana pulled out of nature, and I hear it was in my ancestral elf village.... but when it comes to ensuring that, I wonder ~"

Yeah, there are other places. Celine continued her words.

"The portal crystal still pulls mana out of the surrounding nature. I'm sure if you build a castle nearby and the forest disappears from all around you, you'll soon die. Now, if we keep the woods and go through the land with mana... once a week, the portal crystal cannot contain mana, and the refined portal stones will be absorbed into the body. That's why I need to go through the bustling legs, but it's like," There's something here, "and it might be quicker to honestly build a hidden passage in the castle.

Sure, I don't think we can use it for escape. After all, it means that the Portal Crystal can be handled effectively because it is a half-elf that lives deep in the woods, is good at magic, and has a long life with tricks and mana.

"Well, if I could just make it as crisp as you, it would be something else."

Celine laughed naughtily and closed the conversation.

◇ ◇ ◇

I continued to run in the prairie for a few hours. I've ridden a carriage twice before, but Kazur's carriage seems to be running faster than that.

And even though it is such a high-speed carriage, the horse has only been given one break so far. Besides, it seemed like I would leave as soon as I drank enough water. I decided to ask Kazur honestly because it didn't look like the horse was fighting.

"Mr. Kazur. I think this carriage is going pretty fast, but is it okay if the horse breaks are so short?

"Fufufu, you've heard so much ~"

Kazur looked back from the podium and showed me his good face.

"I have a gift called" Friends of the Beast "."

Friends of the Beast... bless you and your friends. What kind of gift is that?

"Wow!

Nicolas woke up just now and shouted in surprise. Do you know what a gift is? No, it's not. I'm sure I just wanted to say it, no doubt. However, Kazur, who was careful with Nicolas's reaction, pointed at the two horses under his eyes with a smile.

"Only animals like Darrell and Kevin have gotten along with me, but I can restore fatigue to nearby beasts. I mean, these two are always running while I recover."

What's that? What's that? "Friends of the Beast" was really awesome. I have tried various ways to recover from fatigue with light magic, but it is very difficult to recover from fatigue even if the wound is healed. It is still Mt. Seki-no-Yama that has slowly recovered from fatigue in the potion bath.

"When I realized I had this gift, I thought I'd have to be a merchant anymore. Thanks to this gift, we can travel a longer distance than ordinary merchants, and even if we get caught up in bandits, we can easily escape ~"

Celine adds words to Kazur's bragging.

"Thanks to Mr. Kazur, we'll arrive at our target village of Lev in only two days. Thank you so much."

I was told that I would arrive in the village the day after tomorrow, but if Kazur hadn't been caught, he would have walked. It must have been quite a journey. You can see me walking around with Nicolas behind my back.

"When you get to the village of Lev, you'll say goodbye to Mr. Kazur, right?

"That's right, I'm going to another village from there. There's a ride out of the village, so you can go to the station town."

The village of Sekkat is, but some villages don't have carriages to catch. I haven't heard from you, but you may have taken the trouble to pick the village first.

"When we get to the village of Lev, we'll ride a carriage from there to the town of Tolfe. Oh, yes, I'd like to ask Marc..."

Hmm? What is it?

"I can go from the town of Tolfe to the town of Fathia via another station town, but I can also go via the territorial capital. Which way would Marc like to go?

"Are the dates and expenses unchanged?

"Well, I guess the schedule hasn't changed much. Expenses... are just a little higher in the territorial capital? Well, it hasn't changed much, so don't worry about the money."

The budget for this trip is not only for food and clothing purchased in Sturtoria, but also for Céline to pay for the stopover. Esther, who was supposed to follow her by flight, said Celine would take care of her financially until she settled down in the town of Fathia.

"What do they think?

As for me, I already have a mind, but I can't decide by myself. I also asked Esther and Nicolas.

"Territorial capital is the most prosperous town around here, right? Well, I'm not interested, but I'll go with Marc."

I don't care what Nicola says.

Estelle was excited by her reluctance to answer, but her curiosity couldn't be suppressed, and Nicolas answered with a face that seemed good from the bottom of her heart.

In that case, the story is settled. I told Celine how I felt when I turned around.

"Celine, I want to go to the capital."

"Ufufu, it's settled. Well then, let's try our best for the Territorial Capital... I guess we haven't even arrived at the first village yet."

"That's what it is. Let Darrell and Kevin hang on a little longer until dark ~"

Moving the rope so that Kazur stroked lightly, the two horses hissed with pleasure, and the carriage ran further along the meadow.