Instead of the flustered Lady Kisea, I hugged Roka from behind and patted her head.
She tried to keep an angry face, but eventually couldn’t hold it and broke into a silly smile. By the time she came to her senses, the momentum she had built up had already fizzled out.
“Phew!”
Lady Kisea finally let out a breath. She couldn’t bring herself to scold Roka any further and instead shed tears over the tattered clothes.
“My clothes… I was planning to keep them as a memento.”
“Just go to the Noble Academy and get another one. If you ask, they’ll give it to you.”
The Princess, who had also come after receiving a notification, patted Lady Kisea on the back after witnessing everything.
“Really? For free?”
“That’s the kind of benefit you should get as a noble of the Empire.”
“Can I get about five sets?”
“That might be a bit…”
The Princess, looking troubled, averted her gaze.
“I’ve never heard of anyone doing that before, so I’m not sure.”
The rules clearly state that, but since no one has ever requested multiple sets of clothes before, the Princess wasn’t sure if they would actually give them out.
Formal attire is for official events, and for parties, they wear even more extravagant clothes, which are naturally purchased with their own money.
Even I, who don’t know much about nobles, understand that they value their reputation. If word got out that a noble was greedily requesting multiple sets of free clothes, it’s obvious what the other nobles would think.
They might even be called stingy misers. Nowadays, nobles don’t hold as much power as they used to, and they know it themselves.
That’s why they cling even more to their wealth. Those who flaunt their riches to show that their authority isn’t dead wouldn’t be interested in free clothes.
‘Yurinel also tried to live extravagantly to fit into noble society but gave up. She said she was fed up and couldn’t do it anymore.’
It’s a culture that’s hard for those not born into nobility to adapt to. The girl who once longed for it finally got what she wanted but became indifferent afterward.
The title of Countess Lacphonsia didn’t last more than a few days. Eventually, she became Yurinel again. Somehow, I feel like Lady Kisea will follow the same path.
But that’s for later. Right now, Lady Kisea seems completely captivated by the word “free.”
She snatched the pouch from the dazed Roka and quickly ran off. She probably plans to sew and mend the torn clothes to wear them again.
Seeing Lady Kisea’s attitude, Roka tilted her head, looking puzzled. After a while, she made a face like a puppy who had done something wrong. She must have realized she misunderstood something.
“Um, Master…”
Realizing her mistake, her voice grew small. Roka whispered softly.
“Yesterday… nothing strange happened with you and sis, right?”
“At least not the kind of thing you’re thinking of.”
“Ah…”
“Shouldn’t you apologize?”
I smiled at her. It wasn’t a real smile.
Roka shrunk back and answered in a small voice, “Yes.”
…That’s why, even as we set off from the Capital towards the Eastern Plains, things are still awkward between us.
“Your Majesty, we will head to the Arctic. Please take care of yourself.”
“I pray for your safe return. Let’s meet again alive.”
After exchanging final goodbyes with His Majesty and the others, we set off towards the Arctic. Following the same route Yurinel and I took last time, we plan to cross the Kalkanmir Mountain Range to reach the Arctic.
Last time, we approached the mountain range from the west, but this time we’re coming from the south. Last time, we headed to the Arctic from the Demon World, but this time we’re starting from the Capital.
I never thought I’d set foot there twice, but it seems to be my fate.
“Hey, sis.”
“What!?”
Roka tried to talk to Lady Kisea but retreated with an awkward expression. Lady Kisea, completely sulking, hasn’t said a word since we left.
“So… are you still mad?”
“It’s the first outfit I received after becoming a noble. I wanted to show my parents how I looked in it.”
In the end, Lady Kisea didn’t get a new uniform. To be precise, she only made a reservation and came back.
It turns out that these uniforms aren’t mass-produced; they’re custom-made after taking measurements. The outfit Lady Kisea received initially was probably just leftover stock.
The Noble Academy is more cunning than I thought. If Roka hadn’t torn the clothes, Lady Kisea wouldn’t have known this. That’s probably why she’s even more upset.
Still, she must have some attachment to that outfit because, even though the pouch was torn, she carefully sewed it up and folded it neatly to minimize wrinkles, placing it in a shabby jar.
“Sorry…”
Perhaps the resentment was deeper than expected, as she turned her head away without a word. This left only me and the Princess in an awkward position. The atmosphere was so tense that it was hard to bring up any conversation.
Should I try to create some divine power to mend the torn clothes? But wouldn’t that be a complete waste of divine power if used on clothes instead of people?
I thought about mediating between the two but decided against it. After all, Roka is an adult now. I decided to treat her as an adult and let her handle her own problems.
Back when I was Roka’s guardian, I took responsibility for the problems she caused. But now, it’s time for her to learn to solve her own problems.
[So you’re just going to leave it be?]
“They grow through conflict. As long as it’s not too big of a fight.”
[It’s your call. By the way, they’re following us again today.]
“Following us?”
The dragon inside the Dragon’s Sword looked somewhere and then stared straight at me.
[They don’t seem to want to get too close, but they don’t want to stay too far either. Are they shy? I can’t tell.]
Judging by the cryptic talk, it doesn’t seem like a big deal. If something dangerous were approaching, he would have made a fuss and told me directly.
More importantly, even though we haven’t reached the Eastern Plains yet, the environment was already strange. A cold wind was blowing, and at night, it felt like we were on an ice field.
I’ve heard that the Eastern Plains are hot during the day and cold at night all year round, but it seems the climate here is just like that. I have no idea how that works.
“The Bluebird’s feathers…?”
We were struggling, so we ended up creating several feathers and distributing them. Roka, who had received a feather before, got another one since she lost the previous one while fighting the Phoenix.
Lady Kisea pretended not to be interested but held the feather in both hands and examined it slowly. Her gaze was similar to that of a treasure appraiser.
I thought she might be calculating how much she could sell it for, but I chose to believe it was just my imagination.
“So, Lady Kisea.”
“Ah, what!”
“Which path should we take to reach the Eastern Plains smoothly?”
“Hmph! How should I know? Look at the map and figure it out!”
This was troublesome. Lady Kisea was still in a bad mood.
The problem is, among us, only Lady Kisea has lived in the Eastern Plains. If she doesn’t guide us, we’ll have to ask around to find our way.
What was supposed to be an easy journey has turned into a grueling march. The Princess was holding her head, clearly frustrated. Roka, who had made the mistake, didn’t step forward and just watched nervously.
“The Eastern Plains don’t pay taxes to the royal family, and they’re considered less important within the Empire’s territory. So the maps of that area are all old.”
“How old exactly?”
“500 years ago… after the founding emperor established the nation, he ordered maps to be made across the country. That’s the latest version we have. I brought it, but I’m not sure how helpful it will be…”
The Princess hesitated before revealing the truth. A 500-year-old map would have more unusable parts than usable ones, right? It’s like bringing something that belongs in a museum.
If it were the original, it would be like bringing a cultural relic here, but fortunately, it’s just a copy. When we unfolded it, we couldn’t even figure out where we were.
“Rather than trying to navigate with this map, it’s better to ask someone who knows the local geography well. The climate here is so harsh that the terrain probably changes quickly within a year.”
Especially after 500 years, the map and reality don’t match at all. It would be faster to find a village and ask the locals for directions.
Of course, since everyone except me is superhuman, we could cross mountains and rivers to reach the Eastern Plains. But Roka and the Princess seemed unwilling to take that option. Just thinking about the hardships involved was enough to make them hesitate.
That’s the kind of thing a Hero Party would do. With just a compass and a rough sense of direction, we could reach our destination. It’s just that the journey would be arduous.
Unless there’s absolutely no other way, there must be an easier path somewhere. There’s no need to seek out hardship. We decided to look for a village first.
‘Where’s the shortcut to the Eastern Plains? How should I know? I left home as a girl and never went back!’
Ranga was deep in thought. These people think I’m an expert because I was born and raised in the Eastern Plains, but that’s not the case.
There’s no work for mercenaries in the Eastern Plains. The area where Kisea wandered is near the Empire, where many people live. More people mean more requests, right?
And places with many people have favorable locations and climates. The climate is mild, so the terrain doesn’t change much. Even if heavy rains and floods alter the landscape, it rarely changes beyond recognition.
But in the Eastern Plains, there’s no concept of roads. No one bothers to build them because the harsh climate destroys them within a few years.
In the end, you have to follow the paths created by nature. And nature can destroy those paths too. So roads disappear and reappear daily.
The wolf, returning after a long time, didn’t even know the way to the plains, let alone a shortcut. It was embarrassing to suggest crossing the mountains to reach the Eastern Plains.
‘I should just keep my mouth shut.’
Admitting you don’t know something is one thing, but pride wouldn’t let her do that. If she stayed silent and looked angry, they wouldn’t ask.
The gray wolf thought so and turned her head sharply. Roka, flustered, sneakily glanced at her.
This feeling wasn’t bad.
Kisea decided to put on a more serious face.
