Chapter 123
Chapter 123. Meanwhile
――While Zilbagias was beginning to enjoy the air.
In the following carriage, Leila was engrossed in reading with a dictionary of Human Race characters in one hand.
“Hmm… Aah…”
“Zzz… snore…”
On the opposite seat, Garunya and Liliana were fast asleep, piled on top of each other. Sinking into the fluffy cushions, they looked quite comfortable without a single sway.
Garunya was almost completely covering Liliana, but thanks to her robust physique, she dribbled in her sleep without any signs of struggle.
“…………”
Casting a glance at the two, Leila turned the pages of her book with a serious expression.
Recently, she had finally become able to read basic phonetic characters and a few ideograms. However, the adult romance story she was currently reading was filled with hard-to-read characters, making it quite a struggle.
(*Note: The term “adult” here simply means “not for children” and does not imply any indecent content.)
Leila’s savior was a simple dictionary Sofia had made just for this book, inscribed with magical characters. It listed the more difficult ideograms in the order they appeared, complete with rubies.
Thanks to that, she was somehow managing to progress even as a beginner in Human Race characters.
Currently, the two lovers were about to be torn apart due to their parents’ circumstances. Leila couldn’t help but empathize with the heroine and was eagerly wanting to know what would happen next.
“Hah…”
After finishing the chapter, Leila let out a passionate sigh.
When she suddenly felt a gaze on her, she looked up to find herself making eye contact with an old Beastman lady next to her, who had been knitting. This veteran servant was watching Leila with a warm smile.
“Leila-chan, you’re doing great, studying even while traveling!”
Impressed, the lady nodded.
“I can’t read, so I think it’s amazing that you can, Leila-chan.”
“N-no, it’s not like that…”
It wasn’t so much studying as it was being lost in a love story… but it felt hard to say that.
“I want to help Lord Zilbagias soon…”
Leila blushed a little and stammered as she made her excuse.
However, it wasn’t entirely a lie. Once she could read Human Race characters, it would be quite convenient, so she was working hard to study.
…Yes, it would be quite convenient.
“How admirable… Though it’s not like I’m in a position to say that, I think he should try a little harder too, since he’s naturally smarter than I am…”
With that, the Beastman lady turned her eyes toward the sleeping Garunya, sighing in disbelief. By the way, it seemed that Garunya was a relative.
“Ah, dribbling even… It would be a disaster if the cushion got dirty.”
“Oh, let’s just leave her be.”
Stopping her hand that was about to wake Garunya, Leila gently wiped Garunya’s mouth with a handkerchief.
“…Garunya is tired, so it can’t be helped.”
She said, staring at Garunya’s sleeping face.
Recently, it seemed Garunya had become determined to pursue the path of the Sword Saint she had almost given up on, dedicating her free time to stoic training.
Therefore, resting during travel when nothing else could be done was the right thing. No matter how physically capable a Beastman was, stamina was still finite…
“I will become a splendid Sword Saint that my master can be proud of!”
Saying that, she was pushing her body to the limit, ensuring her side duties wouldn’t be hampered. The sharpness of her skills would even make Leila feel like it might hurt a little if she were hit in her dragon form.
…By the way, Leila was also learning a little self-defense. However, whether it was because of the huge gap in their abilities compared to Garunya or if Leila simply lacked the talent to handle a human body, she found herself rolling over without learning anything in her training.
“Well, as long as I don’t die instantly, I guess I’m strong…”
With the conclusion that being in her original form was simply stronger, her training became focused on defense and breakfalls to ensure she wouldn’t die instantly even if caught off guard in her human form.
“…………”
As she watched Garunya’s relaxed sleeping face, a slight sense of loneliness crossed her mind.
She liked Garunya. Since joining under Zilbagias, Garunya had always treated her with kindness and warmth, and no matter how much she thanked her, it would never be enough.
But――
Considering Zilbagias’s goals…
Someday, even she might…
“…………”
She subconsciously tightened her grip on the book.
…Even so.
Even so, Leila wanted to be of help to Zilbagias.
After wiping Garunya’s drool one more time with her handkerchief, Leila sat back with a nonchalant expression and resumed her reading with serious eyes.
†††
――The Night Elves’ carriage was a large one, drawn by six horses.
Even with camping gear and various luggage loaded for emergencies, it was spacious and comfortable. However, with over ten Night Elves onboard, it was rather cramped.
In the middle of the carriage, the Night Elves were gathered together, peering seriously at the table.
“…How about this!”
A young Night Elf soldier played a card, and a murmur of admiration rose around them.
“Are you going to cut the ‘intestines’ here?!”
“How bold! You really know how to play!”
“Hmm… The flow is becoming hard to read…”
What they were excited about, excluding the lookout, was a card game. They drew cards with numbers and pictures from a deck and competed to see who could collect the highest-scoring hand, a unique game among Night Elves.
“Yikes, this is getting alarming… I can’t play a careless card anymore…”
When it was the maid’s turn, she whistled softly.
“Well, let’s just play it safe with a ‘little finger’—”
The moment she played her card…
“—Loung!”
The adjacent Virosa let out a strange but not entirely incomprehensible sound.
No, it wasn’t a strange sound.
It was a sort of death sentence meaning “I win”——
With a flowing motion, Virosa revealed her hand.
“Love Rival, Ripped Apart, Skinning, Blood Eagle for a triple kill.”
The air inside the carriage froze——
And after a moment of silence, a scream-like voice erupted.
“No way?! The score is insane!!”
“Why did ‘little finger’ come out here?!”
“Didn’t you pretty much swap your entire hand, Virosa?!”
Ignoring the astonished crowd, Virosa remained calm.
“How on earth did you come up with such a hand—”
“Oh, it’s because I’ve been around longer. I won’t lose to someone younger.”
With an air of ease and a hint of pride, Virosa said.
“This person has been way too strong lately…”
“Cheating? Did anyone see anything?”
“Isn’t it possible that the Sword Saint swapped cards?”
“Don’t be ridiculous; she isn’t even in her human form!”
With fear and suspicion, the “Sword Saint” Virosa laughed off the remarks. In reality, this man was also a demon in card games.
“Waaah… My desserts… A whole month’s worth…”
The maid who lost dramatically was half crying as she signed the certificate. They had been betting their desserts on their meals, as it wouldn’t be fun without a punishment game.
Virosa watched over her with a calm smile but showed no mercy in her hand that was clutching the certificate.
“Well then, let’s have another match.”
“Eek.”
“I don’t feel like I can win…”
“I don’t care as long as I don’t lose.”
The Night Elves were enjoying their lively atmosphere.
Meanwhile, the Night Elf soldier on the driver’s seat listened to the sounds and couldn’t help but show a little envy, though it was something no one else knew――
…Speaking of envy.
“Oh dear, Viene drew the short straw.”
One of the maids said while reshuffling the deck.
“To be packed in with the lady, the prince, and Lady Sofia.”
“That’s not ‘drawing the short straw,’ it’s quite an honor.”
“Exactly, exactly! That girl got the ‘winning number’, and everyone had to reluctantly concede!”
Other maids chuckled, recalling Viene’s face when she drew a thread painted red, drooping her long ears before their departure.
“That girl always has awful luck with draws.”
“It’s not luck; it’s you cheating to make her draw!”
While saying that empty excuse, one maid cut the deck, and another poked her with her elbow.
“That may be true, but the one who doesn’t notice is the one at fault.”
Yet the maid who shrugged with no shame began distributing cards with accustomed hands.
“Oh, you just hid one in your sleeve. Shuffle again.”
“Tch, you’re too observant…”
As the young soldier pointed it out, the maid clicked her tongue and grudgingly shuffled the deck anew.
In Night Elf society, one had to be sharp enough to spot at least one or two cheats to get by.
With such a large group, the Night Elves were having a grand time. By the time they reached their destination, all would return to their duties with faces as expressionless as iron masks——
But the cheerful and enjoyable journey would continue for a while longer.
