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Chapter: 27
“It looks like we’ll have to camp here for the night.”
I was told that the nearest village wouldn’t be reached until the day after tomorrow.
When Evan told me to stay inside the carriage and rest until everything was prepared, I shook my head and got to my feet.
“It’s alright. Rather than resting, I’d like to look around.”
It was my first time ever camping in the middle of a forest, and everything felt fascinating.
“Very well, then. Just don’t wander too far.”
After leaving me with that brief warning, he quickly headed off somewhere.
Soon, everyone began preparing the campsite in earnest.
They all look so used to this.
On one side, people were starting a fire, while on the other, the knights and maids hurriedly prepared dinner.
As I looked around the campsite, watching it gradually take shape with curious eyes, I spotted a familiar face.
“Roman!”
“Ah, my lady.”
Roman, who had been crouching down inspecting one of the carriages, stood up and greeted me.
“What were you doing just now?”
“It looked like there was a problem with one of the carriage wheels, so I was checking it.”
When I turned my gaze toward the luggage carriage he pointed at, I met the eyes of the two knights working beside him.
At the same time, a booming voice rang in my ears.
“Ah! Greetings, my lady! I’m Bero of the Knights Order!”
“And I’m Kaelan! It’s an honor to meet you!”
Their eyes sparkled as if stars had been placed inside them, making me laugh without realizing it.
At this rate, I almost wondered if every single member of the knight order had a personality completely opposite to their commander.
“Nice to meet you too, Bero and Kaelan.”
“G-Goodness… I’m truly honored…”
As I smiled and greeted them, Kaelan placed a hand over his chest, looking deeply moved.
Their warm and friendly attitude finally made me burst into laughter.
“Hahaha… Hm?”
Then I happened to lock eyes with Evan, who was inspecting the campsite from the opposite side.
Whoosh.
He disappeared somewhere else so quickly that I almost wondered if I had imagined our eyes meeting.
As I blankly stared in the direction he had vanished, Kaelan suddenly spoke in a serious tone.
“Hmm… Commander, I think we’ll have to replace the wheel. We hit a large rock a little while ago, and it looks like the axle mounting was damaged.”
“I see… Then we’ll have no choice but to unload all the luggage from the carriage.”
After quietly listening to their conversation for a moment, I cautiously spoke up.
“I can help with that. You won’t need to unload the luggage.”
“…Pardon? You, my lady?”
Everyone stared at me in confusion.
Judging by their expressions, they couldn’t understand how someone much smaller than them could possibly help.
It’s been a long time since I last used this. I wonder if it’ll work.
I opened and closed my right hand several times.
As soon as I felt an invisible flow of energy gathering at my fingertips, I grabbed the rear of the carriage with one hand and effortlessly lifted it.
At the same time, the heavily loaded carriage floated into the air as lightly as a feather.
“Gah…! She lifted the carriage with one hand!”
“I-I thought only His Grace the Duke could do something like that…”
The three people standing right in front of me could only stare in complete shock.
I shouted toward them.
“What are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to fix the wheel?”
“Ah! Y-Yes! Right away!”
Snapping back to their senses, they hurriedly replaced the wheel with remarkable speed.
Thud.
Once I confirmed the new wheel had been attached properly, I gently lowered the carriage and rolled my shoulders a few times.
Fortunately, I still had enough strength left.
Though in two years… that strength would disappear completely.
I stared down at my hands with a faint sense of bitterness.
Then I heard a trembling voice call from behind me.
“M-My lady…”
When I turned around, all three of them were standing there with eyes shaking as though an earthquake had struck, looking like they had countless questions they wanted to ask.
It really wasn’t that big of a deal.
Seeing them look at me as though I’d accomplished something incredible made me feel strangely embarrassed.
“I only cast a temporary weight-reduction spell on the carriage.”
At my explanation, their eyes widened even further as they stepped closer.
“My lady… You can use magic? Then you’re a mage!”
I hurriedly waved my hands.
“I’m not really a mage. I do have mana, but it’s incredibly weak—almost no different from an ordinary person. Even when I manage to use magic, I can’t maintain it for more than a minute.”
True mages were said to wield power beyond imagination.
Compared to them, I was practically an ordinary person.
Mages were so rare that most people lived and died without ever meeting one.
That was why I understood why these three were reacting like this.
Moreover, magical ability wasn’t hereditary.
Anyone capable of freely casting magic at a respectable level would receive treatment equivalent to that of a state guest in any nation.
And the most famous mage in the Empire at present was…
“Come to think of it, I heard the Second Prince is also a ma—ugh?”
“Hey, Bero!”
I saw Roman jab the knight beside him hard in the ribs, but I deliberately pretended not to notice.
That’s right.
The reason Delros had still been able to become Emperor despite everyone calling him a good-for-nothing…
…was because he could use magic.
It was only because he possessed that power that the late Emperor’s unbelievable final decree had been accepted without question.
His personality was awful, but even when he was young, his talent for magic was undeniable.
Remembering Delros, who loved holding lavish banquets just to show off his magical abilities, left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Even so, the fact that you can use magic at all is already incredible!”
Kaelan clasped both hands together, looking at me with eyes full of admiration.
“Thank you.”
His innocent sincerity made me smile softly.
The truth was, when I was little, I could use far more kinds of magic than I could now.
Back then, my parents and countless others praised me endlessly, saying I was destined to become a genius mage.
But then… at some point, I became worse than an ordinary person.
Unlike me, Delros only grew stronger with age, mastering increasingly advanced magic.
Of course, despite possessing such power, he failed to use it properly and eventually ruined the Empire.
“I should get going.”
Not wanting anyone to notice how gloomy I had suddenly become, I quickly excused myself and left.
Looking around, I realized the campsite had already been completely set up.
Guided by the glow of the campfires in the middle of the dark forest, I made my way back toward the carriage I’d been riding in.
Where’s Evan? It’s so dark I can barely see.
As I busily turned my head, searching for him—
“If you keep doing that, you’re going to break your neck.”
Evan emerged from the darkness carrying several things in his arms.
Looking closer, I saw a freshly filled water skin and a bowl of steaming hot stew.
At his words, I rubbed my neck and replied,
“It won’t break that easily.”
“That’s good, then.”
Snorting lightly, Evan handed everything he was carrying over to me.
Was… was that a joke just now?
I carefully studied Evan’s face as he came to stand beside me.
“What?”
“It’s nothing.”
But his expression remained as unreadable as ever.
There wasn’t the slightest trace that he’d just made a joke.
“Eat before it gets cold. It may not suit your tastes, but we’ll be traveling in the carriage all day again tomorrow. Eat at least a little.”
I looked curiously at the stew and bread Evan had handed me.
The stew contained large chunks of potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables. It looked like a simple meal made with ingredients that wouldn’t spoil easily during travel.
I took a spoonful.
The moment I tasted it, my eyes widened as I looked at Evan.
“It’s delicious!”
The stew was made with nothing more than simple, ordinary ingredients.
Yet somehow…
It tasted far better than any luxurious stew I had ever eaten before.
