Chapter 43 Did Something Happen?
"――Oh! I can see it, Chloe! It's Necronia!!"
"Hmph, huff... Ugh, huff...!!"
Five days after being teleported from a slum house to a distant wilderness, Chloe and I finally managed to return to a distance where Necronia was within our sight.
"Whoa!"
"Huff, huff, huff...!!"
We stood on a small hill, gazing down at Necronia, which we hadn't seen in 5 days.
I didn't feel particularly nostalgic, but I was relieved to have finally returned.
"Huff, huff, huff... Y-yeah, this hell is finally overrrr...!!"
"You're being a bit dramatic, don't you think? Chloe, you were mostly just carried by me, right?"
Chloe, who was still clinging to my neck with both arms, looked up at me with tears in her eyes and said in a trembling voice.
But wasn't that line supposed to be mine to say?
"I, I never want to be carried by Mr. Aaron again...!!"
However, Chloe said it with a genuinely desperate expression.
It seemed that the method of transportation we used until now had been quite a burden for Chloe.
That wilderness where we were attacked by those men.
I had no idea where we were, but fortunately, Chloe had a good grasp of geography.
By calculating the possible teleportation distance from the magical energy stored in the teleportation circle, Chloe determined that there was only one wilderness within that range, and it was definitely this one.
It was the Hellem Wilderness, located within the Republic of Ilias, one of the 3 countries surrounding Necronia.
In terms of distance, it was about a month's journey by horse from Necronia. While the straight-line distance was shorter, there were several steep mountains between Hellem Wilderness and Necronia, so we would have to take a detour, which would take about a month.
"――But it can't be helped, I suppose. We have no choice but to give up and head back slowly. Or we could go to the capital of the Republic and take a flying ship back... but which one should you choose?"
When I asked Chloe about the location in the wilderness, we had the option to return by land or by air.
Of course, taking the air route would be faster, but the flying ship's docking station is located in the capital of the Republic, which is in the opposite direction of Necronia.
And if we asked around, we'd find out that even if we take the air route, the wind currents near the mountains are intense, and we'd have to detour around the habitats of flying-type monsters, so considering the time it takes to get to the capital, it wouldn't make much of a difference either way.
It's one month.
Leaving Necronia unattended for that long would be too long.
"Seriously, that's a problem. I have work to do too... and Black Radiance's orders are piling up, and Silver's orders will be coming in soon. I can't take a leisurely vacation."
"Black Radiance...? Silver...? Um, I don't really understand... Mr. Aaron's job is an explorer, right?"
I made up my mind.
To return by the shortest distance.
"Let's hurry back. Let's get back as soon as possible."
"Hmm... I understand, but how exactly do you plan to do that?"
I replied to Chloe, who looked puzzled.
"I'll carry you on my back and run straight to Necronia."
"Uh... straight...?"
"Straight means straight. It means going in a straight line."
"But, um, didn't you say there's a mountain in the way?"
"We'll go straight. I can just climb over the mountain."
"Uh, but... isn't that mountain a habitat for monsters? And there are Wyverns living there too... isn't it impossible?"
"Wyverns, huh... that's a problem."
Wild monsters have a strong survival instinct, unlike those in the labyrinth. If they judge us to be too dangerous, they won't attack us.
Besides, it's not like we're going to be held back by something like Wyverns at this point. There's no problem at all.
――That's how it was decided that I would carry Chloe and head to Necronia by the shortest route.
I moved across the land using [Rapid Flash] and traversed the mountains by flying through the air with [Skywalk Rapid Flash].
Chloe clung to me with all her might, but she couldn't withstand the intense up-and-down motion caused by [Rapid Flash] and the strong inertia, and there were times when she almost fell off.
Well, Chloe is a magician-type Job, and since she hasn't trained her body, her physical abilities aren't that high, so it's no wonder.
"However, even though it was just 5 days, a lot of things happened, didn't they?"
"I want to erase all of it from my memory...!!"
Since Necronia is already in sight, I set Chloe down from my back. Chloe let out a pathetic voice as she stepped onto the ground.
I think our relationship has become quite close over these 5 days.
As we walked down the hill together, we exchanged words about our travel experiences.
"When we crossed that sea of trees, I was moved. The forest was teeming with life, unlike the Labyrinth Forest. I realized that humans need to play in nature every now and then."
"I'm so sick of bugs...!!"
The beautiful natural scenery. The lush, dense trees. The gentle breeze blowing through the forest, and occasionally, a huge monster bug.
"However, since we only camped out, it wasn't a problem thanks to the storage ring that had preserved food and camping gear stored inside. The storage ring is amazing."
"I was stupid to think I could enjoy sightseeing in a foreign land... I haven't taken a bath in 5 days...!!"
"What are you talking about? You could even take a dip in the beautiful lake."
The fantastical lake nestled in the mountains. We took off our clothes and swam in the lake with an open heart, feeling the freedom of being in nature. It's not an experience you can have every day.
"I saw a man's n*ked body twice... And I was seen n*ked too...!!"
"That's right, Chloe also saw a n*ked man. What a disaster."
After that, we were attacked by bandits who made their base near the lake. Well, it's not bad to have some spice in our travels...
"What kind of bad luck is this?! Getting attacked by bandits while taking a bath, and they even saw me n*ked What are they thinking?!"
"I took care of all of them, so it's all good now."
"It's not good at all!! The bandits saw me n*ked, and so did Mr. Aaron! I can't get married now!!"
"Don't worry, the head of the Caduceus family will find you a good husband."
"That's not the problem!!"
"Huh, what's wrong? Are you worried about getting sick and wetting your pants? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"Aaaaahhhh~~~~!! Don't mention that!!"
Chloe patted my shoulder with a 'thud, thud' sound. It seems like this has become a dark history for Chloe.
What happened was... well, I'm not sure if I should say it, but Chloe got motion sickness while I was carrying her, and she threw up. And then she wet her pants too...
There was also the time when we were attacked by a group of wyverns living in the mountains, and Chloe got so scared that she wet her pants again... on my back...
Anyway, because of all that, we decided to take a bath in a lake we found along the way.
"Uuuuuuuu~~~~!! This is the worst... the worst memory ever!! I want to erase it from my memory, and I want Mr. Aaron to forget about it too!!"
So I, being honest, replied truthfully.
"That's impossible. We have to report what happened, and we can't just erase it."
"AAAAAAAAHHHH~~~~!!"
Chloe covered her face and started screaming like the world was ending.
I thought she was overreacting, but when I think about it, Chloe is just a young girl. What might seem like a small thing to adults can be a huge deal for kids, and they can get really worked up about it.
As someone who's gone through life, I need to advise this young girl who's going through puberty.
"――Chloe."
"Mr. Aa, ron...?"
I placed my hands on Chloe's shoulders, looked her straight in the eye, and encouraged her with a serious tone.
"Listen carefully. Even if you're seen n*ked, or vomit, or wet your pants in front of someone else... it's not like it's going to corrupt your soul or anything!!"
Naked? Vomit? Wet your pants?
What's the big deal about those things? It's not like they can damage a person's dignity.
I might have shown Chloe my private parts or butt hole too. But what's the big deal about that?
No, there's no need to worry about it in the first place. Humans are born n*ked, and vomit and wetting your pants are just natural bodily reactions. Where's the need to worry?
"――Huh?"
"......"
As I gave her a gentle warning, Chloe's strength left her body, and she sat down on the spot.
Her expression looked terribly empty, but... I'm sure she was convinced by my words and felt relieved... there's no way she wasn't.
――Anyway.
We returned to Necronia, yayyy!!
* * *
We returned to Necronia and sent Chloe back to the Caduceus mansion.
There was a big commotion because Chloe had gone missing, but it's a long story, so let's skip it.
On the way, I asked Chloe, and it seemed that when she was kidnapped, 3 of her guards were killed. On the first night of our journey, she quietly cried, remembering the guards who were killed.
"John, Mike, Hinmigal Makuganti..."
And so on.
I read the atmosphere and didn't ask about the third name, seeing how painful her expression was.
Anyway.
Since her guards were killed and she went missing, it was bound to cause a commotion. At the Caduceus mansion, the head of the household, Mr. Jilva Caduceus, came out and thanked me personally.
It was our first meeting, and he was an old man.
But he didn't give off a weak impression at all, with his sturdy body and straight back, like an old man who was still full of energy. The only thing that made him seem old was his pure white hair and beard.
After lightly explaining the circumstances of how I protected Chloe, he was strongly urged to express his gratitude, but I couldn't ignore Lady Eva and the others, so I declined Mr. Jilva's offer and left the scene.
Next, I headed to the Kirke family's mansion.
Since I've visited the Kirke family's mansion several times as a member of the clan, the servants there recognized my face. They looked at me with an expression as if they had seen a ghost, and for a moment, the atmosphere inside the mansion became tense.
Before long, Lady Eva and Fiona appeared from the inner rooms, seemingly having heard the commotion.
"――Mr. Aaron!? You're safe, aren't you!!"
"Y-you're still alive, aren't you!?"
"Well, as you can see. ...I almost got killed, though."
The moment I saw them, I sensed a subtle change.
It was something I had felt vaguely at the Caduceus mansion, but it couldn't be explained by just my and Chloe's disappearance. There was a tense, killing atmosphere like soldiers before a war, not only at the Caduceus mansion but also here.
I was convinced of it the moment I saw Lady Eva and Fiona's faces.
Their expressions were somehow stiff, or rather, clearly hardened. Even though I had shown up safe and sound, their faces didn't relax. In other words, there was a problem besides my disappearance――a big one.
"Did... something happen?"
Lady Eva exchanged glances with Fiona, nodded once, and turned to face me.
Then, she bluntly announced the problem.
"――A Stampede might occur."
"......"
I couldn't help but smile.
No, it was more like a cold, mirthless laugh.
In Necronia, a Stampede can only occur due to human interference. I already knew that.
That's why I was appalled.
Again, and again.
At the same time, my anger reached a boiling point.
Again, and again.
What I hate most in this world is a Stampede. To be precise, it's the scum who try to cause a Stampede artificially.
They can try to kill me, do whatever they want. If they attack me head-on, it'll be settled easily. I have some reservations about taking hostages, but I won't hold back my anger this far.
But if they're going to artificially create a stampede, I won't forgive anyone involved. I'll kill them all.
Of course, I can't hold back my killing intent. It's overflowing.
Right after, the busy servants scurried about, and the noisy entrance hall fell silent in an instant.
"Tell me the whole story."
Lady Eva's face turned pale, and she remained silent, her mouth opening and closing like a fish, but no sound came out.
Fiona, standing beside me, was also unusually angry, her eyes fixed on me with a hint of surprise.
No one said a word. I thought I should suppress my killing intent, but it was hard for me right now.
The silence dominated the entrance hall, and then a gentle voice echoed from the inner part of the mansion.
"The 2 ladies are frightened. Why don't you try to suppress your killing intent a bit, Aaron?"
The man who appeared from the inner part of the mansion was an elderly man wearing a white robe with golden embroidery, with a gentle smile on his face.
It was 'Sage' Io Suleiman.
I didn't know why he was here, but Io approached us, answering in place of Lady Eva, who couldn't speak.
"Let's have a thorough talk, just as you wish. But first, let me tell you that a stampede won't occur immediately. Please, be at ease."
"...Okay."
I let out a deep breath.
I needed to hear the story about why a stampede was going to occur.
What had happened while I was away.
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