Volume 1 Chapter 2 They Said It Was Exile, But...
After escaping the commotion, Randy returned to the student dormitory and, with the dawn, set off for his family home in a carriage. He was already planning to go home for the long summer break starting the next day, so it was just a little earlier than expected.
Randy was curious about how Miss Elizabeth had managed to fend them off...
Did she fight back on the spot?
Did it escalate into a family feud?
Or did she choose a different option?
It could be an event that affects the very foundation of the world he lives in. It would be a lie to say he wasn't interested, but it might be better not to poke too much into it.
(Well, once the new semester starts, I'll find out whether I want to or not.)
As Randy relaxed in the swaying carriage, he heard rumors about Miss Elizabeth's exile. It was during 'a long journey that felt longer than usual'──just as they were about to cross the border.
While waiting for the border crossing procedures at the checkpoint, Randy was taking a break in the soldiers' rest area, where everyone was gossiping about the rumors.
"Hey, old man, give me a cup of coffee."
As Randy tossed a coin, a coffee cup was immediately handed to him.
He had gotten used to the gritty beans mixed in, and as he tilted the cup, he listened in on the gossip. According to their talk, it seemed that Miss Elizabeth had been behaving violently towards the Viscount's daughter, Catherine Evans, a 'recognized saint' and a friend of Crown Prince Edgar.
Threats,
Assault,
Property damage.
The list of misdeeds just kept coming. The witnesses included not only the Crown Prince and female students but also several of their entourage──each one a child or daughter of someone important in the country...
"Wow, this is seriously like an otome game."
Randy sighed at the completely unbelievable content and gulped down the coffee in one go.
──Clink.
He stared blankly at the sound of the saucer and cup clinking together.
"Coffee, huh..."
Despite being in a medieval fantasy world, the food──good or bad──was quite satisfying. However, the roads were rough, the carriage shook violently, and his backside was in pain. While the basics of life were decent, the infrastructure was still very much stuck in the medieval era.
Thinking about it, one could say that the otome game elements had been there from the start. Still, even if he realized it was like an otome game, there was no way he could interfere with a marriage in a neighboring country.
The only thing he could do was make this awful coffee taste better, and just as Randy let out a self-deprecating sigh...
"Young master, your passage permit──."
Randy frowned and turned around at the voice from behind him. It was Harrison, the coachman.
"What are you talking about? We're close to the Lord Victor territory, and there are only soldiers here, right? You don't need to worry about a young master like me."
Harrison laughed loudly and said, "Looks like your tone is back, huh?" Randy sighed. He had been called that for a long time, but it felt like a name for some shady group, and he personally didn't like it. Still, denying it wouldn't get through to Harrison and the others.
To survive in the Lord Victor territory, a boldness like theirs was absolutely necessary.
"So? What about the travel permit?"
"Well, they told me to wait until tomorrow."
Harrison, clearly upset, made a face and said, "Huh?"
"Oh, but..."
Harrison sneaked closer and whispered in Randy's ear. It seemed he had slipped some money to the gatekeeper to get the travel permit today. But then, why did he say it was for tomorrow?
"I'm using my allowance for this, so I need you to cover me."
"You're so sly. You made enough at the capital's casino, right?"
"What are you talking about? No matter how much money I have, it's never enough."
With a cheerful Harrison beside him, Randy left the rest area. The rumors still echoed in his mind.
Once they passed through the massive checkpoint at the border, they would enter a vast forest.
──The Beast Forest.
This enormous forest, known by that name in their world, was literally a place where ferocious beasts roamed freely. Surrounding the forest was the towering Great Wall. It marked the border between Randy's country, the Dukedom of Highland, and the Kingdom of Alexandria, while also serving as a barrier against the beasts coming from the Beast Forest.
Normal travelers would never take such a path. But for Randy, this was the quickest route.
"We'll be there in half a day!"
As the carriage moved forward and Harrison's cheerful voice rang out, Randy rubbed his backside on the roof and said, "Finally." They were already in the Beast Forest. Even though it was a shallow part of the forest, it was still the home of beasts. Staying inside the carriage would slow them down in case of an emergency.
Randy, resting his chin on his hand on the roof, suddenly noticed 'fresh tracks' ahead.
(Oh right, it rained until dawn...)
If the ground was muddy, tracks would definitely form, Randy thought as he tried to look away, but then he finally sensed something was off.
(Tracks? Here?)
Just as Randy's eyes widened in surprise, a scream pierced through the forest.
"Young master!"
Without waiting for Harrison's words, Randy jumped off the roof with his greatsword in hand and dashed into the woods.
Ahead of the tracks, weaving between the trees, Randy ran at an incredible speed for someone of his tall stature. In his view were a fallen carriage and 2 women being attacked.
The two women were protected by a dome of defensive magic, but nearly ten men were still swinging their swords down at them.
"Which one do we help?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
"What about support?"
"Don't need it... but turn the carriage around."
"Got it!"
Randy and Harrison took off in different directions just as the protective barrier collapsed.
Only the women were being attacked.
The fallen carriage.
No sign of any guards.
There were so many unknowns, but this was not the time to think about that.
One woman was being dragged down by her hair.
One man was about to straddle the woman he had knocked down when Randy, coming from behind, punched him hard.
Randy, a towering figure over 190 cm (6'3") tall, had trained his left fist as if he were in a game world. That fist smashed into the man's helmet, sending him flying.
As the man crashed into a tree, blood spilling from his mouth and becoming motionless, Randy locked eyes with the woman lying in front of him.
Her hair was dirty, and her dress was torn.
Randy felt a sense of familiarity with her, but what surprised him more was that she was gripping a stone tightly in her right hand.
(Huh. She's got guts in this situation.)
It seemed that even without Randy's intervention, the rude man had likely been beaten down by her. However, after that, she was outnumbered. Her resistance was just a brief delay in her fate. If that was the case, there was only one thing to do.
"Hey, soldier. What are you doing in 'someone else's yard'?"
Randy turned to the men with a mischievous grin.
Suddenly appearing and knocking one of their own away, the men surrounding the women drew their swords and lowered their stances.
The men seemed unwilling to back down. Randy glanced down at the woman trembling at his feet for just a moment.
"Sorry about this."
Randy stepped forward, positioning himself over the woman, and readied his massive greatsword on his shoulder.
"Who are you?!"
One of the soldiers asked, and Randy shot him a look that said, "You can tell just by looking." He quickly closed the distance and cleaved the soldier in half.
"I'm just a passing traveler A."
As Randy grinned, 3 soldiers bravely charged at him. With a single swing, he tore their bodies apart, sending them flying.
The woman on the ground held her breath and covered her head as blood and guts splattered everywhere.
"Oops... my bad."
Randy moved closer to separate the rolling woman from the men.
Three soldiers remained.
"Y-you! We are from the kingdom──."
"So what? This is Dukedom."
Randy literally crushed the trembling soldier.
One soldier, turning away from the splattering blood, was split in 2 and sent flying.
"Now it's just you left."
Randy turned to face the last soldier. The soldier holding the maid-like woman trembled as he said,
"D-don't come any closer."
"If you try it, let's see whose speed is faster, yours or my greatsword."
With a sly grin, Randy slowly closed the distance while still shouldering his greatsword──
"Damn it! You barbarian!"
The soldier threw the maid aside, and Randy caught her. As the soldier turned to run, he tripped over a small shrine and fell.
Randy stood in front of the fallen soldier...
"Too bad."
As Randy grinned, the soldier whispered, "Help..." just as black mist began to rise from the shrine, surrounding him.
"Wha...?"
His brow furrowed for just a moment. The soldier clutched his neck, trembling and starting to suffer. With a final scream, the soldier died.
"Whoa, seriously?"
In front of a grimacing Randy, black mist rose again from the soldier's corpse... and it lunged at Randy, who was still holding the maid.
Randy's greatsword sliced through the black mist... but the mist gathered again right behind him, surrounding the woman lying on the ground.
"Milady!"
Leaving the maid's painful scream behind, the possessed woman's body floated into the air. Her dirty silver hair turned into a shiny, wet color, and her ocean-like blue eyes became a deep red──
"Hey, don't transform on your own."
──Just as she was about to change, Randy slammed the belly of his greatsword against the woman's head.
A sound like a bell rang out through the forest, and the floating woman fell to the ground with a look of "I can't believe this."
"Well, the transformation scene... if you get attacked... it shouldn't happen... right?"
The woman lost consciousness, leaving behind her grumbling. Almost at the same moment her wet hair silently returned to its dirty silver color, the maid pushed Randy aside and rushed to the woman.
"Milady Elizabeth!"
Hearing that name, which he only recognized, Randy smiled wryly. In front of him, Harrison appeared, casually commenting, "Well, you really made a scene this time," which was a little comforting for Randy.
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