Volume 3 Chapter 16 There’s No Way It’s A Great Opportunity
After parting ways with Cecilia, the two of them went back home to gather what they needed. They were heading to a place a bit far from the capital city. Sure, they could teleport back if they wanted, but they wanted to enjoy the journey and the preparations that come with it.
"I'll carry this..."
Randy's small magic bag had a slightly customized greatsword and some snacks──of course, there are snacks since this is an otome game!
"Then, I'll take this... and also──."
Liz's item box was also going to be filled with some emergency food and snacks.
Even though they were going on a trip, the two felt like they were just going on a field trip, but Harrison and Rita didn't seem worried at all.
They felt safe knowing Randy was with her. After all, he was the kind of guy who would go off to train in the mountains when he turned ten.
Traveling on well-maintained roads would be a piece of cake for them.
Feeling like they were on a field trip, the two were now discussing while looking into Liz's item box. They had some people occupying a few of the item boxes.
"...When can we combine the staffs?"
"Ellie says she still needs more blood. Apparently, it has to overwrite the original blood."
The two were peering into the item box, but the label for '■■' blood still hadn't changed. According to Liz, this blood is part of the materials they need, and right now, they were mixing the little bits of blood they had collected.
Since they were only gathering a little bit each day, it made sense that it was taking a long time, but it felt like a never-ending task.
"Well, we can skip the staff for now. Let's just grab some candy... and maybe buy some chips along the way."
"Sounds good! We can store fresh ones in the item box."
No one asked them, "What are you guys going for?" Only Harrison gave a slight smile, thinking that Liz was getting pretty comfortable with Victor.
"Alright, let's go!"
With Randy's command, Liz nodded enthusiastically and put on a small shoulder bag to camouflage the item box.
"Okay, we're counting on you to hold down the fort."
The two waved goodbye to Harrison and Rita as they left the house. They debated whether to bring them along on this trip, but since they hadn't set up any defenses at home yet, they decided to leave Harrison behind as a guard dog.
Rita was left behind simply to keep an eye on Harrison. He had a tendency to slack off if no one was watching, so Rita's careful supervision was just right for him.
"Have a good trip! Bring me back some wine!"
With Harrison's relaxed words sending them off, the two took their first step on their journey.
The two headed to the south gate of the capital, one of the entrances located in the north, south, east, and west. After a half-day ride in a carriage, they would reach the banks of the Rail River that flows south of the capital.
They planned to stay overnight in a town by the river and then take a boat upstream to the forest for this trip.
"This is my first time going far away."
"Yeah."
Liz bounced happily, but Randy couldn't shake off a strange feeling from the people lurking around them.
(They're not from Ms. Miranda's place... right?)
Since Randy was with Liz, the Marquis family's people usually didn't get too close. So, it was likely that the ones lurking around them were some kind of assassins.
Having someone following them the whole trip would be super annoying. Randy frowned a bit at the thought, but by the time they got on the shared carriage, the strange presence had disappeared.
(...Just in the capital, huh?)
As Randy looked back at the capital getting farther away from the moving carriage, he quickly dismissed that thought.
(Ah, I see. Now that they know where we're going, they don't need to follow us.)
The shared carriage was headed to a town by the big river. So, if they confirmed that they were going there, the pursuers could either get ahead of them or have some of their buddies waiting at the destination.
(Well, do what you want. If you come... I'll let you sink in the river.)
Randy chuckled and looked back inside the carriage, where he saw Liz's worried face. It seemed Liz had picked up on Randy's tense vibe and sensed that there might be an assassin around...
"Don't worry about it. It's like a fly buzzing around."
Randy smiled, and even though Liz looked serious, she nodded, saying, "Got it."
Despite Liz's worries, the carriage ride was super comfortable, with no sign of any attackers.
Randy chatted with a young guy sitting next to him, enjoying the smooth ride.
They shared snacks with a parent and child who had a little kid.
Liz had to stop Randy from trying to take some wine from a middle-aged man.
Since the carriage was just passing through, there were no beast attacks, and they made good time, arriving at their destination town as the sun was setting.
"Riding in a shared carriage isn't so bad."
"Yeah. This is what they mean by 'once in a lifetime'."
Feeling grateful for the new friends they made during the half-day journey, the two headed to an inn close to the port. It was a place recommended by the driver, and it seemed like they had a lucky trip overall.
The inn was small but known for its delicious fish dishes, thanks to the river, and it paired well with wine.
"I heard the food goes great with wine."
"Looks like it."
"If it's really good, let's come back when we're adults."
Liz was surprised by Randy's unexpected words and turned to look at him. She probably thought he was just joking about wanting to drink, but his response was different from what she expected.
"What's with that face?"
Randy frowned, and Liz stammered, "Um..."
"I thought you just wanted to drink──."
Suddenly, Ellie popped up, laughing.
"What are you talking about? We have a job to do, so why would we drink?"
"You're the one who was trying to get some wine in the carriage, acting all cool."
Ellie snorted, and Randy pouted, "W-Well, there was no sign of danger in the carriage!"
"Oh really? Is there danger now?"
With a smile, Ellie quickly scanned the area. She could sense people nearby with her magical powers, but she couldn't pick up on hostility like Randy could.
"Stop being silly. Don't look 'around' so much. Just act normal."
"How boring. We could just blow the whole town away."
"Okay, okay. Don't act tough."
Randy laughed, and Ellie muttered, "You..." but she didn't say anything more, just snorted.
"Let's head to the inn for now."
"Yeah, filling our stomachs is the most important thing."
With Ellie rubbing her stomach, Randy made sure to act casual as they headed to the recommended inn.
* * *
"Alright, are they coming?"
After reaching the inn without any trouble, enjoying a nice meal, and promising Liz they would come back as adults, Randy had finished showering and was now lying on the bed in Liz's room.
"Uh, um, um... maybe we shouldn't be in this position...?"
Liz was flustered and turned her back to Randy, feeling embarrassed. Randy felt a bit bad for her, but he wasn't trying to annoy her on purpose.
He had explained to Liz that this was a real baiting strategy.
The people lurking around might not sense danger like Randy, but they could still pick up on some vibes. So, they could use that to their advantage.
A young couple traveling.
Two people alone in a room at night.
The feeling of closeness.
And not moving from that spot.
If you think about it, it looked like they had a fun time and just fell asleep together. It was definitely a moment of complete relaxation. If no one attacked during such a perfect opportunity, they probably wouldn't attack at all.
If that's the case, they could just ignore it.
Randy had explained this, but even though it was a baiting strategy, it felt a bit too much. Liz's ears were red, and Ellie hadn't even shown up.
"Maybe we should just stop──."
Randy closing his mouth made Liz understand what was going on right away. She went from being super nervous to suddenly quiet. Maybe it was because she was really tense, or maybe it was because she was trained well as a member of the experienced Marquis family.
Anyway, since Liz calmed down, Randy turned away from the window and quietly closed his eyes, staying close to her.
After a little while, they heard the sound of the window opening, and some footsteps slowly approached the bed by the wall.
Every time the floor creaked, Liz's body tensed up a bit, but Randy gently placed his hand on her head. When Liz finally relaxed, the sheets covering them slowly started to be pulled back...
"Whoa! That's naughty!"
Randy's claw grabbed the man in front of him tightly.
"Ellie!"
"Don't give orders."
Just as Randy spoke, Ellie used her magic to trap the remaining men. Vines that seemed to grow from the wooden floor wrapped around them, and they could only make muffled sounds like "Mmgh."
"Alright, we caught them... Ellie, send one to each roof over there."
"Hmm. Those 2 idiots on the roof, right?"
As Ellie nodded, Randy knocked out the man he had caught.
"Just a sec, I'll go get the ones outside."
As Randy stepped onto the window frame, Ellie nodded, saying, "I'll leave it to you," and Randy jumped out the window, landing near the man Ellie had trapped.
On the roof, there was another man caught in vines, just like in the room. A little further away, he could see another figure lying down. It seemed like they were also trapped the same way.
After checking the roof and making sure there were no other people around, Randy leaned in to look at the face of the man caught in the vines.
"Good evening... mind if I borrow your face for a bit?"
With a smirk, Randy knocked the man out.
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