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Chapter 226 – Sudden Recklessness
After the sermon, we were off. The air board we will be on is positioned in the center of the formation, so we will basically follow the air board in front of us. With this many people and this many vehicles, it would be impossible to proceed at maximum speed, so we will be going at a moderate speed. Even so, the speed is still higher than that of a horse-drawn carriage.
I am the driver of the air board, and Ellen will ride on it with me. There were only four passengers on board: Ellen, Amalie-san, Bertha-san, and myself. Ms. Zamir is in the vehicle right in front of us.
In other words, it is just me, Ellen, and the sisters in this car right now.
“It’s a strange ride, isn’t it? It’s faster than a horse-drawn carriage, but it doesn’t sway at all.”
“After riding in a horse-drawn carriage for a long time, your buttocks and back will get sore, won’t they?”
Both Bertha-san and Amalie-san seemed to be very impressed with the gliding feeling of the air board. Looking in the rearview mirror, their faces were not those of devout sisters or modest ladies but those of little girls with eyes sparkling with the unknown.
“Oh…”
The same is true for Ellen, who stares out the window at the scenery. The usual expressionless face is slightly broken, and the way she looks at the scenery outside with her eyes shining is as innocent as a little girl’s.
After checking them in the rearview mirror, I turn my attention to the vehicle in front of me. The vehicle in front of me is the technical air board of the gunners with Ms. Zamir on board. I can see Ms. Zamir sitting in the back of the vehicle on the loading platform where the gunners are stationed, and she is looking at me. It looks like she’s going to jump on board like that if something should happen with my vehicle.
Now, under these circumstances, let’s think again about this journey.
The purpose of this journey, or rather, expedition, is to pacify the territory of the Kingdom of Merinard. There are still some cities and armies in the country that have the Holy Kingdom’s influence, and the purpose of this expedition is to convert those cities and armies to our will or to exterminate them.
Since messengers had already been sent to the villages and cities in the suburbs of Merinesburg to express their respect, we had almost completed our military seizure of those cities and towns. This time, Ellen will visit those cities and conduct inspections, or rather inquests, while I will use my power to quickly solve the problems that the cities and villages are facing, and if any problems arise, the elite soldiers and gunners led by Danan and the Harpies will bomb them to pieces.
The accompanying clergy and civilian officials were to literally replace the heads of the political and religious leaders of the city or town if necessary. Well, I don’t think it would have to be physical if it wasn’t necessary. I have also received a kind word from Melty, who said that if it is not too much trouble, they will replace the head physically.
If we are talking about physical replacement, I am afraid of misjudgment, but since we have Ellen’s eyes to see the truth, misjudgment is unlikely. Anyone who has done whatever they want is probably waiting with bated breath for our arrival.
Of course, if they escape, they will be wanted. It will be very difficult to escape from Harpy and all the predator subhumans. And now we have air boards, which are much faster than horse-drawn carriages, as a means of transportation.
After driving the air board for a while, I noticed Ellen staring at me through the rearview mirror as if she was tired of watching the scenery go by.
“What’s up?”
“I’m bored.”
“Now that you’re telling me that… what the heck was I supposed to do?”
I’m driving like crazy right now. Since we are moving at such a moderate speed, it is, of course, strictly forbidden to look away from the road. It would be a real shame if I caused a rear-end collision because I was careless driving.
“Please talk about something.”
“What a sudden and reckless request! Amalie-san, help me!”
“I want to hear Kosuke-sama’s story, too.”
“Me, too.”
“It seems I don’t have any allies.”
It seems that I am required to have the same speaking skills as a jovial and talkative cab driver. I could not help but shudder at the sudden recklessness of the three clergymen.
“What kind of talk do you want me to tell you?”
“Anything is fine… Well, how about a story about something that moved you when you came to this world?”
“A story about something that moved me when I came to this world?”
That’s, well, there’s a lot of things.
“The first thing that moved me the most, or rather surprised me, was the existence of the subhuman race.”
“The existence of subhumans?”
Amalie-san tilted her head. For those who live in a world where the existence of subhumans is a matter of course, this story probably doesn’t make sense to them.
“In my world, there were no such things as subhumans. There are differences in skin color, physique, language, and culture, but only humans exist in my world. That’s why I was so surprised when I saw Sylphy for the first time. I was also astonished when Sylphy led me to the village of the Elves in the Black Forest. There were beastman, lizardmen, lamia, winged men, one-eyed people, demon folk, and many other elves.”
“I see… a world where there are only humans. It’s just like the world that the Holy Kingdom is aiming for now.”
Bertha-san focuses on the reasons behind my surprise rather than the things that surprised me in this world.
“There was a lot of strife in my world, too. Well, there is no Adol religion, no miracles, no magic, so I think it’s nonsense to talk about it in the same breath as this world.”
“I see… A world without miracles of gods or magic skills. But, Kosuke-sama…”
“Yes?”
Instead of looking through the rearview mirror, Bertha-san leaned forward and put her mouth close to my ear. Oh, close, close, close.
“How is it that you use such a formal tone with us when you use such a casual tone with Eleonora-sama?”
I glanced to the side and saw Bertha-san’s face very close to mine. She was an exotic beauty with deeply carved features and had a very attractive appearance when seen up close. Her dark brown eyes, which were nearly black, were shining with a very dissatisfied light.
“I’ll do my best. Please wait until I get used to it.”
“…It can’t be helped.”
She seemed to be satisfied with my words and returned to the back seat. I was surprised by her sudden approach. Perhaps Bertha-san is more aggressive or active than I had expected.
“Kosuke-sama, please do the same for me too, won’t you? I would also like Kosuke-sama to speak to me in an easygoing and relaxed tone.”
“I will do my best, yes.”
The two of them are both very receptive and kind, and their aura of being a clergyman is so dazzling that it’s a bit intimidating to talk to them casually. They have offered to help me, and I’ll make an effort.
“So, is there anything else?”
“There’s so much more. That’s just about all there is to it. I was surprised when I saw magic for the first time.”
“What kind of magic did you see?”
“A recovery magic using the spirit of life. By the way, the target of the recovery was me. I was so beaten up by Sylphy in my sleep and interrogated; I was so beaten up that I couldn’t even speak. My nose could have been broken.”
“…That’s terrible.”
“No, it’s true. That was terrible.”
I think that was a terrible thing to do, even now. Well, if it hadn’t been Sylphy, I might have been killed before being interrogated, so I don’t feel any bitterness about it now.
“Other than that… I was also amazed when I first saw Gizma. Have you ever seen Gizma?”
“No. I believe it’s an insectoid monster that lives in the Great Omit Wilderness, right?”
“Yes, yes. It’s a ferocious carnivore, about the size of a small carriage. They use their strong hind legs to lunge and their antennae to pierce. I was surprised at their size because there were no such things as monsters in my world. Well, as far as creatures, plants, and animals are concerned, there are many things that are quite similar to my world but also quite different, so I am always amazed when I see them for the first time.”
“Some things are the same and yet different?”
Ellen’s voice comes from the back seat. I can’t tell because I’m looking ahead, but I’m sure she’s tilting her head slightly.
“There are some. There are many vegetables that I have never seen before, but the shape is similar to the ones in my world, but the color is completely different, or on the other hand, they look exactly the same, but the taste is completely different. For example, tomel is usually blue or greenish in this world, right? But in my world, similar fruits and vegetables were basically bright red. There were some yellow ones, too.”
“A bright red tomel… you mean kind of like a meat color?”
“It would add a lot of color to the dish.”
“In my world, black deacon is the opposite of pure white――”
While talking about such otherworldly vegetables, the saint and the rest of the group pushed on toward the pacification of the country.