Chapter 167: Volume 8 - CH 163

That night, Satoru went to bed with Liz and Solor in his arms, and the next morning, after waking up and having breakfast, they set out at a leisurely pace.

One koku (4 hours) into the journey, they were rocked by a horse-drawn carriage with no suspension. They were now in sight of the Haivan checkpoint.

A single drawbridge of about 2 majors (18m) in length and width spanning a steep valley, and a sturdy-looking stone building standing at the end of the drawbridge, were appropriate for a checkpoint. The bottom of the valley is so deep that an ordinary person can't cross without assistance. Far beyond the checkpoint is a mountain range, and you can see a light dusting of snow near its summit.

「Ugh ...... there's quite a line.」

Even at a quick glance, about 300 people are forming a long line in front of the checkpoint. They all looked uniformly exhausted. Satoru and the others stopped the carriage at the end of the line, put a stake in the ground, tied the horses to it, and entered to wait for the checkpoint.

「It's a good thing we get the carriage. It's better than camping out.」

「Besides, if there are this many people, we can't prepare a stone house with the seeds of the World Tree or Onii-san's magic power, can we?」

「Indeed.」

Satoru agrees with Rico and Liz's mutterings. Leaving the Giant Killer on the carriage, Satoru turns his attention to the line of people waiting at the checkpoint. After a short look, there is no sign of progress.

「I don't know if they are on high alert or what, but it looks like they are moving very slowly.」

「It's normal for people to wait in line from sunrise to sunset, but even so,......, it doesn't seem to be going very well. As expected, isn't the problem that epidemics are so prevalent?」

It is a common practice for countries with epidemics to try to prevent the spread of the disease by preventing the influx of people. The area in front of the checkpoint is a valley, and as far as he could see, this is the only place where there is a bridge. Satoru was honestly feeling a little depressed, thinking that he would have to prepare himself for a day or two.

And.

「Ah!」

A little girl of about 4 years old, who seemed to be waiting for the same thing, fell down near Satoru. She must have gotten tired of waiting and ran a little.

「Whoops. You okay?」

Satoru quickly approached and extended his hand to the girl. Satoru, who had come without much contact with common people, but he would at least lend a hand to a little girl who was playing―but.

「Uuhh......」

The girl looked frightened when she saw Satoru, who had reached out to her. Or rather, she looks like she's about to cry. She was probably terrified by the man who suddenly appeared in front of her, rather than by the shock of her fall. Rico quickly intervened.

「Ah, that big brother is scary, isn't he?」

Satoru's heart was pierced by an intangible spear. Rico gets down on both knees and takes the girl's hand to help her stand up.

「Are you okay?」

「Uh, ueehh......」

It seems that Rico's angel smile didn't go far enough to take away the girl's fright. Her face falls and she cries now! to the girl Rico said.

「Ah, don't cry, don't cry. Okay, can you open your mouth?」

Rico quickly took out a small candy from a bag under her arm and put it in the girl's mouth. The girl blinks her eyes and starts licking the candy with a licking sound. Rico takes the opportunity to brush off the hem of the girl's pants, which are a little muddy. Apparently, she is not hurt.

「How it is?」

「...... sweet」

The girl's face is broken, and Rico smiles broadly at her. Rico is a caring person, and she takes excellent care of the child.

「There you go. It's all right now.」

「Unn! Thank you, Onee-chan!」

Candy is expensive by nature. The girl probably never had much of it. Only an aristocrat would give her candy-like that, even if it was to soothe her. However, Satoru has plenty of money, so he is not concerned about such a small amount. That is why Rico made a quick decision and gave the girl the candy.

While waving back at the girl who ran toward her parents, Rico noticed that Satoru, who stood idly by, had a vacant expression on his face.

「What's wrong?」

「He's shocked that you said he was big and scary.」

Liz was right. Satoru looks discouraged, and Rico blubbering.

「In fact, Satoru is a big guy. It can't be helped, right?」

It is true that Satoru is taller than most people in this world. In fact, he is less than 180cm, but the average height of a man is around 5'1" (153cm). So it is not surprising that Satoru, who is 177cm tall, is called a big man.

「...... Some of the guys in my world are over 7 feet.」

Rico patted Satoru on the shoulder as if she didn't care about it as he grumbles with a scowl.

「7 feet,......, That's the level of the giants when you get there.」

In fact, there are monsters called giants. They are seven feet or more in height, have superior physical strength but inferior intelligence, and do not speak human language. Trolls are one of them.

Compared to Satoru's former world, the people of this world are far from well-nourished. Satoru, a modern Japanese man living in an age of food deprivation, is only about 10 cm taller than the average height of a modern Japanese male, but the average height of a Japanese man during the Edo period (1603-1867) was 5 feet or less.

The percentage of the members of this party are tall; Liz and Leia are under 5 feet, and the average height of women is about that. Satoru thought they were small, but when he was told that was the average, he thought he might as well be called big. But to be honest, it's hard to have a girl point out the strong side that he was also concerned about.

「If you don't grow taller, I'll be in trouble too.」

「Troubled?」

Satoru replied curiously to Liz, who grabbed the sleeve of her dress. Liz's cheeks turned slightly red.

「Even now, it's hard for me to kiss you.」

「I think so too!」

Rico, who is just under five feet tall, quickly voiced her agreement. It's true that with a difference of almost a foot, it's hard to kiss even if she is a little taller.

「Minerva is just fine, right? Heh heh heh!」

Minerva, who hugged Satoru with her big breasts pressed against his arm, laughed. Minerva is also an exceptionally large woman in this world, about 5'7" (171cm). She and Satoru kissed without any discrepancy. Satoru smiles at Rico and Liz, who puff out their cheeks with a small "Murhh," and calls them to his side to kiss them on the cheek. Of course, he kisses Minerva, too.

Isolde watches the scene somewhat absentmindedly. Isolde is a little taller than Rico, about 5'2". Even so, she is one of the tallest women in the world. Solor, by the way, is a little taller, around 5'4".

The men around Satoru, who has a beautiful young woman at his side, look at him enviously. Their eyes are both jealous and envious. However, these men are intimidated by Satoru's large physique, and they don't try to poke at him. This is a fortunate situation.

After half a koku's ( 2 hours) wait, it is lunchtime, and they grab a light meal. The line waiting at the checkpoint showed little sign of progress: at 1:00 (40 minutes), only about three groups were waiting at a time. There were a few more waiting behind Satoru and the others.

「I mean, ......, isn't this impossible?」

Satoru muttered to himself. At this rate, it would take four to five days. Even if the interrogation is strict, it seems a bit excessive.

「Especially since none of us has any proof of citizenship.」

Isolde also mutters in a bored tone. If Isolde were alone, she would have jumped over and avoided this level of valley, but since that is not the case now, she has no choice but to honestly wait. Even if she wanted to train herself physically, she would have to endure it in silence, as there is no way she could show the former head of the Holy Sword Clan's training in a crowded place.

More strictly speaking, Liz had a quasi-citizenship card from Mugere, one of the 13 city-states in the west. She had once lived in an area controlled by Mugere and had paid taxes there, albeit only once. However, the quasi-citizenship card was blown away by Satoru's outburst.

Satoru is thinking that if Isolde can't take it anymore, it might be a good idea to send her away and let her train somewhere else.

「Tsk.....I think it would be quicker to smash them」

『My Lord, that's too shortsighted.』

「Onii-san. You need to calm down」

Leia, from the shadows, and Liz, on the small side, warned their Lord of his temper almost simultaneously. Satoru, too, endures these words from the two people who are in charge of knowledge in this group without saying a word.

More time passed, the sun went down, the drawbridge was raised, and it seemed that today's business at the checkpoint was over. Cooking smoke was rising here and there. Rico, with the help of Solor and Liz, started to prepare dinner. Satoru has sent Isolde hunting a little further away while she is exercising her body.

Satoru sighed heavily as he watched the three of them talking over a pot over a fire in a stone furnace.

『My Lord, stay calm』

(I know that but..)

Even if you take a quick look at it, only about 30 people progressed in half a day; in one day it would be around 50 people. The process is too slow.

Usually, the checkpoints are used for identification, payment of entry tax, and inspection of personal belongings, and in some cases, inspection for illnesses is also done by sorcery. Since there is currently an epidemic in the country of Liese, which is located beyond the checkpoint, sorcery is likely used to check for diseases. However, there are not that many Holy Art practitioners who can investigate diseases, so there is a limit to the number of people who can go in one day ― Leia tells him ― but from Satoru, who has traveled so far without much rest, it must still be frustrating.

Leia fears that she doesn't want to put too much stress on Satoru. Satoru is not a child, so he knows what he has to put up with, but patience is poison to Satoru. For what it's worth, Satoru is rational, so even if there is no immediate outburst, there is nothing he can do if he can't be restrained by reason.

Suddenly, Satoru felt the presence of someone and turned around to see Isolde leisurely returning with two large birds in her hands. Perhaps sensing Satoru's gaze, Isolde also held up the birds in her hands.

Isolde was completely covered in sweat, but she looked refreshed. She must have been working out in a place a little further away. The bird in her hand is a result of physical exertion. Satoru smiled bitterly, thinking that he is like a migratory fish that would die if he wasn't moving his body.

「Um...」

「Yes?」

When Satoru turned around at the unexpected voice, he saw a small, timid-looking man about 30 or so years old, timidly watching Satoru's condition. Behind him, the little girl from earlier was looking up at Satoru with the same frightened look as her father.

「I heard you took care of my daughter earlier.」

「Oh, no, no, no.」

It appears that he is the father of this girl. He told Satoru that he took care of her, but he merely helped her when she fell down. More strictly speaking, Satoru tried to help her and almost made her cry, and it was Rico who actually helped the girl.

However, Rico's Lord was Satoru, so it was not wrong for him to accept the thank-you on her behalf ― although Satoru's feelings were a bit mixed.

The man bowed repeatedly, as if he was truly sorry, and indicated a small basket-like object made of woven bamboo.

「If you like, you can have this one.」

The bamboo basket was covered with straw and contained six eggs, which appeared to be chicken eggs. It was probably a gift in return for the candy Rico had given the girl.

「Are you sure?」

In terms of prices in this world, candy is much more expensive than eggs. But in this slow-moving queue, he wonders if they have the time to offer eggs, which are also supposed to be foodstuffs.

「I am a chicken merchant. I can only afford eggs. Besides, at this rate, they will go bad.」

The man looked back at the long line of people waiting at the checkpoint and smiled, as if to say, "Don't worry about it". Ahead of Satoru, there is a carriage that is probably keeping chickens in bamboo baskets. This man must be the owner of that carriage.

「Are these still fresh?」

「Yes.」

Satoru thanked the man and accepted the eggs. Eggs are a rare treat when traveling. He calls Liz and tells her to give them to Rico.

The man gives Satoru a smile and a thank you and leaves. It seems that he is a good person or a person of ability, and he seems to be sharing the eggs with someone who is also waiting at the checkpoint. It is certainly better to do so than to break them or let them rot in transit, but that does not mean that eggs, which could easily be sold, should be given away for free.

It had been a long time since Satoru had met such a pleasant person.

Thinking of eggs, Ah, Satoru remembered.

「Rico, give me two eggs.」

「..? Sure」

Rico, who had been pondering what to do with the eggs and bird Isolde had hunted, handed Satoru two eggs with a curious look on her face. She knows this seemingly martial man secretly likes to cook, despite his appearance, but she doesn't know what Satoru going to do with the eggs.

「Also, do you have cooking oil and vinegar?」

「It's apple cider vinegar, though」

He receives the oil and vinegar in a ceramic bottle, cracks the egg into the tube of bamboo used to make a bamboo dragonfly, pours the vinegar and oil into it, and stirs the mixture at high speed using chopsticks made of bamboo. Satoru's high-speed chopstick handling is surprising even to himself. It seems that the magic power is assisting his body on its own. Rico looks at the contents of the sticky, slightly yellowish bamboo tube with wonder.

「What is that?」

「It's mayonnaise, a seasoning from my world .......all right」

Satoru put a scoop of it on his fingertip and taste it. It may be a little less salty than he would like, but the mayonnaise is almost satisfactory.

「I-Is it okay to eat eggs raw?」

Rico's surprised voice made Satoru nod his head. In his original world, eggs are strictly controlled food, so there would be no problem, but in this world, he doesn't know how it is. The man who gave him these eggs said they were still fresh, but from the way Rico looked at him, it was likely that there was no culture in this world to eat eggs raw.

「I don't see any problem with that.」

Satoru was relieved when Solor interrupted. He had thought it would be okay since there was almost no problem in terms of taste, but if Solor's analysis determined that there was no problem, then there would still be no problem.

「Do you have any green vegetables that can be eaten raw? Think you've been fooled, try it on and eat it.」

Rico, who was watching closest to Satoru, gave him an indescribable look. If you don't have a culture of eating eggs raw, you can't help but have this kind of expression on your face. Rico took out a leafy vegetable similar to lettuce from the food bag, but her face was half in disbelief.

Satoru took the initiative to tear the leafy vegetable by hand, dipped it in mayonnaise, and ate it. The crunchy texture of the leafy greens was accompanied by the mildly sour taste of mayonnaise. The taste of mayonnaise, which he had been accustomed to, made him smile and his cheeks relaxed.

Rico gulped down a fresh spit and fearfully dipped the mayonnaise on the leafy greens as Satoru took the initiative and showed her how to eat it.

「......Eeeyy!」

Chomp, she eats, chews.

「H-how it is?」

Liz, who had somehow come close by, looked at Rico anxiously. Rico, who had been chewing leafy vegetables with her eyes closed, opened her eyes wide after a pause.

「...... mellow. What's this, it's delicious!」

Satoru was also relieved by Rico's reaction. Although the seasoning was common knowledge in his original world, he was not sure if it would be accepted in this way.

「If you don't know what to prepare with the bird meat, then you should cut up the bird Isolde hunted, put it on a skewer, brush it with this, sprinkle some salt and pepper if you have, and grill it. It's absolutely delicious」

「I told you pepper is expensive. ......wait, is it okay to grill it?」

「Yeah. That will give it a different flavor.」

Spices play an important role in the cooking of this world. The basic seasoning is salt, but since salt alone is inevitably boring, the basic idea is to use a variety of dried leafy greens to add flavor. Satoru knows that pepper is expensive in this world, but he has no hesitation in buying it because it is a seasoning that he is familiar with. Rico, who is a bit poor, rarely used it in her cooking.

Rico quickly processes the bird, which had also been prepped, and does as Satoru says, coating it with mayonnaise, piercing it with bamboo skewers, sprinkling it with salt and pepper, and placing it around the bonfire.

The smell of fat from the bird and the aroma of burning mayonnaise rose in the air. The people around them were looking at the unusual aroma and wondering what it was.

Minerva has an excited look on her face. The stew with lots of vegetables prepared by Rico also smells good. They divided the black bread among the number of people, and now it was time to eat.

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Minerva, who had just finished munching on a piece of a bird with mayonnaise, exclaimed, 

「This is delicious!」

Everyone was relieved to hear Minerva's judgment, who is very picky about taste, and reached for the bird skewer. Isolde, for example, rolled her eyes after taking a bite and was eager to devour it.

「It's true, it has an unusual flavor, but it's delicious」

「The flavor sure changes when you grill it. ...... Yep, it's delicious」

Liz and Rico both seem to be satisfied. The fat of the bird, saltiness, pepper, and the sourness unique to mayonnaise is in perfect harmony. The taste of the ingredients is not only authentic, but it is also extremely tasty.

Rico looked behind Satoru. Satoru also looked back over his shoulder and saw the girl from earlier staring at them, perhaps attracted by the smell. She looked scared when she caught Satoru's gaze―And again, Satoru had a sad thought. I've given up being called a big man in this world, but is my face that scary?

「Come here.」

In response to Rico's beckoning, the girl walked over and sat down between Riko and Minerva. She still looks at Satoru with a scared look in her eyes ― she shows no sign of concern for Minerva, who is also very tall, so Satoru wonders if it is because of his face. Satoru holds back tears of sadness in his heart.

「Do you want some?」

「......Is it okay?」

Rico shows the girl the bird meat with mayo on a bamboo skewer, and the girl involuntarily drools. She may look four or five years old, but she seems to have been properly educated to refrain from doing so. She looked at Riko and the bird meat alternately with trepidation. Rico smiles at the innocent little girl's begging face.

「Yep, sure! But you should say "thank you" to Onii-san, okay?」

「Thank you, Onii-san!」

Perhaps caught up in the food, the girl was able to thank Satoru properly. Satoru, though he felt he was no better than bird meat and started to cry a little.

「You're welcome.」

He replied. He doesn't do anything to scare her. Satoru, who has a history of jokingly scaring a boy who showed interest in Satoru's size in Galhassan and was seriously crying, he could not take the risk of getting his own heart broken.

With a chomp, the little girl takes a small mouthful of still-warm bird meat from the bamboo skewer.

「How is it?」

The girl's eyes, which had been munching on the meat, widen.

「Yummy! This is good!」

Satoru, who had been feeling a little hurt inwardly, was touched by the girl who was pointing at the mayonnaise and squealing with delight. Why is it that the smile of a little girl who smiles innocently makes you feel so relaxed? Minerva, sitting next to the girl, is also looking at her with a gentle smile.

「Was it called mayo?」

「Mayonnaise, okay.」

「Mayo!」

Rico wipes the mouth of the girl who is smiling happily with mayonnaise around her mouth. Mayo? Minerva, who tilts her head and looks so excited with the girl, also seems to be enjoying herself. Liz is also smiling, but Isolde has a subtle expression on her face. Solor has her usual buddha face.

「Hannah? Hannah!」

「Fatheeerr!」

At the sound of her father's voice, the girl stands up quickly and waves widely. The father, noticing his daughter's presence, comes up to her, bowing his head. He must be a man of low manners.

「Oh, I'm really sorry, you have to take care of my daughter again」

The daughter proudly held up the bird meat still on the bamboo skewer. The father looked apologetic again.

「Hey, Hannah. You can't do that. You can't leave your father's side. Besides, you'll cause trouble for Onii-san.」

「It's okay.」

Satoru smiled bitterly and let the rudeness slide. He wants a naughty little girl to be free and easygoing. When Alice was around that age, she was a reserved and timid child. He was always saddened when he saw that, so it was better to see an honestly mischievous girl.

「Why don't you have some anyway?」

「......Is that all right?」

Satoru nodded in return. It wouldn't hurt to give a little back to the person who gave you eggs. Satoru handed over one of the skewers without saying a word ― as expected, he was smiling politely.

「Well then, I gratefully accept it」

The man sat down beside Satoru with a pleased expression on his face and immediately bit into the bird meat. He chews a few times, then rolls his eyes in surprise at the bird meat on the skewer.

「Oohhh ...... this is, what is this, the sauce on top ...... this is also excellent」

Satoru smiled proudly. It seems that the people of this world also share the same taste in mayonnaise.

「Mayo!」

「Mayo?」

Satoru's shoulders slumped as he was about to reveal its true identity when he was interrupted by the girl's voice. Well, it's probably too much to ask a girl of 4 or 5 years old to read the air. Or, rather, it seems that before I knew it, it had been called Mayo.

「Ah, let's see, ...... it's a seasoning in my home country. It's a mixture of fresh eggs, oil, and vinegar.」

「Are the eggs raw?」

「Yes. These mayo are grilled, but you can also eat it raw, you know?」

Satoru shows the man the pre-heated mayonnaise that was left in the bamboo tube.

「E-excuse me.」

He takes a scoop of mayonnaise at the end of the tube with his finger, licks it off, and groans.

「To think that you could use raw egg this way...... No, but this is delicious. Amazing.」

As they have talked about extensively, it seems that it is not customary to eat eggs raw in this world. Satoru was familiar with the uniquely Japanese food culture of Tamago Kake Gohan (rice with eggs), but it is a way of eating eggs that are inherently associated with a fear of food poisoning, such as salmonella. In the case of mayonnaise, however, the use of vinegar sterilizes the eggs to some extent.

The man who had been tasting the mayonnaise thoughtfully looked up.

「D-Do you mind? I even asked you how to make it, but I guess it was a secret recipe or something.」

「Ah ...... no, it's not like that.」

Satoru smiled bitterly and shook his head from side to side. The method of making mayonnaise was indeed brought from his original world, but it is a substitute that can be made even in this world if you want to make it. Since mayonnaise is a seasoning, it is unlikely to have a major impact on the world.

「T-then, may I do business with this?」

Satoru smiles a little and tilted his head as he thinks about the man who enthusiastically approaches him. It is true that mayonnaise has never been seen before in this world, and it seems to be well received, so it would be good for business. He doesn't think it would be a crime if mayonnaise spread.

「Go ahead. However......」

A couple of notes on handling raw eggs. He also says that vinegar can sterilize the eggs to some extent, but there is a possibility of food poisoning, that it is best to use eggs that do not hatch chicks when heated, that they do not last long in high temperatures, and that the taste varies depending on the amount of oil and vinegar used.

Satoru also tells the man in advance that he will not spread what he has learned, and that he will not keep it a secret. The father told Satoru that he has no intention of spreading it around like a preacher, but he also has no intention of hiding it.

Satoru also told him that it can be eaten raw, but that the flavor changes when it is grilled, and that it is suitable as a sauce for fried foods when combined with chopped pickled vegetables ― in short, tartar sauce ― and that although he used a whole egg this time, it can be made with just the yolk, and several other variations.

「This is amazing ...... I never would have thought of that」

The man who was nodding and listening to what Satoru told him breathed heavily on his shoulder as if he was impressed.

It may be an exaggeration, but in a way it may be an alteration of common sense, Satoru thinks. He had seen scrambled eggs in the past, and sponge cakes, but never in this world had he thought of using raw eggs.

「Uh, you are ......」

At Satoru's question, the man looked up as if he had just remembered.

「Oh, pardon me. My name is Olof Dahl (オロフ・ダール).」

「My name is Satoru. Are you also waiting at this checkpoint, Dahl-san?」

「It has been 3 days now. We were just running out of food other than eggs, so thank goodness for that」

「3 days!?」

Satoru was honestly surprised that Dahl and his child were waiting so long for the checkpoint. The location of Dahl and his child's carriage was certainly ahead of Satoru's group's place, but to think that it took them three days to reach that place.

In Dahl's carriage, a servant seems to be watching alone. A woman who seems to be Dahl's wife is nowhere to be seen. Satoru wonders about that.

「Are you traveling with your daughter?」

Traveling in this world is dangerous. After all, human dominion has not been established. Many lands are under the control of monsters and beasts. Now that the checkpoint is close and there are other people waiting for them, it is extremely dangerous for a father and his servant to travel alone with a small child.

Dahl looked tired.

「Yes, well. Actually, my wife has been infected with an epidemic. I can't leave my child with my wife who is ill. We came here in search of medicine. I finally bought some and I want to give them to her as soon as possible, but ......」

「I see, that's .......I don't know what to say」

Satoru's expression becomes bitter as well, although he is also convinced. Being around a mother affected by an epidemic, there is a strong possibility that the child, who has low resistance, will also contract the disease. This is what the father was trying to avoid.

「If I could bribe the checkpoint official, it would probably speed things up a little. But we used up all of our saved money to buy medicines, so  I can't afford it.」

Despite this, Dahl, a man of about 30 or so, was giving away eggs laid by the hens on his carriage to the people in the area free of charge. In return, he was given food to share, but he did not ask for anything in return, nor did he seem to ask for any money. He was probably very good-natured.

He was probably putting his children's needs ahead of his own. Dahl's face was dark with fatigue as he stared at the campfire.

「Oh, ahh ...... My apologies. I've been talking a lot.」

「Don't be」

Satoru smiled amiably and let it slide. He had traveled around the world without much contact with the people of this world, but he could see that the people of this world, who were closer to the medieval times of the original world, were also having a hard time, which made Satoru feel a sense of despair.

「Hannah......」

Dahl turned his face to his daughter, who was sleeping soundly with her head resting on Minerva's thighs. Minerva gently strokes the head of the girl called Hannah. Hannah must have been relieved to feel the warmth of Minerva, who was both innocent and motherly at the same time. Perhaps she is thinking of her mother who is ill back home.

「I'm sorry to have bothered you.」

Bowing his head, he took his daughter in a princess's carry and left. Satoru watched his back as they left, and sighed a little.

「It took three days and they were still in that position. Isn't that too unusual?」

「Right ......」

Dahl's carriage is in the middle of the line. Satoru scratched his head in response to Liz's question. Even with a rough estimate, it would probably take about six more days in this position. Satoru, who is eager to return home to Alice as soon as possible, cannot bear to spend six days in idleness in a place like this.

「I'm going to gather information.」

Rico, who had finished cleaning up the dinner, stood up quickly. Satoru nodded.

「Ah. Also, take some wine with you anyway. I'm sure they'll be more interested in what we have to talk about if you have a drink.」

「Oh, in that case...」

Satoru agreed to Rico's advice and added an extra touch. He put the magic power of heat into a small stone and put it into a pot filled with wine. Hot wine. The night in the middle of autumn is chilly. A hot drink would be more useful than anything else.

While waiting for Rico, who had gone out to gather information with a small goblet and a ceramic bottle of wine, Satoru and the others prepared their beds in the carriage. And Minerva, who usually takes the initiative in arranging the beds, is sitting there with a somewhat relaxed air.

「..? Is something wrong, Minerva?」

Minerva tilted her head and gave a small smile as if she had noticed something new when Satoru called out to her. The girl's charming gesture, which is in keeping with her apparent age, unintentionally makes Satoru's heart rises.

「Having a child is nice」

「...... I, see」

Taking care of the little girl for a short time probably stimulated Minerva's maternal feelings. Satoru hasn't asked her exactly, but Minerva is supposed to be a transubstantial mother. She has laid eggs and given birth several times as a member of a herd of flying dragons. However, since parenting was done by the whole herd, Minerva has never done anything special for her own children.

「......Yes. Minerva will do her best. Minerva must endure it」

Minerva's voice was full of determination, and Satoru nodded with a small smile. It may have been just a small encounter, but Minerva's determination to endure not intercourse with her Lord for the sake of her unborn child makes her look a little dazzling. She must have awakened to her newfound awareness as a mother. Satoru sends words of gratitude to the girl named Hannah, who gave Minerva, who was becoming difficult to handle, a change of heart.

Soon after, Rico returned. Her expression is quite glum.

「Listen. There's a problem with this checkpoint.」

「Is it that bad?」

Satoru frowns when Rico blurts it out as soon as she gets into the carriage.

「I heard that some people had to wait for 8 days before they were allowed to enter the country, and then they were put in the last row because they didn't give the money to the officials.」

「What the heck?」

「The rumors about the epidemic seem to be correct, but ...... they are taking advantage of it to line their own pockets.」

Satoru was honestly dumbfounded. At the very least, a checkpoint post is supposed to be run by the country. However, the checkpoint here is far away from the capital, and the country is likely taking advantage of the chaos caused by the epidemic to line its own pockets. This is the best proof that the national body is in decline.

「They say they are on high alert to keep people from being smuggled into the country.」

「......This is sucks.」

Satoru grumbled. From the immigration officer's point of view, those who smuggle themselves into the country to avoid passing through the checkpoint are probably considered traitors who don't want to give money to themselves. That is why they are on high alert.

As of now, Liz is the only one in the group who cannot jump over the valley. It is possible for Solor, for example, to jump over the valley by using a flying art. The problem is the carriage, but considering Satoru's physical strength, it is possible to carry the carriage and the horse separately on his back and jump over the valley from a short distance away or to make them smaller and carry them by sorcery. However, that would mean having to continue along the roadless path for a while, and above all, it would be troublesome if the people at the checkpoint found out about it.

「What do you think?」

Rubbing his chin, Satoru calls out to Liz and Leia, who are still hiding in the shadows.

「Let's wait and see the situation a little more.」

『....I agree with Liz.』

Fuhh, Satoru nodded with the opinions of the two people in charge of the party's knowledge. Entering secretly or forcing one's way in by rampaging is a last resort, and that resort could be taken at any time. Since it has only been half a day since they arrived at this waiting checkpoint, it would not be wrong to take a wait-and-see approach.

However, Satoru himself had never thought that he would be able to do anything about it by looking at the situation.

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