Life as an Adventurer with the Banished Marquis' Daughter - Chapter 03: Carriage Journey with the Exiled Marquis’s Daughter, Part 3

Chapter 03: Carriage Journey with the Exiled Marquis’s Daughter, Part 3

“What’s this time, young man?”

The coachman asked. 

He was a member of the Solnzari family and from now on, any conversation would be made through him. 

Since he knew the situation, it was safe to explain.

“Surprisingly enough, my father and the chancellor were apparently best friends.”

“Oh?” 

The man, not well-versed in noble society, responded vaguely.

“Even among nobles, it’s rare for a high-ranking marquis and a poor viscount to be friends, you know?”

I concluded the story vaguely and shrugged. 

Through the small window used for talking to the coachman, the man shrugged as well, saying that it must be tough being a noble.

It really was tough. Frankly, my position was like drawing the short straw. 

As a noble, this was practically the end for me. Our family was seen as siding with the chancellor, who had a grudge against the royal family, making things complicated.

To be honest, a partner for this elopement farce wouldn’t normally be found a week before the plan. 

Even if one was found, they wouldn’t be a decent person.

So, the chancellor turned to his trusted friend, my father.

My father, being a reliable friend to the chancellor, had three children. Conveniently, his second son was a classmate of the chancellor’s daughter. Moreover, as the son of a poor viscount, he was a perfect match for the elopement setup.

The perfect candidate for this crazy plan turned out to be me. To be honest, the only reason I happily accepted this unlucky role is because I’m a fool. 

The fact that I could be beside a girl I had given up on as being out of my league, even if only in name, was enough for me to throw my life away.

The girl worth throwing my life away for is currently in a state of shock.

Despite being incredibly smart, she didn’t misdirect her curses after being told the plan just once on the day of our departure. 

Now, in addition to cursing the lousy prince, she has added the name of the son of a high-ranking noble who had a crush on the Maiden of Light.

For a moment, I wondered what I would do if she stayed like this forever, but when I imagined it, I realized I could handle it. 

Erika Solnzari is beautiful no matter her state. I could take care of her for a lifetime. 

Being able to be by her side makes me feel like I might be the happiest person in the world.

＊

“Ahem, young man, there’s something I’d like to discuss.”

It was just past noon when the coachman subtly slowed down the carriage and spoke to me.

I was in the middle of giving water to Erika Solnzari, who was still cursing non-stop.

She was miraculously drinking water while cursing, not spilling a single drop, and still looking beautiful.

Impressed by Erika’s skill, I closed the lid of the canteen and leaned towards the window. The man spoke again.

“Though it’s still far away, I think there might be bandits ahead.”

“Huh? This close to the capital?”

We had been traveling for about eight hours since leaving the capital early in the morning. Even though we were moving at a decent speed on the highway, we were still very close to the capital. 

Was the security in this country, where I was about to be exiled, really that bad?

“Actually, it’s probably because we’re so close.”

The coachman subtly glanced towards the distant forest along the highway. 

According to him, this highway stretching west from the capital was frequently used by merchant carriages carrying goods. Whether leaving or entering the capital, this area was the furthest point from the capital.

The capital’s knights were well aware of this and patrolled the area heavily, also hunting down bandits. 

But this also meant that, with the right timing, it was a prime spot for targeting prey.

“And right now, there are no other carriages around except ours.”

“I see.”

I understood his unspoken implication that our carriage, which looked like it carried wealthy passengers, was an attractive target. 

I decided to trust his judgment.

As I pulled my sword closer, I said to the coachman,

“By the way, you used to be an adventurer, right?”

“Huh? How did you know?”

I smiled wryly at the coachman, who looked surprised.

“Only an adventurer or a former adventurer with skills could notice bandits from this distance. The Chancellor can’t officially employ adventurers or former adventurers for political reasons, so it’s not surprising if he personally hired one.”

“Wow, nobles really are something.”

The coachman muttered, sounding amazed.

Ignoring his tone, I asked, 

“What’s your rank?”

“Six.”

I see. The marquis family hired the highest rank they could afford for continuous employment. 

A rank six adventurer is practically superhuman.

Beyond this rank, it becomes difficult to hire them continuously, not just because of the cost, but also because higher-ranked adventurers are rarely available.

For my family, even hiring a rank six adventurer continuously would be impossible due to financial constraints.

“Can you tell how many there are?”

“There are six in the forest on the right side of the highway, and one looks like a former adventurer…”

The coachman had a distant look for a moment.

“Well, they’re just small fry.”

He muttered, almost to himself. “They probably can’t even get past the carriage’s barrier.”

I fastened my sword to my belt, ready for whatever was coming.

“I’ll go out alone.”

“Huh?”

The coachman turned back through the window, surprised.

“It’s not that I doubt your assessment, but if there’s a former adventurer among them, we can’t be careless. Actually, it’s because I trust your judgment that I’ll go alone. If they can’t even break through the carriage’s barrier, I can handle them by myself.”

The coachman looked at me for a moment, then shrugged, as if to say, “Suit yourself.”

“If things go wrong, leave me and run.”

“An adventurer never forgets who pays them, young man.”

The man replied with a hint of sarcasm, making me smile despite myself.

He was essentially saying he’d take care of Erika Solnzari’s safety.

“Alright, I’m off.”

I jumped out of the carriage.