Vol 2 Chapter 30 – A Journey from South to North【Exile to the Empire Arc】

As a result of Roy’s interrogation, it was revealed that the crude wanted posters in the royal capital had been a deliberate ploy.

If they had let their guard down and remained in the capital, they would surely have been discovered.

(Though it was nighttime, sprinting through the streets carrying Sarina princess-style was probably a mistake.) Roy decided to be a little more careful from now on.

“So, what are we doing with these two?”

“Boss, are you… going to kill them?”

“First, disarm them. Yukino, put their equipment in your ‘Item Box.’ The other one’s badly hurt, so I need you to use ‘Regenerate’ on him, too.”

Yukino nodded dutifully and began treating the man Sophia had stabbed in the chest. Manabu took some extra rope and tied up the uninjured man.

“Sophia, can I have a word?”

“Oh? What is it?”

Roy led Sophia around to the back of the carriage and took off the white, wedding-glove-like garment she wore on her right hand.

“What is this? Why is it so swollen?”

Sophia looked away. Her right hand was red and swollen, which was the only reason the man she’d stabbed was still alive.

As Roy took some ointment and a potion from his “Shadow Pocket,” Sophia protested.

“I already drank a potion. The bones are fully healed; it just needs to swell down.”

“And you failed to kill him because of it, right?”

“That’s right. But you just gave the order to ‘keep them alive,’ so isn’t it fine?”

Roy used the potion and ointment together, then gently wrapped her hand in a band of shadow.

“I’m not trying to be some champion of justice. If I want to let someone live, I will. If I want to kill them, I will. That’s why Manabu and Sarina are alive.”

The men who had attacked them would live or die at Roy’s whim. In another world, if someone tried to kill you, you had every right to kill them back; Roy, who would let them live depending on his mood, was actually quite soft for an adventurer.

“Try not to hide your injuries. I want to eliminate as many unpredictable factors as I can.”

“Those aren’t the words I’d expect from a child raised in a village of assassins. But… I understand. I’ll report to you properly next time.”

“Assassination is the side job. The main job is to ‘protect the OOPArts.’ You know that, right?”

“Hey, Roy? This injury… I got it when I deflected Kairo’s handaxe. Even for me, this was the result. So please, don’t you go picking any reckless fights.”

“I know. I’ll be careful, too… And, thanks for saving me back at the Tower of Agni.”

For Sophia, who had lived her life for Roy, what she did felt so natural that she never expected to be thanked for it. Because of that, she was a little surprised, and then she smiled.

“You’re very welcome. Oh, Roy… could I ask you to do this treatment for me periodically? It was cool and felt nice.”

Roy agreed, retracted the shadow, and went back to join the others. Watching his back, Sophia rolled the three “black rings” she had received from the village chief in her palm.

“I missed my chance to give them to him again. I guess I’m quite the maiden, after all…”

Sophia slipped them into her pocket and followed Roy.

　☆☆☆

The party headed north along the road, making for the Empire. According to Sophia, the nobleman named Eiden had a way to prevent the “International Tower Conquest Competition.”

The party took turns sitting next to the driver to keep watch. The driver, of course, was one of Eiden’s subordinates and a member of the Stark organization.

From his seat next to the driver, Roy turned to look inside the carriage.

Manabu was engrossed in history books and the “Beginner’s Guide” distributed by the Guild, eager to learn about this world.

Yukino was sleeping soundly under a blanket, a carefree smile on her face that looked almost like a slime’s.

Sophia was meditating with her spear lying across her lap. She had said that, unlike Roy or Yukino, her “Purification” was slow, so she meditated whenever she had a spare moment.

Sarina was making emergency rations, occasionally taking short naps. It was apparently a skill she’d acquired through intensive training back in her own world. It seemed the ideal woman for Haruto was one “who could cook,” so she had learned immediately.

Roy looked at Yukino and thought.

(Yukino… she couldn’t cook at all. I had to teach her just so she could make the bare minimum. Not that I’m a pro myself or anything. What exactly was Haruto’s ideal?)

Then, a possibility occurred to Roy.

(Even back in my village, I’d hear handsome guys boast, ‘This is the kind of girl I like!’ Did Sarina just… believe all of that, hook, line, and sinker…?)

(Ah, I get it now… Sarina is a very straightforward woman.)

A small smile touched Roy’s lips, and Sarina glared at him with a look of displeasure.

“You’re creeping me out with that grin. Stop looking over here.”

“Sorry, I just felt like I understood you a little better, Sarina.”

“Don’t say my name so casually. And I don’t want to be understood by the likes of you.”

“Now, now, that won’t do. You and I, we’re all wanted criminals now, and what’s more, we’re a party, right? We’ll need trust when we fight.”

Every time Roy said “Sarina,” her mood soured further. Still, Roy boldly pressed on, but he was soon cut off.

“Roy. Bitch. You’re being loud. You’ll wake Yukino, won’t you?”

Roy made a “what can you do” gesture and turned back to face the front. Sarina shot a glare at Sophia for calling her a “bitch” before returning to her work. Just then, the driver spoke to him.

“Master Roy, looks like you got told off.”

“Haha, I just can’t help but tease her type. Anyway, Palco, sorry for making you drive without a break. Let’s find an inn when we get to the next village or town. I’ll buy you an ale.”

“Heh heh! Thanks! Maybe I should start calling you ‘Boss’ like Manabu does.”

“Don’t. One ‘Boss’ is enough.”

They were several hours out from the royal capital, and though they had taken breaks, the driver, Palco, was starting to get tired. Following Roy’s suggestion, they arrived at a nearby village about an hour later.