Ossan Saikyō Chapter 14 Part 07
After walking along the highway for about 30 minutes;
“Young Lord Ryūsha, are you all right? Is it uncomfortable?”
I made sure there was no one around before speaking to the backpack on my back.
“I’m fine, thank you. Also, I think it would be better if you stopped calling me ‘Young Lord’. Just call me Ryūsha, and speak casually please.”
He had a point. If the way I spoke to him gave away that Ryūsha was someone of high standing, that would be a problem.
“All right. I’ll speak normally until we reach the Marquis’ territory. We’ll take a break after walking a little farther, so hang in there until then.”
“Understood. I’m actually quite comfortable, so there’s no need to worry.”
Hearing that, I quickened my pace a little.
The road I was walking along now was the same highway I had traveled after coming out of the『Gate to Another World』. Apparently, if I went in the opposite direction from the way I had come, I would reach the Marquis’ territory.
I had been told it would take 3 days on foot to reach the Marquis’ territory, but with my legs, I should be able to get there in 2. The highway itself didn’t seem to be closed off, but there was no telling who might notice us.
Keeping【Presence Detection】at full strength and paying close attention to the people I occasionally encountered, I continued walking briskly along the highway.
After another 30 minutes or so, I moved away from the highway and set down the backpack in the shade of a tree.
When I opened it, Ryūsha, who had been sitting inside with his knees drawn up, stood and stretched.
Now that I could see him properly in the sunlight, he was an extraordinarily handsome boy with shining silver hair and a beautiful, youthful face. He was probably shorter than average, and at first glance, it wouldn’t be strange to mistake him for a girl.
“Phew, just sitting still is surprisingly tiring. But I was really nervous at the city gate. You seemed so calm when you dealt with the soldiers, Soushi-san. I thought that was amazing.”
“I was actually pretty panicked myself. It seemed like the soldiers weren’t very motivated either.”
“That’s true. The soldiers seem to be treated quite poorly, so I think they’ve all lost their motivation.”
“If they keep governing like that, I think the capital is going to end up in serious trouble sooner or later. It wasn’t always like this, was it?”
“No, of course not. When the previous King was in power, things were completely different, and the city was thriving. It’s only been like this since the change of throne 2 years ago.”
“That’s quite a change in just 2 years. Oh, right. Do you want some water?”
“A little, please.”
I took a water bottle and a cup out of my【Item Box】and handed the boy some water. After drinking it, he let out a sigh.
“So that was the【Item Box】. It’s my first time seeing one. Adventurers really are amazing, aren’t they?”
“I don’t really understand how I acquired the ability myself, but it certainly is convenient. I can put pretty much anything in it.”
“How strong are you, Soushi-san? I heard you’re a B-Rank adventurer.”
“I don’t really know myself, but apparently I’m quite strong. I can defeat most monsters, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Dunken-san said you were strong too, so I suppose it must be true.”
I had exaggerated a little so he wouldn’t worry, but the boy’s expression relaxed, so it seemed to have worked.
After resting for about 10 minutes, I had the boy get back inside the bag.
“Let me know if it gets uncomfortable. I’ll be walking even faster than before.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
I returned to the highway and started walking south.
That day, I kept walking until just before the sun had completely set, then decided to spend the night in a grove away from the highway.
For both lunch and dinner, we ate food from my【Item Box】. Apparently, Ryuusha hadn’t been eating anything decent either, because he repeatedly said, “This is delicious!”.
At night, I had only Ryūsha sleep in the sleeping bag while I kept watch without sleeping.
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The next day, we continued walking from early morning without stopping.
The land between the Capital and the Marquis’ territory was mostly gently rolling plains, so there was no difficulty at all in walking.
If a civil war broke out afterward, an army would have an easy time marching through here. Of course, that also meant it would be easy to wage war in this region.
Around late morning, I noticed that the construction of the highway had changed slightly. The material of the stones paving it seemed different. Presumably, the source of the stone had changed, which meant we had entered the Marquis’ territory.
“Looks like we’ve entered the Marquis’ territory. But you’ll have to stay in there a little longer.”
“Understood. I’m fine.”
As I was checking with Ryūsha, I heard a sound in the distance, like metal striking metal. Since it echoed intermittently, it sounded like the clash of swords. Perhaps someone was fighting.
After going a little farther, I detected several presences with【Presence Detection】. Around 15 people seemed to be fighting one another off the highway.
Looking over, I saw a 4-wheeled covered wagon stopped there, with 5 people who appeared to be adventurers fighting twice as many people dressed in black.
One of the adventurers was down, but still seemed to be breathing. Two of the people in black were also down, though I couldn’t tell whether they were alive or dead.
“Ryūsha, it looks like some people are fighting. One side is dressed in black. Do you know who they are?”
“No, I’ve never heard of them. What should we do?”
“Then they might be bandits. One side appears to be adventurers, so I’d like to help them if possible.”
“Then please do so. Should I get out?”
“No, it should be fine.”
With that, I ran toward them, and two of the black-clad men who noticed me attacked me as well.
I couldn’t say for certain which side was in the wrong, but since they had attacked me, the black-clad men were probably bandits after all.
Judging by their movements, they seemed to be Awakened, so perhaps they were adventurers who had fallen into banditry.
I knocked aside the blades swung by the black-clad men with my arms, then drove a fist into each of them, sending them flying. If they had been lucky enough to take the blows in the right places, they might still be alive, but that wasn’t my concern.
Two more leaped at me, and they met the same fate. At this point, even B-Rank adventurers were no match for me. Adventurers who had fallen so far as to become bandits were nothing to me.
Perhaps the tide had turned with my arrival, because the adventurers who had been fighting also cut down the black-clad men one after another.
I waited where I was, and before long, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the leader of the adventurers approached me.
“Thank you. We appreciate your assistance. Are you an adventurer?”
“My name is Soushi. I’m a B-Rank adventurer. I happened to see the commotion and came running.”
“I see. You saved us. These men are slave hunters. There were more of them than we expected, so we were in a bit of trouble.”
“Could that voice be Mr. Arslin?”
The voice came from inside the backpack, of course, and it was Ryūsha.
The adventurer leader called Arslin opened his eyes wide when he heard the voice.
“Could it be Ryūsha-sama!? Where are you speaking from?”
I set down the backpack, opened it, and let Ryūsha out.
The boy stood up, stepped in front of Arslin, and gave him a slight bow.
“It’s been a while. Thanks to the help of Dunken-san from the Capital’s Guild and Soushi-san here, I managed to make it this far. Please take me to Marquis Raghantz with haste. I’m counting on you.”
“““““Yes, sir!”””””
In front of the boy, Arslin and the other 4 adventurers all dropped to one knee and bowed their heads at once.
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E/N:
Ossan is just a walking bulwark, a fu*king unit of his own 🤣! Let's complete the delivery!
Stay tuned!
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