The day after Ethan’s Swordsmanship Department Evaluation Duel ended…

The three of us, including Isabel, were on a long journey back to the Blackwood Estate by carriage.

We thought Harold would return with us since he’s currently appointed as a temporary professor at the academy. Surprisingly, it seemed he had some work left to do as a temporary professor, so he sent word that he would stay at the academy for a few more days.

Therefore, it was decided that the three of us would return to the Blackwood Mansion first.

If we delayed our schedule any further, we might have to return to the academy just a few days after arriving at the Blackwood Estate, so we decided that at least those of us who had finished all our schedules at the academy should return to the mansion first. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

The problem was that this was also the time when other academy students were returning to their hometowns for vacation, so finding a coachman who could drive a four-seater carriage was quite challenging.

In the end, the three of us had to depart from Luminor Academy to the Blackwood Estate on the day of departure without looking for a coachman.

Who’s driving the carriage if we can’t find a coachman, you ask?

Of course, it was decided that I would drive it. What other option was there?

 

“Will you be alright, Lilith?”

“Are you worried, Young Master Ethan?”

“Of course I’m worried. Driving a carriage is dangerous.”

“I’ll drive in a way that ensures not a scratch on your precious body, young master. Please don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried about myself, but about you, Lilith…”

 

Well, it’s probably Ethan’s first time riding in a carriage I’m driving, so he’s bound to be anxious, but delaying our schedule any further would be inefficient.

I had learned carriage driving from Dittmeyer in preparation for moments like this.

In fact, if Lilith was included as a member of the “Demon King Subjugation Party” in the game, most of the carriage driving would be alternated between Lilith and the protagonist, so there was no chance that this body I’m possessing lacks talent in carriage driving. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

It’s not like it would be impossible to drive a carriage if it wasn’t Lilith’s body, but if I’ve been reincarnated as Lilith, I should at least be able to drive a carriage easily.

 

“Lilith~, I don’t think all the luggage will fit in the trunk. Can I put some on the seats inside?”

“Sure. I’ll be in the driver’s seat anyway, so it doesn’t matter if you fill up my seat with luggage.”

“……”

 

As we had this conversation, I climbed onto the driver’s seat after preparing to depart for the Blackwood Estate early in the morning.

Suddenly, Ethan also started to take a seat next to me in the driver’s seat.

 

“Oof.”

“…Young Master Ethan?”

“What’s wrong, Lilith?”

“The passenger compartment is empty. Please sit in the comfortable seats instead of this uncomfortable spot.”

“…Sorry, Lilith. I just feel like getting some fresh air right now.”

“It will take nearly a full day to reach the Blackwood Estate. Sitting on the driver’s seat won’t be a very pleasant experience.”

“It’s fine, we can depart now. Isabel, don’t wait, get in the passenger seat.”

“Understood. As per Young Master Ethan’s orders, I’ll board the passenger’s seat alone.”

“…Isabel?”

 

Ethan insisted on squeezing into the seat next to the driver’s seat despite the perfectly good seats inside, and Isabel boarded the passenger compartment alone without any particular reaction to this eccentric behavior.

Feeling like I might be the one reacting strangely, given how brazenly these two were acting, I had no choice but to start driving the carriage. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

The carriage, loaded with the three of us and our luggage, began to move towards the Blackwood Estate in the northeast.

After driving the carriage from the Island of Knowledge towards the Blackwood Estate for a day and a half…

Despite departing quite early in the morning, the road where the carriage was traveling had already become quite dark.

Judging that it would be difficult to proceed further in this darkness, I cautiously suggested something to Ethan.

 

“Young Master Ethan.”

“Yes, Lilith.”

“I apologize, but I think we should camp for the night around here.”

“Yeah, I was starting to think we should do that too.”

 

With Ethan’s permission, and seeing a suitable flat ground that could be used as a campsite, I stopped the horses I had been driving.

As I got down, I stretched my body, which had become stiff from sitting in the driver’s seat for a long time.

 

“Uuungh~!!”

“Tired from driving the carriage? Isabel and I will prepare the camp, so Lilith, you should rest a bit.”

“Yes…”

 

It seemed much faster when driving a carriage in the game, but in reality, the perceived time is quite different.

It was a moment when I newly appreciated the skills of the coachmen of the Blackwoods. They had apparently made this trip between the Blackwood Mansion and the Island of Knowledge several times, but how could they cover this distance in just one day each time?

Still, we’ve come about 60-70% of the way, so if we depart tomorrow morning, we should easily reach the Blackwood Mansion around lunchtime.

 

“Shall we set up the tent first, young master?”

“Yes. I’ll tie this side of the tent; you take the other end and tie it to that tree over there.”

“Yes, understood.”

 

I felt strangely apologetic towards Isabel and Ethan, who had already come down from the passenger compartment and were setting up the spare tent.

I quietly approached him as he was tying the tent to a tree and apologized.

 

“I’m sorry, Young Master Ethan.”

“Lilith? I told you to rest.”

“If I had driven the horses a bit better, we might have been able to reach the estate today. I have no words to express how sorry I am for making you prepare for a night in the open like this.”

“What are you saying, Lilith? If it weren’t for you, we probably wouldn’t have even departed from the academy until the day after tomorrow.” [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

“Still, the other coachmen of the Blackwoods can cover this distance in just one day…”

“Lilith, you can’t compare yourself to the mansion’s coachmen who have been driving carriages for over a decade. You learned how to drive a carriage in case there was no coachman available. This is more than enough.”

“……”

“Young master~! Please help me set up this tent too~!”

“Alright, I’m coming! …You must be tired, Lilith. For now, rest in the carriage.”

“…Yes, Young Master Ethan.”

 

After watching Ethan set up the second tent with Isabel for a bit longer, I followed his words and went into the carriage to rest for a while.

It was two hours later when I woke up, drawn by the smell of stew.

“Hah, mmm… slurp…”

“Eat slowly, Lilith. The stew isn’t going to run away.”

“…Yes, Young Master Ethan.”

“Lilith, did you rest enough? You’re not a coachman, so you shouldn’t overdo it.”

“…Yeah. I slept well, so you don’t need to worry.”

 

It really felt like I had slept deeply. My last clear memory was of sitting briefly on the passenger’s seat of the carriage, but when I came to my senses, I was lying on the seat, even drooling while sleeping.

It seems the fatigue from nearly nine hours of carriage driving had accumulated quite a bit.

Moreover, unlike simply being carried in a carriage, directly driving the horses and sitting in the driver’s seat naturally multiplied the fatigue several times over.

The headwind coming from the front, eye strain, the slightly bumpier driver’s seat compared to the passenger compartment, the mental energy expended on paying attention to the speed and fatigue of the two horses, etc., were probably the causes of my body’s exhaustion.

Still, I was able to shake off the fatigue somehow with a bowl of chicken vegetable stew and baked bread that Isabel had prepared.

At times like this, I was truly grateful for Isabel’s handiwork in making such a meal from the ingredients gathered among our unremarkable luggage.

 

“It’s fortunate to have you here at times like this, Isabel. I have no talent for cooking at all.”

“That’s because you, young master, are the young master of the Blackwood family! It’s not that you lack talent; it’s natural!”

“We can’t ask Lilith to cook when she’s tired from driving the carriage. In the first place, Lilith’s cooking is more like… Ah.”

“…What about my cooking, Young Master Ethan?”

“…Ah, no. It’s nothing, Lilith.”

 

Why stop mid-sentence? If you’re going to say something, say it all the way through.

Ethan, who had ended his words in a strangely concerning way, seemed to be deliberately focusing more on his meal as if to avoid any further questions.

I, too, focused on the food in front of me without any further pressing for the sake of recovering my strength. [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

Tomorrow morning, as soon as we wake up, we’ll have to drive the carriage for another three or four hours towards the Blackwood Estate, so replenishing our energy was essential.

 

“If you gather the dishes in one place, I’ll clean them all at once with Clean later.”

“Okay! I’ll leave it to you, Lilith.”

“After we finish eating, we should set up some security measures around the area and take turns sleeping. Do you both know how to do night watch?”

“Ah, no… I don’t have any experience…”

“I know how to, Young Master Ethan. I have actual experience, too.” *1

“…You have experience?”

 

…Oops. Slip of the tongue.

 

“…I’m referring to the experience of standing watch against monsters in my hometown village when I was young. In my hometown, it was common for slimes to come down to the village during the rainy season.”

“Ah, I see. That’s what you meant.”

“I… When Lilith said she was the only one with experience, I thought I had lacked something in my duties as a maid…”

 

It’s fortunate that they’re both innocent enough not to probe deeper and let it slide.

I’ve been trying not to make mistakes lately, but I got a bit tired today, and I let my guard down a bit.

 

“Since I just took a nap, I’ll take the first shift.”

“I’ll take the middle shift, and Isabel can take the last shift and prepare breakfast when dawn breaks.” [GalaxyTL/Axiomatic]

“Yes, young master!” 

“Today, we’ll just need to keep watch in case of emergencies, but I don’t expect anything to happen. It’s unlikely for bandits or such to suddenly appear in such an open area.”

 

…Ah.

Why do I feel like he just jinxed us?