Clatter, clatter.

Perhaps it was due to the incident that occurred last night, but the carriage was moving noticeably slower than it had the previous day. The horses were uninjured, so the problem likely lay with the coachman.

I opened the window and urged the coachman to pick up the pace.

"Hey, the carriage is slowing down. Please go faster."

"Y-Yes, ma’am...!"

Startled, the coachman hastily increased the speed. His face was swollen, and his shoulders slumped weakly as if his entire body was in pain. It was clear evidence of Orca’s wrath from last night, after discovering the coachman had deceived us. Orca had nearly beaten him to death.

If Anastasia hadn’t intervened, he wouldn’t have even been able to pull the carriage. Although she could have fully healed him, Anastasia only treated him enough to allow him to drive, suggesting that she didn’t particularly like him either.

"Really, you should have been more careful. What if we got scammed?"

"No, I don’t think it was a scam. We already knew about the ambush... Isn’t that right, Ophelia-sensei?"

"Of course. I overheard him muttering to himself about how there aren’t any more fools who fall for obvious traps these days."

"...But you still got in the carriage? Why?"

Orca seemed puzzled that I knew the coachman was a fraud—a bandit, really—yet still decided to ride with him. The reason for letting him be was actually quite simple.

No one else was willing to take us to Ellud.

"There’s no way to get to Ellud except by the regular carriage service. There’s nothing else around."

"Knowing he’s a bandit could work to our advantage. We could overpower him and have a vehicle to get to Ellud, a mode of transportation we can control."

"Exactly."

Orca gave us a puzzled look as Stella and I exchanged smiles, realizing we were on the same page. We didn’t pay much attention to Orca’s expression. The coachman was already headed to prison, so it didn’t matter if we used him temporarily. Even the princess approved, so there was no problem. Hmm.

Why didn’t we just rent a carriage?

Well, if we did, one of our students would have to drive. How sad would it be for one of them to be isolated while the other four bonded during the trip?

They all needed to get along.

I smiled, watching the students gathered together. Everything seemed to be going according to plan, which made me feel good.

...But no plan is ever without its variables.

And that included my plan.

"...Ophelia-sensei, could you please stop moving around so much?"

"Ugh, sorry..."

"We still have a long way to go, so if you’re already exhausted, what are we supposed to do?"

I had overlooked a crucial detail—the carriage was, after all, a cramped means of transportation.

The initial excitement of watching the passing scenery and marveling at the carriage’s smooth ride soon wore off, leaving nothing but sheer boredom after being stuck inside for three days.

I hadn’t considered how mind-numbingly dull it would be to stay in a confined space for such a long time.

If only I had brought a game console.

As someone who was always reading or playing games during spare time, I found the lack of anything to do incredibly frustrating.

In the game, the journey to Ellud involved various events and encounters that kept things interesting.

The problem was that, because I didn’t want to walk, I was now traveling by carriage, skipping those events.

With a full day left to travel with nothing happening, I was bored to death.

Kill... me... now...

"Teacher? We’ve arrived. Please wake up."

"Mmm, just a little longer... What? We’re here?"

"Yes, look over there. It’s the village."

Startled awake by Anastasia’s voice, I quickly looked out the window and saw a quiet but unmistakably man-made village just as she said.

It was my first time seeing it, yet the scenery felt familiar. Realizing we had arrived in Ellud, I jumped out of the carriage as soon as it stopped and ran around the grassy field.

"Finally! We made it! Woohoo!"

"...She really looks pathetic when she does that."

Even though the students muttered complaints about me, I couldn’t contain my excitement and kept running.

I’m someone who feels sore and miserable after just three hours on a train, let alone a three-day journey.

Sure, we camped out occasionally, but honestly, it was tough to endure.

However, it wasn’t the students who stopped my exuberant running—it was my own body.

"Huff, huff... So tired. Everyone, let’s head to the village."

"..."

"How far did you even run...?"

The students gave me exasperated looks, as if to say, ‘Is that all you can manage?’

...Maybe I am a little out of shape.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, I decided to change the subject to distract the students.

It’s not because I was worried they’d start pushing me to exercise, nope. I just thought it was time to change the topic.

I could never understand why people liked exercise.

Muscle soreness hurts, and I’m not someone who enjoys pain, so why do it?

"Ahem, according to my information network, there were reports a few years ago of someone in this village who looked a lot like the Sword Saint."

"...A few years? So there’s a chance he’s not here anymore."

"Right?"

In the original storyline, you ask the villagers about the Sword Saint but get nothing useful because they’re suspicious of outsiders and refuse to talk.

During this time, a child gets lost in the forest, and by helping them, you gain the villagers’ trust. Then you have to complete a few more quests to earn their approval.

But who has time for that?

After all, once the quests related to the Sword Saint are completed, you don’t interact with the village again.

Instead of wasting time with outsiders, I could just tell them what they need to know.

"But don’t worry! I have information that the Sword Saint is living in a cave outside Ellud!"

"Now I’m curious, Ophelia-sensei. Where did you get this information?"

"I heard it from someone I know who’s from here. Her name is Jane. Orca met her once before."

"...She’s from here?"

"Yes. She told me all sorts of things about this place, including a story about an old man who looks remarkably similar to the Sword Saint."

That’s a lie.

I have no idea where that girl is from. All I know is that when I first met her, she was living in the back alleys.

But so what? It’s not like they’ll meet again.

I do feel a little guilty about using her name, but it’s not like I can say I know because I played the game, right?

"So if we search the caves outside the village, we should find him!"

"...Alright, I understand. Let’s go quickly, teacher."

"Ugh. Can’t we rest for a bit first? I’m exhausted."

"No. The sooner we finish this, the better. If you’re too tired, I’ll carry you."

"...I’ll walk."

There was no way I could let a student who was shorter than me carry me, so I reluctantly agreed to walk.

I’d rather not be known as the adult teacher who had to be carried by a smaller student.

Just thinking about it is embarrassing...

"Well, don’t get your hopes up too much. It’s been a few years, so he might have moved on by now."

"..."

They’re not even listening.

I guess it’s understandable, though. Hearing that your father, whose whereabouts have been unknown since childhood, might be nearby is bound to get anyone excited.

...But I really hope Aileen doesn’t get her hopes up too high.

The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

I just hope she doesn’t get too discouraged.

"...Teacher, over here."

"Hmm? Orca, what’s wrong?"

"Come here for a moment."

After spending who knows how long searching for the cave since the sun was at its peak, Orca suddenly grabbed my hand and started leading me while glancing around nervously.

"Wait... You’re going too fast. Slow down a bit. What’s going on?"

"There’s no time. Aileen can’t see this."

"Aileen?"

"I found it. The cave."

"Oh, I see. Did you find any traces of the Sword Saint?"

"...Yes. I did."

Orca’s expression was twisted as if she had seen something she wished she hadn’t.

Looks like she really did find something—traces of the Sword Saint.

"What about the others?"

"They’re already inside the cave. You’re the last one."

Orca kept moving while glancing around, and I had no choice but to follow her lead.

By the time I realized I had no idea where we were going, she let go of my hand and spoke.

"Here it is. It was hidden really well."

"Hmm, it’s pretty big."

"Looks like it was used as a home... Teacher, can we pretend we didn’t find this cave for Aileen’s sake?"

"You want me to ignore it?"

"...Yes. You’ll understand why when you see what’s inside."

Orca’s expression was bitter, but I was impressed.

When did this kid, who used to think only about herself, become someone who could consider other people’s feelings?

I never thought I’d see the day Orca would be so considerate of others.

It reaffirmed my belief that I hadn’t been wrong about her.

...But, I couldn’t grant Orca’s request.

"That’s impossible."

"...What? Why?"

"Because Aileen is already here..."

"?!"

Behind Orca, Aileen had arrived at some point and was glaring at the cave with a cold expression.

Whether she found it while searching for the others or saw Orca leading me, I couldn’t tell.

But one thing was certain: the situation Orca had wanted to avoid was now happening.

Realizing there was no point in trying to stop her, Orca grabbed her head in frustration as Aileen pushed past and headed for the cave.