第１２１７堀：出発の朝 (Part1)
Chapter 1217: The Morning of Departure
Side: Yuki
Between the endless preparations and my usual duties, the day to head for the Goblin Village had arrived in the blink of an eye.
To facilitate this, we had arrived at Catherine’s estate here in the town of Baide—now Weed territory—last night, and we were spending this morning taking it easy.
I never expected that starting from Baide would actually be the faster route, though.
"Yuki-sama, Ria-sama, good morning."
"Oh, morning."
"Good morning."
Catherine, the Lord of Baide, greeted us with a bow.
She had played a significant role in handling the intricate preparations and adjustments with the Kingdom of Haiden for our trek to the Goblin Village.
Well, since she was originally a vassal of the Haiden Kingdom, I figured it was best to leave those matters to her.
The fundamentals had already been settled with Princess Carrie, so I had simply tasked Catherine with the primary preparations for our reception and the procurement of any missing supplies.
After all, there was no reason to haul expedition supplies all the way from the royal capital of Haiden when we were using Baide as our base of operations.
It made more sense to simply take what we had prepared here.
"Sorry for the sudden request."
"Not at all. You contacted me well in advance, so it was no trouble at all. While I couldn't have managed supplies for an entire army on such short notice, we are only dealing with a small party this time. It was no burden whatsoever."
"I see. Well, there’s no need to push yourself. If anything comes up, no matter how small, don't hesitate to tell me."
"Yes, sir. By the way, have you and Ria-sama finished your breakfast yet?"
"No, we're just about to start."
"I was just catching some of the morning air. It’s been a while since I’ve been to Baide. Honestly, it’s such a beautiful lake, no matter how many times I see it."
Ria said this while gazing out the window at the lake stretching across the horizon.
In this New Continent, great nations were clustered around this massive body of water, and Baide served as one of its vital hubs.
It seemed that securing a water source as a prerequisite for development was a universal constant, even in this world.
"I am delighted to hear you say that. My Baide and this lake are inseparable, after all."
It was much like Lake Biwa was to Japan.
No, given that the seas in the New Continent were dominated by monsters, the importance of this lake—the center around which the great powers gathered—was likely even greater.
As I pondered this, Catherine turned her gaze toward me, offered a slight bow, and then approached Ria.
"Ria-sama, might I have a moment?"
"Yes? What is it?"
Ria, who had been looking at the lake, turned around at the sound of her voice.
Catherine produced a palm-sized box from her pocket.
"Congratulations on your childbirth. I thought that if I didn't hand this to you personally, you might be too reserved to accept it."
"Oh... but I’m not in a special position..."
"Whatever do you mean? Ria-sama, you are Yuki-sama’s partner, his guard, and above all, a dear friend of mine. Please, take it."
It was true; unlike Cleena and the others, Ria didn't have a kingdom backing her, so there was a noticeable disparity in the gifts she received for the birth.
It was only natural, I suppose.
Moreover, Ria was strictly "my personal guard," and her role in Weed didn't involve connections to any specific nation.
Consequently, the gifts she received were mostly from family—the other wives—and a limited circle of people who knew her well, like Taizo-san.
She had been happy regardless, but seeing that disparity had weighed on me, which was why I had asked Catherine to step in.
Catherine had sent gifts to all the wives who had given birth as the Lord of Baide, but she was presenting this one to Ria personally.
Naturally, Cleena and the others were understanding of this.
"Oh... yes. Thank you very much."
Ria looked a bit hesitant, as if wondering why, but she couldn't refuse after being called a "friend," so she accepted the gift gracefully.
"Um, may I open it?"
"Yes, please."
With Catherine’s permission, Ria opened the gift on the spot, revealing an accessory of some kind.
"This is...?"
"It is a traditional charm from Baide. It is said that if you wear this around your wrist, you will be kept safe throughout your travels."
"Wow, thank you!"
Was that like a friendship bracelet?
"Since you are heading to the Goblin Village, I thought this would be appropriate."
"Yes, I’m so happy. Thank you."
If Ria was happy, that was all that mattered.
"Now then, let us have breakfast. Also, the guides from the Haiden Kingdom will arrive sometime this morning."
With that, we moved to the dining hall to finish our meal.
"Yuki-san, hearing that from Catherine-san, I realized something. You said the guides and guards from Haiden are arriving this morning and we’re leaving immediately? Isn't that a bit of a forced march? Aren't we going to rest here for a day?"
"Ah, if we were traveling by horse or carriage, that would be the case. But this time, it’s a bit different."
"Different?"
"Remember when we talked with Princess Carrie during Orelia and the others' introduction?"
"Yes, I remember. We were still in the hospital back then, though."
"Well, I got permission to use the cars. That’s why Kagura and the others went to Haiden."
"Ah, I see."
That’s right—we decided to use cars for this journey.
With three microbuses and a Marauder, travel fatigue would be virtually non-existent.
"Princess Carrie actually wanted to handle everything from A to Z on the Haiden side, but that would have taken too much time. Considering the defensive aspect as well, we decided to bring our own vehicles. Of course, it’s also to show off Weed’s power once again."
"So that’s why Kagura and the others were smiling wryly."
The Haiden side probably wanted us to rely on them, but I couldn't agree to waste time for the sake of their pride.
To me, time was worth more than gold. Princess Carrie’s face had twitched at first, but she eventually understood that saving time was valuable for the future, and that demonstrating Weed’s capabilities to her subordinates was also important.
As we talked, breakfast was served, and we began to eat at a leisurely pace.
"Oh, is this from Weed?"
There were dishes I recognized among the spread.
"Yes. I had them prepared using goods sourced from Weed. How is it?"
"Ah, it’s delicious. The soft-boiled eggs are just right."
"It’s delicious. Though, I personally prefer my eggs cooked through."
"Ah, the eternal divide between the scrambled egg camp and the fried egg camp."
Ria had spent a long time with me and was used to eating Japanese-style food, so she likely preferred the firmer texture of a standard Japanese rolled omelet.
"Oh, a rolled omelet? I shall request the recipe immediately so we can prepare it for you."