第１５９１堀：海を目指して (Part1)
Chapter 1591: Aiming for the Sea
Side: Hiiro
"Weather’s perfect!"
With that declaration, Hiiro gazed up at the sky.
It was, without a doubt, a cloudless, brilliant blue. The kind of weather that lifts the spirits.
"It’s the perfect day for an outing, isn't it?"
As Hiiro turned back to say this, Vilia brought her fist down upon Hiiro’s head before there was even a moment to dodge.
*Thump!*
A dull, heavy sound echoed as the blow connected squarely with Hiiro’s skull.
"Ouch!?"
Naturally, the impact and the stinging pain that followed were exactly as the sound suggested. Clutching her head, Hiiro whined...
"Why’d you hit me, Vilia-nee!?"
When she asked for the reason behind the assault, Vilia replied:
"What do you mean, 'outing'? We are here because his lordship commanded us to find the optimal location to launch ships into the sea. You shouldn't be taking this so lightly."
Ah, right.
Well, as Vilia-nee said, Hiiro and the others were currently outside of Weed—or rather, in a foreign land.
That said, they weren't visiting any towns, royal capitals, or even villages. They were in the middle of a vast, sprawling grassland.
Yes, a grassland.
Since they were in a field where the wild monsters were trivial and there were no real threats, Hiiro felt like a little levity was fine, but...
"I'm sorry."
If she said something like, "It's boring, so who cares?" another fist would surely come flying, so she apologized obediently. Hiiro was learning.
"Vilia, leave it at that. Looking at nothing but an endless expanse of grass, it’s only natural for her to feel that way."
Dressa stepped in to back Hiiro up.
Dressa-nee, who was serving as the commander for this coastal survey and search mission, seemed to be losing a bit of her own motivation to the monotonous scenery.
"Even you, Dressa? You’re neglecting the work his lordship entrusted to us..."
"I’m doing no such thing. Neither am I, nor is Hiiro. You understand that much, don’t you, Vilia? I understand your feelings, but being too rigid is a problem in itself."
"Exactly!"
"Hiiro, you’re being too lax. Well, I’m sure you’re taking it seriously, but you need to show it in your attitude. If you don’t, Vilia will have no choice but to keep scolding you."
"Yeees..."
"Sigh. Well, I understand what Dressa is trying to say. But Hiiro, to everyone else, you just look like you’re slacking off, so pull yourself together."
Ugh, I got scolded in the end anyway.
Well, nothing for it but to accept it...
"I know it’s my fault, but where are we exactly? And what’s our destination?"
Yes, the reason Hiiro’s attitude had become so unprofessional was tied to their current situation.
They had set out for the sake of his lordship’s request—a vital task for Weed—but the sea they were aiming for was nowhere in sight, and they were just running through endless grass.
It was incredibly tedious without a vehicle.
It would have been better if they could fly, but they couldn't even do that.
*“Flying would be faster, but it would be troublesome if we were spotted by people, and at high altitudes, it’s a hassle if we’re spotted by dragons or other monsters, so refrain from it as much as possible.”*
That was the order from his lordship, so it was off the table.
Well, if Dressa-nee decided to do it, she would, but she clearly felt now wasn't the time.
As for their current location...
"Let’s take a break here and check our position. Everyone, we’ll take a thirty-minute break. We’ll rotate guard duty, so one hour total," Dressa announced.
"Understood!"
As Dressa gave the order, the monster unit accompanying them began to take up defensive positions or sat down to rest.
Yes, this was one of the reasons they couldn't go to towns or villages.
The navy was essentially composed of monsters, with very few humans.
While there were many goblins and orcs, there were also members of Shera’s race and other monsters suited for the sea. To an outsider, they might look like the Demon Lord’s army on the march.
It could cause a massive panic, so they were told to head straight there without being seen.
Well, even the three of them alone would look suspicious.
But even if they had adults with them, they had to arrive as quickly as possible, so there was no time to leisurely stop by towns or villages.
The official delegation dispatched from Weed was scheduled to handle the greetings and diplomatic rounds anyway.
As she thought about this, Vilia-nee spread out a sheet and brought out a lunch box.
"Come, let’s have our lunch break."
At her words, Hiiro and Dressa sat down, and as she picked up an onigiri, Hiiro opened her mouth.
"So, let’s confirm again. We moved from the gate in the Dafaio Kingdom of Phiora and are heading straight for the sea—or should I say, marching? Well, whatever. You understand that, right?"
Yes.
To secure the coastline near Roschur, they had used a gate to move to the Dafaio Kingdom, which belonged to Roschur, and were heading toward the sea from there.
Geographically, the Dafaio Kingdom was further from the coast than Roschur, but it was closer than the central regions, situated roughly in the middle of the Rogari Continent.
By moving to Dafaio, they could shorten the distance to the sea.
Also, officially, they were in Dafaio to investigate the progress of the water-dispensing magic tools installed by Agil-nee and the others.
Otherwise, they would be criticized for passing through and ignoring the countries between Roschur and Dafaio.
It’s such a pain.
They had to get to the sea quickly, yet they were expected to show their faces and offer greetings just for passing through.
Well, that’s politics for you. It was all to ensure they wouldn't have their legs pulled when they started building the port later.
"So, we departed at 6:00 this morning. We’ve been running since then, and it’s now 11:00. We’ve been moving for about five hours."
Indeed, five hours had already passed since they started running.
So, it was no wonder Hiiro was getting tired of the grassland.
"Our movement speed is about 60 kilometers per hour. Unfortunately, that still leaves us about 300 kilometers away. We have nearly 1,000 kilometers left until we reach the coast."
"So, simply put, it’ll take another 15 to 16 hours, then?"
"If we can keep moving in a straight line. We’re in a grassland now, but if we hit lakes or mountains, it’ll take longer."
"Ugh... are we just going to keep running like this the whole time?"
"I don’t intend to push that hard. Let’s see... we’ll set up a gate and head back before it gets dark. That means another five or six hours, I suppose?"
That was still a long time.
And at that rate...
"Are we going to be running all day tomorrow, too?"
"Most likely. We don’t know where the Dark Guild’s people are, so there’s no doubt we need to arrive as soon as possible and establish a perimeter from the sea."