116: They say getting home is the real war.

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all the best this year too!

We hacked the eight-headed hydra to pieces, stuffed the whole mess into spatial storage, and left the marshland behind.

Stopped by Zaid's village and left his personal troops there.

"Lord Kyle! Lord Van! We made it back home without a single casualty—this is all thanks to you! My deepest gratitude!"

The commander bowed deeply.

We'd been getting thanks nonstop throughout the journey, but at the end, every last one of Zaid's personal troops lined up and bowed in thanks.

Precise movements—clear signs of excellent discipline as soldiers.

Come to think of it, when Kyle set out on his journey to the frontier settlement, Zaid had brought his personal troops with him, and they were surprisingly well-organized.

The level the Goldendown demands from adventurers is just too high—maybe he's good at soldiering, though.

"Thank you for your kindness. I'll send an administrator back to Goldendown right away. Please bear with us for a bit."

Kyle, temporarily in charge of the village, bowed. The sergeant panicked.

"Please, don't bow! Kyle-sama, while Zaid-sama is away, we'll protect this village!"

"Right. I'm counting on you."

And so, bidding farewell to Zaid's personal troops, Kyle set off back to Goldendown.

With the help of the Adventurer's Guild, he bought a sturdy wagon.

Huh? Why? Well...

"I'm Kyle's guard, so I'm not walking outside."

"No, no, no! Please stop leading the way ahead of me!"

"Got it. I'll give up on being first."

"Stay in the carriage, I said!"

I yell at Van, but he just sticks a finger in his ear and goes "hmm" like he's bored.

A little ways off, Professor Javir is clutching his head.

It's fine!

Just treat him like an adventurer!

Treat him like royalty and it gets messy!

I'm screaming inside my head when Raidock steps up with a laugh, claps me on the shoulder, and stops me.

"Ah, wait, Craft."

"What?"

Raidock turns to Van.

"Ah, Van. You're riding with Kyle-sama, Maina-sama, and Professor Javir. Guard them."

"Huh?"

"Originally, I was supposed to have one of my party members or one of the Cassper sisters ride with them."

"Ah... got it."

Van makes a face like he's bored for a second, then smirks.

“You’ve got a knack for using people.”

“Take that as a compliment.”

“Serious.”

Van waves a hand lightly and climbs into the carriage.

Finally, we’re off to Goldendoon.

So, this is the journey. The horses pulling this carriage were all raised in Goldendoon.

Which means…

“Whooooa! What’s this speed?! Is this what marching speed is like?!?”

“Stick your face out the window and you’ll bite your tongue!”

“Hahaha! This is practically the same speed as a messenger horse! Army movement is usually slower than walking, you know! Hahaha!”

Don’t know what’s so funny, but Van’s in a damn good mood.

Though, after a few days, he finally got tired of it and stopped sticking his face out the window.

◆

“Whooooa!?”

“What now?”

Thought it was quiet for once!

Even though we were almost at Goldondon, Van suddenly erupted again.

“This isn’t something you can just keep quiet about! Look! The endless sea of wheat! Not a horizon—golden horizon!”

“…I’ve never seen the sea, so I don’t know what a horizon looks like.”

“What? You’ve never been south of this country, Craft?”

“Not the sea. I’d love to see it someday, though.”

“Hmph. When I get leave, I’ll show you myself!”

“Wait, really? That’d be awesome!”

Laughing with Van, I glanced inside the carriage—Jabir was clutching his head.

…Yeah. Right. The king. Forgot about that.

“Ah… so Craft wheat spreads across Orthros’s lands. Didn’t expect it to be this abundant.”

"Can’t we change the name of this Craft wheat thing?"

"I didn’t name it. Give up."

"Uuuuh……"

By the time I noticed, it was already spreading under the name Craft wheat!

"If this wheat and the reclamation of the wetlands are done, and rice can be harvested……"

Van was rubbing his jaw with a really terrible look on his face.

He was definitely scheming something rotten.

Kyle, riding in the carriage, timidly spoke up.

"Uh… Your Majesty."

"Kyle. Call me Van."

"Uh, Van. We’ll be reaching the city soon. Could you please avoid peeking outside until we arrive at the estate?"

"Who cares if I look? It’s not a big deal."

Van pouted in protest.

"Once people see you’re in the carriage, they’ll swarm us."

"Isn’t that what happens when there’s just one carriage?"

He puckered his lips. "If there’s just one carriage in the crowd, even the townsfolk’ll know Kyle’s inside."

"Does the reaction change when they see my face in the carriage window… or when they don’t?"

"My carriage’s got thick curtains… ah. Got it. I’ll hold off ‘til we reach the estate."

He gave a little shake of his wrist, like something just came back to him.

"Good. Now don’t forget Kyle’s your guard while you’re sightseeing."

"Hmph. Leave it to me."

Aaaah, Javir the teacher groaned, clutching his head.

Sir, you’re overthinking it. He’s having fun, that one.

◆

"Woah!?"

I’d expected it, but when Van finally got to Kyle’s mansion and could actually step down, he let out a gasp louder than any he’d made before.

Van the guy—looking right, looking left, looking up—each time, shouting.

Heh. Pretty impressive, huh? Golden Dune.

After a good long burst of excitement, Van wrapped an arm around Kyle’s shoulder and leaned hard into him.

“Kyle. This city’s incredible.”

“City… can you really call it that?”

“A town more developed than the capital. Anyone who denies it’s a city’s an idiot.”

“Thank you.”

Kyle figured he was being praised and gave a polite bow. Then, instantly, his face went pale at Van’s next words.

“Kyle. You planning to seize the kingdom?”

“W-What!?”

“H-Hey!?”

Van’s expression had shifted. Gone was the easygoing adventurer act. Now it was the calculating look of a noble eyeing an enemy.

"Such nonsense! I’m just focused on the safety of the citizens—first and foremost!"

"That’s right! Kyle’s not the kind of person to have such boring (・・・・・) ambitions!"

My voice and Kyle’s came out almost at the same time, and Van’s serious expression started trembling, his face muscles twitching.

"...Van?"

"Bu...buhahaha! No way! Can't hold it in! Hehehe! Wahahaha! You guys are seriously too funny!"

"Um... Your Majesty..."

Kyle tried to speak, but Van had finally dropped to his knees, pounding the ground with both hands.

How the hell is this funny?!

"Buhahaha! Hehehe! Haa... haa... I'm gonna pass out from lack of air!"

"Then maybe you should stop laughing. I’m the one losing blood from my face, feeling faint in the opposite way."

"No, no, sorry. Never thought I’d meet someone who’d call the king’s position boring (・・・・・)"

"Ah"

But it was me, not Kyle, who said that!

"Seriously, haven't laughed this hard in years. But seeing a city wall this impressive—no ruler in their right mind wouldn’t be on edge."

"Van... no, Your Majesty. I swear—"

"No need to say it."

"...Yes."

Van waved his wrist lazily, cutting Kyle off mid-sentence.

Yeah, fine. Totally a waste of time.

"Anyway, where the hell am I staying? Hey, Craft. How about your place—"

"Van. While you’re staying in Goldendown, I’d like you to guard Kyle. Payment’s a room at Kyle’s estate and whatever you want to eat or drink."

I shut Van up before he could finish, blunt and clear.

Van smirked.

"Accepted."

And so, Van was set to stay at Kyle’s estate for a while.

Yeah. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t move in with me.

Alchemist’s Crucible Vol. 3 is now on sale!

Perfect for your New Year’s festivities—definitely pick it up!