Waiting for the three as they reached the entrance of the mine was the knight in luxurious armor -the one that fought against Dina in the checkpoint- and his companions.
「… What does this mean?」
He glared at them and asked with a gruff voice. It was hard to think his reason for waiting for Souta and the others was simply because he was worried considering his position as the general, that was why Souta was wondering what he was plotting.
「No no, don’t give me such a scary face. Rather, what happened to that person on your shoulder? Don’t tell me……」
This time, instead, the knights were sending suspicious look at Souta and Dina.
「I don’t remember everything we have done until we reach the exit, but he’s just sleeping. We couldn’t let him lie down in the mine, so I just carried him out.」
While he thought it was bothersome, he didn’t want to be suspected, so he decided to answer.
「Hmu, well, if he used all his strength to mine, I guess that makes sense.」
While scrutinizing Souta’s answer, the general seemed to be convinced.
「So, I want to take a rest somewhere soon, can you let us through?」
「Of course it is. You can go through. All of you too, give them the way.」
The knights opened the way to the direction Souta wanted to go. However, the general whispered into Souta’s ear as they passed each other.
「I’ll have you tell me everything later.」
His voice was low, depending on how you heard it, it could sound threatening.
「Only if you can win against me.」
But it had no effect on Souta, instead, the general widened his eyes. By the time what Souta said registered in his mind, his face turned bright red, but as Souta already passed the other knights, he felt it was too late for him to raise his voice now, so he just clicked his tongue.
「Souta-san, are you sure this is fine? Won’t the talk about testing your ability will show up again if you say that……」
After some distance away from the knights, Dina sked Souta while looking anxious.
「Well, if that happens, I’ll deal with it appropriately. We can create the katana and leave the country before that. If there is something I would regret, it’s that I never went to the library. Don’t know if there is one, but I want to collect information unique to this country.」
While Souta was optimistic, the anxiety on Dina’s face remained. She didn’t think Souta would lose in a fight, but she was worried Souta would be tangled up in trouble.
「Well, if something happens, I will think about it then. I’ve decided to do what I want to do this time.」
Souta sometimes moved cautiously, but right now, he was slightly irritated, partly due to fatigue and partly due to the fact that he had been interrupted while carrying Antgar, and that was why he was responding the way he did this time. It was doubtful if his answer would be more amicable if he was calm, but in his mind, that was the reason for his answer.
「Hmm, if Souta-san says so, it’s alright, I guess? Setting that aside, what should we do with Antgar-san?」
If souta kept carrying Antgar, not only Souta’s fatigue, but Antgar’s too would accumulate more. They couldn’t think about other resting places other than the checkpoint ahead of them because of the distance they had to travel back to the city.
「We could pitch a tent, but if they chase after us, then we need to explain from where the tent comes from…… For the time being, going to the checkpoint allow us to rest without worrying about monsters even without a place to rest. We will put down fur and blanket and lay him down.」
「That’s, true.」
Dina also contemplated various things, but she decided that Souta’s plan was the best.
After the two decided that, they went straight to the checkpoint in silence.
When they arrived at the checkpoint and explained their circumstance, they were allowed to borrow a bed in the guard’s resting cabin. The one that decided that was the guard that became the referee of Dina and the general’s duel. Unlike the general, he quickly grasped the situation and prioritized Antgar’s break.
「Now then, can you tell me what happened? I can see his injuries are only scratches, and he’s just exhausted and sleeping, but, if you could let me confirm that for a moment, that would be helpful.」
The guard’s demeanor was soft, which made Souta and Dina didn’t mind to answer.
「Hmm, I don’t know what to tell…」
While Souta thought with his arms folded, the guard sent a rescue boat.
「Plase don’t think too hard. It’s fine to just say what you can say and leave the other stuff out.」
The guard prompted them with a smile. That smile didn’t seem to contain any ulterior motive, in addition, the condition was beneficial for Souta and Dina, so they started talking.
「…We went to that cave, after a while, we reached a clearing. In there, we fought powerful monsters, two of them. We split up to deal with them. We got injured, but none were fatal and we survived.」
「I see, and, Antgar didn’t fall there right?」
There was a weird point in the guard’s question, but Souta answered it without changing his expression. Dina didn’t want the change in her expression to be seen, so she went to Antgar’s side.
「We got a little bit injured there, so we took a break. After the break, we went further in and found the ores and monsters. After defeating the monsters, we mined the ores, but as we didn’t have the necessary skill, Antgar was in charge of mining alone while we were in charge of storing the ores. As the result, he collapsed due to exhaustion and we brought him here. That’s all.」
The guard listening to Souta while nodding along.
「I see. Then this situation is convincing…… After that, did the general of our country did anything?」
「It’s not like he did something, but when we left the cave, he was waiting and asked some questions. After that, he threatened us to talk to him later or something.」
Hearing Souta’s answer, the guard covered his face with his right hand.
「What exactly is that person doing…… I will have him tell me later. I have received your report, so feel free to take a rest. I’m sorry to have taken your time.」
The guard bowed and apologized to him. His attitude gave Souta a favorable impression.
Waiting for the three as they reached the entrance of the mine was the knight in luxurious armor -the one that fought against Dina in the checkpoint- and his companions.
「… What does this mean?」
He glared at them and asked with a gruff voice. It was hard to think his reason for waiting for Souta and the others was simply because he was worried considering his position as the general, that was why Souta was wondering what he was plotting.
「No no, don’t give me such a scary face. Rather, what happened to that person on your shoulder? Don’t tell me……」
This time, instead, the knights were sending suspicious look at Souta and Dina.
「I don’t remember everything we have done until we reach the exit, but he’s just sleeping. We couldn’t let him lie down in the mine, so I just carried him out.」
While he thought it was bothersome, he didn’t want to be suspected, so he decided to answer.
「Hmu, well, if he used all his strength to mine, I guess that makes sense.」
While scrutinizing Souta’s answer, the general seemed to be convinced.
「So, I want to take a rest somewhere soon, can you let us through?」
「Of course it is. You can go through. All of you too, give them the way.」
The knights opened the way to the direction Souta wanted to go. However, the general whispered into Souta’s ear as they passed each other.
「I’ll have you tell me everything later.」
His voice was low, depending on how you heard it, it could sound threatening.
「Only if you can win against me.」
But it had no effect on Souta, instead, the general widened his eyes. By the time what Souta said registered in his mind, his face turned bright red, but as Souta already passed the other knights, he felt it was too late for him to raise his voice now, so he just clicked his tongue.
「Souta-san, are you sure this is fine? Won’t the talk about testing your ability will show up again if you say that……」
After some distance away from the knights, Dina sked Souta while looking anxious.
「Well, if that happens, I’ll deal with it appropriately. We can create the katana and leave the country before that. If there is something I would regret, it’s that I never went to the library. Don’t know if there is one, but I want to collect information unique to this country.」
While Souta was optimistic, the anxiety on Dina’s face remained. She didn’t think Souta would lose in a fight, but she was worried Souta would be tangled up in trouble.
「Well, if something happens, I will think about it then. I’ve decided to do what I want to do this time.」
Souta sometimes moved cautiously, but right now, he was slightly irritated, partly due to fatigue and partly due to the fact that he had been interrupted while carrying Antgar, and that was why he was responding the way he did this time. It was doubtful if his answer would be more amicable if he was calm, but in his mind, that was the reason for his answer.
「Hmm, if Souta-san says so, it’s alright, I guess? Setting that aside, what should we do with Antgar-san?」
If souta kept carrying Antgar, not only Souta’s fatigue, but Antgar’s too would accumulate more. They couldn’t think about other resting places other than the checkpoint ahead of them because of the distance they had to travel back to the city.
「We could pitch a tent, but if they chase after us, then we need to explain from where the tent comes from…… For the time being, going to the checkpoint allow us to rest without worrying about monsters even without a place to rest. We will put down fur and blanket and lay him down.」
「That’s, true.」
Dina also contemplated various things, but she decided that Souta’s plan was the best.
After the two decided that, they went straight to the checkpoint in silence.
When they arrived at the checkpoint and explained their circumstance, they were allowed to borrow a bed in the guard’s resting cabin. The one that decided that was the guard that became the referee of Dina and the general’s duel. Unlike the general, he quickly grasped the situation and prioritized Antgar’s break.
「Now then, can you tell me what happened? I can see his injuries are only scratches, and he’s just exhausted and sleeping, but, if you could let me confirm that for a moment, that would be helpful.」
The guard’s demeanor was soft, which made Souta and Dina didn’t mind to answer.
「Hmm, I don’t know what to tell…」
While Souta thought with his arms folded, the guard sent a rescue boat.
「Plase don’t think too hard. It’s fine to just say what you can say and leave the other stuff out.」
The guard prompted them with a smile. That smile didn’t seem to contain any ulterior motive, in addition, the condition was beneficial for Souta and Dina, so they started talking.
「…We went to that cave, after a while, we reached a clearing. In there, we fought powerful monsters, two of them. We split up to deal with them. We got injured, but none were fatal and we survived.」
「I see, and, Antgar didn’t fall there right?」
There was a weird point in the guard’s question, but Souta answered it without changing his expression. Dina didn’t want the change in her expression to be seen, so she went to Antgar’s side.
「We got a little bit injured there, so we took a break. After the break, we went further in and found the ores and monsters. After defeating the monsters, we mined the ores, but as we didn’t have the necessary skill, Antgar was in charge of mining alone while we were in charge of storing the ores. As the result, he collapsed due to exhaustion and we brought him here. That’s all.」
The guard listening to Souta while nodding along.
「I see. Then this situation is convincing…… After that, did the general of our country did anything?」
「It’s not like he did something, but when we left the cave, he was waiting and asked some questions. After that, he threatened us to talk to him later or something.」
Hearing Souta’s answer, the guard covered his face with his right hand.
「What exactly is that person doing…… I will have him tell me later. I have received your report, so feel free to take a rest. I’m sorry to have taken your time.」
The guard bowed and apologized to him. His attitude gave Souta a favorable impression.
