Translator: P411

Editor: Xia

Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!

Chapter 30: Date! Date!

We were now on our way to the next city in a stagecoach.

Today was a date!

Normally, I would walk to the next city while gathering materials and exterminating monsters, but it was also quite refreshing to ride a stagecoach there instead. 

Most of the players did the same thing as me and walked there, so most of the passengers on the stagecoach were NPCs. 

It was a very quaint situation, with six of us sitting in a very tight group all throughout the journey. 

Vidello-san, who was sitting next to me, was holding onto my waist so as to prevent me from falling over whenever the carriage shook. In fact, at the beginning of the ride, I was about to fall over and bumped into the person next to me several times. I apologized to him each time it happened, but he laughed wryly and said, “It’s okay. If you’re not used to it, the carriage’s bumpiness must be tough for you,” and forgave me.  How kind. I don’t know if Vidello-san was taken aback by his response or what, but he continued to keep his arm around my waist, holding me down. Like that, there was no way I could fall over. It was amazing.

There were about three hours left in our carriage ride until we reached our destination.

If I remembered correctly, the last time I walked to Quattro, it took me until evening to get there after setting out in the morning. At least the monsters on the way dropped good loot. 

While riding in a carriage, though, when monsters attacked, we could blow a flute to ask for assistance from nearby players and patrolling knights. 

But now we could put our minds at ease because there was also me and Vidello-san, who was carrying a sword on his waist!

“So carriages are pretty fast…”

“There are some carriages even faster than this, but they’re rarely used except for matters on a national level or urgent requests from the guild, so there aren’t many chances to ride in one. They’re a lot faster than this carriage, I’d say; enough to easily reach the desert city within a day.”

“Wow~ I want to try riding in that one.”

“They’re the bumpiest rides out there, though, and in Mac’s case, your first priority is not falling down.” 

“I’ll do my best!”

The moment I said that, full of motivation, laughter filled the inside of the carriage. 

Apparently, everyone had heard our conversation. Well, they’d seen me rolling around earlier too.

“Well, it’s not often that a little boy like you has a chance to ride it.”

“That’s true. If you aim for knighthood, though, you might have a chance.”

A modestly dressed couple said this with a chuckle.

I didn’t aspire to become a knight, but I would like to ride it once. I wondered if it would be as fast as a car. Awesome! 

“But those carriages are still horse-pulled, right? What kind of horse could pull a carriage even faster than the one we’re in now?”

“They’re pulled by a special, large breed of horses called quick horses. Even I have to crane my neck to look up at them.”

“Huge! Awesome! I want to see them!”

“I hope you can see them someday.”

I nodded, “Yes!” to Vidello-san with a smile. After that, I glanced at the scenery outside. 

There were some wild herbs growing in the area, and, to my amusement, I spotted the occasional mutant as we passed by.

“Maybe next time we can explore the forest leisurely.”

It was as if all my thoughts were seen through by him. He chuckled, patting my head. 

“Thank you, Vidello-san.”

While thanking him, I happened to glance out the window behind Vidello-san and noticed a familiar face walking on the road outside. 

It was Seven. 

He was alone, holding a hammer in his hand, walking towards the city of Quattro along the main road.

My attention was soon diverted from Seven, however, when the uncle in front of me offered me a piece of fried bread sprinkled with sugar, saying, “I only have a few, but you can have this.”¹

“Thank you. Are these homemade?”

“Yep, they’re my wife’s signature recipe. They’re so good that the kids have to fight over them.”

“Ohh, she’s such a wonderful wife.”

In return, I gave him a bottle of a potion I made and took a bite out of the fried bread. 

“Mmm, so delicious! This has that taste they call a mom’s home cooking. Vidello-san, I know it’s a gift, but it’s so good you have to try some!”

I offered it to Vidello-san, and after saying thanks to the uncle, he also took a bite.

He must have found it to be equally as delicious as I did, since his eyes flew open in surprise while he was chewing. I made a note to myself to try making it for him some time. 

Vidello-san easily defeated the monsters that appeared again and like this, in such a peaceful manner, our journey to Quattro by stagecoach finished without any further incidents.

As we disembarked, everyone thanked us, saying, “This was the first time we had such a fun journey. Thank you also for eliminating the monsters.”

The coachman was so happy that we took care of the monsters that he gave us a substantial discount for the ride and told us, “Please use my carriage when you return.” 

As long as it wasn’t just empty flattery, we were happy to hear it.

Maybe the coachman was impressed by Vidello-san’s skills because he was strong. He could easily defeat the monsters with a single blow. He was so cool. I like you❣️

---

“Somehow, we’ve already gotten a lot of stuff before we could even go shopping.”

“You’re right.”

Luckily, I could store items in my inventory, but Vidello-san’s bag was starting to bulge out. Everyone was so generous that I couldn’t help but wonder if it was really okay to receive so much stuff. It made me quite worried, to be honest. One of our fellow passengers, a man who was quite strong, had even killed a wild boar that had appeared in the field and gave it to me after skinning it.

“Vidello-san, you were so strong when you defeated that wolf in one hit. You’re so cool…”

As I was swooning at the memory, Vidello-san lightly tapped my head. 

“You’ve already forgotten that the person you’re talking about is right in front of you, haven’t you?”

“I haven’t forgotten! It’s just that you’re so cool that..”

My heart was pounding loudly.

---

We greeted the gatekeepers of Quattro and exchanged some information with them, then entered the city. 

“This way,” said Vidello-san without hesitation, and while holding my hand, he led me out of the area that the map on our status screen indicated players could access.

Did this mean the magical goods shop Vidello-san was talking about was only frequented by locals in the city? How exciting.

My map had turned dark, a sign that I was somewhere off-limits to players.

If a player were to try and advance alone, it seemed like the game system would prevent them from entering further. However, I was having no issues continuing onwards to places I wouldn’t be able to get to normally, like that little alleyway over there. It was an awesome feeling, like I was a curious adventurer delving into unknown territory. Certainly, it was a lot more fun than walking through a field teeming with monsters. 

“Mac, stick close to me. The roads around here are so convoluted that it’s easy to get lost, so not many people come here.”

Or maybe it was just that they couldn’t enter here in the first place. 

I obediently nodded and gripped his hand tighter. After a while of turning corners and climbing stairs up and down, Vidello-san stopped in front of a door of a certain shop. 

A wooden board hung from the door with the words [Magic Shop] written on it in faint, almost illegible writing.

It was all very atmospheric.

I gulped and swallowed my spit.

“Vidello-san, is it here?”

“Yes. This shop sells very effective talismans. Are you afraid?”

“Not at all. Somehow, I’m just really impressed.”

Mainly because this shop was hidden away in a back alley where players would never enter. I couldn’t believe that such a magic shop like this existed. 

This was beyond elaborate. Moreover, the shabby condition the building was in made you wonder just how old it was. It felt like this was the secret hideout of some magician who had been quietly working away here for a long time. 

There was no doorbell, and when Vidello-san opened the door, it creaked rather ominously. 

Now it was really getting exciting. 

I stepped into the shop after Vidello-san. 

There stood a handsome man who resembled a butler, wearing a monocle and white gloves.