Seijo no Hazu ga, Douyara Nottoraremashita – Chapter 92

I rode in a gorgeous carriage with a crest on it like the one I had ridden when I had first gotten married.

Surrounding the gorgeous carriage were many carriages loaded with luggage, many attendants and a ton of guards.

What is this? A Western-style daimyo procession?

For just my sake, the Saint and a royal, a large group of people departed for the destination: where the Grunge People are.

Opposite to Lector who had sent me off with a cool, yet strangely lonely twinkle in his eyes when we parted, the Priest’s excitement along the way was incredible.

“Oh~. Lots of carriages~, soft cushions~, soft blankets~, and luxurious tents! This is luxury~.”

Every time we took a break, he was always wandering around and peeking at everything with excitement.

Yup, it looks like you’re enjoying yourself, that’s good.

I also know that he was doing his usual routine whenever he travelled and was making a lot of money selling ‘Father Austin’s lucky charms’ to the attendants and even passing people.

Being careful? Of course, we weren’t.

The Priest sold off his ‘Blessing’ and thanks to several people in the group having them, they became a great ‘Blessing’ that made it possible for us to travel with very little chance of being attacked by bandits or getting into accidents.

The charm was expensive after all, and it worked very well.

I’ve gotten used to seeing magic recently, and I can see things that have magic in them if I try hard enough.

The Priest’s charms were always glowing slightly, so I can see that there was magic in them.

Every once in a while, the charm would shine, and I could see that it was protecting its owner from some kind of bad luck. I can’t tell him to stop now. Rather, I was thankful to him.

“Ah, Lek is a nice guy~. Ah, this is fun~,” apparently, the Priest’s opinion of Lector has also gone up.

At first, I thought this would be a lonely journey, but the cheerful Priest was with me, and I can feel the presence of Lector here with me even though he was far away.

The people who had been chosen to accompany me on this trip had all been re-appraised by Lector, so I can trust that they are all very serious, kind and above all else, friendly towards me.

And then there’s the extravagant furnishings and excessive guards.

All of them were prepared for me by Lector.

In addition to the luxurious carriage bearing Lector’s crest that I was riding, there were other carriages carrying gold-covered chairs, fully embroidered cushions, fluffy pillows, silk coverings and sturdy, thick and heavy tents that were big even when folded. There were other things that people normally wouldn’t carry with them on a trip; all of which were probably of high quality.

In other words, nearly everything was what I normally used in the fortress.

Is the only thing I don’t have is a bed? Say, do I need a fully embroidered cushion for my trip? It’s the same one that I’m always afraid to get dirty.

Anyway, there was everything.

Before I left, I was so surprised and froze with my mouth open when I saw the furnishings, which were almost the same as what I used every day, being loaded one after the other. I couldn’t close my mouth.

“What’s going on?” I quickly swallowed those words, but I couldn’t accept this as naturally as Lector can.

Why do those things exist for travelling? For Lector? Yeah, I suppose so.

But down pillows and embroidered silk futons aren’t really things you carry around, are they?

Wouldn’t it be better if I rolled up some cloth to use as pillows and wrap them around me as blankets?

I was thinking it would be luxurious just to have a night watch with me!

As the Priest had said, it was more comfortable than a normal inn.

The inside of the tent was like a luxurious hotel, or even home. Even though it was the middle of winter, the heaters were working perfectly, and it was very comfortable.

After being wiped down with warm water, I sat down at the table and had a delicious dinner, followed by a well-timed cup of hot tea.

This was supposed to be an empty wilderness in the middle of winter, right?

The Priest was extremely happy.

“As expected of Farglow’s royal family~, we’re so well-taken care of~.”

Of course, thanks to Lector’s consideration, Father is enjoying the same elegant lifestyle as I am.

He was always with me because he wanted to be, and thanks to him, I didn’t feel lonely, and it was reassuring to have him by my side.

The only people who call me ‘Anise’ without honorifics right now are Father and Lector.

I don’t know why, but more and more attendants are looking at Father with respect. It must be related to his ‘lucky charm’.

He became popular with this group.

One day, I complained to the Priest with a faraway look in my eye, “Lector told me that if we were attacked by large group and the guards can’t handle the situation, then I should abandon everything and run away with the guards, but I can’t leave all these lavish furnishings.”

I think you could probably buy an inn with these things. Then, there’s the cost of labour, food and everything else; the cost of this trip is enormous.

I thought about that unintentionally, but every time that thought pops up in my mind, my stomach starts to hurt.

I mean, this is all for one person, me.

Lector naturally prepared all this just so ‘I can travel’.

But he wants me to throw all of this away if push comes to shove.

No, I can’t do that…

My frugal nature which has been ingrained in me for my entire life is yelling at me that it’s a waste!

But the Priest said, “But that’s what these lavish things are for. Thieves want money. That’s why you attract them with these valuables to buy time for people to escape. These things can be bought again later, but loyal ‘people’ aren’t as easy to gather.”

I see… It’s a strategy to lose a battle to win the war…

“But I think his preferences are mixed in this time. He actually likes luxurious goods.”

I’ve been thinking about this lately. Whenever he has the chance to spend money, he tries to spend as much as he can.

We have different shopping standards.

I feel like I shop for what’s ‘most appropriate’ and he shops for the ‘best and most expensive’ item.

“Well, he’s a royal member of a rich nation. That’s normal for royals in rich nations, and it’s good for royals to show their authority by taking the initiative and spending money like this.”

“Ah, yes… It’s not easy for me to do, but I understand that it’s needed now.”

Authority is important. I felt this strongly when I first entered Farglow fortress.

I guess it’s hard for people to truly want to serve those who are no different from themselves.

People worked differently when they feel they are ‘serving a great person’ and when they don’t.

Therefore, I should act like an amazing person in front of the servants, even if it was just for show.

“You’re becoming more dignified these days. Isn’t it nice to live the rest of your life in luxury like this? Why don’t you just enjoy it?” The Priest said in a relaxed manner over a cup of tea.

“I’m struggling with that. Even now, Alice is always quick to warn me when I make a mistake. I’m always on edge. There’s no time to relax,” I said and felt a faint sign of agitation behind me. But, the noble teacher, who is also my shadow, is really strict. I’ve grown a lot thanks to you. I’m grateful. Thank you, Alice-sensei. Please don’t abandon me.

“Fuofuofuo. It’s fine as long as people don’t see~. And even if you make a mistake, you can just cover it up~.”

“I wouldn’t be suffering if I could do that… But it’s true that I’ve come to enjoy this comfort much more than before. It’s amazing what you get used to.”

I wonder if the old me could have imagined myself in the middle of the wilderness in winter, sitting in a thick tent without thick clothing while enjoying a cup of hot, sweet tea. She couldn’t.

Thank you, Lector.

I can be cared for by the people here because he has done so much for me.

All of these luxurious furnishings and the presence of so many attendants clearly indicated to the people around me that Lector thinks ‘I’m important’.

That was why I was grandly sleeping in this luxurious tent, wrapped in a fluffy futon.

That was my duty as the master of this group.

The ‘Saint’s Procession’ was a gorgeous procession with many guards and servants in tow.

I never imagined that a day would come when I would be at the centre of something like this.

It would take some time to travel because of the large group, but I wanted to get there as soon as possible. However, I didn’t want to compromise my dignity as ‘Saint’, so I moved forward with a smile on my face even though I was a little nervous inside.

At last, we arrived at the place designated by the ‘Grunge People’.

It seems that the designated place is their village?

It looked like a large and magnificent village at a glance, or it might even be a town.

But since they’re nomads, does that mean that the town will be moved?

Can they do that?

While I was wondering this, a person who seemed to be the representative stepped forward and said, “Welcome, Saint. We’ve been expecting you.”

The person bowed deeply. He was an elder of the ‘Grunge People’.

He was a sharp-eyed old man who didn’t seem very friendly.

But he was imposing and had a dignified aura about him that made him instantly recognisable as an important person.