And then we finally set off. I talked with Reiko in the cabin for a while, but I thought it would be better to understand the carriage first, so we went up to the driver's seat together. As the driver, I needed to pretend to be operating the carriage normally, so I needed to practice that as well...
"Oh, Kaoru-sama, are you going to be a coachman?"
"Kaoru-sama, you don't have to do that, we can walk just fine..."
Hang and Bad said that, but I still felt a bit uneasy— ...Ah, I see, Ed is...
"Hey, could you stop calling me 'Kaoru-sama'?" (Kaoru)
"Eh? Then how about I call you Goddess?"
"No no, it's just normal, like 'Kaoru' or 'Yo'..." (Kaoru)
"Yo?" (Horses, x2)
...Ed called me "young lady." But it's hard for me to ask them to call me "young lady"...
"Oh, nothing. Call me what you like..." (Kaoru)
"I understand, Kaoru-sama." (Hang)
"Got it, young lady!" (Bad)
"Eh……" (Kaoru)
Hang continued to call me "Kaoru-sama" as before. But Bad... From the beginning, Hang had a slightly stiff way of speaking, and Bad had a lighter, more casual way of speaking. Yes, just like Ed...
"Bwah! How disrespectful!" (Hang)
Hang said that and scolded Bad, but...
"No, that's fine. If I always speak in a formal manner, my shoulders get stiff." (Kaoru)
"Oooh!"
"…………"
Hang looks a little confused, but there's no need for them to call each other by the same name. They could call me by whatever they like. Well then, let's head east for now...
"Let's go!" (Kaoru)
"...So, what should we name it?" (Reiko)
"What? What name?" (Kaoru)
Reiko suddenly asked something.
"Well, you've always named things, whether it was your bicycle, your snowboard, or the pebble you kicked home. You'll probably name this carriage too, right? It would be a shame for our beloved vehicle to be called just a 'carriage.'" (Reiko)
"Ugh..." (Kaoru)
Yes, I had always named anything I was attached to. The carriage in Ed was called "Chariot" which is a name that didn't exist around here, so there was no need to give it a new name. But this time, it looked like a normal carriage, so I thought I should give it a name that only referred to our carriage. Hmmm... Okay!
"Let's make it the Merkava (chariot) of God!" (Kaoru)
"What's the name of a foreign tank?" (Reiko)
"No, it's just that the source material is the same, and that name also originally meant 'Chariot of God'." (Kaoru)
Yes, a name that's too long would be a hassle, and if we named her something like "Goddess something" in the local vernacular, it would be a big problem if people heard it—Mainly in an embarrassing sense...
After a while of riding, the sun began to set.
"Is it okay if we camp today? It's a bit far to the next post town... And the purchasing procedures at the ranch took quite a bit of time..." (Kaoru)
"Yes. A tent would be fine, but I want to make sure it's comfortable to sleep in the carriage. It's a golden rule to try out unused items when you have the time." (Reiko)
As expected of a woman who always made sure to be cautious, Reiko.
Then, at a convenient point, we left the road and went a little further into the woods, out of sight from the road— Two young women camping in a place that was completely visible from the highway was a big draw for criminals. It's an ironclad rule to make sure that we couldn't be seen camping. Tonight, at Reiko's suggestion, we'd sleep in the carriage instead of pitching a tent. Since we had time, we'd cook properly instead of using the ready-made food stocked in our item box. We set out chairs and a table, a kitchen counter, a simple stove with a water tank, cooking utensils and ingredients, and cooked efficiently.
Hang and Bad were removed from their harnesses and set free, then given mixed feed, carrots, corn, apples, sugar cubes, and the ever-popular potions.
"Ohhh, this is the famous, legendary one……"
"Well, now we are in the same position as Ed-sama..."
It seemed like they were happy, which was great. Then, after having a meal with Reiko, I opened my item box to prepare some after-meal coffee...
Peep, peep, peep, peep, peep! Peep, peep, peep, peep, peep! Peep, peep, peep, peep, peep!
"Huh?" (Kaoru)
"what?" (Reiko)
"The children… they’re all elderly now, but… this is a call from everyone at Goddess’ Eye…" (Kaoru)
A bad premonition arose. My bad premonitions and bad premonitions always turned out to be correct— Or rather, this wasn't just a hunch anymore. It's an established fact. But I couldn't not go out... And then, reluctantly, I took out one half of the "Audio Resonating Crystal Set" from my item box. Yes, it was the "potion container" for communication that I had given to everyone in "The Goddess's Eye" when I first fled the Balmore Kingdom.
"Yes, this is Kaoru..." (Kaoru)
Cautiously, I spoke into the communication part of the Audio Resonating Crystal Set...
"Don't mess around with meeeeee!!"
My ears rang from the sudden loud volume.
"Why did you only meet Emile and then leave?! What on earth were you thinking?!" (Francette)
Ahh, that voice is Francette... Emile thought he'd only get scolded once, so he invited Francette over for dinner—And then after dinner he announced me to everyone...
"Umm, Emile is..." (Kaoru)
"Behind me, Bell and Layette are beating me to a pulp!" (Emile)
Ah, I knew it... You're all getting older now, so don't do anything too reckless...
"Kaoru, please say out loud what you're probably thinking right now..." (Reiko)
As expected of Reiko, her mind-reading abilities exclusive to me and Kyoko were still alive and well... And to Reiko, Emile was just an old man whom she met once. Was it natural to feel sorry for him for the terrible things he had gone through? Yeah, Reiko didn't know Francette, Bell, Layette-chan and the others...
"Please come back quickly!"
Francette's attitude was completely uncharacteristic of someone towards a goddess. She must be extremely angry... But…….
"……sorry" (Kaoru)
And then, a moment of silence passed...
"I’m sorry, I asked something unreasonable…" (Francette)
"Eh? Wasn't it Francette?" (Kaoru)
"Who's the fake?! I'm getting older now, you know, I'm not the same as I used to be!" (Francette)
"Ah, sorry. It was just a few days ago for me..." (Kaoru)
Yes, to me, Francette was a woman with a relatively low boiling point who quickly became angry or enraged.
And then there was another moment of silence— At times like these, time feels incredibly long!
"Thank you for everything. And for giving me a happy life..." (Francette)
Francette was sobbing and could no longer speak.
Ah, no. This kind of thing is weak... Something like this...
"How long are you going to monopolise it all by yourself? Please switch places quickly!"
...Hmm? Who is that? That voice is unfamiliar to me...
"Kaoru-onee-chan!!" (Layette)
L-Layette-chan! I only know her voice and the way she spoke as a toddler, so of course I didn't know...