Chapter 642

Training for Camp Life
As expected, after traveling a good distance, the noble’s wagon from earlier passed us.
They did greet us properly, so they didn’t seem like bad people.
They really did appear to be in a hurry, though.
What could they be rushing toward in Catastie?

“Is there anything in Catastie around this time of year that people would hurry for?”

“Well, I’m not sure. Thanks to you, Lady Lily, trade has flourished these past few years, so perhaps they heard a rumor about some rare goods arriving?”

Even the Lumite branch manager didn’t know.
For this journey, we weren’t traveling with Alizée and the Trade Guild members, so we lacked their usual information network.
I had left matters of the Saltas Company to them.
Their task was more urgent.
As for this side… honestly, I didn’t need to personally confirm anything.
They had sent me off partly to let me relax.

“By the way, branch manager, are you alright with camping outdoors?”

“Yes, quite. I may be a branch manager now, but I started from the bottom. When I was younger, I spent many days testing magi-vehicles, often camping in unfamiliar lands.”

For this trip, we purposely decided not to stay in post towns.
Not because I wanted to hide the Parfe wagon, but because traveling through rural regions often requires outdoor camping.
So this was also part of the test.

“It has been a while since I camped, though. Back then, I lived on dried meat in soup and hard bread. I wonder what it’ll be like nowadays?”

“Leave the food to me. I packed supplies into the Parfe wagon precisely to test that as well.”

“I see. Then I look forward to nightfall.”

Naturally, we wouldn’t stop during midday to cook.
In an actual expedition, it might be fine, but for this test we needed to see how long we could keep the wagon running without issues, so no lunch break.
And besides, my backpack produced soft-bread sandwiches with meat anyway—no problem at all.
My backpack was downright unfair at times.

We continued traveling until dusk, then made camp.
We parked the Parfe wagon a little off the highway and prepared to spend the night.
However, there were no woods along the road from Vardmoi to Catastie, so we couldn’t gather sticks.
We used the firewood stored in the wagon instead.
Even in summer, a fire was essential as a source of light.

“So, how was the ride in the Parfe wagon so far?”

I asked Dark Green Sprout and Ula’s group for their impressions.
They were familiar with ordinary wagons, so their comparisons would be valuable.

“The travel distance is excellent. We probably covered more ground than with a normal wagon.
But the slow speed is a problem. If monsters or bandits attacked, we couldn’t outrun them.”

“Yes. Between Vardmoi and Catastie the visibility is good and guards patrol frequently, so it’s safe enough.
But if we were on a normal countryside road, it would be worrisome.”

“Hmm. Lady Lily, shouldn’t we install some kind of magi-tech propulsion or repulsion system?
I know the wagon won’t break even if struck by fire arrows or magic, but that’s different from preventing cargo theft.
The Kiblinki Saltas and Parfe will already be busy pulling the wagon—We need dedicated defensive equipment.”

Those were Fanny, Juna, and Lana’s assessments.
Indeed, the slow speed might be a serious issue.
The wagon could keep moving even while under attack, but not fast enough to shake off enemies, which would put immense strain on the escorts.
In real use, we could hire adventurer escorts, but even they aren’t perfect.

“Um… the ride itself was really comfortable. But yes, the slow pace does make me nervous…”

“That’s true. You weren’t running at full speed today, were you?
I’d like to know just how fast it can actually go.”

“With Cole and the Rock Wolves I can defend well, but if we’re attacked even once, having to defeat every enemy is exhausting.”

Ula, Shelche, and Lady Elsa voiced similar concerns.
It seemed that in its current state, the wagon wasn’t quite practical.

The Lumite Company offered many weaponized add-ons, but installing those would create weak points.
And that complicated things.

Now then… what should I do?

What do you think about this chapter?