Chapter 56

Let’s Go to Town (2)
“Waaah…”

“Asuma-sama, you look like you’re having fun.”

“Yeah. You know, the first time you experience something, it’s always fun, no matter what it is.”

… As far as the eye can see, gentle rolling hills. The wind’s a bit strong.

The sunlight, partly filtered through soft, fluffy clouds, falls in broad bands across the land. When I look off into the distance, I can see the shaded and sunlit parts slowly shifting and moving.

Sitting atop a horse-drawn carriage rolling along a dirt-packed road, I was—for the first time in this other world—going on an outing.

“A carriage feels kinda fresh and new.”

It’s my first outing, my first time seeing scenery like this, and everything feels new—but above all, the experience of riding in a carriage feels especially fresh. It’s my first time ever in one. Actually, this might even be my first time seeing a horse up close.

“So this is your first carriage ride, Asuma-sama?”

Lisas-san called out to me from the driver’s seat, and even that felt like a fresh, new experience.

… And then.

“Yeah. You know, it’s… a lot bumpier than I thought!”

My very first carriage ride—it turned out to be extremely uncomfortable!

“Well, this road isn’t very wide, so it’s got a lot of bumps.”

… Yeah, that’s the thing. Carriages aren’t exactly smooth. You’ve got to resign yourself to feeling like cargo, or it’s rough going. “Clatter clatter” doesn’t even begin to cover it—it’s more like “grrrggrgggggk!” Always shaking, and every ten seconds or so, there’s a huge thud!

“If this were within dungeon range, I’d have flattened this whole road glass-smooth by now!”

“Is it really that bad…?”

“Yeah!”

Mishisia-san and Lisas-san seemed used to it, but for me, the shaking was nearly unbearable.

Once we get back to the village, I’m starting with carriage improvements. Absolutely. Improvements first—library later! Carriage comes first! Sheesh!

So, after a few rest stops along the way, I somehow survived the journey as glorified cargo, and finally made it to our destination for the night—the town of Lark.

“… Asuma-sama, are you all right?”

“Yeah… thanks to Lisas-san’s lap, I managed to survive… thank you…”

“Your face looks pale, though. You okay? Want to throw up one more time?”

“No… there’s nothing left in my stomach anymore…”

… I was a wreck. The reason’s simple: motion sickness.

I only held up at the start. When everything was still new and exciting, that feeling carried me—but once it wore off, I was done for.

I didn’t think I was someone who got carsick easily, but now that I’m in a kid’s body—and with a carriage that shakes like this—it’s no wonder I ended up like this. Damn you, carriage!

Partway through, Mishisia-san kindly offered, “If the bumps are too rough, want to sit on someone’s lap?” So when Lisas-san switched with her as driver, I got plopped onto his lap instead… I did think, “Hey, it was your idea, Mishisia-san, shouldn’t it be your lap?” but Lisas-san’s lap was definitely more stable, and well, sitting on a girl’s lap would feel a bit awkward anyway… though this situation is awkward enough as is. Still, with Lisas-san holding me steady, it was a lot easier.

The key discovery of the day: “It’s so much easier if there’s something soft to rest my head on.”

When I tried leaning my head against the carriage wall, the shaking made it go thunk-thunk-thunk repeatedly—painful. But with Lisas-san acting as both seatbelt and cushion, there was none of that. His chest muscles weren’t rock-hard like a wall either, thankfully…

“… I get it now. Traveling by carriage for two days would kill me. Gotta take breaks, or I’ll die. Have to stop early, or I’ll die…”

“Well, yeah… It’s easier than walking, but it still drains your stamina. You have to plan your trip without overdoing it.”

“Still, if the ride were smoother, I feel like we could make it from here to the capital in a single day—from morning till evening.”

“Yeah. I think messengers from the capital have done that before, arriving in about a day. They probably swapped horses at Lark along the way, though… but yeah, it’s possible.”

Huh… yeah. I see a lot of challenges in this world now.

… Ugh, no good. I still feel sick. I want to sleep. Sleep somewhere that’s not shaking… I’ll think later…

And so, I was safely carried to our inn and laid down on a bed. Ohhh, solid ground… a soft bed… bliss…

“Asuma-sama, Lisas-san, you two rest for a bit, okay? I’ll go buy some drinks and snacks.”

“Thanks, Mishisia-san…”

“... Yeah, just take it easy. You can sleep if you want.”

“Thanks… then, wake me up when you come back…”

… But exhaustion beat out hunger. I stopped trying to stay awake. Goodnight!

I must’ve dozed off for a bit, because I woke to Mishisia-san’s cheerful “I’m back!”—before Lisas-san even needed to rouse me.

And after that little nap, I felt a lot better. At least the nausea was gone, even if I was still tired.

Well, now that I wasn’t queasy anymore, I could eat a little. So I gratefully accepted the drink and snack Mishisia-san brought back.

“Oh… milk!?”

“Yep! Lark’s known for livestock, meat, and dairy products.”

The drink she’d brought was—surprisingly—milk!

… For someone who’d just been puking earlier, is that really… the best choice? Milk? Really? But okay, I’ll give it a cautious try.

“… It’s delicious…”

“Right? It’s good, isn’t it? Lark’s milk is always great!”

It honestly surprised me. Way smoother than I expected, and all I could think was “wow, that’s tasty.”

No strong smell at all, just a faintly fresh aroma. The taste was mellow but clean, with a slight sweetness… yeah. It’s good. A flavor that perks you up.

So maybe cow’s milk in this world is a bit different… or so I thought, until—

“Mew milk, huh. It’s been a while since I’ve had this,” said Lisas-san—with, I swear, slightly weird pronunciation. Or maybe my ears were off?

“My first drink outside the forest that wasn’t water was mewmya milk! I’ve loved mew milk ever since!” Mishisia-san added cheerfully.

… Okay, so it wasn’t Lisas-san’s tongue or my ears that were off. Something else was.

“Uh, Mewmya? What’s that…?”

“Oh, right! You wouldn’t know, huh, Asuma-sama. Um, look—”

Mishisia-san peeked out the inn window, then smiled and beckoned me over.

“See? You can spot one from here. That white thing way over there—that’s a Mewmya!”

I leaned over to look—and sure enough, far away in the fields, a big fluffy white ball was calmly grazing. Wait, it’s got ears—giant floppy ones—and, hang on, are those really ears!? It just flapped them and flew!?!

“Wh-what is that!?”

“Huh? A Mewmya! They’re gentle and cute creatures! You can’t eat them, but their milk’s delicious, so people raise them like that!”

Well… yeah, it does look gentle. The way the caretaker was petting and scratching it, it seemed all calm and docile.

But still—flying with its ears!? What even is that thing!?

“… I see. So, this milk came from that…”

“Yup! It’s good, right?”

“Yeah…”

It’s good, yeah—but somehow even more exotic now. The taste of another world indeed.

Let’s just… forget about flying ear-balls for now. Still, it might not be a bad idea for Panis Village to raise a few of those someday, to be self-sufficient with milk. I’ll leave that to Edele though…

“Compared to Panis Village, this town’s a lot livelier, huh?”

I should really get a good look around.

Most buildings were stone, with visible timber frames—half-timber style. The walls seemed to be brick or stone, sometimes coated with plaster.

Panis Village houses, on the other hand, hide their beams inside the walls—made that way because it’s easier to reconstruct like that. I’d call it a simple, timeless design that fits anywhere.

Still, looking at the townscape tells you a lot about the culture level here. The roads are paved with stone. I don’t see any glass windows.

Transportation’s still by carriage—but some look more comfortable than ours, with better seats and suspension.

As for clothing… some folks look pretty fantasy-ish. I even spotted someone wearing a bikini armor for the first time in this world—though it was a middle-aged man. Why!? Why!? I don’t understand anything anymore!!

Anyway, bikini armor aside, there are clear fantasy elements here.

Like someone reading in the shade, who, when it got a bit dim, lit a lamp with just a flick of their finger. Or a kid I saw gleefully double-jumping in midair…

Yep. Still a fantasy world. Hmm… makes me want to redesign the cave interior when I get back.

Turns out, people here can light fires without matches—and maybe even double-jump.

When I asked later, Lisas-san said, “I can do both.” Mishisia-san added, “I’m not great with fire, being of the forest folk.” Apparently, Edele can’t double-jump, which… honestly, relieved me. Though I’m not sure why.

Anyway, after enjoying the view from the window, we moved on to snacks.

“Oh, sausage.”

A classic hot snack. Mishisia-san pulled some from a paper bag—still sizzling hot.

“Ehehe, Lark sausages are so good! Let’s eat!”

She urged me on, but I waited a moment so I wouldn’t burn myself—and wow. Juicy, flavorful, the fat and meatiness all bursting at once… absolutely delicious!

And that golden-brown char? Love it. Crispy perfection.

“Oh, this is great.”

“Right!? Lark’s meat is the best!”

Mishisia-san beamed. She always looks so happy when someone enjoys something she recommends. Such a good person.

“I’d love for Panis Village to reach this level someday… though it might be tough.”

“Yeah. For now, it’s fine to just buy from Lark, right? It’s so good anyway.”

True enough. If Panis Village started producing everything itself, we might threaten Lark’s economy.

I think, right now, travelers from the capital who visit Panis Village probably stop in Lark and spend money here, so our existence actually benefits them.

So yeah, better to coexist—trade, share good food, live in harmony.

Snacks are snacks, and meals are meals.

After some rest, we headed to the dining hall for dinner.

There, we had something like chicken gratin with white sauce, some cheesy bread, and of course, grilled sausages again—because they were too good to pass up. Delicious!

… It’d been a while since I’d had a hearty meat-and-dairy meal. In Panis, it’s mostly vegetables—though lately, eggs have helped a lot.

Hmm… after remembering how good meat tastes, I might find Panis meals lacking. Which means we’ll need to strengthen food trade with Lark… make transport easier…

… Yeah, carriage development’s a must. Once I’m back, it’s the top priority.

The next day.

I’d gotten a bit used to carriage rides—and mentally prepared—so my motion sickness was better. Also, starting the trip already on Lisas-san’s lap helped. Thanks, Lisas-san.

“All right, Asuma-sama! Sorry, but hang in there just a little longer!”

Just as the carriage neared its final destination, Mishisia-san called out cheerfully.

“This is the royal capital. We’ll need to go through inspection to enter.”

“Inspection…?”

I peeked out the carriage window, and sure enough—guards were at the gate, checking people as they came and went. Like immigration control… or “in-capital” control, I guess.

Well, it’s the capital. Makes sense… Yeah.

Yeah.

“… Uh, am I gonna be okay?”

“You should be, right? … Wait, are you not okay?”

I mean—what if they find out I’m a dungeon master or something!? They won’t, right? Right!? Suddenly I’m really nervous!

“Ah, don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”

And of course, dependable Lisas-san steps up. With a chuckle, he leans out and waves. Then—

“… Whoa!? Lisas! Lisas, that you!?”

“Long time no see. Good to see you.”

… Turns out, the gate guards are Lisas-san’s old buddies.

Of course! He was a knight of the capital! Reliable as ever, Lisas-san! So cool! Love this guy!

“But wait, what brings you here? I mean… you’ve got a bit of history, don’t you?”

… And that’s when I remember.

Yeah. Right. Lisas-san has… a past here.

Oh no. Ohhh no. We brought him here! I’m sorry, Lisas-san! I’m so sorry!!

Please—please don’t let us run into your ex-wife or her boyfriend or whatever!!

What do you think about this chapter?