We’re Setting Out From the Royal Capital!
“Gahaha! Take care, Tabito! Milfie! I really enjoyed the days I spent with you guys!”
Early in the morning on our day of departure, old man Rildo gave me a hearty slap on the shoulder.
Just how many times had this inn saved us?
Thanks to the comfortably chilly air, we were able to rest so well here so many times.
Thank you, old man. Thank you, cold weather.
“I’ll definitely come back here next time I visit the capital.”
“Yeah, me too, meow! Thanks for everything!”
“Ahh, I’ll be waiting.—Though, assuming we have any vacancies, that is?”
Looking in the direction the old man was gazing, I saw that all the tables on the first floor were packed with adventurers.
“So, like I was saying, in the dungeon the other day—hey, this salad’s really good.”
“And it’s all-you-can-drink too? Seriously?”
“Can’t believe I didn’t know about a place this good. All thanks to the guidebook!”
Apparently, they came after reading the book I left at the Adventurers’ Guild. Everyone looked genuinely happy.
There wasn’t a reservation system yet, but he said they were considering it now.
Still, I felt a little bad.
Would the old man be able to keep up all on his own?
Even with the two of us, it had been tough.
“Old man, sorry about—”
“Rildo, sir! We’re out of soup!”
“Alright! I’m on it!”
Just then, a ridiculously cute girl poked her head out from the kitchen.
Blonde hair, and she totally gave off a noble lady vibe.
Wait a sec—those are seriously bouncing like crazy!?
“Uh, who’s that?”
“Oh, hired her today. She’s a good girl.”
… Damn it, seriously?
“Milfie, wanna extend our stay?”
“Huh? Why?”
“I don’t know… just a feeling.”
“But we’ve already packed and everything, you know? It’d be a hassle?”
“… Yeah.”
Nice to meet you, bounce. Farewell, bounce.
See you later, old man.
◇
After that, we headed to the dining room.
Of course, it was for Silk.
But naturally, that wasn’t all.
“Today, I added a bit more meat just for you.”
She gently placed the plate down with a clink.
The usual hearty chunks of meat were indeed piled high.
Apparently, today’s milk bread came in two types—soft and slightly firm.
Both had different textures.
“Mmm~! So tasty, meow!”
The salad seemed to be freshly picked that morning, with juicy tomatoes on top.
And today, we even got a special dessert.
A nostalgic yellow dome-shaped thing.
Smooth on the outside, jiggly and plump.
Yes—that.
“This is amazing… it’s the best pudding I’ve ever had.”
“Pudding?”
Silk tilted her head, so I hastily corrected myself.
“Ah, s-sorry. Where I’m from, we called it pudding.”
“Oh? I see. If you don’t mind, could I use that name too?”
“Eh? Ah, sure… but what was it originally called?”
“I named it Gorgontchuandrus, but I think ‘pudding’ sounds much nicer!”
I see—so she has no sense for naming things.
I’m glad I found out before we left… or should I be?
Still, making her change the name because of me feels a bit—
“Mmm~ this Gorgontchuandrus is delicious, meow!”
Yeah, no. Pudding it is.
◇
“Hmm, so you’re leaving after all.”
“Yes. Thank you for everything. Also, thanks again for tuning up our equipment. Um, how much do we owe you—?”
“Hehehe, no charge. Let’s meet again someday.”
Next was Miri the witch.
The sultry older sister type.
She had a similar air to Court Mage Edna, but her robe had slits, making it a lot more provocative.
Have my dirty thoughts been getting worse day by day?
I could’ve sworn I got rid of all that desire.
“Oh, and if you’d like, take these. It’s a set of magic polish and healing potions.”
What she handed over was full of high-end items.
Weapons need proper maintenance, after all.
You can get them tended to at an equipment shop, but she wanted us to use this in the meantime.
And some consumables, too.
“Wait, these are free too!?”
“Every meeting between people is once-in-a-lifetime, right? Consider it a parting gift. When we meet again, maybe you’ll bring me a souvenir.”
“Of course. Thank you very much.”
Man, everyone here is just too kind.
◇
Lastly, outside the royal castle, we met with Edna and Luna.
“How’s your magic coming along!?”
“Eh, ah, yeah. Like this—”
I summoned fire to one hand.
To the other, a trickle of water.
The moment she saw it, Edna grabbed my hand and started panting.
“Tabitooooo!? Please don’t go after all! Let’s bring thunder to this world’s magic society together!”
“Eh, w-wait, that’s a bit much…?”
Seems like she’s the saddest about us leaving the capital.
“Luna, got a minute?”
“Yes?”
While Milfie wiped Edna’s tears, I told Luna that I’d reunited with an old acquaintance.
And that now, I was setting off on a journey to find myself.
“I see. I’m glad. But actually, I’ll be traveling to different regions too. As a court mage candidate, I have a lot to learn. Maybe we’ll cross paths again somewhere.”
“Oh, that’s great to hear.”
Running into each other during our travels would be a rare and precious experience.
“Edna will probably come along too. Maybe we’ll run into each other somewhere.”
“Huh?”
“Taaabiiitoooooo! Don’t leaaaave meeeee!”
… Whatever happened to her being scared of the teacher?
Or maybe that *is* scary in its own way?
And lastly, of course, was Bridget.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t around.
I asked Karin at the Adventurers’ Guild, but she said Bridget had already left.
“She got called in urgently. But she left a message—said you’ll meet again in Tia’s country… Who is Tia, I wonder?”
Oh wow, seriously?
Now I’ve got something to look forward to.
I didn’t get to say goodbye, but it left me with a good kind of excitement.
Milfie seemed to pick up on that too, and said, “Looks like it’s gonna be a great trip.”
My travel bag is packed with all the basics we’ll need along the way.
Of course, I brought games like card decks too.
Normally you’d minimize luggage since it gets in the way, but with my ability, no problem.
I can teleport a decent distance with a Free Pin, so I don’t actually need to exit through the gate—but since there’s a cooldown, I’m saving it for now.
Also—
“Tabito, Milfie, sorry to keep you waiting!”
Waiting for us outside the gate was… Aqua!
She had checked us out of the inn and gotten ready.
“You’re so tiny and cute again today~!”
“E-eek, that’s not true! You’re the cute one, Milfie! Your little ears bounce so adorably!”
So, the three of us set off on a journey to recover our lost memories.
Along the way, Milfie hopes to find her kin, and Aqua is looking for rare magic tomes.
We each have our own goals, but we’re going to enjoy ourselves as we go.
Maybe, just maybe, those memories will come back to us on the journey.
And above all—
“Hey, you’ve got something on your ear.”
“Eh—Ahhhhn…!”
“Ah, so-sorry!?”
“I-it’s okay!”
A harem-style journey like this? Doesn’t get any better.
～～～～～～～～！
Just then, a vision flashed through my mind.
Some forest, somewhere. A scene just like this one—
(You guys are really close, huh.)
(Meow, are you getting jealous, Tabito?)
(Tabito’s such a softie, after all!)
…Huh? No way.
I *was* popular, wasn’t I?
Come on, brain, remember… remember…!
“Milfie, is Tabito kinda trembling while staring off into the sky?”
“Don’t worry about it. That happens a lot.”
… Am I being written off?
Was I like this back then too?
Well, even that sounds fun.
“Anyway, let’s get moving. I wanna fill in both sides of the map as we go.”
“Zigzag-Tabito style! Got it!”
“What’s that?”
“You go right, then left, then right, then left again.”
“That’s… really literal.”
Looks like Aqua’s the straight man of the group.
It’s a nice balance.
---
[Tabito]
Level: 20
HP: B
MP: C
Stamina: A
Magic: Fire Lv. 2 / Water Lv. 2 / Wind Lv. 1 / Earth Lv. 1
Status: Adventurer Setting Out into the World
Equipment: High-Quality Shirt, High-Quality Pants, Magic Camera, Magic Pen, Magic Notebook
Unique Abilities: Otherworld Guide Map, Hyper Maturation, Multilingual Comprehension, Auto-Mapping, Guide Lens
Map Progress: Cave of Evil: 15%, Swamp of Evil: 35%
Completed Maps: Ostria Royal Capital, Labyrinth Dungeon, Ojiaria River, Demonic Cliff, Demonic Forest
Area Pins: 1/2 (Ortria Royal Capital)
Free Pins: 2/4 (Cliff of Evil, Forest of Evil)
Travel Bag: 1000/3000
Titles: Otherworld Traveler, Kindhearted Man
—
Feels nostalgic to think I was once just Level 1.
From now on, I plan to level up my magic too.
I do regret the slow map progress, but that’s the price of prioritizing the journey itself.
There’s also one thing weighing on my mind.
—That dagger from the murdered adventurer.
That’s the only thing I can’t get out of my head.
… Why is that?
Well, no use dwelling on it.
“Alright, let’s head out—oh! Gold! And a silver coin too, Milfie!”
“Whaaat!? Lucky!!”
“Oh, there’s a copper one over there too!”
“Meowa!”
“… A-are we gonna be okay? Are we actually going to make any progress?”
---
Milfie
★★★★★
I’m so excited for the journey ahead~
Cuddling up together on cold nights will be so warm and cozy, meow~
Aqua
★★★★★
I bet the old me used to laugh like this every day.
I can’t wait to see what this journey brings.
I wanna learn more about the both of you.
Tabito
★★★★★
I’ve got a good feeling about this trip.
I’m happy.
Hope we all get to cuddle up together at night. I wanna do that.
But—I’m the only guy here.
No matter what happens, I’ve got to protect the two of them.
Alright.
Let’s enjoy the journey ahead.
What do you think about this chapter?
