TWEM Vol. 5 Chapter 1
Chapter 1 – The Journey to Belifaire
One day, I——Haruto Yuki, a high school student, was suddenly summoned to another world together with my whole class as a hero.
However, because I didn’t possess the title of ‘Hero’, I was kicked out, and nearly killed by the summoners, the Kingdom of Glicente.
There, I met an existence who claimed to be a god, and with the help of the numerous cheat skills I acquired from him, I began to work as an adventurer in the Kingdom of Perdis.
Eventually, I became an EX rank adventurer, the highest adventurer rank ever attained, and together with other adventurers and the elves whose villages were attacked by Glicente, I took revenge on the Kingdom of Glicente.
After that, I rebuilt the internal administration of Glicente, sent the other heroes to the Nargadia Labyrinth to train them, made the boss of the labyrinth, a dragon, into my companion, and then finally set up my own trading company in the Kingdom of Perdis…I was just living up my otherworldly life to the fullest.
My next destination is the Galzio Empire, where a fighting tournament is to be held. I was planning to test the strength of my companions at the tournament. Then, I heard that we would be passing through a country called the Holy State of Belifaire, so we decided to stop by.
～
There are eight members on this trip, including me.
First, is my fiancee, Finne, an adventurer. Followed by Iris, the princess of the Kingdom of Perdis and also my fiancee, and her attendant Asha. Then we have Suzuno, one of the heroes summoned to this world along with me, also my fiancee; Ephyr, the former princess of the elven village; Kusel, a former knight of Glicente; and Zero, the dragon who was the boss monster of the Nargadia labyrinth but transformed into a human and decided to follow me.
Our destination, the capital of the Holy State of Belifaire, is two weeks away by carriage from the royal capital of the Kingdom of Perdis, where we currently are.
The border is about halfway, or about a week’s ride away.
It may seem like a long journey from the perspective of my original world, but for the inhabitants of this world, a trip of this level is one of the shortest. I, for one, have become quite accustomed to the awareness of this world, so I don’t feel it at all burdensome.
During the journey, there were times when monsters and bandits appeared, but everyone took the initiative in defeating the monsters, and Zero in particular proactively sought out the bandits before they even got close.
Incidentally, the bandits were often relieved of their loots after they were defeated, which also provided unexpected extra income.
So I had a lot of free time during the trip, and I spent a lot of time napping on top of the carriage. Sometimes, when Kusel wanted to spar, I would indulge her in the subspace beyond the door of the carriage, which I had created——a separate world where everyone usually spent their time.
There was a checkpoint at the border along the road, but we were able to pass through it easily by showing a dagger with the emblem of the Kingdom of Perdis and my EX rank adventurer’s card.
Upon entering the Holy State of Belifaire, the roads were clean and well-maintained.
The journey was peaceful, with occasional passing merchants and adventurer-like carriages on their way to the Kingdom of Perdis.
～
A certain day after entering the Holy State of Belifaire and back on our journey, I asked a question.
“Does anyone know why the appearance of monsters has decreased considerably since we crossed the border?”
Iris answered my question.
“That’s because the holy knights in the holy city regularly exterminate the monsters. It’s an age-old practice to make it safer for merchants to come and go.”
“Ohh, they must have proper considerations for the people then.”
“Yes, the country itself has the power to do so and more after all. That is why the entire Holy State of Belifaire, including the holy city we are about to visit, is economically developed and has an abundance of food.”
Certainly, if there were fewer monsters, bandits, and the like, it would be easier for merchants to gather.
Then I suddenly remembered something and asked Asha.
“Asha. I noticed there aren’t that many adventurers passing by, is there no adventurers’ guild in the holy city?”
“No, there is. As the princess said, the holy knights exterminate the monsters, but the adventurers’ guild also exterminates the monsters along the road. Obviously, the holy knights alone can’t handle it all.”
Asha is right.
But there’s one thing still bothering me.
“What do they do when powerful monsters appear?”
“There are no S-rank adventurers in this country, so I guess they pull everyone together to deal with it.”
“There aren’t?”
“Yes.”
If they do, then this country is doomed…well, if they thinned them out regularly, I guess they wouldn’t have to worry about such strong monsters showing up.
With that thought in mind, I was about to climb back up on top of the carriage when I felt a gaze behind me.
I turned around and saw that Finne was looking at me with a dumbfounded expression on her face.
“Another nap…?”
“Yeah, the weather is so nice, it’s making me sleepy. We’ve already had lunch too. Don’t you ever get sleepy, Finne?”
“Well, sometimes…”
Finne quickly turned away after saying that.
She seems to be sleepy, too.
“Would you like to join me? It’s nice and breezy up here, so how about it?”
Finne was still somewhat hesitant, but Asha took care of it
“It’s okay, Finne, I’ll take the reins.”
“Thank you, Asha. Th-Then, I’ll take you up on it…”
Finne, a little embarrassed, climbed up on top of the carriage with me.
The top is reinforced with magic, so there’s no fear of it tearing down from the weight of two people.
Frankly speaking, unless it’s pierced by a reinforced armor-piercing arrow or something.
As the two of us lay down and let the rattling carriage rock us, Finne suddenly muttered.
“This is so nice…”
“It’s so sunny and warm, with a pleasant breeze. On days like this, it’s best to just sleep outside.”
“Now I know why Haruto has been napping here all this time.”
While we were talking about such things, Finne and I fell asleep before we knew it.
When I woke up a short time later, the sky was tinged with an azure hue.
To my right, Finne was sleeping comfortably.
Then I noticed something strange.
Someone was also sleeping on my left side.
I looked over to see Suzuno, who was sleeping just as comfortably as Finne.
It seems that she had noticed that Finne and I were sleeping and had climbed up without us even realizing it.
I woke them up, and went jumped down to look for a nice spot where we could camp out for the night.
～
We were only a few days away from the capital of the Holy State of Belifaire.
During break, I was feeding my beloved horse, Maguro who has been pulling the carriage, some fruit.
“Maguro. We’re almost there, so just hang in there, okay?”
“Neighh!”
Maguro seemed to be in great form today.
Then, Finne came over.
“Haruto, having come this far, have you decided exactly what you want to do in the holy city?”
“Well…I’m mainly interested in sightseeing mostly. And maybe eat some of the local specialties if there are any.”
I answered Finne’s question.
Our main purpose is to participate in the Galzio Empire’s tournament. After all, our trip to the holy city is strictly for sightseeing.
“Iris. What kind of country is the Holy State of Belifaire?”
Suzuno asked.
I don’t know much about it myself, and I’m only curious because I heard from Dillan, the King of Perdis, that it is a nation based on a religion that worships God.
Iris, who was asked the question, explained while placing her index finger on her chin.
“Hmmm, well…there’s no discrimination between races, like beastkin and the like…come to think of it, Perdis doesn’t discriminate against other races either, so I guess there’s that.”
“Ohh, ain’t that nice of ‘em.”
Iris continued, after my witty remark.
“Also, there are hardly any slaves in Belifaire. In fact, they even reject the idea.”
“But are there any?”
“Yes, a few. Still, I heard that criminal slaves alone contribute to keeping the holy city clean.”
“I see. So they’re like clean-up crews.”
“Something like that.”
I changed the subject and asked Ephyr who seemed to be dozing off.
“Ephyr. Sorry to interrupt your sleep, but have you been in touch with Aegan?”
Aegan is the name of the elf that I left behind in Glicente to keep an eye on the queen and princess of Glicente.
Ephyr answered the question in a stupor.
“Yes. I have been communicating with Aegan through letters.”
“Good. Is everything all right back in Glicente?”
“The ministers and the heroes seem to be doing all right.”
“That’s good. I’ll leave it to them to keep it up. The next time we meet will be when we defeat the Demon King.”
“Defeat the Demon King?!”
Kusel’s eyes widened at the mention of “defeating the Demon King”.
“W-What’s up with you all of a sudden, Kusel?”
“Uh, nothing. I was just curious.”
I believe we’ve been talking about this for quite a while now, so I wonder what that was about.
The Demon King huh~. I have no idea what the Demon King is up to, but I’m sure each country has its own agenda, so I guess it’s still too early to say what will happen.
“If it comes down to it, I will just defeat him and be done with. But that’s not my role, that’s the role of the heroes. Well, I may end up having to go with them.”
There’s a good chance they’ll ask me to go with them, and even if they don’t, I’ll still go.
Kusel nodded, “I see”, seemingly convinced, but her expression was somewhat vacant.
“All right cut the crap, why is it bothering you?”
“I’d like to try fighting it at least once!”
“Not that again…”
I couldn’t help slamming her with the retort.
She’s beyond saving…
Everyone laughed at Kusel’s words, seeing as she’s the same as ever.
“What’s so funny?!”
Iris replied to Kusel who was getting furious as if to make an excuse.
“Well…hehee, you said you wanted to try fighting the Demon King, so I thought, that’s so like you, Kusel, hehee”
“Princess, you’re being rude!”
Asha chastised her, but Iris replied while still laughing.
“No, it’s true…is it not? Even you, Asha, didn’t you laugh as well?”
“But, at least I get where she’s coming from…”
Yup, Asha laughed too.
The conversation between the two of them was making Kusel shudder——
“Stop laughinggggg!”
She exclaimed.
Next to her, Zero, who had been reading a book with one hand, turned to me and asked.
“Master Haruto. How long will we be staying in the capital?”
“Hmm, I’m thinking maybe a week.”
“I see. May I buy a few books then?”
“Sure, but are there any that interest you?”
“Thank you very much. I have been in the labyrinth for a long time, so I thought I would accumulate knowledge of this era. Information is the most valuable commodity in any age after all.”
Recently, Zero has been reading a lot. As he says, his main purpose seems to be to gather information, but it appears he’s become a typical bookworm.
If I let him read Japanese manga, would he get hooked as well? It’s really hard to say, and first of all, since there’s really no way of getting one, I can’t really say if he would actually like it.
“Well, I just hope nothing goes wrong in the holy city.”
I muttered to myself, and everyone froze except for Zero.
Then, like a machine that hadn’t been lubricated, they all turned their heads and stared at me.
“Wh-What is it…?”
It was Suzuno who answered my puzzled question.
“Please tell me you didn’t just say that, Haruto! Please tell me you didn’t!”
“…”
“What a splendid flag he just erected, isn’t it?”
Iris followed suit.
“There’s no way that Haruto goes somewhere and nothing happens. Right, Ephyr, Asha?”
“You’re right, princess.”
“True. I guess Iris and Asha are right about that.”
“… …”
At the same time, Kusel nodded in agreement.
I turned my expectant gaze to Finne hoping that she would back me up, but…
“It’s so spot-on that I can’t even think of anything else to add. I guess we better brace ourselves since something is definitely going to happen when we get there.”
“… … …”
I was being treated like a complete troublemaker.
I felt so sad and my vision blurred.
“Uh hold on…somehow I think I’ve got sweat in my eyes!”
“““That’s tears!”””
Everyone except Zero put me on the spot.
Gsshhh…so sad…
A few days later, we arrived at the capital safely.
“It’s kinda white…”
That was my first impression of the city from afar.
“Yeah, it’s white.”
“So white…”
“It’s really white.”
Finne, Ephyr and Suzuno murmured in agreement with me.
It’s exactly as it sounded, everywhere we looked in the holy city, was pure white.
Although there were some brown buildings in some places, the city was basically white and beautiful.
“I’ve been here before so I already knew.”
“I’ve also been here before as the princess’s attendant.”
“Mine was during a military expedition.”
Iris, Asha, and Kusel had been here before, apparently. Zero was like, “It’s beautiful”, and then went back to reading.
“Iris. What is that palace or cathedral-like structure at the center of the city?”
“That’s the Belifaire Cathedral.”
A structure that could be described as a castle or a palace. It looked like the Milan Cathedral in Italy back in my original world. But many times bigger.
Even though I am not an expert in architecture, I thought it was very beautiful.
“So that’s the cathedral, huh? It’s so cool.”
“Everyone who sees it for the first time gets the same impression.”
“I guess so. I was also surprised when I saw it for the first time.”
Iris and Asha said so, and Kusel nodded in agreement.
We arrived in front of the outer wall that surrounds the holy city and lined up to go through the checkpoints.
Iris was afraid that things might get complicated if she entered the country as a princess, so she decided to enter as an adventurer, and Asha also changed the way she addressed her from “Princess” to “Lady Iris”.
When it got to my turn, the person in charge at the checkpoint seemed surprised to see my adventurer rank and the presence of an elf, but he let me through without any problems.
And so we set foot inside the holy city.