"The Aldger Kingdom itself is located in the southernmost part of Velmoria, and before that city are Danvis and also Vannis, the city we're heading to," said Luke.
"Danvis and Vannis... are their names really that similar?" I asked.
It's rare for me to hear names of cities that are almost the same like that. So of course I would be a little surprised when hearing them.
"Legend says that the two cities used to be under one leadership, under the Danvis Kingdom. However, there was some problem within that kingdom, which caused them to split apart," answered Luke.
"They were divided into two—one was ruled by the first prince, and the second prince ruled over Vannis, to the point that their names became the names of the cities now," he continued.
"Hmm..." I muttered.
That means there are six cities on the continent of Velmoria, and if we arrive in Vannis, we might go to Danvis or perhaps Aldger afterward.
"So, how long will it take before we reach Vannis?" I asked.
"If the weather is good, we might arrive tomorrow morning around nine. Basically, we just have to enjoy the ride," answered Luke.
——
The sun had risen higher, making Luke and me feel hot.
But even so, it still wasn't time for us to rest. Of course, we couldn't let Hime and Yuu-chan pull the carriage.
Along the side of this road, the grass stood tall, forming a wide open field.
Rice fields stretched into the distance, and many houses near the fields made them look like a peaceful village.
Many merchants passed by, heading the opposite direction of us who were leaving Necvalion, while they were going there.
Farmers were hoeing the soil and planting rice under the scorching sunlight.
Their bodies weren't that muscular, but their darkened skin was enough proof that they had been working hard.
"Luke, are there always a lot of villages along roads like this?" I asked.
For example, Charlotte's house which was in a village within the area of Malcro city.
Even though the city was filled with soldiers, Charlotte's house was actually in a village quite far from the city area.
"That's already a characteristic, and a common sight for people traveling from one city to another," he answered.
"There are some groups or individuals who don't want to be bound by the strict rules of the cities, so they choose strategic spots and build villages along the roadside."
"They also want to live peacefully, making their homes safer than staying inside crowded and risky cities," he continued.
"You seem to enjoy this world quite a lot, right? How about your world in your previous life?" asked Luke.
Because he already knew that I was the 'wrong' person who got summoned to this world, he would definitely ask about my previous world.
"In that world, I can say that everything was very advanced and filled with extremely sophisticated technology," I answered.
"Technology?... You mean, like the rumors about the ruins of ancient elf and dwarf buildings that supposedly contain rooms filled with expensive-looking metal?" asked Luke.
Ah, I've heard about ruins like that, but since I've never seen them, I can't compare the two.
"Maybe something like that, and in that world, transportation was incredible—we even had something that could move around without needing horses like this," I said.
"So it moves on its own?" asked Luke.
"There's still a person driving it, but everything is much more luxurious than in this world," I said.
"Buildings are very tall, reaching up into the sky — basically everything is grand."
"Hmm... that sounds amazing. The citizens must all live happily, right?" Luke asked again.
...Happy, huh... if the condition was like mine, living alone at that time, maybe I could say so.
But not everyone could live happily back then — maybe many people saw that most people lived happily.
But on the other hand, there were many who lived on the brink of poverty, constantly trapped by their situation until they couldn't bear to continue living.
There's no difference from this world — everything is still divided equally.
"If I have to say it, the citizens are the same as everyone in this world," I said.
"Those who are wealthy can live comfortably and even become arrogant toward others because of their circumstances."
"But those who struggle even to get food live as people who are abandoned," I continued.
"Wow..." said Luke.
"I thought a world that cool and advanced would have all its citizens living happily, but turns out not, huh..." he muttered.
——
Evening had arrived, and maybe only about an hour was left before sunset.
The horse carriage stopped for a moment by the riverside. The reason was that we wanted to rest and wash our bodies.
Hime and Yuu-chan would go in first.
"You two better not peek, okay?" asked Yuu-chan while glaring sharply at us.
"Don't worry, I can handle that," said Luke.
Suddenly, he held his hand forward as if trying to create something with magic.
Clang.
There was a kind of barrier that enclosed a square-shaped area, with Hime and Yuu-chan inside it.
"With this, you two can feel more at ease, right?" Luke asked.
The barrier had a door at the front, allowing people to enter and exit.
From the outside or inside, you couldn't see anything beyond it.
Basically, it was like being inside an empty room, except it was created with magic.
"Cool... how did you do that?" I asked.
This was my first time seeing magic like this, since not many people could create a barrier.
"I only know a bit about barrier skills, but I learned everything while living with Charles-san, so I've already forgotten how to do it from scratch," answered Luke.
"Have you been with him for a long time?" I asked.
"Well, I've lived with him since I was around ten years old, and since I'm nineteen now, that means I've lived with him for nine years," answered Luke.
"It's because Charles-san said he saw potential inside me, which made me want to follow him," he continued.
"I see..." I muttered.
—
I went inside and took a piece of bread that was probably about the size of my palm.
Luke said there was a lot of bread in there, so I wanted to take some for myself and for him as well.
"Luke, take this," I said, handing the bread to him.
"Thanks," said Luke.
"Did you buy everything in here yourself?" I asked.
It wouldn't be surprising if he was the one who built this horse carriage and filled it on his own.
"No. They were all given by the church and also by Charles-san... so we don't need to worry about money or supplies," he said.
"That's good then," I said.
I climbed up and sat beside him, then ate the bread.
Hmm... I think this bread is sweeter than most I've eaten before—maybe it has more milk in it?
Ah, whatever... what matters is that our stomachs get filled a bit so we don't get exhausted while waiting for the two of them to finish washing up.