Why are there so many lovers in the world?
Even though the probability of someone you like also liking you back is almost zero.
Lizel believes it's because affection can be ingrained.
From the moment the other person realizes they like you, they acknowledge your existence, follow you with their eyes, and every time affection is shown, it becomes ingrained.
If you want to be liked, you have to make an effort to be liked, and one of those efforts is "how to show affection" to gain the other person's favor.
For a merchant striving to become a full-fledged professional, he shows complete trust by letting them handle everything in the transaction.
For an emotionless employee who doesn't know how to be spoiled, he conveys unprecedented, unreserved affection through his touch.
If you clearly show affection at the beginning to establish your presence, and then continue to give what the other person desires...
Not so frequent that they become accustomed to it, nor so rare that they feel a sense of loss, but if your affection becomes indispensable to the other person, then you've succeeded.
This is one of the methods Lizel uses when he meets someone he wants to become close to.
It might sound like a despicable method, but it's not.
It's natural to show affection to someone you want to befriend, and Lizel simply chooses the most effective way to show that affection.
It's something he can do because he has exceptional insight into others and understands what they want.
Lizel doesn't particularly care what others think of this method, but there's one thing he wants to make clear.
That is, there is no falsehood or deception in the affection he gives or the affection the other person feels.
"I know you're useless at everything except business, but come back as soon as possible."
"Useless...?"
"What's with that response? You've only grown taller, that's all."
"Ow!"
That's why, before departing for the merchant nation of Marcade, he found the playful banter between Studd and Judge endearing, and unlike Gil, he didn't feel the slightest urge to tell them to hurry up.
He did stop them, however, when Studd slapped Judge.
"Studd is always so harsh to me."
Judge, uncharacteristically voicing his dissatisfaction clearly, made him smile wryly, thinking how close they were.
In the slightly swaying carriage, Lizel suddenly turned around and looked at Judge's back as he drove.
Ahead lay a vast expanse of grassland as far as the eye could see; if no monsters appeared, the pleasant weather would surely induce drowsiness.
The carriage that Judge owned was, naturally, for transporting goods.
One might think it would be better to put everything in a bag with spatial magic, Lizel hadn't encountered them yet, but apparently there were many labyrinthine items that were immune to all kinds of magic.
For transporting such goods, a carriage was still necessary.
Despite being for transport, its appearance was like a passenger carriage.
It had a sturdy frame and a body covered with wooden panels instead of cloth. The wood used was apparently from the labyrinth, and despite its solid appearance, its weight was lighter than a covered wagon.
A carriage that was so carefully designed to minimize shaking, to protect delicate goods, would be unsuitable for a single shop owner.
It was only because Judge's shop dealt with many labyrinthine items that he could afford such a thing.
However, as expected of a transport carriage, there were no windows, and there was only one seat, facing away from the driver's seat. A plank of wood, large enough for about three people to sit on, protruded from the wall, and thanks to Judge's thoughtfulness, it was quite comfortable.
There were no windows, but the back opened completely for loading and unloading cargo, and the area behind the driver's seat also opened so the driver could access the goods.
Since there was no delicate cargo (though there were some items, none were problematic), both areas were wide open, and a refreshing breeze, faintly mixed with the scent of earth, blew through.
Because Judge was sitting in a higher position, his back was at the level of Lizel and Gils' heads, but there was no problem with conversation.
The sound of horses' hooves on the naturally formed, compacted dirt road could be heard.
"I was imagining something more like a covered wagon."
"Huh? I couldn't possibly put you in something like that, Lizel!"
"You didn't have to go to so much trouble. But it's very comfortable, thank you."
As Lizel said, this was exceptionally comfortable for a first escort mission for an adventurer.
Unless you were a very high-ranking adventurer, it wasn't uncommon to be crammed into the spaces between the cargo.
It was normal to endure the swaying and back pain of a cheap carriage until reaching the destination.
"This is quite something," Gil thought, glancing at the seat he was sitting on.
The part that was originally just a plain plank of wood was now covered with cloth, a backrest had been added, and it had been transformed into a soft, cushioned seat.
Gil himself didn't particularly like escort missions and didn't usually accept them, but he understood that this was exceptional treatment.
He wondered what this meant for Lizel's first escort mission, and leaned his head back.
When he poked his head out from the top of the open backrest, he could see the vast grassland stretching as far as the eye could see.
"Gil? Was there something there?"
"...It hasn't noticed us yet, keep going straight."
"Y-yes!"
Although he had no idea what it was, Judge tightened his grip on the reins.
Lizel also knelt on the seat and leaned forward, but he couldn't see anything.
"What was it?"
"Probably a pack of wind-cutting wolves."
"Probably?"
"That's the kind of presence I felt."
Gil yawned and leaned back against the seat, and Lizel, still confused, looked outside again.
"Gil, you often talk about 'presence' and 'killing intent,' but I don't understand it at all."
"It's something you get used to."
"How do I get used to it?"
"Ah... spend some time in a place where you'll die if you can't sense a presence, I guess."
Even as he said it, Gil felt a bad premonition and looked at Lizel.
As expected, Lizel seemed to be seriously considering it, so Gil just told him to stop.
From his past experiences, Gil knew that Lizel was a smart person who would casually do incredibly stupid things.
He sighed, looking at Judge's trembling back, who was clearly shaken by the dangerous conversation.
"Hey, you understand, right? Employer?"
"Uh, y-yes?"
"If monsters appear..."
"I'll stop the horses and get inside the carriage!"
Judge had traveled to Marcade many times before.
Of course, he always had escorts, and there wasn't a single ten-day round trip where he didn't encounter monsters.
He could inform the escorts of the presence of approaching monsters, and he had even developed a little courage to pass by monsters that didn't show any interest in them.
Since he had been half-crying and running from the driver's seat into the carriage every time monsters appeared, he was quite used to it by now.
"That's pretty much normal," Gil explained to Lizel, looking up at the carriage ceiling.
Incidentally, Gil's explanation was rough in tone and lacked coherence, but since he only spoke the essentials, it was easy for Lizel to understand.
"Hey, does that open from the top?"
"U-up?"
"The ceiling."
"Ah, yes, it opens if you push it... You're very observant."
As the words "opens if you push it" suggested, there was no handle on this side.
Befitting a carriage that prioritized airtightness, there were no gaps, and the only indication of an opening was a faint line that Lizel could barely discern even when looking closely.
It was probably designed so that luggage could be retrieved from above.
"Then, hey, even if there are monsters that notice us, keep driving until they get within fifty meters."
"...Huh!?"
"Stopping every time would take too much time, wouldn't it?"
Judge turned around with an incredulous expression.
Normally, you'd stop the carriage the moment a monster looked at you from a distance, and that alone would be terrifying.
Yet, being told to keep driving meant continuing as if nothing was happening, without even slowing down.
The adventurers Judge knew weren't weak by any means, but he had never been told to do something like that.
"Well, does that mean using magic for long-range attacks...? But, I can't cast spells repeatedly, and I've heard it's difficult to aim from a carriage..."
"It's not magic, so it's fine. This is the one who's going to do it."
"Hmm, I've never done it from the top of a carriage before... Will I hit anything?"
"What are you talking about, you're the one who can hit targets while walking and randomly shooting!"
Leaning on the backrest with his elbow, Gil said this with a look of exasperation, looking down at Lizel.
Despite saying "Can I do it?", there was no trace of anxiety on his face. Even while walking and talking, Lizel could accurately shoot and hit targets without any problem as long as Gil gave him the direction. Whether he was on a moving carriage or not, he himself was stationary, so it would be easy for him. Besides, the magic rifle itself was suspended in mid-air, so it wouldn't be affected by the carriage's vibrations.
"Magic manipulation is a delicate thing, you know."
"But you can do it, right?"
"Well, I suppose I can."
While arguing with Lizel, Gil understood that his words weren't entirely wrong.
Normally, magic that requires magic manipulation doesn't usually have a specific direction.
For example, a fire magic attack like a flare ball doesn't have a front, back, left, or right; it's usually used for tracking a target.
Even being able to do that is something only a very few people can do, but Lizel's magic rifle itself has a direction, requiring him to precisely determine the angle to the target, and he also needs to control the strong recoil.
The concentration and ability to process multiple things simultaneously while walking and talking must be extraordinary.
It was unlikely that such a person would suddenly lose their ability to aim just because they were on a carriage.
Of course, Gil understood that there would be a corresponding amount of fatigue, so if too many monsters appeared, he intended to step in himself.
However, it was unusual for so many monsters to appear during a typical carriage escort request.
"Lizel, is that...?"
Suddenly, Judge, who had been frozen in place, moved.
Even while frozen, the horse was still following the designated path, so it must be a horse with a very strong bond of trust.
Brushing his wind-blown hair behind his ear, Lizel pretended to take a gun out of his pouch.
It would be difficult to convincingly conceal the act of quickly taking it out and putting it back in.
"Shall I show you?"
"Huh? Wait, wait...!"
He turned around and offered the gun. Judge hastily confirmed that the path was straight and then took the object with one hand.
The heavy weight was unmistakably that of a gun, and Judge was confused by the statement that it was being used as a weapon.
"Hey,"
"It's alright."
Gil asked in a low voice, looking at Lizel with a puzzled expression.
Judge would surely realize that it wasn't an ordinary gun. He wondered what was going on, since he couldn't possibly be planning to disassemble it, but Lizel remained smiling.
After observing it for a while, Judge tilted his head in surprise. Just as expected.
"This isn't a normal gun, is it?"
"That's right, that's why I'm using it."
"The bullets are made of crystal... or rather, no, magic power... but it doesn't seem like they can be replenished."
He had expected him to figure it out, but even Gil was impressed by the incredibly detailed analysis.
To be able to understand the properties of even tools from a different world was truly remarkable.
Lizel watched Judge's appraisal with a satisfied expression and pointed to the bullets.
"That's right, magic power won't go into them, will it?"
"That's true... I've never heard of bullets made of magic power... but it's a labyrinth item, after all."
It's a labyrinth, so it can't be helped; that rule naturally applies to labyrinth items as well.
No matter how improbable something is, it can be excused because it's a labyrinth, which is convenient for Lizel.
"When I opened the treasure chest, almost all of my magic power was absorbed, so that's probably why only my magic power can be used with it."
"Only Lizel-san... It doesn't look like a material that conducts magic power, but I guess things like that can happen."
"(No way.)"
"Ah, but what about the recoil...?"
"Of course there's recoil, I've figured out how to use it."
"Yes,"
Gil mentally made a series of sarcastic remarks to the two who were chatting amicably.
Both to Lizel, who was calmly covering things up, and to Judge, who easily believed him.
However, it wasn't a bad idea to think of an excuse now, just in case Lizel had to fight alongside someone other than Gil in the future.
If he could even deceive Judge, who possessed excellent appraisal skills, then it was almost certain that no one else would find out.
Lizel gave Gil a knowing smile as Gil sighed.
"So, that's how it is, Gil."
"Understood. I just need to pretend I saw us acquire it together, right?"
"As expected."
Lizel whispered to Gil, making sure Judge couldn't hear, and Gil nodded, acknowledging that some persuasion would be necessary.
There would inevitably be people who would try to unfairly accuse them of possessing something valuable.
While few people would dare to complain to Lizel, even fewer would dare to complain to Gil.
"Ah..."
Perhaps his instincts as a shopkeeper kicked in, but Judge, who had been intently examining the gun, returned it to Lizel and looked forward again.
He suddenly let out a cry, and his hand gripping the reins tightened.
In the distance across the grassland, scattered shadows were gradually growing larger—the shadows of monsters.
Lizel glanced at Gil, who nodded. They must have noticed them and were heading towards them.
Judge's face turned pale at the sight of the shadows diagonally in front of them. Although Lizel couldn't see his face from his seat, he easily understood and patted his back.
"I'll protect you, don't worry."
After confirming that the tension had left his hand, Lizel stood up.
He remained steady in the surprisingly well-performing carriage and looked up at the hatch above him. When I pushed with all my strength using both hands, it opened smoothly after only a slight resistance. It was proof that it was well-maintained.
"...Gil, I can't climb."
"Huh? Your hands can reach, can't they?"
"Don't assume everyone can do pull-ups."
Gil, who could lift his own body with one hand, wouldn't understand.
How many adult men are there who can do pull-ups strong enough to get onto the roof just by reaching out their hands?
Furthermore, the high ceiling, designed to accommodate the tall Judge, was also a problem; it wasn't originally a door meant for going from inside to outside.
Judge trembled with anxiety again at that conversation. The encouragement from earlier had been for naught.
"L-Lizel-san...! Don't push yourself...!"
"It's alright, Gil."
"Mm."
Judge, who had finally been able to imagine Lizel fighting thanks to the gun, now found himself unable to imagine Lizel doing this.
Unaware of this, Lizel called out to Gil, and a hand was extended while he remained seated.
Understanding the meaning of the hand offered as if inviting him to a chair, Lizel gave a wry smile.
"Should I take off my shoes?"
"Just hurry up."
Placing his hands on the ceiling window, he placed one foot on Gil's palm.
The arm, extended without any support, didn't budge even when his entire weight was applied.
What kind of muscles did he have to be able to do that? Lizel looked down at his arm, which from under his clothes looked rather slender for an adventurer, and lifted his body in one swift motion.
Once his waist was through, the rest was easy, and he landed gently on the gently curved roof.
Waving a hand at Judge, whose head was sticking out from the roof, he turned to look at the monsters in question.
The figure, which had only been visible as a shadow until now, was close enough to be clearly identified as a monster. The green hyena—I've never actually encountered one, but I remember seeing it in a monster encyclopedia.
Its fur is a dull greenish-brown, and perhaps because it lives in grasslands, it's relatively large, and it's bounding towards us.
There are eight of them in total, running in a pack; their approach is pure hunting, and I might have thought it beautiful if I hadn't been designated as prey.
"Lizel..."
"Just stay like that, it's alright."
I said another word of encouragement as I walked across the roof, bending down and gently patting his head.
He didn't even have the composure to blush; his eyes darted back and forth between me and the hyenas, clearly showing his intense anxiety.
It's a bit of a shock to be considered so unreliable, I thought, smiling as I took out my gun.
"Are the horses okay with loud noises?"
"Uh, yes... mostly okay..."
Immediately afterward, a clear, sharp bang rang out in Judge's ears.
Before the echo of the first shot had even faded, another bang rang out, and Judge shrugged, bewildered.
Just a few seconds passed without understanding what had happened, and noticing that the sound had stopped, he cautiously opened his eyes, which he had unconsciously closed.
Lizel gently stroked Judge's shoulder, who looked up at him timidly, trying to calm him down.
"Okay, it's over."
"Huh...?"
Not understanding what he had been told, Judge stared blankly in the direction where the hyenas had been running.
No matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see them, but upon closer inspection, he could make out greenish-brown fur buried among the grassland plants.
Stunned, he looked back at Lizel, and saw the magic gun hovering silently beside him.
"What about that...?"
"Ah, it's a countermeasure against recoil. I'm controlling it with magic manipulation."
Judge slowly processed the answer to his bewildered question.
The horse, which was steadily moving forward despite Judge's uselessness, could only be described as excellent.
Judge, who wasn't very knowledgeable about magic to begin with, and compounded by his confusion, had no choice but to simply accept Lizel's words.
"Sorry to interrupt your peaceful moment, but there are two more."
Lizel tilted his head slightly at the voice that suddenly came from below.
"Gil, where are they?"
"They're companions of the ones from earlier, closer to our direction of travel. They're probably ambushing us."
"I wish they would just run away."
Trying to hear Gil's words, he couldn't see where they were hiding, still some distance away.
"Typical monsters," Lizel muttered, standing up and raising his magic gun.
He fired a few shots at likely locations, and they appeared and attacked, so he countered them as before.
After confirming that there were no more monsters in sight, Lizel finally put away his magic gun.
"Okay, I'll go back inside the carriage now. Judge, you keep up the good work as the driver."
"Y-yes."
"But it's quite high when you look down... Gil,"
"What kind of lady are you?"
Watching Lizel disappear through the roof hatch with Gil's exasperated voice, Judge gripped the reins again with a dazed expression.
Even though he gripped them again, he wasn't actually fulfilling his role, but since the excellent horse was moving forward on its own, there was no need to worry.
Judge suddenly remembered a conversation from the other day and mentally framed the scene he had just witnessed.
If it were a painting, how much would it be worth?
"Lizel and the gun... it would probably fetch a considerable price,"
The words, spoken softly, naturally reached the ears of Lizel and the others who had returned right behind him, and it goes without saying that the conversation "Huh, will it be sold?" ensued.
Since there was no need to slow down or stop the carriage every time a monster was spotted, the journey was quite smooth.
Thanks to not encountering any monsters since then, they had significantly exceeded their planned route.
By nightfall, they had traveled a distance equivalent to about two days' journey.
The carriage, carrying only a small amount of luggage, was light, and with only three people inside, and given that it was a high-performance carriage, the horses seemed to be doing fine.
However, they weren't reckless enough to travel through the night, nor were they in a hurry, so they began preparing for camp as planned.
"Judge, is there anything I can do?"
"It's alright, please sit down!"
However, only Judge was doing the preparations.
His lively cooking seemed to radiate a certain glow; he must enjoy it.
Lizel didn't particularly want to help, and if asked if he was confident in his cooking skills, he would say he had never done it before.
It was probably safest to just sit quietly and not get in the way of Judge, who was moving efficiently.
"Gil, are you good at cooking?"
"...I can probably make something that's edible."
"That's amazing."
At Lizel's words, Gil decided that he would never let Lizel handle a knife again.
Lizel was generally skilled at everything, but occasionally he would do something outrageous, and Gil didn't even want to think about what would happen if that occasional outrageousness applied to cooking.
Knowing his background, it was easy to imagine that he, a former nobleman, had never cooked before.
He seemed to have a strong desire to learn about everything, and the way he was mimicking Judge next to him, holding an imaginary knife and making imaginary food, seemed perfectly fine, though. As a pleasant aroma filled the air, Judge busily pulled a table and chairs from a trunk enchanted with spatial magic.
He set them up inside the spacious carriage.
Gil was astonished and Lizel gave a wry smile at his thoroughness, even going so far as to lay a white tablecloth.
With such impeccable service, they might start disliking bodyguard assignments from anyone other than Judge.
As they sat down as instructed, cups and bottled water were placed before them.
"Spatial magic is amazing, isn't it?"
"You don't have that in your world, do you?"
"I'm afraid I'll be spoiled when I go back."
When Judge went outside to check on the food, Lizel looked down at his pouch, wondering if there was any way he could take some of this back with him.
In a world so similar yet different, it seemed impossible to bring anything back to his original world.
"Let's go meet a mage who can grant spatial magic someday."
"...Spatial mages are incredibly rare."
"I've never met one either."
If Judge, who deals with various goods, has never met one, then they must be very carefully protected.
Perhaps if spatial magic corresponds to the teleportation magic of his original world, it's a matter of bloodline.
While he was thinking about this, dishes were being placed on the table one after another. The food looked undeniably delicious.
"A full course meal has appeared, Gil!"
"He only used a frying pan!"
The only difference was that the dishes weren't served in order.
The dishes spread across the table were visually stunning and could easily be described as perfect court cuisine.
Created by Judge's lively hands, the dishes looked completely natural to Lizel.
If the food had been transported by spatial magic, he wouldn't have said anything.
But since food doesn't actually go into spatial magic, as Gil said, it was indeed made with just a single frying pan. "Please, eat,"
The dishes, which I ate at their cheerful urging, were, needless to say, delicious.
"Lizel-san... it suits you..."
"No, no."
"(Because it's his profession.)"
I made Judge, who was trying to act as a servant, sit down and eat with me.
The lively atmosphere he had shown earlier vanished the moment he sat down, and he returned to his usual slightly timid self.
The meal looked like a perfect full course, but since no one was paying attention to formalities, we freely engaged in conversation.
"Speaking of which, we're camping out tonight, right? Will we need someone to stay awake and keep watch?"
"The carriage has a monster repellent, but it's still necessary."
The monster repellent is just a placebo.
It only has the effect of making monsters somewhat reluctant to approach, and of course, there are monsters that don't care about such things.
There are horses tied up outside, so keeping watch is definitely necessary.
"I, I'll..."
"You've been driving the carriage all day, so please rest properly."
Judge volunteered, but I rejected his offer.
Of course, if there were multiple clients, the clients would also take turns keeping watch, but Judge is the only one.
If Judge, who has been driving the carriage all day, collapses from exhaustion, it would be pointless.
"Let me go first. I can wake up even when I'm in a deep sleep."
"I don't have much confidence."
"Huh? That's surprising..."
"This guy is basically grumpy when he wakes up."
"That's rude! It's not that bad!"
Since Lizel and Gil could take turns resting in the carriage, it was natural that the two of them would take turns keeping watch.
Lizel wondered if he would be of any use keeping watch.
If he could see the monsters, there wouldn't be a problem, but he couldn't sense their presence or anything like that at all.
Gil said that he would be fine on his own since he would be sleeping during the day, but Lizel refused, so that idea was abandoned.
Naturally, Lizel was the first to keep watch, and Judge finished cleaning up after dinner by himself again.
Lizel wanted to help with the cleanup, but he was refused by the energetic Judge.
Come to think of it, every time he visited Judge's shop, he was always polishing or organizing the goods; perhaps he's the type of person who can't settle down unless he's doing something.
Looking at the thick mat and blanket laid out in the carriage, he felt a gap between his quick movements and his usual demeanor.
"He's a very devoted person."
"Cooking and everything else, he's surprisingly versatile."
The mat spread out in the spacious carriage looked incredibly comfortable.
If people knew about this, there would be a flood of people eager to take on his escort requests every time he put one out.
Thinking that he was glad he accepted the request, Lizel sat down on the chair placed next to the bonfire. Of course, it was incredibly comfortable.
The chair was placed there with the words, "I couldn't possibly let Mr. Lizel sit on the ground...!" but judging from the way he said it, perhaps he hadn't offered this to previous escorts?
Could it be that the cooking and all the other thoughtful gestures were also a first for this time? He stopped thinking about it. He wanted the honest, good boy to remain an honest, good boy.
"Do you think it's okay for me to read a book?"
"As long as you can still keep watch."
"Well then, Judge, you need to get some proper rest."
"Y-Yes."
"Good night."
"G-Good night!"
Smiling at Judge, who still looked apologetic as he pulled out a book, I made sure to remind him not to feel obligated to stay up and that he should get some proper rest.
I watched Judge nervously slip into the carriage, and waved goodbye to Gil as well.
"Call me if anything happens."
"You should get some proper sleep too, otherwise I won't let you take over."
"Idiot."
With a sigh of exasperation, Gil entered the carriage.
I resisted the urge to peek inside, imagining the two tall figures sleeping side by side.
I figured I'd see them when it was time for the shift change anyway, and with that thought, I averted my gaze from the half-closed back door.
I opened the book I was reading.
The faint scent of earth and the gentle breeze were pleasant.
The only sound was the faint rustling of leaves in the trees; the darkness of the night emphasized the silence, creating a sense of tranquility.
The flickering flames weren't ideal for reading, but sometimes this wasn't so bad either, Lizel thought, smiling quietly.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Author Misaki Note:
While it's technically food, if it's in a container like a Tupperware, it counts as being stored using spatial magic.
If you put it in without a container, it'll get messy both when you put it in and when you take it out, or the plate will disappear and only the food will come out, making a mess. It's a rather inconvenient design.