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Translator: Barnnn
On a crisp autumn morning, the air at the horsebus station carried a faint chill, hinting at the deepening season.
Ize rubbed her bleary eyes as she stood carrying a massive backpack that dwarfed her small frame, almost as large as the one she used for club activities. Her gaze drifted towards the ticket window, where Hal was busy negotiating their fare, his own oversized pack slung awkwardly over his back.
“Hmm? Is that an oversized bag with… legs? Have we discovered a new species of Mystic Beast or something?”
A voice, as rough as gravel, snapped her out of her drowsy daze. Her heart skipped a beat.
[A Mystic Beast, here?]
Ize’s eyes darted around in sudden alarm, scanning for danger — until she realized the voice wasn’t one of warning, but mocking amusement.
She spotted Hal strolling back towards her, a mischievous grin plastered across his face. He was clearly in on the joke.
“Relax,” he said, waving a hand toward the source of the comment, an armored middle-aged man with a sword slung at his side. “That’s not a Mystic Beast. That’s just my little brother.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Huh?” Ize blinked, completely caught off guard. “Wait, are you talking about… ME!?”
“Well, would you look at that — the Mystic Beast can talk!” The man remarked with a chuckle.
“W-what!? I am clearly human!” Ize huffed indignantly, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
“Nah, could’ve fooled me. From behind, you looked like legs sprouting from a giant backpack.”
“Rude!” she shot back, crossing her arms in defiance. “That’s extremely rude!”
“Come on, Ize, don’t get so worked up,” Hal chuckled softly. “You’re being loud enough to wake the entire capital. Besides, this guy’s one of the guards for our horsebus. He’s probably just bored.”
“A guard, huh? Shouldn’t guards be, I don’t know, polite to the passengers?”
“Well, we’ve got lots of passengers to keep safe, kid. If a Mystic Beast tries to board, we’re obligated to stop it.” The man let out a hearty laugh.
“UGHHHHHH…” Ize groaned in exasperation.
It seemed this stranger, with his quick wit and stubbled chin, was going to be their guardian and entertainer for the next five days of travel.
“By the way, Ize, you gotta hear this,” Hal said, his voice full of excitement. “I managed to get us a discount when I told them I could use water magic! It’s in high demand for long trips, apparently. I’ll try using it to haggle at the next town’s station, too.”
“That’s great, Hal.”
“Water magic, huh? Well, looks like we’re in luck today. It’s always good to have on a journey.”
Ize glanced up at the man and sighed. “And why are you still here?”
“Nothing better to do until we leave,” he said, rubbing his chin.
Ize’s gaze wandered toward the sword hanging from the man’s waist, worn from years of use.
“Huh… are you an adventurer or something?”
“Nah, just a contractor of the union. They hire us guards to protect these horsebuses.”
Ize raised an eyebrow. “Is it really that dangerous to travel around here?”
“Depends on the route — the way we’re going today should be fine. If it were considered dangerous, we’d have five or six guards, but this time it’s just me and one other guy. That’s a good sign.”
“One of our only guards is you — THAT’s a bad sign.”
Fieda chuckled. “You’ve got quite a sharp tongue for a little shrimp, you know that?”
“I’m NOT little!”
The man proceeded to introduce himself as Fieda, a surprisingly delicate name for someone with such a gravelly voice.
He had overseen the northern route from the royal capital for over a decade, making him a seasoned veteran — though Ize remained skeptical.
The horsebus routes shifted constantly, not only determined by the final destination but also by where each passenger wished to disembark. Factors such as weather, road conditions, and even the breeding grounds and active seasons of Mystic Beasts and wild animals further dictated the course.
The journey to the northern border would require two transfers, spanning five, four, and then eight days — a total of seventeen days. However, if the transfers went awry, they could find themselves stranded in a stopover town for days, possibly dragging the journey out to a month.
“So, if all goes smoothly, it’ll take just over two and a half weeks, huh?” Ize mused aloud. “I never realized the capital was this close to other nations.”
Hal started explaining without missing a beat, “You know about the Rank 1 Dungeon’s Deluge centuries ago, right? The one that wiped out an entire country? After that, the kingdom decided to move the capital as far away from Rank 1 Dungeons as possible.”
“Heh, you know a lot for a kid,” Fieda said, giving a nod of approval. “But have you heard this? Four Sages Candidates have been summoned to challenge the kingdom’s Rank 1 Dungeon — the one that’s expected to Deluge soon. That’s the word going around, anyway.”
“Sage Candidates?” Ize asked, tilting her head in curiosity. The term was unfamiliar to her ears, at least in the context of this world. “Not Heroes?”
“Ah, so THAT’s what caught your attention, huh? Both titles are used. See, an otherworlder is referred to as a Hero before they conquer a Dungeon. But once they’ve succeeded in that, they’re recognized as a Sage.”
“So, the same person can be called both? That’s… interesting.”
“Yup. Throughout history, there are Heroes who ventured into Dungeons, fighting whatever threat lurks inside, and then there are those who used their knowledge to help advance not just the kingdom, but the entire continent. That’s why the big achievers earn the title of Sage. Take the one who invented this horsebus we’re about to ride — he’s known as the Sage of Flow. Thanks to him, we have public transport and even expedited mail services. There are others, too — Sages of Compassion, Ocean Navigation, Food, Flames of Justice, Legislation, Abundant Harvest, Sound, you name it. If you visit any major library, you’ll find copies of the Sage Encyclopedias that chronicle the achievements of each one.”
As it turned out, many of this world’s innovations had been introduced by otherworlders of the past, leveraging the knowledge they had brought with them. Yet Ize had her doubts about one figure from Fida’s list — the “Sage of Flames of Justice,” and whether they had actually contributed any knowledge of real value.
“Wow, I didn’t know that there were so many. I’ll have to read up on them later.”
“Just ‘many’ doesn’t even cut it — there are over a hundred volumes of the Sage Encyclopedia. Apparently, it’s a noble tradition to collect the entire set and memorize every name. Me, I gave up trying to read them all years ago.”
“…Glad I’m not a noble,” Ize replied with a dry chuckle.
“Same, kid, same…” Fida glanced toward the station. “Ah, looks like the rest of the passengers are here. Time for me to get to work.” He turned to Hal with a grin. “I’ll be counting on that water magic of yours, big brother.” Then, with a nod toward Ize, he added, “And you, little bro — behave yourself and try not to get too bored on the ride, eh?
With that, Fieda jogged off to join the driver and the other guard.
“Hmm, sounds like their public unveiling has finally happened,” Ize murmured, her tone more serious now. The shift in her demeanor caught Hal off guard, and he couldn’t help but laugh at the contrast.
“Heh… yeah. The royal court probably announced it some time ago, but news like this takes a while to spread to the general public.”
“That’s true…” Ize paused, still curious about Fieda’s earlier exposition. “So, Hal, do you feel like reading those Sage Encyclopedias?”
Hal winced at the thought. “Honestly? I don’t know if I could handle that. I’m pretty sure most of those Sages had absurd cheat skills — might make me jealous. But there’s probably some useful information in there for our journey. If I find a few volumes along the way, I might give them a read. You should try them too, Ize.”
“Ugh… but Fieda said it’s got over a hundred volumes! In pure text — non-fiction text! The best I could do was stay up to date on One Pi–“
“–Ahem!” Hal interrupted with a faked cough. “Come on, don’t be so dramatic. Just think — there might be some Sages who used culinary cheat skills. The Sage of Food, for example — imagine the delicious recipes or farming techniques they might have passed down. If we study up, we could find places growing crops or cooking meals just like on Earth.”
At that, Ize perked up immediately. “Now THAT sounds like a good incentive to get reading.”
“I bet you’ll only read about the food-related Sages and completely ignore the rest.”
“That’s not true. I’m also interested in the ones with ridiculous nicknames. Like the Sage of Flames of Justice — that one has to be hilarious. I can just imagine them engaging in all sorts of cringy antics.”
“Man,” Hal said with a chuckle, “I’d hate it if my embarrassing history got written down and passed on for future generations to read…”
As they shared a moment of sympathy for the Heroes and Sages of the past, they found themselves wondering what nicknames the four high schoolers summoned alongside them would earn.
From Ize’s observations of their training at the royal castle, the two boys seemed straightforward enough — one was a swordsman, the other a fire mage. Of the girls, one appeared to wield wind magic, while the other specialized in support magic. It was the support mage who had been most attuned to Ize’s hidden presence.
Amid their laughter, they tossed around ridiculous, nerdy nickname ideas, enjoying the absurdity, until the time for departure drew near. Fida urged them to board the horsebus.
“All right, Fieda, we’ll be in your care,” Hal said with a polite nod.
“Please take good care of us,” Ize added, though her voice came out more stiff and mechanical.
“Sure thing, kids! You can count on me for your safety.”
The horsebus began its slow trek toward the next town, the crowded interior rattling slightly as it moved forward.
It wasn’t the most uncomfortable ride they had ever endured — certainly better than a packed commuter train back on Earth — but the tight space, shared with strangers, gave the impression of being in a shopping mall’s cramped elevator.
Ize shifted in her seat, her eyes drawn to the small window beside her. Outside, the scenery began to scroll by at a pace only marginally faster than walking.
“…Finally,” Hal muttered under his breath, his voice so soft it nearly blended into the rhythmic clattering of the wheels.
“…Yeah, finally,” Ize echoed, keeping her gaze fixed on the landscape beyond the window.
They had finally escaped the royal capital — and in no more than a month, they would leave this kingdom altogether.
Even if they couldn’t fully enjoy the journey in peace until then, the road ahead was theirs to explore. Their adventure in this new world had truly begun.
Ize felt a quiet thrill welling up in her chest. Beside her, Hal sat with a contented smile, watching the streets of the royal capital drift by.
Ize closed her eyes for a moment, offering a silent prayer of gratitude to the one who had brought them here.
[Goddess, we’re off!]
And in that moment, behind her closed eyelids, she thought she glimpsed the image of the Goddess’s smile.
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