TAMWSFB 99

Chapter 99

The Journey is Going Smoothly…?

The journey was progressing smoothly.

Allen and Maria seemed to be wondering whether royals like Elvin and nobles like us could endure a journey that involved sleeping outdoors, but since we had previously traveled in disguise as merchants searching for the Golden Licorice, it was no problem at all.

Besides, this time my charms were proving incredibly useful.

I had enchanted the carriage with “Protection” and “Comfort,” put a “Sound Sleep” charm on the sleeping bags, and attached “Cleanliness” charms to all of our clothes.

Since I had prepared these in advance in large quantities, we wouldn’t run into any problems throughout the journey.

In the novel, monsters attacked us along the way, but since the route was different in the north and east, I wondered if that would even happen.

That question was quickly answered.

From the royal capital, major roads extended in the north, south, east, and west, generally called the King’s Roads.

We were traveling along the eastern King’s Road.

The road was wide enough for large carriages to pass each other, bustling with travelers, which made it relatively safe.

But that also made it an easy target for bandits.

So, to avoid unnecessary trouble, we decided to rest in the forest a little away from the road when camping overnight.

The large carriage was stored inside Ran’s infinite storage.

As expected from Grandpa with the Holy Sword. So reliable.

Allen and Maria were extremely surprised, but when I explained that it was stored using the Rosenberg family’s secret treasure, they understood.

Ran had originally been a holy sword, so it was like a family heirloom—what I said wasn’t wrong.

That day too, we stored the carriage and entered the forest.

Walking among the trees, the branches above spread wide like a green canopy.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps, scattering tiny patches of light across the ground.

With each breeze, the light swayed, creating a dance of light and shadow at our feet.

The soft light gently enveloped the cold forest air.

“Beautiful…”

I murmured without thinking, and my older brother, walking beside me, looked up as well.

Come to think of it, a scene like this had appeared in the novel too.

The hero party walking through the forest.

At the front, Allen kept his senses sharp, missing no hint of danger, while Elvin used wind magic to sense the surroundings.

Behind them, Princess Fiona and her maid followed, and my older brother stayed at the rear to guard against ambushes.

It felt surreal to realize I was inside the party of heroes I had only seen in illustrations in the novel.

Leaving the road, we found a slightly open area.

Today, this would be our campsite.

My older brother and Elvin tied the horses to the trees, and Ran used magic to cut the grass and flatten the ground.

Then Allen took the lead in setting up the tents for camping.

Having done this every day, he was very skilled.

Maria and I, being in the way, set up the cooking stove a little farther away.

We gathered dirt and shaped it, then attached the “Solid” charm to complete it.

I also made chairs, though the table was too large to manage.

Once the campsite was ready, we all sat on the chairs to take a short break.

I poured water into my favorite mug, and my older brother added his special ice.

The cold water felt wonderful on my dry throat.

“We’ll be entering Neville territory soon,”

my older brother said.

Elvin responded curtly, “Yeah.”

I wondered again if we’d face another attack.

Maria looked at me anxiously, but I couldn’t think of any reassuring words to say.

It was better to assume an attack could happen and prepare for it.

So far, the journey had been too smooth; we hadn’t been attacked by bandits or strong monsters.

But from here on, that would likely change.

“We have to watch out for monster attacks too, right? I wonder if the closer we get to the Demon King, the more monsters there are,”

I asked, expecting an answer from Ran.

Leaning against a tree, Ran lifted his head slightly and replied,

“Yes. I think the monsters will also get stronger.”

‘If they’re weak, they won’t dare attack because of my magic. If they do attack, they’re going to be quite strong.’

Hearing both his spoken and unspoken reply, I understood why no monsters had attacked us until now.

(Wait, so weak monsters won’t attack us?)

In the novel, even weak monsters like horned rabbits attacked us normally.

‘Currently, thanks to our contract, I can use all my abilities. Weak monsters fear my magic and won’t come near.’

Now that I think about it, it’s like in games—if your level is high, weak monsters just run away.

That meant the monsters we would encounter from now on would be fairly strong, so we had to remain alert.

While thinking that, I watched Allen tending his sword, Maria practicing by gathering small holy lights in her hands, and my older brother and Elvin discussing what lay ahead—when suddenly—

Ran’s gaze sharpened as he looked deep into the forest.

A rumbling sound came from afar.

“Brother! Something’s coming!”

Even Moko, in his arms, growled.

My older brother, Elvin, and Allen drew their swords, and Maria stood beside me.

From the depths of the forest, a massive shadow emerged.