Now fifteen, I was already much taller than the first-year students at the academy. My body, honed by constant training, was solid, and my shoulders were starting to broaden, though not as much as Benjamin’s. I had no desire to squeeze in with the others.
Every time the carriage bumped, the Children screamed in unison. I couldn’t bear to watch any longer, so I offered to sit on top of the carriage instead, but the Children protested, saying they wouldn’t be able to chatter with me if I did.
What a sight. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity.
The noisy and adorable Children never stopped chattering, not for a moment.
After three hours filled with screams, shrieks, and groans, we stopped to make a fire for a meal. The coachman brewed a hot stew for the Children, who were finally able to stretch out their cramped bodies.
In the meantime, Ivan pulled a large chunk of ham from his bag, earning more praise.
“Do you always bring meat when you travel long distances?”
“Yes, I may not be good at anything else, but I make sure to eat well.”
“But you don’t bring vegetables or… other ingredients?”
“Greens aren’t for people to eat. I’m not a goat, so I can’t help it.”
“Excuse me?”
Ivan said with a perfectly straight face. Some of the Children chuckled, but no one argued because he grilled the ham so well. The eight of us, including the coachman, sat around and enjoyed the meal.
Before getting back on the carriage, Marianne raised a hand to shoulder height, signaling that she had something to say. It was the same gesture she used when presenting an opinion at the Department of Magic. The Children immediately turned their attention to her.
“Let’s play a word chain game.”
“A word chain game?”
“Yes. The worst player has to have the second-worst player sit on their lap.”
After a moment of consideration, it didn’t seem like a bad idea.
The carriage provided by the academy was originally designed for four to six people. The width of the seats was just barely enough for seven to sit comfortably. However, the ceiling was designed to be high, in case the noble Children felt cramped. If two Children sat on top of each other, it would be more comfortable than squeezing in side by side.
However, the word chain game was unfamiliar to me in both my past and present lives. I listened to the explanation for a while.
We sat in a circle around the campfire. The coachman, munching on a piece of ham, had a contented look on his face. I felt awkward being among these young Children and receiving such a gaze, but I soon focused on the game.
“Accounting.”
“Calculator.”
“Tor… rent!”
“Box.”
The Children urged me on after only a breath, making me flustered.
“Carriage.”
“Nominee account.”
“Acc… Acc-?”
“Wow! Benjamin lost! Benjamin~ Defeated!”
“But… what word starts with ‘Acc’?”
“There’s ‘Accommodation’, Accommodation.”
“…”
Benjamin looked at Damian and covered his face with his hands in distress.
Surprised by the unfamiliar term, I asked what a nominee account was. I learned that recently, a method of smoothly circulating money, called a bank, had been established in the empire. It referred to borrowing or lending money from the bank under someone else’s name instead of one’s own. Since most of the bank’s users were high-ranking nobles, it was said to be a common practice these days.
In the Central Plains, there were also separate places to deposit and withdraw money. However, I had never bothered to visit them because I didn’t have any savings to deposit or any errands to run. All I could do was nod and say, “I see,” as I listened to the explanation that merchants were now taking over the work that nobles usually did in Sierren.
I breathed a sigh of relief, glad that I wasn’t sitting next to Damian. However, everyone burst out laughing when Ivan lost the first round. Jenny, who usually didn’t laugh so heartily, hid her face behind Marianne’s back and shook with laughter.
Putting Benjamin on Ivan’s lap? Would a five-year-old carrying a thirty-year-old Martial artists on their back look similar? Their heights were similar, but the difference in shoulder width and limb thickness was so great that it was obvious it would be awkward.
The Children laughed for a long time before waving their hands.
“Ah, this is too much.”
“I agree. Are we really going to make Benjamin sit on Ivan’s lap all the way to the inn? Let’s just do the opposite.”
“What if Ivan’s leg breaks? To exaggerate a bit, he’s twice as big, isn’t he?”
“The opposite… the opposite wouldn’t work either… His head would definitely hit the ceiling.”
“How did the two tallest people end up like this?”
The Children, giggling, decided that it wouldn’t work and agreed to give them a break, so the next round began.
Perhaps because they hadn’t forgotten the shock of the previous round, Benjamin was the first to be eliminated. Then, Damian lost due to the repeated attacks of Marianne and Jenny. I patted Damian on the back to comfort him as he complained about how they could do this to him, trying to suppress my laughter.
However, Damian was shorter than Ivan and the lightest of the men. In Sierren, unlike the Central Plains, people didn’t mind men and women sitting together, but I didn’t want to see a girl sitting on a boy’s lap in front of me. Considering the weight of the two girls, I thought it was a reasonable choice and didn’t stop it.
Everyone busily moved to help the coachman put out the fire and pack up, as it was time to leave. We had a long way to go. Thanks to Marianne’s magic, which helped wash the pot, packing up was easy. I praised her greatly, thinking she would be a great help when we went to the Yuil Mountains.
And then everyone got on the carriage.
Benjamin, with his arms wrapped protectively around Damian’s waist, looked much more sullen than usual, which was very amusing. Damian kept fidgeting, saying he was uncomfortable, and eventually moved to sit on one of Benjamin’s thighs.
Seeing that scene over and over again, all the Children couldn’t stop laughing. They decided that they couldn’t keep putting the responsibility on the two of them, so they played the same game to choose who would switch places in two hours.
And Benjamin lost.
Benjamin lost again,
And Benjamin lost again.
The second loser was different each time, but for some reason, Benjamin lost first every time.
It was fortunate that Marianne and Jenny, who were so clever and talkative, didn’t lose and didn’t have to rub shoulders with the other guys, but it was strange that only Benjamin was getting caught. Jenny looked at Benjamin with a puzzled expression.
“That’s weird. There are many words that end with ‘ji’, like intelligence, ground, wisdom…”
“…I can’t help it if I really can’t think of any.”
Benjamin wasn’t usually one to show much emotion, but this time he looked genuinely wronged. His mumbled reply caused another burst of laughter. Marianne raised her eyebrows primly.
“Are you letting him win on purpose? There are two men here who can lift Benjamin.”
“Surely you don’t mean one of them is me?”
“Of course. Shayden is a prodigy taking advanced Swordsmanship classes, he can totally do it.”
Shayden looked Benjamin up and down. The way he frowned and sighed dramatically made it clear he was exaggerating.
“No… not me. Mika, didn’t you say you could lift Young Master Claudian with one hand?”
“Did I?”
“Yeah, you did.”
It was news to me. But knowing the Child was joking, I nodded kindly.
“I think I said I could lift him with one finger.”
“Ah, that’s right, you did. So, will Mika hold Young Master Claudian next time?”
“Sure. Why not, for once? I’ll carry him.”
“I don’t want to! I don’t want to!”
Benjamin was so vehemently opposed that another loud burst of laughter erupted.
After playing the word chain game with bets on it a few more times, Benjamin raised both hands and declared that he was no longer a person but a chair, and that they should treat him as such. Since no one thought he would have trouble carrying the weight of one person, no one refused.
❖ ❖ ❖
Four days into the carriage ride.
Benjamin gently patted Shayden, who had fallen asleep on his lap, adjusting him so that his head wouldn’t fall and he could lean comfortably on his shoulder. Ivan and Jenny, who were relatively weaker, were also fast asleep, leaning against their seats like little animals.
Everyone had been staying up late, chattering and mingling together, so they were all sleep-deprived.
The four of us—me, Damian, who didn’t know much about this sort of thing, Benjamin, who was strong and never tired, and Marianne, who had fallen asleep earliest yesterday and had been bright-eyed from morning until now—chatted quietly.
Damian, for the benefit of me and Marianne, who didn’t know much about these things, told us about the Children who were expected to participate in the Hunting Festival. Listening to the list of names he rattled off felt like attending a Nobility Yearbook class.
As I listened, I became curious and blurted out, “Come to think of it… didn’t you say there was a Summer Ball?”
“Huh? Yes, that’s right. We’re going there now.”
“I thought we were going to the Hunting Festival.”
Marianne chuckled quietly and answered proudly.
“You can’t just hunt for a whole month, from the fifteenth of June to the fifteenth of July. The beginning of the event isn’t much different from the New Year Festival. We all dance the dances of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, eat delicious food, and have tea parties.”
“Then when do you hunt?”
“Only for one day, around July 10th, on a day with good weather.”
“Only one day?”
“Yes, it’s an event that takes place right after we come of age. There are many students who aren’t in the Swordsmanship Department, and they’re afraid that someone might get hurt if they’re running around with ranged weapons. There are also the most escort Knights on that day.”
Still, wasn’t the date too late? We left in the first week of June, so we should arrive by the weekend of the second week. As I couldn’t hide my puzzled expression, Marianne added an explanation.
“Why do you think the academy charters carriages until the last week of June? It means that even if you arrive in ten days, you can still participate in the most important events. Last year, the Hunting Festival was held on July 9th. It’ll probably be similar this year. They usually move the date forward rather than postpone it because they need time to return.”
“Ah, I understand.”
Marianne looked at me with satisfaction as I nodded, then turned her gaze back to Damian.
“Will First Prince also come to the Summer Hunting Festival?”
“Hmm, he’s come every year until last year, so this year… Ah, maybe he won’t come this year.”
“What’s different between last year and this year?” I asked, and Damian thought for a moment before answering.
“Last year, he attended with Wesley Kiadris… but there’s a perception that it’s a bit embarrassing to participate in the Summer Hunting Festival in your thirties. First Prince is still young, but he won’t be able to accompany Wesley Kiadris.”
“Without Wesley, there’s no way First Prince, who’s from the Department of Law, can win or even tie with Second Prince, who’s from the Swordsmanship Department, in hunting. First Prince’s faction is largely concentrated in the Department of Law.”
Benjamin added to Damian’s words. After a moment of thought, I asked, “Didn’t Young Master Claudian win the Hunting Festival last year?”
“He did.”
“Even though Wesley Kiadris would have brought back some pretty good game, Young Master Claudian still won?”
Marianne shook her head slightly.
“First Prince brought something that he could catch. He didn’t openly offer the game. Well… everyone knows that Richard Your Highness doesn’t have a talent for swords and bows, but they just pretend not to know.”
“What did he bring?”
“A fox. Pretty, small, without a single wound. At that level, it’s more accurate to say the First Prince picked up what Wesley killed rather than caught it.”
Marianne’s voice rose a little, and Shayden, fast asleep, mumbled and burrowed into Benjamin’s shoulder. Benjamin was so excessively embarrassed that all the awake Children, including me, chuckled nonsensically.
I was curious about what kind of beast Ruben had caught last year, but Marianne quickly changed the subject, leaving no room to ask. Marianne’s bright amethyst eyes sparkled with interest.
“No, Benjamin. Why do you dislike it so much? What did Shayden do?”
“No, it’s not about Young Master Rose… Even though I can control my strength now… I’ve just seen too many people get hurt easily for too long. I’m just unfamiliar with touching people.”
“Will you be like that with someone you like later?”
“Of course not.”
Benjamin leaned back in his seat, swallowing an awkward laugh. Seeing him close his eyes, it was clear he didn’t want to answer any more, so those who had been chattering also closed their eyes, suggesting they should all rest a bit.
The clattering of the carriage wheels tickled my ears.