As the carriage began moving, Hazuki sat at the back, letting the breeze cool him down after all the madness.
Ellyn sat nearby, swinging her legs.
"Uncle!"
Hazuki sighed. "What now?"
Ellyn grinned. "You were so cool last night!"
Hazuki blinked. "Huh? What did I do last night?"
Ellyn froze.
"EHHH!?! YOU DON'T REMEMBER?!"
She looked at him like he had just forgotten his own name.
Hazuki tilted his head. "Uhh… was it something important?"
Ellyn puffed up her cheeks. "Uncle! You fought all the goblins! You saved me!"
Hazuki stared blankly. "…I did?"
Ellyn nodded furiously. "YES! You were like—'GYAHAHAHA DIEEEE!'—and then you went all 'SLASH SLASH' and—"
She started mimicking sword swings, making ridiculous battle noises.
Hazuki just stared, confused.
What the hell was she talking about?
He squinted at the merchant, who was grinning and surrounded by piles of loot—coins, weapons, and random goblin junk. The old man was counting coins, his fingers moving swiftly.
Hazuki blinked. "Huh? Where did all this come from?"
The merchant chuckled. "Oh, this? This is loot from your little 'rage episode' last night."
"Huh?"
Ellyn nodded eagerly. "Uncle! You defeated sooo many goblins! And you even killed a big one with one strike!"
Hazuki scratched his head. "Wait… I did all that?"
The merchant laughed. "Don't worry, I've been keeping track. I'm counting your share now."
Hazuki stared at the loot.
Did I really… go full rampage mode?
He had zero memory of it, but judging by the adventurers' smirks, the merchant's excitement, and Ellyn's constant bragging about him…
Hazuki's heartbeat quickened as he hurriedly checked his sword. Still there. Phew.
But then—
He looked down at himself. His clothes were covered in blood.
"Why the fuck are my clothes full of blood!? EEEEK!!"
Panicking, Hazuki ripped off his shirt to check for wounds. Passengers and adventurers turned their heads, staring at the half-naked fool flailing around.
The merchant chuckled. "Relax, it's not your blood."
Hazuki froze mid-panic. "…Huh?"
Ellyn tilted her head. "Uncle, that's all from the goblins you killed."
Hazuki blinked, slowly looking at his bloody clothes again.
"…Oh."
Silence hung in the air.
"EEEEHHHHHH!? HOW MANY DID I KILL?!"
The adventurers snorted, trying not to laugh.
"A LOT."
Hazuki slumped back, groaning. "This is bad… if I get used to this, I might actually become a real adventurer… NOOOO!!!"
Ellyn giggled. "Uncle, you're already a hero!"
Hazuki dramatically fell onto the carriage floor. "Spare me…!"
Still lying there, he suddenly sat up. "By the way, how far is Yumia Town?"
One adventurer looked up from sharpening his weapon. "We'll probably be there before sunset."
"EHHHH!? THAT LONG?! FOR REAL?!"
The merchant chuckled. "Of course. Yumia Town isn't that big, but it's a bit far from the capital."
Hazuki groaned, slumping back. "Ughhh… more sitting, more waiting… I'm gonna die of boredom before we even get there."
Then something clicked in his head. "Wait… if it's that far… then what kind of place is it?"
The merchant grinned. "Oh, didn't I mention? It's near the border of the Beastkin Kingdom."
Hazuki's eyes widened. "…Beastkin?"
"Yeah. A lot of traders pass through there. You'll probably see some beastfolk walking around."
Hazuki sat up straight. …Wait. Did that mean…?
Beastgirls?
His mind immediately filled with images of cute wolf girls, elegant cat girls, and fluffy-eared bunny girls.
His exhaustion? Gone.
His boredom? Erased.
His motivation? Restored.
Hazuki grabbed the side of the carriage, eyes shining. "HURRY THE HELL UP, DRIVER! LET'S GO, LET'S GOOOOO!!!"
The adventurers burst into laughter. "Oi, oi, look at him! Now he's excited!"
The merchant grinned. "I knew that would wake you up."
Ellyn pouted, crossing her arms. "Uncle… you look way too happy right now."
Hazuki pretended not to hear her. His mind was elsewhere.
Because soon, he would enter the land of fluffy-tailed beauties.
This… was the real adventure.
"Oi, kid."
"Hmm? Yes, Uncle?" Ellyn looked up at Hazuki, still munching on a piece of dried fruit.
Hazuki narrowed his eyes. "Why do you always wear a cloak?"
Ellyn froze mid-bite. "Umm… err… nothing…"
"Oh… not hot? For real?"
Hazuki raised an eyebrow, leaning closer as if inspecting a rare creature.
Ellyn shifted uncomfortably, clutching her cloak tighter. "I-I just like it!"
Suspicious. Very suspicious.
Hazuki, still unconvinced, turned his gaze toward Ellyn's mother, who was also wearing a cloak.
"…Huh."
Now that he thought about it, didn't she always wear one too?
…
Something wasn't adding up.
Inside Hazuki's mind—
"What a weird family…"
But in the end, he brushed it off. Not like it mattered, right?
Then—
"Uncle?"
Hazuki groaned. "What now?"
Ellyn smiled innocently. "Why do you want to go to Yumia Town?"
Hazuki leaned back, stretching his arms. "Huh? I just want to go sightseeing. The capital city is boring."
"Oh."
She tilted her head. "How about you?"
Ellyn then grinned. "Yumia Town is me and Mama's hometown!"
Hazuki blinked. "…Oh."
Now that was unexpected.
"You and your mother are from there?" Hazuki asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes!" Ellyn nodded enthusiastically.
"Then why suddenly move back to Yumia Town? Isn't your mother working in the capital?"
Ellyn tilted her head. "Umm… I don't know."
Before Hazuki could press further, Ellyn's mother smiled gently at him. "The cost of renting a house in the capital is high," she explained. "So we're going back to Yumia Town. There, we have our own home."
"Ohhh…" Hazuki nodded slowly.
That… actually made sense.
Still, something about the whole situation felt a little off.
"Is Yumia Town… big?" Hazuki asked, looking at Ellyn.
She blinked. "Uncle? You've never been there?"
"Didn't I just tell you I'm not from this world!?"
"Ehh?! Seriously?! I thought you were joking!"
Before Hazuki could respond, the nearby adventurers chuckled.
One grinned. "Don't believe what this crazy guy says. The city guards told us he was claiming to be a lost prince!"
Another laughed. "And a long-lost elf!"
"BWAHAHAHAHA!" The entire group burst into laughter.
Hazuki gritted his teeth. "OI! I NEVER SAID THAT!!"
"Suuuure you didn't, Shitman."
"Damn it!!"
Ellyn giggled, poking his arm. "Uncle, are you really a prince?"
Hazuki slumped in defeat. "I swear, I'm gonna strangle these guys one day…"
Ellyn tilted her head. "Umm… Yumia Town isn't as big as the capital city, but it's still considered big."
Hazuki nodded slowly. "Ohh, got it."
Ellyn added, "Me and Mama don't actually live inside the town."
Hazuki raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"
"After we arrive at Yumia Town, we'll take another carriage to our hometown."
"Ohh…" Hazuki muttered.
Something about that felt suspicious again.
But before he could ask, the merchant spoke up. "Ahh, so you're from one of the villages near Yumia Town, huh?"
Ellyn's mother smiled. "Yes, we're from a quiet little place."
Hazuki squinted, sensing something still felt off about this family.
…
But eh. Not his problem.
( End of Chapter )