The magic carriage, as Sepia had mentioned, was indeed in stock at a large trading company.
Negotiations proceeded with Sepia’s connections.
Although same-day delivery wasn’t typically offered, they made an exception thanks to the power of money.
Sepia’s influence still lingered, which was a great help.
Even so, due to necessary adjustments, the delivery would be completed the next day.
Workers began entering the magic academy for cleanup.
Various buildings would likely start being demolished soon.
We also collected Sepia’s personal belongings from the headmaster’s office. However, it was barely anything, even including a change of clothes—everything fit into a backpack that could be slung over her shoulder.
“I only used it to sleep and stay here,” Sepia said indifferently, showing no particular attachment.
With nothing left to do but wait for tomorrow, we all gathered to eat the dinner Noel had prepared.
It was a bean dish, apparently one of the magical kingdom’s specialties. They had tried making it with a recipe in hand.
We ate the spicy bean stew, dipping bread into it. Sepia, unable to handle spicy food, drank milk to neutralize the heat.
Though no one here was particularly loud, having five people share a meal still brought some liveliness.
And then came the night.
In the unusually deep silence, Mastema was in my room, as usual.
She had changed out of her mage’s clothes and into casual wear. Since she had already stowed away her mage outfit, she probably wouldn’t wear it again. She didn’t dislike it, though.
Mastema being in my room was a normal occurrence. However, tonight, it held a slightly different meaning.
“Hmm, it’s coming soon,” Mastema said.
Suddenly, the light in the room went out, plunging it into darkness.
It seemed like everyone else had already gone to bed.
The temperature in the room dropped. My skin tingled.
And before I knew it, there was a woman with a twisted body standing before me.
Asking when she had appeared held no meaning.
She existed both everywhere and nowhere—such was her nature.
Mastema was the first to handle the situation, and in the end, there was no need to fight. Still, the oppressive aura she emitted was overwhelming.
She was on par with a fully-grown dragon. I shuddered to think what would happen in a direct fight.
“——”
“We’re leaving here tomorrow. After that, do as you please,” I said.
I couldn’t hear the twisted woman’s voice. I left everything to Mastema.
“Yeah, yeah. You really helped us back then. I’ll be sure to pass on the message when I meet the Demon Lord,” Mastema said.
“——♪”
It seemed the conversation had wrapped up. The twisted woman’s form vanished.
“What did she say?”
“She’s happy to live in this house again. Also, she said she’ll be heading to hell soon and asked us to give her regards to the Demon Lord.”
“Are creatures like that in hell?”
“Yep. They have nowhere else to go but there.”
“I see.”
Since we were leaving the house, I had no concern about what would happen to it afterward.
The house would likely remain standing even as the surrounding area was demolished.
Unless Hein herself came, there’d be no issue. And Hein wouldn’t come here.
In other words, the house would be safe for the time being.
I think this settles the problems with the magical kingdom.
The room became bright again. The chill had also disappeared before I noticed.
Mastema, perhaps growing sleepy, slipped into the bed where I was sitting and lay down.
“Let’s go to sleep soon,” she said, inviting me.
I climbed into the bed as well. It was a bit cramped.
Demogorgon once said that demons and humans could produce offspring together.
Mastema was beautiful and, despite her appearance, surprisingly seductive.
But, emotionally, she still seemed quite immature.
I didn’t think anything of it in that way.
In the moment, Mastema had already closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.
After watching her beautiful sleeping face for a while, I fell asleep too.
…Just as I was dozing off, I thought I saw Mastema looking at me with a mischievous smile.
The next day, after making all the preparations, we gathered outside the house.
There was no need to lock the door.
We received the magic carriage and prepared to leave this country.
The strange creatures that had been lurking around were now swarming into the house left behind by its former owner. It wouldn’t be long before the house was once again called cursed.
Sepia watched the scene with a bitter expression, as if biting down on something unpleasant. Apparently, she had struggled with this house quite a bit during her time as headmistress.
She turned her face away, choosing to ignore it.
The magic carriage was ready at the designated spot outside the country’s entrance, as planned.
The payment had already been made.
The interior was well-furnished as part of the service.
The coachman said his job would be done once we set the destination. I signed the receipt from the trading company and shook hands.
Though we had no more business in this country, it wouldn’t hurt to maintain good relations with its merchants in case we crossed paths again.
I inspected the carriage. Since it was pulled by a golem horse, the cargo area in the back was spacious. It could comfortably fit all of us.
Sepia was the most excited, despite knowing about it, as she had never ridden one before.
Her excitement got out of hand, and Noel ended up scolding her. The dignified headmistress version of Sepia was nowhere to be found.
In her place was a girl acting her age. Whether that was a good thing or not, I couldn’t say. It was something Sepia would have to decide for herself in time.
After loading the luggage and helping everyone aboard, I set the destination for the magic carriage.
As planned, we were headed to the Tower of the Sky.
Normally, it would take 30 days by carriage from here…
That said, we needed to stop by the nearest town first.
The golem horse started moving. Strong and fast.
Noel and Arnella were in charge of managing the mana consumption, but it didn’t seem to be using much at all.
While not as fast as a magic train, it was leagues beyond a regular carriage.
“It’s fast. At this rate, we’ll reach our destination in no time,” Noel said, her ash-blonde hair fluttering in the wind as she poked her head out of the cargo area.
She had grown quite a bit and become even more beautiful compared to when I had bought her as a slave.
“Yeah, it is,” I replied.
In the end, it seemed my destiny was to keep adventuring.
