A clear, light blue sky, with a gentle breeze making the grass sway, the sound of hooves on the dirt road, and the creaking of the wagon’s wood.
— …Boring. — I think, adjusting myself on the hard wooden bench. — …And my back hurts.
Right now, I’m in a closed wagon with just one opening at the back leading outside, where four other people are traveling besides me. It looks like there’s room for about six people in here, but everyone would be crammed together if it were full.
Glancing briefly at the passengers, I see an elderly lady with a stern look, two middle-aged women talking quietly, and a young woman who must be around twenty.
— …Just want to get there already.
That’s my state of mind on the very first day of the trip, realizing that this will be a different kind of torture than what happened on the island.
The other passengers are probably used to things like this, but for someone who almost never traveled and, when I did, rarely spent more than five hours in a car, a trip lasting several days just makes me want to give up.
— There’s still time to turn back…
As I’m having these thoughts, I notice the young woman has been watching me for a while. When our eyes meet, she smiles slightly before moving a little closer.
She has short brown hair and is wearing simple clothes, probably chosen more for comfort on the trip than for appearance.
— Boy, where are you going all by yourself? — she asks, turning toward me.
— ...Gate of the Abyss. — I reply, wanting to see her reaction.
For a brief moment, her eyes widen in surprise, but she quickly regains her smile.
— Ah… Are you going after your title?
— Yes…
Her gaze quickly sweeps down my body, as if she’s sizing me up.
For a moment, I thought she was going to ask why a man would go after a title, but it seems she accepted it easily.
In fact, it was the other women who seemed more uncomfortable as they watched me in silence.
— If I may… — The elderly lady frowns and interrupts the conversation. — Why are you going to put yourself at risk in a place like that? Wouldn’t it be better to just get married already?
Looking at the old woman who seems to have a headache just from hearing me, I see that this is the real reaction of the people in this world.
The two middle-aged women in the corner exchange discreet glances before nodding in silent agreement.
— Leave the boy alone. — the young woman replies before I have a chance to say anything. — Getting a title is always a good thing, even for men.
— And why would they need a title? — the older woman retorts. — It’s the end of times…
The old woman sighs deeply, as if she’s tired of this topic.
— Haa… It wasn’t enough to open the schools to men, now they’re letting them become adventurers too… How did that woman become queen…
— Ei, isn’t it dangerous to talk about the queen like that? — asks one of the women who had been quiet until now.
— I’m not the only one who thinks that. — replies the old woman. — Most of the population agrees with me.
Their conversation eventually makes me understand why the hero enrolled in the Noctis Royal Academy.
Most likely, while he was being raised by the kingdom, the queen was already trying to change the way men were treated so she could enroll him in school and allow him to become an adventurer.
— But… Was that the queen’s choice, or was it the princess’s idea?
In the story, the hero spent his childhood with the princess of Noctis after the tragedy that befell his family. The two even trained under the same master, which served to highlight the protagonist’s immense talent right from the start of the story.
— Well… Thanks to that, I can become an adventurer.
The argument between the two continues.
— ...But men with titles are much more valuable than those without one! — the girl insists.
— And what are they going to do with that title, when it’s the woman who takes care of everything!? — says the old woman, irritated.
— Um…
— That’s why it doesn’t make sense…
As the conversation goes on, I can see the girl is losing ground in her arguments more and more, but there’s not much I can do.
The way this world views men, even if I try to say something, they’ll probably just ignore me and keep arguing among themselves.
— …Should I just ignore them and practice my magic?
The wagon jolts violently as it passes over a large rock on the road, causing everyone to bounce around.
— Ah!
The girl quickly grabs the seat to keep from falling on top of me, while the old lady just mutters a complaint under her breath and adjusts her dress.
— This road just gets worse every year…
Seeing that the argument has stopped because of the jolt, I calmly close my eyes and curl up in the corner of the wagon, trying to pretend I’m falling asleep so I can begin my training.
— My progress has been relatively fast, but I’m still far behind the people of this world…
With that in mind, I silently practice my magic as the journey continues.
[…]
After a long day, the wagon finally stops at a spot near the road. It seems this place is frequently patrolled to ensure there are no thieves, so it’s safe to stop here, even though it’s in the middle of nowhere.
As I stretch my body after the long journey, I notice that, even though they’re used to it, everyone’s bodies are stiff.
The wagon driver gives a few simple instructions, such as where to set up our tents, and then gets into the wagon to sleep.
— This is my first time camping…
I have a simple camping kit that the old man recommended, but the challenge was setting it up.
Since I’d never used it before, it took me quite a while to figure out how everything worked.
— …Why does this have so many ropes?
As I struggle to raise the small, crooked tent, I see the other people finishing their preparations long before I do.
But even though I know asking for help would let me finish much faster, I still try to do it on my own.
— It’s almost like I’m solving a puzzle…
I don’t know if it was because of boredom, but setting up the tent ended up being kind of fun.
After a few minutes of wrestling with ropes, pieces of wood, and a frame that kept falling to one side, I finally managed to get it into a minimally acceptable state.
— …I did it.
Even though it was crooked, it still looked functional.
As I looked at my handiwork with a certain sense of pride, I noticed the brown-haired girl staring at me from a distance with a strange expression.
— …Was this your first time setting up a tent?
— Yeah, but I think I managed it, even though there are a few mistakes I’d have to start over from scratch to fix.
— So you know…
With a sigh, she walks over to me and says.
— Boy, why are you traveling alone? Isn’t it better to have company?
I remain silent for a while, trying to figure out the best answer.
— Well… It’s just a journey to earn a title, so there shouldn’t be any problems.
— Seriously…
Smiling slightly, the girl leans against a nearby tree.
— What do you use to fight? — she asks, looking at my belongings from a distance.
— Currently, nothing. — I reply, finishing putting my things inside the tent.
— You’re heading to the Dungeon without knowing how to fight?
— Even a 10-year-old kid can defeat the first few floors, right? So there shouldn’t be any problems.
— If you just stay on the first few floors…
I turn to the girl who’s watching me curiously, looking as if she’s trying to make up her mind about something.
— …Hey, how about I train you until we get to Fortunia?
— I’m good.
— Then let- Huh? You don’t want to train!?
Her expression freezes mid-sentence; she hadn’t expected me to refuse her generosity.
— My goal is to win a title, not to get strong.
— …
For a moment, the girl was silent, before she seemed to realize something and pulled something out of her pocket.
— Here, take a look at this.
Looking at the object, I notice it’s a badge bearing the girl’s name and a single word: Notable.
— Ah, so that’s it… — I think to myself as I examine the object.
As far as I know, there’s an adventurers’ guild in this world that operates in an interesting way.
Those who join it are evaluated and receive a badge showing their level:
Common → People who don’t take risks, doing simple quests for extra money.
Promising → Rising adventurers who face monsters and seek growth.
Notable → Veterans who have been through many battles and are beginning to gain recognition.
Models → Where most talents stop. They are group leaders recognized by their country and neighboring regions, called upon for major missions.
— Well, those are the limits for most ordinary people like me, — I think, recalling some details from the novel.
Above these, there are two more types of adventurers who are no longer limited to the guild, working directly for kingdoms or major institutions.
Unique → They are symbols of their nation, recognized worldwide and capable of influencing politics.
— I don’t want to run into one of those anytime soon… Better to wait for the protagonist to deal with them.
Legendary → The most powerful, destined to leave their mark on history. Their existence can shape the world and influence everyone, changing the course of history.
— That level is exclusive to the protagonist and the ancient demon, so it has nothing to do with me.
Perhaps thinking I was surprised because I stood there without reacting, the girl flashes a smug smile and says.
— So, do you want to be trained now?
— …No.
— Why!?
With the girl named Livia, according to what’s written on her insignia, asking me while shaking my shoulders, I let out a sigh and look directly at her.
— Haa… If I accept, I’ll have something to do besides the boredom of the trip… — I think to myself, before saying. — All right, I’ll accept.
— Really!? Then come on, my disciple, let’s get started right now!
— Okay…
Having a younger girl call me her disciple feels a little strange, but I just brush it off and follow her over to her tent.
As soon as I stand in front of her, Lívia goes into the tent and pulls out something long and made of leather.
— …You know what, I don’t want to do this anymore. — I say, turning to run away.
Before I could even take a step, the girl’s whip wrapped around my waist, stopping me from running away.
— Over there should be a better spot for us to train.
— No, didn’t you hear me say no?
— I think we should start with something simple?
— Ei, can you hear me!?
— Ah, here’s yours!
The girl hands me an old whip, probably a spare she carries around just in case.
— …
Without saying a word, I just hit her with the whip.
— Ai! Ei, what are you doing!?
— I’m the one asking you that! Just what do you want to teach me!?
— The art of the whip!
I hit her again.
— Ah! Stop hitting me! You don’t even know how to do this right yet!
— …
At that moment, I realized I’d run into an idiot.
[To be continued…]
[+++]:
— I’m back! Haa… Finally home…
[???]:
— What took you so long? I thought you’d abandoned this world.
[+++]:
— There were a few problems to deal with, but now I’m free!
[ ]:
— Just a few problems!? You barely did any of your work!
[???]:
— …Did the boss come too?
[ ]:
— I’ll be supervising this Goddess for a while… Is there a problem?
[+++]:
— None.
[???]:
— None.