Welcome to the Special-Grade Guild! ~ The Beloved Elf Poster Girl Soothes Everyone’s Hearts ~
Chapter 172

172. A Smooth Journey

Realizing that we could camp out comfortably thanks to the tent, we started to think, “Maybe we don’t need to stop at villages?” And so, we’ve been traveling, avoiding them as much as possible. As for resupplying… well, we don’t need to! Because the kitchen in the tent is fully equipped, it has a refrigerator, and the pantry is stocked full of food. I was a little speechless.

And the pantry is imbued with a magic that stops the flow of time, so nothing goes bad. It’s perfect! When I’d tried to refuse all these gifts before, saying I couldn’t possibly use them all, Saura-san had said:

『Better to be safe than sorry! It’s not like it’ll go bad, so just think of it as insurance.』

I’d never imagined those words would come true. So there is such a concept in this world too.

We’ve been avoiding people, but we do still stop at villages and towns. Because we need to gather information! We just pass through, without staying for long. We’d been listening to rumors and continuing on our journey.

The distance I can walk on my own each day has been gradually increasing, I’m learning about self-defense and simple counter-attack techniques, it’s been smooth sailing! I’d love to be able to say that, but…

Yesterday, we’d heard a disturbing rumor.

“I heard soldiers have been dispatched from the Eastern Castle.”

“They’re searching for someone.”

“Hey, hey, it’s not a criminal or anything, is it?”

It’s just a rumor. But we can’t just ignore it. Ravi-san had casually joined the conversation, trying to get details, but… it’s just a rumor, so the villagers didn’t know much about it. They said, “We can’t even be sure if it’s true.” Apparently, there are many rumors like that, that just end up being nothing.

“But I don’t think it’s just a rumor, this time…”

Ravi-san said this as we were eating cream pasta in the tent that night. It’s a peaceful atmosphere, we don’t really feel a sense of danger, but it is a dangerous situation!

“From the Eastern Castle, huh. They’re definitely searching for us…”

“They know… what we look like…”

“That’s right. And you guys… you all have distinct features…”

Licht looked a little shocked when Ravi-san said “distinct features.” I think Ronny looks pretty normal for a Dwarf, with his distinct Dwarf aura… But maybe that’s just because I’m used to seeing demi-humans. They do look different from humans. Maybe their features are more defined, compared to the humans I’ve seen so far?

Licht, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. Because he looks Japanese… I see, so that’s distinct too.

“…I’m not from here, after all.”

“Eh…?”

Licht muttered this, and I froze. Eh, um, does that mean…?

“But Meg’s definitely the most noticeable, of course.”

“Yeah, she stands out.”

“She’s an incredibly beautiful little girl, after all.”

But it seemed like I was the only one who’d heard him. And then the topic changed to me. Ah, huh? It’s true, huh? There’s nothing I can do about it… If I had to blame someone, it’s my parents, for being too beautiful.

“Maybe she should wear something that covers her face.”

“Like… a cloak?”

“Wouldn’t it stand out if we’re all wearing cloaks?”

They all started discussing countermeasures, so I completely lost my chance to ask Licht. But what did he mean? I could take it as meaning he’s not from this country, but…

I’ll file it away, hoping to get a chance to ask later. Yeah, if I ask too hastily, and he asks me, “What’s Japan?”, that would be awkward. I need to be careful! I wish there was a way to subtly confirm it.

The next day, we decided to change our appearances as we traveled. For me, it’s simple. Since I have the fashionable magical tool, I decided to subtly change my hair and eye color whenever we enter a new village or town, such as brown or red hair!

There’s no way I can hide how beautiful I am, so we’ll just change the impression with a different color. Even if there’s a report of a beautiful little girl, if the hair color’s different, maybe they’ll think it’s someone else! This is a technique that works because children aren’t rare, and hair color doesn’t really change, on the human continent!

Next is Licht, and his is also simple. He’ll use magic only when we’re in a crowded place, like a village or town. He said it was magic that makes it hard to sense your presence, so it’s probably concealment magic, like what Gil-san uses. It’s probably not as effective, but it’s amazing that he can even use it, Licht!

And Ronny… there’s nothing we can do, so he’ll just wear a hooded cloak. He won’t stand out too much if he’s the only one wearing it. It should be enough!

But we all know that these are just temporary measures. Because in the first place, we’re noticeable just by being a group of travelers, one adult and three children. Licht might blend in because he’s just a bit shorter than Ravi-san, but his Japanese face… basically, his baby face… stands out. And Ronny’s short because of his race. And I’m short to begin with, so we all clearly look like children.

Apparently, it’s rare to see a group of travelers like this, with three children, even on this continent. Because it’s normal for children to stay in the place they were born until they become adults. Unless they have to move because of some special circumstance. So basically, wherever we go, we’re seen as travelers with a reason. Hmm, I’m glad we were able to reduce the number of villages and towns we’re stopping at.

“Alright, tomorrow we’ll enter a large city. One with checkpoints.”

Ravi-san said this in the morning, before we left. Apparently, it’s a city we can’t avoid. There are those kinds of places too, it can’t be helped.

“I know, we’re teleporting, right?”

Licht responded to Ravi-san’s gaze. That’s right, we’re bypassing the checkpoints and teleporting into the city. Ugh, I’m getting nervous…!

“It’s a really big city. Even if we don’t go through the checkpoints, we probably won’t be caught once we’re inside. …Unless we cause trouble, of course.”

I-I’m getting nervous. We’d been having fun on our journey thanks to my unfair tent, so I’d forgotten… that we’re on the run! …I might be the only one who lacked a sense of danger!

“And when we teleport, I’ll be using a lot of magic power… So I won’t be able to use concealment.”

“That’s right. It’s a crowded city, so all you can do is blend in. It’s probably best to stay at the inn and wait for Licht’s magic power to recover.”

That’s right. If we don’t wait for his magic power to recover, he won’t be able to teleport us out of the city. We do have magic power recovery medicine, but… having him use magic, then immediately using it again, would put a strain on his body. I can’t let him do that.

So, he’ll drink the medicine after we’ve used teleportation to get out of the city. He said he’d be okay if he just rested for a day… So we just have to be patient until then!

“I’ll behave myself at the inn.”

“I’ll be a good girl too!”

As Ronny and I nodded, Licht and Ravi-san patted our heads. Ehehe.

After confirming our plans, we set out and made good progress, arriving at the large city, Uula. Whoa, such a large gate!