After we'd ridden far enough that the capital's walls were no longer in sight, Jacob was already gasping for air. Panting heavily, he asked me between breaths,
"Karen… why… didn't… we… ride… horses…?"
"Yeah, Mr. Karen, wouldn't riding horses be faster?" Grace added.
I honestly didn't know which was faster, bikes or horses—but I didn't really care either way.
"Because horses need to be fed, you have to build rapport with them, and it's a hassle. If a bike breaks, you can fix it. If a horse gets hurt, you can't exactly repair it."
I didn't have the time to manage a horse's diet, mood, and health. It costs both money and time. Bikes take less preparation, are lightweight, and even if you crash, the injuries usually aren't too serious.
"That makes sense. Mr. Jacob, hang in there." Grace said.
"I… I… need… a… break…"
Jacob looked like he was on the verge of death. His stamina was seriously awful. I pointed toward a forest not too far ahead.
"Then we'll rest once we reach that forest."
"What?!"
Too far for him? But resting should be done somewhere shady and comfortable. I gave him a little encouragement.
"You can do it, you can do it."
After struggling and pedaling with everything he had, Jacob finally made it to the forest. The moment he arrived, he jumped off his bike and collapsed onto the ground.
I leaned my bike against a tree and took out my pocket watch. It was only 6:37 a.m. We hadn't even been traveling for an hour before stopping. This really wasn't good.
"Jacob, do you usually exercise?"
"N-No… I don't."
"Then you should start building your stamina. Riding a bike is perfect for that."
"Got it…"
I sat down as well and called out to the two who were still standing.
"Grace, Ethefelis, you should sit too. If you have any questions, now's the time to ask."
This was a good chance to chat. They probably had plenty of questions. As soon as Grace sat down, she asked about yesterday.
"Mr. Karen, what did that magic name yesterday mean? Why couldn't we understand a single word?"
"That magic is called Optical Camouflage. As for why you couldn't understand it, I'll tell you a story tonight."
Repeating it over and over would be a pain. A story would be easier to understand anyway. It was long, and it would probably overturn their common sense—definitely not something to explain right now.
"Alright then. What is Optical Camouflage?" Grace asked.
"Do you know chameleons? They're animals that change the color of their skin to match their surroundings."
I wanted to explain the scientific principle, but I didn't actually have detailed knowledge of optical camouflage, so this was the best way to convey it.
"Oh, it's an animal thing. I thought it was an actual dragon," Grace said.
"That's amazing," Ethefelis murmured in admiration.
I wasn't sure if she was impressed because it was interesting, or because, given her profession, invisibility would be incredibly useful.
"That's basically how it works."
Now it was Jacob's turn to ask. His breathing had finally stabilized.
"Karen, I get why you drove off the Saintess. But what if we get injured while we're separated from you? What then?"
Of course I'd thought about that. That was exactly why I said the Saintess was unnecessary.
"Good question. Actually, the four basic elements have derived elemental forms. Fire is metal, water is biology, wind is thunder, and earth is plant. Biology magic includes healing magic—so Jacob, you can help with healing too."
"Derived elemental magic? That's hard to believe. How do you know all this?" Jacob asked.
"Tonight's story will explain it. But if you don't believe me, I'll show you. Variety improvement"
As I spoke, I turned and placed my hand on a tree trunk. The branches began to move, reshaping themselves according to my will.
"The branches moved?!"
"It looks like it formed some kind of shape…"
"Heart shape."
I didn't have any special meaning in mind—it just reminded me of dungeon Level 33, so I shaped it like that. That should be convincing enough.
"From now on, all of you will be learning magic, so get ready for sore mouths from chanting. Especially you, Grace. You really admire your father, right?"
When she introduced herself, Grace said she wasn't good at magic. Judging by how she acted before departure, her way of thinking was probably just like the Sword Saint's.
"Yes. My Dad—father is a great and powerful swordsman. He can be a bit overprotective as a parent, but he's the person I respect most."
She looked a little stiff, almost saying "Dad" before correcting herself to "father." Just how much resolve had that doting Sword Saint needed to let Grace leave? He was probably so worried he couldn't even focus on work right now.
That aside—had the Sword Saint followed my advice and challenged the dungeon? I decided to ask.
"Has he been challenging the dungeon?"
"Yes. He never used to go into dungeons before, but a few days ago he suddenly started. How did you know, Mr. Karen?"
"Because he wanted to get stronger. I recommended the dungeon to him."
"I heard from Father that he visited your house and said your cooking was amazing… Wait—he challenged you to a duel again?!"
I could understand him wanting to share his day with his family, but why didn't he mention the duel? Was it too embarrassing? Probably best not to say too much.
"He did, yeah. But why did you say "again"? Were you there the first time?"
Had Grace seen my first duel with the Sword Saint? If so, did she hate me for it? Grace suddenly looked shocked and spoke excitedly.
"You don't remember?! I was the one who handed you the wooden sword!"
"Seriously?! That's shocking!"
I covered my mouth in exaggerated surprise. So I'd already met Grace back then. I hadn't paid any attention to the person who handed me the sword.
"What are you talking about? Karen dueled the Sword Saint? What happened?" Jacob cut in.
I gave him a brief explanation.
"The day after I hunted down Samidorid, I went to the royal castle to receive my reward. While I was waiting, the Sword Saint asked to spar with me, and I agreed."
"Did you win…? Wait, hold on. I heard a rumor months ago that the Sword Saint lost to an adventurer. Don't tell me that was you?"
That rumor had circulated in the guild before. Some people had even asked me directly, but I never admitted it. At that moment, Grace stood up.
"Mr. Jacob, you should be rested enough by now, right? Mr. Karen, Ms. Ethefelis, let's continue."
It was obvious she didn't want to hear about her father losing, so she changed the subject. Seeing that Jacob had mostly recovered, I agreed and stood up.
"Yeah, alright."
Ethefelis stood as well, but Jacob still looked confused.
"Why won't you answer…?"
"Brave!"
At that moment, an annoying voice interrupted Jacob mid-sentence. We turned to look and saw a carriage—and sitting on it was a very troublesome person.
Someone who knew my identity, called me that, and still refused to give up. Yes, it was the Saintess.
"Braaaa~veee~!!!"
The way she dragged it out made my fists clench. It was disgusting. I got goosebumps all over. She wasn't here yesterday—how did she get the news? I had checked carefully. There was no one around yesterday, and no one when we set out.
"Where did she get the information?" I asked.
"It was probably people from the temple secretly watching us," Grace said.
What she said made sense. Maybe whoever was monitoring us stayed outside my detection range and used a telescope to observe us.
Then Jacob stood up as well and said with an impressed tone, "She really has nerves of steel. After what you said to her, she still won't give up."
She really was strong in that sense. Even if she was acting on orders from the temple, I had clearly said yesterday that a Saintess was unnecessary. Didn't that hurt her at all?
Just then, a group of hostile presences appeared behind us. They were moving together—about a hundred of them. Their speed wasn't fast, so they were probably not animals or monsters. I immediately warned the others.
"There's a group of people approaching from behind us, not far away—and they're hostile."
They turned to look, then looked back at me, their faces full of confusion.
"I don't see anyone. How do you know? And how can you even tell they're hostile?"
"I'll explain later. Ethefelis, go check who they are."
"Okay."
The moment she replied, Ethefelis vanished in a burst of speed, instantly dashing away. She was fast.
"Grace, draw your sword and prepare for combat."
"Yes."
Grace drew the sword at her waist and took a ready stance, facing the direction behind us.