Today is the day we leave for the capital, and we are making the final preparations.
After careful discussion, it was decided that Maria and I would act as Celes' personal bodyguards.
Although Maria will be inside the carriage with Gabriela, I will be outside nearby on a horse. Gabriela won't make a scene if she knows I'm nearby, so it's okay to leave her alone for now. Even so, it hurt me a lot when she looked at me with the eyes of an abandoned puppy; I had to improve her mood by giving her some sweets.
I was also worried that the carriage ride would be uncomfortable for Gabriela, so I asked Celes if she could make some modifications to the carriage, and she agreed.
I set to work making the carriage as comfortable as possible, just for my daughter. I changed the axle for one that moves more smoothly, modified the wheel supports to accommodate spring shock absorbers, and replaced the wooden wheels with durable rubber ones. This rubber is something I created by researching various material properties of monsters and plants in Vanaheim Forest, resulting in a new, highly elastic and resistant material.
I also added some enchantments to prevent vibrations and maintain stability, along with others for defensive purposes.
The result was a tank shaped like a luxurious carriage, and Celes was very surprised when I showed it to her.
It might be a little excessive, but it doesn't matter! It's all for the good of my daughter!
When we were introduced to the ruler's knights who, by the way, I only recently learned was actually a baron there was a dispute about why we were taking such a young child on an escort mission.
The one who said that was a nasty guy whose favorite pastime was probably sucking his superiors' dicks every day, and the worst part is that several others followed his opinion.
I shut them up by making Gabriela leave the first one who spoke half dead. For Gabriela, it was like a fun game; for the idiot, it was probably the worst torture he ever endured. Not one complained after that.
When I was looking at the horses the baron could use, he introduced me to a warhorse much larger than normal horses. This could be considered preferential treatment, but really it's about being more efficient. Given my size, a normal horse would be uncomfortable and cumbersome; besides, as part of the princess's personal escort, it's natural for me to look better than other knights. It's just to save face.
With everything ready, we left without any problems in the morning.
Somewhere unknown, a group of people in robes were gathered around a table.
Their appearances could not be distinguished; only a vague image of their genders could be given at best. The only thing they all had in common was the image of a black cobra printed on their robes.
"We have lost contact with several of the hideouts in the city on the border of the kingdom of Galark," a man said. Judging by his tone of voice, he seemed to be over 60 years old; there was a hint of discomfort in his words.
"Were they destroyed? Was there no informant?" asked a woman whose brown skin could be vaguely seen beneath her robe.
"Unfortunately, we haven't been able to find any of them; the disappearance of a numbered member from the information department was also reported," the old man answered as he looked at a man wearing a snake mask.
"He knows what has happened, Mr. Zen," the old man asked the masked man.
"He's dead," Zen replied curtly.
"Died?" the old man asked again, to which Zen simply nodded and explained in more detail.
"When we received reports of his disappearance, his life signals were still responding; it was only after a day and a half that the signal was lost, indicating his death."
"Perhaps he was tortured to extract information?" asked a young voice, whose owner could be distinguished by lustrous green hair beneath the hood of the robe.
"It's likely, but even if it's just a three digit numbered member, it wouldn't reveal any important information at all. Proof of why he didn't take long to die: his captors must have grown impatient at not getting anything."
"You're very confident, Zen-chan, but you still don't know who destroyed several of my hiding places," said the most burly of the people present. "It's quite disconcerting that you asked that in such a feminine tone."
"I think the strange gestures he makes are scarier than the fact that he looks like a giant," Zen replied, dismissing the burly man's behavior.
"An informant has already been sent to gather information; the lack of any contact is worrying," Zen continued.
"Thank you, Zen-chan. I'll reward you later, Chu," said the burly man.
"Stay away from me," Zen replied, displeased as the burly man blew him a kiss.
"Stop this already! We'll wait until we find those responsible. These variables can't be ignored; if they cause us problems, they must be eliminated immediately," said the old man authoritatively.
"Did the boss give this order?" one of the members, whose voice was indistinguishable from a woman's, asked.
"That's right… it seems urgent enough to demonstrate the level of danger posed by the culprits, even though they only destroyed a few hideouts along the border," replied the old man.
"So will those things be released for work?" the woman asked, with a hint of annoyance.
"It will only be as a last resort; we still don't know what we're up against. In case they alert the spies in the capital and other cities, we'll get started once the results of the investigation come in."
In the middle of the discussion, Zen raised his hand to ask a question.
"What shall we do about the fourth prince's request?"
"Mmm," the old man made a thoughtful gesture. Obeying their lord's orders is important, but this request represents a significant step forward in the organization's ultimate plan.
"We will send some members of the Circle of Hell to assist you; they alone should be sufficient to carry out this order."
"I understand," Zen replied, satisfied with the answer.
The members of the Circle of Hell are a separate group within the organization who have mastered their cursed mark without losing their sanity. They are also a large scale extermination unit used to eradicate troublesome opponents. Knowing this, Zen had no complaints.
"With this, the meeting has ended; it's time to disperse."
With that, everyone got up from their seats and proceeded to leave for their respective work areas. Such a large and vicious organization has caused countless atrocities and gone unpunished. Very soon, God's judgment will fall upon them.
Maria's POV inside the carriage
Several hours have passed since we left the city, and the landscape seen through the window has not changed.
This would be normal, since the time it takes to get to the royal capital is one week and three days on horseback. It's not because the road is long, but due to various factors that slow the journey.
Lucia-sama could transport the entire caravan to the capital in an instant, but teleportation magic is considered military grade and requires preparation before use. It would attract a lot of attention if used casually, and we don't want unnecessary stares.
"mmm," Gabriela seems to be getting irritated, probably because of hunger.
Unfortunately, I cannot feed her due to the difference in the magic that runs through my body and hers; I would run out of energy before she was satisfied. I can only comfort her while she waits until we stop at the first checkpoint.
If Lucia-sama were here, I could feed her right away, but she's too big to fit properly in the carriage. I asked why the carriage wasn't modified to make it bigger.
The answer: making more modifications would require rebuilding the entire carriage, and it's also necessary so Gabriela wouldn't become too dependent on her.
After hearing this, I nodded in understanding. It would be bad if Gabriela grew up always depending on her only mother, so it's not a bad thing.
Furthermore, although Gabriela was somewhat depressed at first, she adapted well and returned to her usual mood, already playing with Celestina-san in front of me.
"What's wrong, Gabi-chan?" the princess asked, noticing Gabriela pouting while holding her small stomach.
"She's fine, she's just hungry. Normally Lucia-sama feeds her at this time, but she's not here now."
"Wow, that's cool. Should I stop the carriage?"
"Don't worry, it's not necessary yet. We shouldn't be far from the checkpoint now, so Gabriela, please be patient."
"mm," she replied, nodding as I stroked her hair.
She's a lovely girl. Even though I spent two years with Lucia-sama, I never imagined I'd have a daughter, much less one hatched from an egg.
I like spending time alone with Lucia-sama, but this isn't bad either. At first, I was just a fragment of consciousness linked to Lucia-sama's spirit, but now that she has given me a body and soul, the world has opened up under a new perspective one I didn't believe existed at first.
I am very grateful to Lucia-sama for giving me the life I have now, and with that, I can only offer her my body and soul until the end of time; that is my decision.
And therefore also to this girl… although I would like her to call me "mama" at least once.
If I were to say something like that out loud, Lucia-sama would cause a scandal, so I'm going to keep this wish to myself.
"Mary, look, we've stopped."
"??"
It seems I was lost in thought much longer than I expected; I guess I lost track of my surroundings.
"No, we haven't arrived yet. I can detect several figures gathered at the front of the caravan, forming a barricade. These figures are not the escorting gentlemen."
"Mrs. Celestina, don't get out of the carriage."
"Huh? Why?"
"It's possible we're being attacked by bandits."
"!!"
"Don't panic. Let's stay inside; the security detail will take care of this."
I tried to reassure her by putting on a calming smile as best I could. I'm not used to smiling, so doing it intentionally is difficult.
"...if you're right. Besides, Lucia-sama is with them, so I don't think anything bad will happen. And it is impossible for any being to defeat Lucia-sama."
I thought that while holding Gabriela, who was restless about going out to see the fight.
Moments before the arrival of the bandits: Lucia's POV
I'm bored.
I really have nothing to do. It's been hours since we left the city, and I can already see the sunset in the distance, signaling the end of the day.
Both Maria and Gabriela are in the carriage. Even now, I would prefer to answer the absurd number of questions that Celes always asks me.
The escorting gentlemen loaned by the baron do not speak to me because they're afraid, and those who were originally with the princess always use a very respectful tone.
I understand that I saved their lives, but relax a little, okay? It's not like I'm going to exact a price with their souls.
sigh
My poor little angel must be hungry now. I usually rock her in my arms after feeding her until she falls asleep.
I'm sorry! Mom is here, but I can't do it now! Be strong, my daughter, it's for your own good and mine!
I feel that I am getting closer and closer to becoming a mother in body and soul.
It doesn't matter! A parent's duty is to love their children!
But thinking about that reminds me that right now I have no one to talk to, and that frustrates me.
Well, we're not far from the checkpoint, so it wouldn't hurt to be patient for now.
"??, What is this?"
I noticed several figures positioned further ahead of us. They seemed to be waiting for something since they weren't moving at all. I don't think they were travelers because of their number.
I decided to use clairvoyance to get a better look.
"So that's it."
I could see an armed group resting on the sides of the road. They wore crudely sewn rags with pieces of metal and leather added to imitate armor; their weapons were rusted and neglected.
These boys were obviously bandits. They seemed among the stronger ones, since despite their messed up equipment, they had good skills according to their status screen.
Are they deserter adventurers? Or a group of criminals known for their area?
Well, anyway, at least it's something to keep us entertained, so let's wait and see what happens.
Ten minutes later, we arrived at the bandits' spot. They had hidden and positioned themselves on both sides of the road to prevent us from escaping. After we passed the area, they came out and blocked our advance; there were also archers positioned in nearby trees.
They were quite well prepared for bandits; their number was also remarkable, almost comparable to an army strike squad more than 60 people.
Upon seeing this, the soldiers immediately prepared themselves, but even so, they were outnumbered two to one. Thanks to the baron's patronage, the number of soldiers escorting Celes increased, but only by 30. There was a clear disadvantage here.
"Wow, isn't that a very nice carriage you have here?"
"This must be a fat guy."
"I hope you were taking a cute girl; the last one was a fat, greasy guy."
"And what does that give you?"
"HAHAHA!"
The men began to laugh vulgarly at their unpleasant jokes.
"This is the princess's carriage from the kingdom you're looking for!"
The knight at the front shouted as loudly as he could, trying to threaten the bandits in front of him.
Contrary to his expectations, the bandits showed no reaction, as if they didn't care.
"So we have a princess today, huh?"
"Hehehe, it seems another member of royalty will be born in a few months."
"I wonder if they have anything good."
It's pointless; they're a big bunch of idiots. It seems they've grown so large, but I can only think they're lucky we haven't exterminated them yet. They've set up a mobile base in the distance, so these aren't all the members. I'll take a look later.
With the gentlemen's attention at its peak, I dismounted and walked calmly in front of them. I've been a bit stressed lately, so I want to move around to relieve mental fatigue.
The gentlemen fixed their gaze on me as I walked without a care, but I ignored them until I reached the front.
When I arrived, there was another commotion among the bandits.
"Hahaha, look, a cute girl has appeared!"
"Whoa, she's a Majin woman; I've never seen one before."
"What big breasts!"
I want to kill them right now, but I'll hold back for now.
I gestured with my right hand as if preparing a gravity spell. I'm not using the grimoire this time; I'll kill them anyway, so there's no need to be too careful. This attack is also aimed at the archers hidden in the treetops.
[Increased severity]
When I spoke the name of the spell, all the archers in the trees fell to the ground, crushed to death. All that remained was a pool of blood in the shape of a flower.
With this, the bandits finally fell silent, as did the knights.
Ignoring their reactions, I raised my trusty crossbow, ready to draw blood.
"Aren't they coming?" I said mockingly, snapping the group of bandits out of their surprise.
"Kill that bitch!"
"Don't even think we'll let you go after this!"
"Yes, yes, keep going with your cliché villain lines; hey, you're not scarecrows, move it!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
With my reprimand, the knights finally stepped forward in a fierce fight, reducing the bandits' numbers with my crossbow, shooting them in the head.
After about 20 minutes of battle, during which I treated it like target practice, all the bandits were exterminated, leaving none alive.
"I'm going to see how the others are doing; you move your bodies out of the way."
"Yes, ma'am."
It seems they've started responding that way now; well, it doesn't feel bad anyway.
Lost in thought, I approached the carriage and knocked on the door so as not to be rude.
"Is that okay today, Celes?"
At my question, the door opened cautiously, with Celes peeking out from the other side.
"...is it over already?"
"We've finished with everyone, don't worry."
sigh "Thank goodness; anyway, I'm glad you're okay."
"MAMA!"
Before the princess finished speaking, Gabriela jumped onto my chest from inside the carriage. I could also see Maria making an apologetic gesture inside.
"What's going on here?"
I gently stroked Gabriela's back, trying to calm her agitation.
"I'm hungry."
"..."
"Celes, I'm going to feed Gabriela. The gentlemen are moving the corpses from the road, so we'll leave until they finish."
"Oh, of course, no problem."
With that, I picked Gabriela up and walked far enough away so we wouldn't be interrupted.
Given the nature of my clothing, it's necessary to remove the upper part to feed Gabriela. How difficult it is to be a mother.
After the gentlemen moved the bodies and I finished feeding Gabriela, we continued our journey toward the capital.