Chapter 19: The road to the sea is full of turbulence

The road to the sea is full of turbulence.

“Let them go free!”

As we were preparing camp just outside the town, the brown-haired guy started arguing with Master. Master, who was using magic to start a fire, glanced at him with disinterest and sighed.

“Free them…?”

It hasn’t even been a year since I was taken in by Master. It takes at least two years for permission to be granted for release, so it’s not even on the table yet. Besides, it’s not like I’m unhappy being with Master.

Next to me as I kneaded dough for some makeshift bread, Lulu and Yuria were peeling potatoes with visible irritation, glaring at brown-hair guy.

“People are all equal! Just because someone’s a different species doesn’t mean it’s okay to enslave them!”

This “equality” thing—this is honestly the first time I’ve heard it since coming to this world. Everyone besides Master and me was completely baffled. Actually, the fact that he even brought it up—wait, is he… like us? From the same place?

He’s trying to look smug as he turns to Lulu, but her tail is puffed up and she’s backing away. I get it. Even if he thinks he’s saying something noble and cool, his eyes keep flicking to her chest and stomach.

You really can tell where guys are looking. In Master’s case, he often stares at my thighs or butt… Not that I’m fat or anything!

By the way, with this sort of thing, it matters less where someone’s looking and more how you feel about the person looking. In fact, those two seem to welcome Master’s lecherous stares.

“…No, it’s because people aren’t equal that slavery even exists.”

Personally, I think the whole system of slavery should just be smashed to pieces.

“The system is what’s wrong! Treating people like livestock is just plain evil!”

I get what he’s trying to say. I really do want to agree with him.

But does he have any idea what he’s actually doing right now? The other adventurers and caravan members are clearly getting more and more annoyed. Starting a pointless argument in the middle of a trip like this is the last thing we need.

“You girls want to be freed too, don’t you?”

Now he’s trying to drag us into it. I can hear our resident kitty lady clicking her tongue in irritation.

“Not really.”

“We’re happy being Master’s slaves.”

“We—”

“You don’t have to force yourselves just because you’re scared of him!”

“——…”

Ah, so the opinion of someone who looks like a little girl doesn’t count. I see. Tells me all I need to know about where he comes from. Could he please just die already?

“Hey now…”

Master’s exasperated voice echoed through the forest.

---

“That guy seriously pissed me off.”

Fueled by anger, I tore off a chunk of the slightly overbaked bread. It wasn’t all that tasty to begin with, and now the frustration made it taste even worse.

“So damn rude!”

After that, the man—who seemed to be one of the leaders of the escort group—scolded him, and he got reassigned to a different post. Pretty forceful resolution, really. For the record, we’re not freeloaders—we paid to ride in this carriage.

We even chipped in for part of the escort fee. And yet he was ogling us and picking fights with the clients. In a business where trust is everything, you pull stunts like that and of course you’ll get blacklisted.

We did explain at the start that we’re passengers, not cargo. Did he just not listen? Everyone’s absolutely fuming now and totally trash-talking him.

“Ah—sorry about that, ladies.”

Ereki-san, the escort leader, came over to trade side dishes and bowed his head apologetically. He didn’t do a single thing wrong, so I don’t get why the people who aren’t at fault are always the ones who apologize.

“He’s from the Shenlo Empire, see. Apparently, they can’t stand the idea of slavery over there.”

“The Shenlo Empire?”

Never heard of it.

“Ah, yeah, it’s that island nation down south. Supposedly, it was founded a few hundred years ago by a hero who came from another world. They say that over there, something called ‘human rights’ is held in high regard, and the belief that all people are equal under the emperor has really taken root… Maybe that’s why the concept of slavery just doesn’t sit well with them.”

This is definitely one of those countries, right? Built by a summoned human. Still, there’s something unsettling about him that goes beyond just that. It’s like the only thing he’s interested in is Lulu and Yuria. He’s probably thinking something like “I’ll rescue them from slavery and make them fall for me, hehehe.”

“That’s a whole different matter entirely.”

“Exactly. Honestly, I’d rather not get involved with him.”

Even the cow-and-cat duo seem to share the same opinion, and Ereki-san’s attempt to smooth things over didn’t seem to bear any fruit. He’s not a bad person, but trying to defend that guy just makes things awkward.

“Well, try not to be so cold. He came all this way alone, you know. He’s doing his best, even if he’s not used to this.”

He was clearly desperate to take care of the guy, like it was his responsibility. I gave Lulu and Yuria a look, silently telling them to let it go, and they reluctantly backed down. People like that—when you push back, they only get more stubborn and make everything more complicated.

“For now, he hasn’t actually caused any harm… It’s within tolerable limits.”

“We’ll let it slide.”

After all, it’s never a good idea to let tension fester. Just a few more days of patience—I'd really like for things to stay peaceful until then. This environment is just so frustrating. Trying to keep my irritation in check, I finished dinner. Before I knew it, night had fallen.

While I was asleep, I felt a gentle shake that brought me back to consciousness.

“Nngh… huh…?”

When I slowly opened my eyes, I saw Master’s face looking down at me. What’s going on?

“Earlier today, I heard from some of the other guards that there’s a beautiful spring nearby. Want to go wash up with me?”

“Uuugh… now…?”

Is it really something worth dragging me out of bed for? I mean, Master can use magic, so it’s not like it wouldn’t be safe to go alone. As I tried to curl back up in my blanket, he suddenly pulled me into his arms with force.

“…Sorry. Honestly, I’m getting close to my limit.”

Ah… oh… that’s what this is about, huh…? I guess it’s impressive he managed to hold back for three whole days. Even Master seems reluctant to do it here. He half-forcibly picked me up, suppressing his presence as he quietly left the tent.

A pitiful slave pet like me… all I can do is let it happen… so sleepy…

---

The next day, thanks to brown-haired-kun being reassigned, the journey during daylight was peaceful and stress-free. But I was still dragging from the exhaustion of the day before and ended up falling asleep right after dinner. The incident happened that night.

“Enemy attack—!!”

“!?”

The shout jolted me awake. Still half-asleep, I strained my ears and caught the sound of wind whooshing and blades clashing. Before I could say anything, Master and the others were already up, quickly grabbing their weapons and cloaks.

“I’m heading out to intercept. Lulu and Yuria, protect Sora and link up with the caravan. After that, go on defense.”

“Leave Senpai to us!”

“Understood.”

“Please be careful, Master.”

After giving swift instructions, Master took up his sword and dashed out. I followed Lulu and the others out of the tent. Judging by the clashing sounds, the attackers weren’t monsters—they were bandits. Protected by Lulu in the lead and Yuria bringing up the rear, we made our way toward the wagons.

I wasn’t dumb enough to think this was my time to shine in a situation like this. I kept quiet and moved quickly so I wouldn’t get in the way. Stray arrows occasionally flew our way, but Lulu and Yuria deflected every one with ease.

Both of them had reached intermediate-level combat skill over the past few months. Against average bandits, they were more than enough. Still, depending on how many enemies there were, we couldn’t afford to be careless. We really needed to avoid the worst-case scenario.

“Are you okay!?”

“Y-Yeah, somehow.”

When we reached the wagons used by the caravan, the male adventurer team was already surrounding them, shielding the carriages with their weapons at the ready. Several dead bandits lay scattered around. It looked like, thankfully, none of our side had died—though some were injured.

Makes sense—they wouldn’t attack a caravan unless they had numbers. Master will probably be fine, but I’m worried about the others.

“For now, we’ll help with the fighting too.”

“Milady, please handle the injured.”

“Aye-aye, sir!”

Rolling up my sleeves, I headed into the wagon to tend to the wounded. At a glance, most of the injuries looked to be from swords or arrows. None of them seemed fatal to my untrained eye, but some were bleeding heavily or looked unwell, so we couldn’t let our guard down.

“It’s going to be okay. Just hang in there a bit.”

It’d be easier if the escort team’s healer were here, but there’s no way they can leave the front line. At first, the caravan people made no effort to hide their distaste—giving me dirty looks, wondering what a half-goblin was doing here. But after seeing my healing magic at work, they started to soften up a little.

I washed the wounds with help from those who weren’t injured and sealed them with basic healing magic. Thankfully, it didn’t look like I’d need to use my personal skills.

Now and then, I could hear the clash of metal outside the wagon, but the sounds quickly turned into the dying screams of men. So everything must be going fine. I should focus on healing.

“You alright!?”

“Shuya-sama!”

From outside came Master’s voice, followed by Lulu’s delighted one. That cat girl seems desperate these days, maybe because she’s not getting as much attention from Master. Honestly, I’d love it if she kept working hard to keep him interested at night, too.

“Are both of you safe? What about Sora?”

“She’s in the wagon, treating the wounded.”

The wagon door swung open in a rush. Luckily, I had just finished with the last injured person, but Master’s face looked unusually tense.

“Sora! Come with me!”

“What now…?”

The caravan people had finished treatment and were starting to eye me with suspicion again—looks like I’d overstayed my welcome. Just as I stepped toward Master, he suddenly scooped me up. A full-on princess carry. Please, give me a break.

“Master, what’s going on?”

Something was off. Lulu and Yuria had already taken up guarding positions, so it didn’t look like anything was wrong.

“…Something’s not right.”

“?”

That was all he said, face grim, as he carried me out of the wagon. I wanted to ask for details, but the air around him said this wasn’t the time.

Outside, it looked like the other escort teams who had been fighting elsewhere had gathered. But the atmosphere was… strange.

“Everyone accounted for?”

“Yeah.”

Brown-hair and the swordsman-priest pair were safe, but Ereki-san’s group was missing a few members. Probably best not to imagine why…

And yet, no one seemed relieved by the battle’s end. If anything, everyone’s expression had hardened—as if a second, even worse fight was about to begin.

“…So, who’s the traitor?”

Unfortunately, that guess hit the mark. Ereki-san, usually the serious type, spoke through gritted teeth—and the air turned ice cold. No one said a word. Only tense silence and darting eyes searching the group.

Lulu and Yuria instinctively moved closer to Master. I’d been set down, but he was still gripping my shoulder tightly, holding me close under his cloak. Maybe that’s why… I could feel some of those suspicious glances turning my way…

“So, what exactly happened?”

I asked in a whisper just loud enough for Master to hear—and he responded in kind. My ears are sharp, so I caught every word.

“There’s suspicion someone tipped off the bandits. The way they moved… it was like they already understood our formation.”

Apparently, the only reason anyone noticed the ambush was because someone had gotten up in the night to use the bathroom. At that moment, the enemy was already sneaking through the dark, rummaging through the supplies. Even if our perimeter wasn’t perfect, it shouldn’t have been that easy to slip in. Not unless someone on the inside knew the guard routes and shift schedules.

In other words, someone had to have helped them.

Ereki-san may have been jumping to conclusions, but word was that he’d lost some teammates—so it was no surprise if his emotions were getting the better of him.

“Which one of you was it!? Who’s the bastard who sold us out!?”

Ereki-san kicked the corpse of a nearby bandit—clearly not in a calm state of mind. But then again, asking someone who just lost comrades to remain calm would be far too heartless.

“I saw it.”

The one who raised his hand was the brown-haired youth. For some reason, he was glaring straight at Master and me. I had a bad feeling about this.

“Those two—him and that half-wild half-goblin girl—snuck off into the woods together last night.”

“Nya!?”

Everyone’s eyes suddenly turned toward us. The caravan members, who’d been watching the situation quietly from the sidelines, were now looking at us with suspicion and something close to fury. The other two female escorts were giving us complicated looks—some mix of shock, jealousy, and pity.

“Weren’t you secretly meeting up with the bandits? Anyone who keeps a wild goblin knockoff around clearly can’t be trusted.”

I—I want to say this is a misunderstanding, but… it’s true I was taken outside. What do we do, Master? There's no way we can just tell them the whole truth…

“…Was it you?”

Ignoring my hesitation, Ereki-san’s voice was brimming with barely contained rage. But before it could erupt, Master stepped in and spoke.

“It’s true we slipped out in the middle of the night. My little one here heard there was a spring nearby and wanted to go bathe.”

O-oh… well… he’s not lying, technically. He is passing the blame, though.

“That sure took a while for just a bath, don’t you think?”

Brown-hair snapped bitterly. How was Master going to handle this one?

“Well, it was a man and a woman bathing together. You can fill in the rest.”

“Hwaa!?”

Wait, WHAT!? You’re going to just say it outright!? Seriously!? That’s not what I expected at all!

“Bullshit! I don’t care if it’s female—who the hell would screw a savage goblin freak like that!?”

He was still lashing out—Brown-hair really hates Master, doesn’t he? No, scratch that. He hates me, too. That pisses me off.

“Tastes differ, don’t they? I happen to like her, and I dote on her plenty.”

“We can vouch for that as well. Sir treats Milady with great care.”

Yuria chimed in at the perfect moment… though why is it that I never feel that care she’s talking about? If anything, I’m just constantly being overworked.

“I don’t give a damn who likes what—I want to know who the traitor is!!”

Ereki-san, clearly fed up with the back-and-forth, slammed his weapon against the ground. Looks like he’s reaching his limit too.

“Answer me, brat. Was it you…?”

“No.”

Master denied it flatly. But the suspicious glares didn’t vanish. If anything… they grew sharper.

Ugh… what are we even supposed to do now?

---

◇◆ADVENTURE RESULT◆◇

【EXP】

BATTLE TOTAL: 5
◆【Sora Lv.45】+5
◆【Lulu Lv.15】
◆【Yuria Lv.12】
◇―

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Sora Lv.45 [451] → Lv.45 [456]
Lulu Lv.17 [173]
Yuria Lv.15 [154]

【RECORD】

[MAX COMBO] >> 30
[MAX HIT] >> 30

【PARTY】

[Shuya][Lv.55] HP 772/772 MP 1380/1380 [Stable]
[Sora][Lv.45] HP 50/50 MP 420/420 [Stable]
[Lulu][Lv.17] HP 602/602 MP 32/32 [Stable]
[Yuria][Lv.15] HP 1040/1040 MP 60/60 [Stable]
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

【Comment】

“Waaah! I can’t believe the name ‘Half-Goblin’ would come back to haunt me here!”

“(Senpai… I was wondering why Shuya-sama’s scent was so strong this morning…)”

“(No wonder Master had that freshly satisfied look on his face…)”