Zeldryn listened to Pertaz without answering immediately.
“...”
‘Huh?’
‘Why am I the one who has to punish them?’
This felt a little strange.
It was true that he was the only official member of the Giorry family currently staying at this Mansion.
But still...
‘Wouldn't it make more sense to just inform the main residence?’
Gerald wasn't just an ordinary servant.
He was the Mansion's Head Administrator.
If he really had been embezzling money and ended up being killed because of it, shouldn't a matter this serious be handed over to the Giorry family at the main residence?
Zeldryn looked at Pertaz.
“Wouldn't it be better to inform the main residence? Why do I have to decide their punishment?”
Pertaz looked slightly tense upon hearing the question.
“M-My apologies, Lord. We've already sent someone to inform the main residence.”
“...”
Zeldryn continued staring at him.
Pertaz continued,
“For now, we simply need someone to handle the situation temporarily.”
‘Hmm...’
Temporarily.
In that case...
It made sense.
The main residence obviously wasn't right next to this Mansion.
The person sent there would also need time to travel, report what happened, and then wait for a decision or for someone to return with them.
Meanwhile, the situation with Gerald had already happened.
A Mansion official had been found dead.
There were allegations of corruption.
And his family was still living within territory under the Giorry family's authority.
If someone really had to make a temporary decision...
‘I'm the one with the highest authority here.’
Whether he liked it or not, that was his position.
Zeldryn exhaled.
“Hufft...”
‘Whatever.’
He had actually wanted to exercise this morning.
Just a few minutes ago, he had even picked out the field where he planned to run.
But it seemed that plan would have to wait.
“Fine. Take me to Lerta Village.”
!!
Pertaz immediately lowered his head.
But before the guard could leave...
Zeldryn remembered something.
‘Hmm...’
If he was going somewhere he had never visited before, bringing Hera with him would probably be much more useful.
He still knew nothing about Lerta Village.
He didn't know Gerald's family.
He didn't know the customs of the area.
And if something suddenly came up that the old Zeldryn should have known, he could simply ask Hera without needing to come up with some strange excuse.
Zeldryn immediately turned toward her.
“And Hera is coming with us!”
!!??
Hera, who had been standing near the table the entire time, immediately raised her head.
Her expression clearly showed her surprise.
However, she didn't ask anything.
She simply remained silent and accepted Zeldryn's decision.
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
Pertaz nodded.
“Y-Yes, of course, Lord. Please follow me.”
Pertaz then turned around and began walking down the corridor.
Zeldryn immediately followed him.
Hera walked several steps behind them.
They made their way through the second floor of the Mansion before heading downstairs to the first floor.
Several servants they passed immediately moved aside and lowered their heads.
Zeldryn didn't pay much attention to them.
His thoughts were still filled with everything surrounding Gerald.
But there was no point thinking too far ahead before he saw the actual situation for himself.
Not long afterward...
They stepped outside the Mansion.
The morning air greeted Zeldryn once again.
And right in front of the building...
!!
His steps slowed slightly.
A horse-drawn carriage was already waiting for them.
Two horses stood at the front, harnessed to the wooden carriage behind them.
Zeldryn unconsciously examined it from top to bottom.
‘Damn...’
‘Is this one of those horse-drawn carriages I always saw in comics and movies?’
By now, he had already seen plenty of things that made him realize he truly was in another world.
A Mansion.
Servants.
Guards wearing equipment that was anything but modern.
A village in the distance.
Even mana.
But seeing a horse-drawn carriage in person still felt different.
Something he had only ever seen through a screen was now actually standing just a few meters in front of him.
Pertaz opened the carriage door.
“Please, Lord.”
Zeldryn gave a small nod before stepping inside.
Hera followed after him.
Pertaz then closed the door and walked toward the front to take the driver's seat.
Zeldryn looked around the inside of the carriage.
!!
‘It really is just like the ones in novels and comics.’
The interior wasn't very large.
Two seats faced each other.
There was a small window on the side that allowed the passengers to look outside.
At first glance...
The concept really was somewhat similar to riding in a car.
Except...
Zeldryn looked down at the seat.
“...”
!!
Wood.
It was literally just wood.
No soft cushion.
No foam.
Nothing that could at least make his ass a little more comfortable.
‘WTF?’
Zeldryn touched the surface for a moment.
Hard.
‘I've got a feeling this is gonna hurt.’
But he was already inside.
Zeldryn finally sat down.
Hera sat directly across from him.
The girl immediately lowered her gaze as usual.
Zeldryn watched her for a moment.
“...”
‘Well, I guess it's normal for her to be surprised after I suddenly told her to come with me.’
A few seconds later...
A sound came from the front.
Then the carriage began to move.
Its wooden wheels slowly rolled away from the Mansion grounds.
Zeldryn immediately looked out through the window.
‘So this is what riding a horse-drawn carriage feels like...’
At first, it wasn't too bad.
But then...
THUD.
!!??
Zeldryn's body lifted slightly from the seat.
“...”
‘Ow.’
The carriage kept moving.
A few seconds later, the wheels crossed another uneven part of the road.
THUD.
Zeldryn held back his expression.
‘Knew it.’
It wasn't exactly extremely painful.
But every time the carriage shook...
The hard wooden seat beneath him made every impact painfully obvious to his ass.
‘If it's only ten minutes, I can probably survive.’
‘But if I had to sit in a horse-drawn carriage like this for days...’
Zeldryn imagined it for a moment.
“...”
‘I'd fucking die.’
He was starting to appreciate the existence of car seats.
Something he had never even bothered thinking about in his previous life.
“Hadeh...”
Zeldryn leaned back slightly.
‘Whatever.’
‘I'll just enjoy it for now.’
At least judging from what Pertaz had said earlier, they probably weren't going very far.
Zeldryn looked outside again.
‘Lerta Village...’
Then he remembered the view from his bedroom window.
From the second floor of the Mansion, there really was a village visible not too far away.
‘Could it be the village I can see from the Mansion?’
Rather than keep guessing...
It would be easier to just ask.
Zeldryn shifted his gaze toward Hera.
“Hey, Hera. Is Lerta Village far from here?”
!!
Hera, who had been looking down, immediately raised her head.
“U-Um, Lord... the distance between the Mansion and Lerta Village is very short. It might take less than ten minutes if we travel by horse-drawn carriage.”
‘Ten minutes?’
Zeldryn immediately estimated the distance.
If it took less than ten minutes by carriage...
‘Then walking there would probably take around thirty to fifty minutes?’
Not far at all.
Zeldryn then remembered their destination.
“Hmm... does Gerald live there?”
“Y-Yes, Lord.”
Hera paused briefly before continuing.
“Lord Gerald and I come from the same village.”
!!??
Zeldryn immediately looked at Hera.
“Huh? You're from Lerta Village too?”
Hera gave a small nod.
“Y-Yes...”
“...”
‘Damn.’
‘Who would've thought?’
Hera had told him a little about her family before.
But Zeldryn had never specifically asked which village she came from.
It turned out her home was actually very close to the Mansion.
“O-Oh, alright,” Zeldryn said.
After that...
Their conversation stopped.
Silence returned to the carriage.
Hera lowered her gaze again.
Meanwhile, Zeldryn chose to look out the window.
Every once in a while...
THUD.
The corner of Zeldryn's mouth twitched.
‘Damn it.’
Every time the wheels passed over a slightly uneven part of the road, his ass suffered the consequences again.
Fortunately, their journey didn't last very long.
Slowly, the scenery outside began to change.
Houses started appearing in the distance.
Then...
The carriage slowed down.
!!??
Zeldryn immediately leaned slightly closer to the window.
Ahead of them was what looked like the entrance to a settlement.
Several people were standing guard there.
‘Are we here?’
The carriage continued approaching.
Zeldryn stared outside as his curiosity slowly grew.
This was the first time he was actually entering a village in this world.
‘Woah...’
Of course, it probably wouldn't be as beautiful or impressive as a modern city...
But still.
This was a fantasy village.
A village that, for years, he had only been able to see in comics, movies, games, or imagine while reading stories.
Wooden buildings.
Simple roads.
People living lives completely different from anything in the modern world.
For some reason...
He felt a little excited.
But...
“...”
The closer their carriage got to the entrance...
The more Zeldryn's expression slowly changed.
‘Huh?’
For some reason...
The scenery didn't look anything like what he had always imagined.
The village guards stationed at the entrance immediately allowed their carriage through.
No inspection.
No questions about their identities.
The carriage didn't even need to stop.
‘Well, I guess that makes sense.’
Zeldryn saw one of the village guards lower his head as their carriage passed.
‘They obviously recognize this carriage or Pertaz.’
The carriage wheels continued turning.
Passing through the entrance.
And finally...
They truly entered Lerta Village.
Zeldryn immediately looked outside more clearly.
!!??
His eyes widened.
“...”
The scenery now spread out before him was completely different from the image of a fantasy village that had been planted in his mind all these years.
‘WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?? NONE OF THIS MATCHES MY FANTASY AT ALL, DAMN IT!’