Chapter 307

Having bid farewell to Rudolf, the group, well-stocked with supplies during their stay in the town, left the town accompanied by reluctant farewells from familiar soldiers.

It was around the time between noon and evening, but due to the polar night, the surroundings were cloaked in darkness.

However, moving covertly was more convenient in these conditions, so they hurriedly made their way to a secluded spot and boarded the Palanquin carried by Jeanne.

“Alright, Jeanne. Keep a high altitude and head straight in the direction we’re facing,” Tatsuro instructed.

“Neigh!”

From the front glass room, Tatsuro relayed the command through the speaking tube to Jeanne outside. Spreading her wings and activating Cloud Camouflage Fur, Jeanne slowly took off, steadily gaining altitude.

Once they reached a considerable height, Jeanne began moving forward horizontally, careful not to tilt her body.

After confirming they had entered a stable trajectory, Tatsuro and Ai stayed in the front to enjoy a date under the night sky. Leah and Nana, citing some work to do, moved to the spacious area with reclining seats, while Athena, in her Child Form as a small tiger, toddled after Nana to curl up on a seat.

“It’s kind of a luxurious view, isn’t it? If you wanted to see something like this in our original world, you’d probably have to become an airplane pilot,” Tatsuro remarked.

“A helicopter might let you see it with others, but it wouldn’t be like this—just the two of us, relaxing,” Ai replied.

“Yeah.”

The two stood at the very front of the Palanquin, Tatsuro embracing Ai from behind. Ai leaned gently against him, gazing at the vast night sky visible through the front glass.

When Tatsuro tightened his embrace, Ai squeezed his hands around her waist in return, turning slightly to kiss him.

From then on, as if it were a signal, whenever they wanted to kiss while watching the night sky, they would silently tighten their grip on each other’s arms or hands, playfully repeating the gesture without ever tiring of it.

“Before we head to the mountain, we’re passing through one country, right? Are we going straight through?” Ai asked.

“Nah. I was thinking we could stop at a few towns along the way, spaced out evenly, to set up more transfer points,” Tatsuro replied.

“In case we want to come back here someday, that makes sense.”

“Yeah. But I’m planning to keep the stops brief. With the remaining SP, the path to Spacetime Magic is starting to come into view, and I want to close the gap at Wind Mountain.”

“If we’re going to sightsee, it’d be nice to do it without worrying about SP collection.”

“Exactly—hm.”

Ai squeezed Tatsuro’s hand and turned to face him, so he responded with a kiss.

They continued like this for hours, standing or sitting, staying close. Eventually, they confirmed they had passed over the border of Heldamdo.

For a while, they would be traveling over a region that belonged to no country.

“I’d like to land somewhere between Heldamdo and Libelhight to set up a transfer point,” Tatsuro said.

“How much longer until we get there?”

“At this speed, about ten minutes or so. Hey, Jeanne!”

“Neigh?”

Tatsuro instructed Jeanne to stop in a bit.

Since the only thing around was a trade road between Heldamdo and Libelhight, with nothing particularly noteworthy, it was more efficient for Jeanne to stay on standby while Tatsuro and Ai landed alone to memorize the location.

As planned, Jeanne stopped, and they searched for a suitable spot with Cardina.

It would be inconvenient if they transferred and immediately encountered someone, so a place out of sight was preferable.

Even if they could use Curse Magic to obscure themselves, it was better to find a naturally secluded spot.

On the trade road, even though it was polar night and already nighttime, there were occasional signs of people, suggesting it would be busier during brighter hours.

That meant they needed a location off the main path.

“Peewee”

“Hm? Yeah, this spot might work. It’s got a landmark, too.”

Peering into the image shown by Cardina’s Spirit Division: Far Sight Near Slash, they saw a large tree formed from three trunks intertwined.

Though it was a fair distance away, it was in an unpaved area on the border between the two countries, rarely traversed, making it easy to visualize and less likely to be seen—a perfect spot.

“Alright, I’ll head over there. Cardina, keep watch here.”

“Peewee”

With that, Tatsuro picked up Ai in a Princess Carry, opened the door, and jumped out.

As they fell under gravity, Tatsuro asked Tsukuyomi to control Secom-kun, sprouting six water wings on his back. Together with Amaterasu, they used Wind Magic to fly swiftly toward the tree.

“Yee-haw!” Ai exclaimed.

{You’re going way too fast again!}

{No obstacles, so it’s fine!}

Due to Tatsuro’s bad habit, their speed surged, and toward the end, he spun horizontally and traced a spiral path, arriving at the destination in no time.

“Touchdown!” Ai shouted energetically from Tatsuro’s arms, hopping down to land.

Tatsuro followed, and they both looked up at the massive tree.

“Haha, it’s huge!” Ai said.

“It’s less about height and more about girth,” Tatsuro noted.

There were taller trees, but if a normal tree was like a burdock root, this one was like three daikon radishes twisted together, with a thick, imposing trunk.

The two spent a moment touching and admiring the impressive tree, finally taking a photo with their smartphone before deciding to return.

As Tatsuro sprouted wings again and ascended with Ai in his arms, she caught a glimpse of a small light with her Far Sight.

When she mentioned it to Tatsuro, he responded, “Oh, that,” as if he already knew.

“It’s probably a group of people who don’t belong to any country—or couldn’t. It’s not a safe town to live in, and no one protects them. But since they don’t belong to any nation, they’re considered free people. Some are former criminals, but most are descendants of indigenous people who refused to join a nation during its founding. Their numbers are apparently dwindling year by year.”

“Wow, you know a lot. When did you look that up?” Ai asked.

“When I had some free time, I read a book about Libelhight. It mentioned that there are people like that living between the borders.”

“I see. But just because they’re outside a country doesn’t mean they’re dangerous, right?”

“Some turn to banditry, but those types are quickly dealt with by adventurers, so they tend to live quietly to keep the peace, according to the book.”

“There are people like that, huh? Sounds tough.”

But since it was someone else’s concern, they didn’t dwell on it and rejoined Cardina and the others.

Folding their wings and returning to the Palanquin, they noticed Dispel Magic emanating from Libelhight’s border.

It seemed that Dispel Magic users were stationed around the clock to monitor for unauthorized border crossings.

This was the same when they crossed Heldamdo, so Tatsuro wasn’t particularly concerned and planned to pass through at an altitude beyond the reach of Detection Magic.

However, they decided to observe the border gate and get a sense of the guards’ demeanor and the country’s character, so they had Jeanne land near the border.

It was late at night, so the gate was naturally closed. They wouldn’t open it for visitors now.

Thus, they decided to set up a house, spend the night, and pass through the gate in the morning.

They shaped a house appropriately, pulled it from the Infinite Item Field, activated a Concealment item to hide it from the outside, and entered.

Inside, Leah, who had been drawing blueprints in the Palanquin, approached Tatsuro.

“Big brother, I have a request.”

“Hm? What’s that?”

“Well, you remember how I said I wanted to make a magical tool for my legs?”

“Yeah, you mentioned that.”

“Right. So, I’ve been experimenting and decided on the design, but I realized I need something specific to make it work.”

“The way you’re saying it makes it sound rare. Something we don’t have?”

“No, actually, I need a Magic Stone from a level 10 dungeon’s boss dragon. A whole one. Can you replicate it?”

“Hmm, I think I can, but hold on a sec.”

Items processed by human hands couldn’t be copied with the Infinite Item Field.

The Magic Stone from the dungeon’s dragon boss looked refined, but it was a pure monster material, untouched by human hands.

Though Tatsuro thought it should be possible, the stone’s unique aura made him cautious.

His worries proved unfounded, and he successfully replicated the vibrant, pulsating Magic Stone into three.

He kept one and handed two to Leah.

“One would’ve been fine, you know?” she said.

“Well, you might need them for something else, so keep a spare. I’ve still got the original, and there’s plenty of replication points, so use them as you like.”

“Then I’ll gratefully take them, big brother.”

Leah happily stored the two dragon Magic Stones in her Item Box.

After relaxing for a bit, with Cardina and the others keeping watch, Tatsuro and the group went to sleep peacefully.

They woke up closer to noon than morning, had a meal, and put Cardina in Tatsuro’s pocket while Jeanne returned inside him. They then walked to the gate at Libelhight’s border.

The large gate on the massive wall was divided into four lanes: one for merchants, one for adventurers or regular travelers, one for citizens, and one for high-status individuals, each checking identification.

They could’ve used the high-status lane, which was nearly empty, but Tatsuro didn’t want to risk embarrassment if refused, so they lined up in the adventurer and traveler lane.

Chatting while waiting, their turn came surprisingly quickly.

Perhaps because they dealt with adventurers, two burly, intimidating men stood at the lane.

“Please present your identification,” one said.

Surprised by the calm voice despite their appearance, Tats-silence. Tatsuro and the others showed their Guild Cards.

“Well—welcome to Libelhight. Our nation warmly welcomes you,” the guard said.

“Thank you,” Tatsuro replied.

“For high-ranking adventurers and their companions, the other lane would’ve been fine.”

“Oh, good to know. We’ll try that next time.”

“Yes, it would save us some surprise. By the way, wasn’t Heldamdo a bit restrictive? Our nation is the land of freedom. Of course, harming others isn’t allowed, but unlike Heldamdo, with its strict laws, we have fewer restrictions here.”

Even with recent relaxations in Magic Stone regulations due to Artificial Magic Stone development, Libelhight remained freer.

While the purchase prices were lower, personal use was more lenient, reflecting the country’s relaxed regulations.

In Heldamdo, house height and plot size were restricted based on income or status, and certain aesthetics were prohibited to preserve town appearances.

Starting a business there required cumbersome applications in most towns.

In Libelhight, however, there were no height or plot restrictions. Any house, no matter how eccentric, was allowed if you could afford it, and starting a business only required minimal funds and a single form, with a broader range of permissible goods.

Proud of their free nation, the guards, thrilled to see high-ranking adventurers choose Libelhight, let Tatsuro and the others through with pride.

For Tatsuro and his group, it was merely a stopover on their way to the next country, but they let the guards enjoy their moment and passed through without explanation.

Passing through the thick-walled tunnel, they found a stone-paved road branching in six directions toward the towns of Libelhight.

Having observed the people of another nation as intended and finding little difference, they moved to a secluded spot, boarded the Palanquin, and continued straight across the country.

After discussion, they decided to stop at four towns along the flight path from border to border to establish transfer points.

“We’ll want to explore more after we return,” Tatsuro said.

“Yeah. Maybe a honeymoon in another world would be fun!” Ai suggested.

“There are plenty of interesting places on Earth, but that could be fun too.”

Tatsuro mentally noted to research suitable tourist destinations for “someday.”