The Matter of My Party Members Being Aware of My Desire to Be Banished - Chapter 16

“Oi, we’ve arrived! That’s the royal capital, Farnifal!”

“…Huh?”

The voice of the coachman uncle brought my hazy thoughts into focus.

“Hehe. Good morning, Rokuto.”

“Good morning, Rokuto-san~”

The delightful expressions of Shion and Marn-san seated opposite me came into view.

…It seems I was asleep.

I usually wake up early and was supposed to be chatting with Honoka, who also rises early… but before I knew it, I had fallen asleep again.

Oh no, I feel like I’ve drooled…

“Ah, Rokuto. Hold on for a bit before you move.”

“…Eh?”

Is there a bug on me!?

“Don’t be so alarmed, you don’t have a bug on your head or anything. Look, Honoka is still sleeping.”

“The entrance is crowded, and it seems we won’t be able to get in for a while. Perhaps we should let Honoka-san sleep a little longer.”

The two’s gentle smiles were directed towards my side.

When I turned my gaze, I saw Honoka sleeping peacefully, her breaths soft and even.

“Zzz…”

And she was resting her head and body on my shoulder.

I had a vague sense that I felt something soft and breath on my ear, but I hadn’t realized it was this…

“The cushion in the carriage is so comfortable that it’s no wonder you fell asleep.”

“This cushion is great. It doesn’t hurt your bottom or back.”

The two touched the cushions they had placed under their bottoms.

This is a fluffy cushion that I thought would be nice for our expedition to the royal capital, big enough to protect even the back.

When traveling long distances by carriage, the rough ride can become tough, and the seats are hard, so your bottom ends up crying out in pain.

I’ll be using this cushion for future carriage rides too.

“The cushion’s performance is good, but… this is also thanks to Rokuto’s storage ability.”

“We’re able to spend the ride comfortably thanks to Rokuto-san’s storage~”

“You guys… No matter how much you praise me, right now, the best I can do is take snacks out of storage.”

“Hmm…”

Oops. I need to keep my voice down, or I’ll wake up Honoka.

“It seems like the seat next to Rokuto is quite comfortable too.”

“I’d like to try it next time as well~”

“Come on. I’m not a pillow, you know.”

While throwing in that retort, I only moved my neck to look out the carriage window.

We had been traveling for two full days, and now the sun was fully risen, its rays dazzling.

What I saw must be the royal capital, Farnifal, surrounded by a very sturdy-looking wall. The walls are high, and I wouldn’t think of climbing over them to get inside.

In front is a massive gate. That must be the entrance.

There was a long line of carriages waiting to enter.

If I looked even closer, there seemed to be something like a checkpoint next to the gate.

“It’s really strict about entering because it’s the royal capital, huh?”

“That’s right. To prevent criminals and thieves from entering, the knights themselves are conducting the checks.”

Oh, true. Emblazoned cloaks, armors, swords… There are dozens of people who look every bit the part of knights.

The scale of personnel is definitely different from the town where we are based.

“The royal capital Farnifal is, as you can see, a prosperous nation. Gold, status, fortune… it’s said that everything exists here. But behind the scenes, there’s human trafficking, bandit gangs, noble’s dark side… there’s a lot going on.”

“Heh, Shion knows a lot.”

“Well, you know…”

Shion averted his eyes, seeming a bit uncomfortable.

Then, as usual, he smiled refreshingly.

“Well, as long as we stick to normal activities, I think we can enjoy the royal capital. It has everything. Actually, no matter where we go, as long as we’re together, we can have fun.”

Shion’s words made both Marn-san and I nod in agreement.

“Mmm…”

And with a little bobbing motion, Honoka seemed to respond in her sleep as well.

◇◇

We passed through the checkpoint without any issues.

After parting with the coachman uncle in the carriage-only space, we proceeded into the royal capital… Despite being morning, the spacious central street was crowded.

Not just humans, but elves, beastmen, dwarfs, and various other races were present. It meant there was an understanding between the races.

“Wow! The streets are wide, and there’s so many people and shops everywhere~!”

Honoka, full of energy, was excitedly looking around at the streets of the royal capital, with Marn-san holding her hand to make sure she didn’t wander too far.

“Hey hey, Marn-san! That meat spinning around over there looks so delicious!”

“Ufufu. It does look tasty, doesn’t it? So let’s get a bit hungrier before we go buy some, shall we~?”

Marn-san is good at pacifying her.

The two of them together, they’re quite the heartwarming sight.

“Then let’s first head over to scout the royal capital’s Adventurer’s Guild. Everyone wants to finish quickly and have some free time, right?”

Shion, as always, took charge as our leader.

“Yeah! I want to eat something delicious soon~!”

“I’m curious about the magical tomes as well~”

“I’m interested in the hot springs in the royal capital that are said to have beautifying effects.”

After I drop off the luggage at the place the coachman uncle asked me to, I’ll enjoy the royal capital too!

Free time means everyone will go to the places they want to visit.

So I’ll also be on my own—————

“And then there’s Rokkun.”

“Rokuto-san has.”

“Rokuto is.”

“Hmm?”

Everyone called my name and turned their gazes to me… and then they all smiled.

“””You’ll do anything we say, right?”””

“…Eh?”

“I’ll do anything you say, please forgive me…!”

Wait, wasn’t the effect supposed to have worn off!?