A Trip on Horse-drawn Carriage
Translated by Raizu
I might’ve underestimated it.
This thing is called a trip on a horse-drawn carriage.
When you think of a horse-drawn carriage trip, the image that comes to mind is probably “elegant”, “high-class”, and “comfortable”.
I was too naive.
The comfort level of the old carriage was the worst.
Firstly, the road was in bad shape.
The roads weren’t paved. Cobblestones road was a rarity outside the main street of the Royal Capital.
The road, obviously not well managed, was uneven here and there. Once the carriage gets stuck in a hollow, the slaves will have to desperately push it out.
On the other hand, there were even cases where the carriage flipped due to the wheel being caught by a large stone.
Secondly, the structure of the carriage itself was crude.
The carriage has no suspension or rubber tires, so the vibrations are transmitted directly to the passengers.
I learned later that the comfort of riding the carriage was jokingly called “Hell’s Torture”.
That should illustrate how much the shaking was.
My mother, Rushieno, was lying limp with a pale face.
Also, since the wheels on both sides are linked to the axle, it cannot make sharp turns.
To some extent, it seemed that the coachman’s skill was enough to make a turn, but when making a big turn, he had to manually push one side to force the turn.
[Alright, let’s take a short break!]
Outside the carriage, Rudolph, my father, gave instructions to the formation, and the group stopped slightly off the road.
Thus, the so-called Hell’s Torture also momentarily stopped.
[Mother, are you alright? Shall I get you some water?]
When I called out to her, Rushieno replied with a weak […yes.].
Perhaps it’s too painful to raise her head, so she’s lying down.
When I got off the carriage, I noticed my older brother Robel looking exhausted.
But, Robel didn’t want to ride the carriage.
…..between the carriage and horseback, I wonder which one is easier to deal with?
I tilted my head.
By the way, the horses they ride are not thoroughbreds, but have a solid physique like a Hokkaido* child. (TL Note: *It seems a famous racing horse name)
It’s hairy and has a very large body.
The horse that Rudolph was riding is the largest and may be over 180 centimeters tall.
Its gigantic body seems to have a lot of horsepower.
[Are you alright, Varian?]
Rudolf called out to me, so I told him, [Mother is not feeling well, so I’m worried.].
Hearing that, Rudolph headed for the carriage with a bottle of water.
He didn’t look tired at all.
…as expected of a veteran warrior…
I was admiring the back of Rudolph as I gazed at him.
The slaves hurriedly got off the carriage and began some work.
The pots with legs were lined up for cooking.
…..it’s for meals, but it’s an interesting design for a pot.
Since I came to Amoros Kingdom, I’ve been experiencing culture shock on multiple occasions.
This pot with legs is one of those occasions. It has a very interesting shape.
I spent time petting the carriage dog and watching the slaves at work, but Rudolph and Rushieno didn’t show up even after the meal was ready.
[Let’s see how things are going], I heard Robel call out to the squire to see how things were going.
Then, I felt uncomfortable.
[Onii-san, no need to worry about it for now, let’s wait.]
[Why? Is mother feeling unwell?]
Robel still tried to move forward, but I stopped him by pulling his sleeve.
[What?]
[No…well…then, gently approach and put your ears on the carriage.]
Robel approached stealthily with a dubious face.
and blushed.
…because the people of Amoros are tolerant of sex…
I simply stared blankly at the creaking carriage.
===========
After eating, we took a break for a while then continued the journey.
The body odor of my parents wafted in the carriage, making me feel uncomfortable.
Rushieno seemed to have recovered and was sitting in the carriage calmly, even though it was shaking.
If obscene behavior can be used as a cure, then I think it’s a big deal.
It looks like you’ve had a nice change of pace.
With nothing to do, I once again observed Rushieno.
Rushieno is a beautiful woman with a plump impression.
As Varian, I’m her son, but my consciousness is actually older than her.
I can’t help but smile while imagining Rushieno’s love affair.
[What is it? Varian, you look happy.]
[Ah, no… it’s because mother got well…]
I became somewhat embarrassed and muddy my words, but my eyes fell on Lucienne’s breast and crotch, and my face softened.
[Weird boy.]
Rushieno smiled kindly.
The carriage picked up speed and shook violently.
===========
By the way, today’s destination seems to be Dolerum Castle in the Dolerum Knight Territory.
The lord of the castle was Rudolph’s comrade-in-arms who fought side by side with him many times.
It’s a little exciting to be able to stay at the castle.
I looked outside through the swaying carriage window.
The plains were dotted with forests, and it doesn’t really look like people live there.
At the time, all I could think was [the nature is so rich]’, but the population of the Amoros Kingdom is overwhelmingly lacking compared to the size of the land.
Due to food shortages, cold winters, and frequent wars, the population of this land is small.
People are valuable resources in a way.
After taking several breaks, the group arrived at Castle Dolerum before evening.
…is this what they call a castle?
I was shocked when I saw the building in front of me.
The castle had an outer wall with only a crude fence on top of the castle wall that was just piled up with earth, and inside the outer wall was a plaza, a guard tower, and several wooden buildings.
The building has a main building and a watchtower on the slightly elevated side, and the servants and slaves’ tenements on the side of the lower plaza.
The plaza was also equipped with stables, several work spaces and warehouses.
A crude forge and a loom can be seen in the work space.
In fact, stone castle walls, as envisioned by Tanaka Varian, were a style that spread in Europe after the Crusades, and before that, the common style of building castles was the motte and bailey style, in which earthworks and wooden fences were the main elements.
Of course, there are also stone fortresses, but they are few in number, and they are either very important facilities, or areas rich in stone materials…or both.
After the group crossed the bridge over the dry moat, we waited in the central plaza.
[Oh! It’s the Hawk! I’m glad you came!]
[Hey, immortal clown. I’ll be in your care.]
The man who must be the lord of the castle welcomed Rudolph and they hugged each other.
“Hawk” was Rudolph’s nickname.
This guy’s name is Piero de Dolerum.
The lord of Dolerum castle and a veteran warrior.
A muscular man in his mid-thirties with curly hair and blond hair…a bushy beard that made him resemble a bear.
[Looks like your son has grown up too!]
Dolerum and Robel greeted each other, but only the voice of the former could be heard due to how loud it was.
As the second son, I don’t need to give my greetings at times like this, so I’m having it easy.
Dolerum instructed his retainers to take care of the horses and invited us to the castle.
In the hall of the wooden mansion, there was a hearth in the center, and benches were arranged on the left and right.
The floor was covered with hay, and there was a dog lying in the corner.
[Lord Earl, it is an honor to have you here.]
[Thank you. I will be intruding for the night.]
Rudolph greeted the woman who seemed to be Dolerum’s wife and sat down on the bench.
The order of sitting seems to be fixed, so I sat down next to my mother.
Once Dolerum and Rudolph’s squires took their seats, the banquet began.
No matter how big the hall is, it felt cramped with this many people.
Dolerum drank the wine and laughed, citing that “it doesn’t taste good”.
It seems that wine that has aged over the winter has a strange stickiness and a foul odor.
However, the squires drank without hesitation and were already excited.
They love meat and alcohol.
I’m a Japanese person who craves rice and fish… I want to drink miso soup.
As expected, Dolerum’s squires were also making a fuss in primitive man style, eating the soup with their hands while making strange noises.
…Hmmm…it’s boring…
I couldn’t drink, and I couldn’t even join in the conversation, so I started digging at the hay that was spread out on the floor.
Then poop came out, so I buried it again.
…let’s pretend I didn’t see it…
I thought I had gotten used to this world, but it seems I was still naive.
I just hope it’s not human feces.
Robel was having a blast with Dolerum’s children, but they all seem to be in their mid-teens.
It’s an atmosphere that makes an 8-year-old like me hesitate to enter.
Good grief, I might fall asleep now… I could only hope there’s no poop under where I lay down.
I decided to curl up in the corner of the noisy room and sleep.
Rudolph and Rushieno will have the guest room, but the others will be sleeping in the hall.
The 8-year-old body seemed to have endured the carriage trip more than the fatigue I felt, as my consciousness immediately drifted off.
[Oh my, Varian is already asleep… he must be tired.]
[Umu. look at his cute sleeping face.]
Before I knew it, I was carried to the bedroom and fell asleep in the shape of a river between my parents.
The journey was long.
Lioncoeur is at the east end of the area after all.
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