BL999DP

Chapter 14

Despite her efforts to focus, her vision remained blurry and unfamiliar. When she strained her eyes, her voice grumbled as she barely made out Reina.

"Uh, Your Grace! My apologies for the delay!"

It was the coachman, who had spotted Reina from a distance and hurried over, his breath coming in heavy pants as he reached her side.

"...What are those?"

His appearance was rather peculiar, with saddlebags on either side of the horse and a lengthy bundle attached to the back.

Roughly the size of a young child?

"Just a moment, could it be..."

Reina hoped he hadn't been tasked with any foolish missions as a minion of the Demon King.

She didn't want to jump to conclusions, but the shape of the bundle bore an eerie resemblance to a child lying within.

Moreover, based on her observations thus far, the coachman had a proclivity for getting overly enthusiastic and acting with an excess of zeal.

As Reina's brows knitted in suspicion, the coachman seemed to fall into contemplation.

The misunderstandings were deepening.

Black flames enveloped Reina's entire body.

"You insolent-"

"I-I apologize! Since I couldn't locate the farms you mentioned, I brought at least this..."

"Farms?"

All of a sudden?

In response to his baffling response, the flames appeared to deflate, as if inquiring when they had ever behaved in such a manner.

The coachman began to launch into a lengthy explanation.

"The village is even smaller than I initially thought, so there are no farms. Furthermore, there's only one season, which is winter, so the notion of having farms is impossible."

"....?"

What in the world was he talking about?

Reina once again furrowed her brows, prompting the coachman to recount the events in the village.

The villagers were even more apprehensive of him than he had initially anticipated, to the extent that they confronted him, encircling his hands and feet.

"But it's black, and it looks so ominous..."

"But it's actually beneficial, isn't it? It's a spell that helps maintain body temperature."

"But it's black...! That's a magic only the Demon King can use!"

"What does it matter? She hasn't used it against us. Plus, she's the lady, right? My own complexion is rather dark, so does that make me ominous too? Am I also a Demon King?"

"You're realizing this now? Honestly, you've always struck me as rather ominous."

"Is this really what you want to argue about now?"

As tensions escalated, the coachman intervened to quell their dispute.

"Enough! Do you truly find it ominous for her to cast a spell on a mere coachman to keep warm? Furthermore, my lady here recently vanquished the very monsters that appeared. She's truly remarkable!"

The effects of the golden hands he had received as payment were certainly impressive. Unlike his previous quivering demeanor in front of Reina, the coachman's articulation now appeared reasonably logical.