Afterstories Chapter 1 Invitation to the Country of Kyou
On a particular day, Mio visited Irene in her mansion, which is a pretty rare occurrence as it is a bit of a distance away. After all, there’s also a lot of immigration formalities to go through.
Of course, Kyou people, who are essential business partners, can get into this country far easier than the others. Still, it’s a bit of a hassle.
“So, what’s the issue we have today?”
I asked Mio, who is now sitting on the sofa in the reception room.
Next to me are Irene and Edith, all of us facing her.
“I have some business to attend to, and just thought of stopping by.”
Meeting our gaze, Mio spoke leisurely. Then she continued.
“If I remember, boy, you took an interest in our country a while back, am I right? So, I thought that if he wants to come, now would be the best way to do it.”
She looked at the three of us again as she said this.
“You guys want to come to our country?”
“The Country of Kyou, is it?”
At Mio’s invitation, I leaned forward a bit.
Looking at her outfit and the accessories she showed me, I realized that Kyou is a country with a Japanese style culture.
Having lived initially in Japan, I was naturally curious about it.
However, I can’t decide on this by myself. I moved my eyes to the two people sitting next to me in turn.
Edith will probably go along with Irene’s wishes.
When I thought of that, Irene opened her mouth.
“Thank you for the invitation. But is it okay for us to go all of a sudden?”
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“No problem. I mean, who cares? Its just another tourist visit. Still, we’ll be ready to provide you with a boat and lodging necessities. All you guys need to do is get ready for the trip.”
“Wow, isn’t that great? A free trip!”
Edith murmured next to me.
I look at her, and she explains to me.
“Kyou is an important country for us, and because of that, it’s so easy to come here from the other side.”
I had heard that before, too. People from the capital Kyou, even ordinary merchants, would be treated as state guests here.
“It’s not impossible for you to go to Kyou from here as well. But if it’s an invitation from Mio, it’s a different story.”
Mio is the daughter of an important figure in Kyou. Irene was originally a nobleman, and Edith is the daughter of a queen, but Mio is quite the big shot in their eyes.
Though I’m completely used to it, I feel like I’m in a pretty amazing place when thinking about it this way.
“So Tomo is interested in it…… very well, we will be in your care.”
At Irene’s words, Mio nodded vigorously.
“Alright, it’s really decided. You guys get ready to go.”
She said happily and gave instructions to her attendant.
Mio herself is going with us to Kyou, but she still has to inform the other party about it ahead of time.
“Then, let’s get our preparations ready as well.”
“Affirmative, Lady Irene.”
Edith nodded at Irene’s suggestion.
Suddenly, we got ourselves busy for our next journey.
We also met up with Clarice, the martial artist who lives in the same house, and after finishing our preparations, we returned to Mio’s side.
Meanwhile, Irene and Edith are still working on their preparations.
“Well, it can’t be helped that the noblewomen take longer to prepare than us, right?”
“Yeah, you’re right! …… yeah?”
Clarice, who nodded vigorously, tilted her head. She seemed to detect my doubts about her own preparation speed.
She was even faster than me in getting ready. Or rather, she has almost no baggage in hand.
Perhaps noticing my gaze, she declared cheerfully.
“I’m used to traveling! I don’t carry a lot of stuff, you know.”
“I see.”
Indeed, she was lightly dressed when we first met.
It’s a good fit with the image of a traveling martial artist.
I’m looking forward to seeing……what kind of formidable opponents we’ll be able to meet.”
“No, it’s not that kind of trip……”
“With regards to strength, I think they don’t focus much on that aspect. Well, of course, we don’t neglect our military, but Kyou prospered with trade as its center, so don’t expect much, girl.”
“Is that so……”
Clarice, who had been thinking about a strong enemy she hadn’t seen yet, looked like a drenched cat upon Mio’s advice.
Just at that moment, Irene and Edith also returned after finishing their preparations.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Tomo.”
Their luggage is bigger than mine. After all, they must have a lot of things they need in the journey and whatnot.
I was a little surprised at the amount, but Mio didn’t seem to have any doubts about it, and we talked naturally.
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“Well then, let’s go.”
Our luggage is carried into the carriage by Mio’s attendants.
Following that, we also stepped inside.
The carriage that Mio has been riding in is a luxurious one, so there’s plenty of room despite the many people and luggage.
Me, Irene, Edith, Clarice, and Mio, who had all been invited, are now heading to the country of Kyou.
The carriage with us in it starts to move.
“To get to Kyou, we must first go to the harbor and get on a ship.”
Mio explains to me, who’s rarely been anywhere but Blossom and Central.
“A ship, is it.”
“You’ve never been on a ship before, have you, Tomo?”
I nodded at Irene’s question.
Even in Japan, where I was from, I’d been on an airplane before, but never on a ship.
As I searched for my memories, Edith made a deliberately serious face and said,
“Well then, master, you’d better brace yourself.”
“W-what do you mean by that……?”
Edith’s threatening words easily upset me. She, who took notice of my reaction, continued in an even more theatrical manner.
“I’ve heard that ships can be very nauseating for some people.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that one as well.”
But I’ve never gotten motion sickness, so I think I’ll be fine.
In fact, even this carriage is shaking a lot more than what I expect of a ship, and I’m pretty used to it.
“Ara? That’s a lot of composure you got there, master.”
“Yeah. I’ve never had motion sickness or anything like that.”
To my bland response, Edith gave me an unabashed look of disappointment.
“I see. But if you ever get seasick, please come to me.”
“Do you have any countermeasures?”
I asked, and Edith smiled at me.
“Of course. I’ve heard it’s good to eat something spicy to cure seasickness. We have plenty of food here for you to eat. I’m going to give you an ahhhh in your mouth, master. Ohohohohohoho.”
“Y-Yeah, I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen……”
With Edith, who seemed to be enjoying herself in spite of the fact that she should be worried about my state, I made a firm vow not to get seasick.
“Are you sure? At my place, they say it’s better to chew grass.”
All of a sudden, Mio butts in.
As expected from the center trading hub, they have a much more moderate method……
“Is that so? But I think chewing grass is harder than chewing spicy food, master.”
“I’m not so sure about that……”
I’m more worried about Edith than I am about seasickness. I feel like she’s daring to choose a strict method, but it’s even more troubling that all of it is basically well-intentioned.
“Is Clarice used to sailing?”
Irene asks.
“Yes! I’m used to swimming across!”
“Swim across ……?”
Swimming as a means of transportation, not play, doesn’t seem to be familiar to Irene. No, I’m not familiar with it either.
“You’re a hard worker, aren’t you. How many rivers can you swim across?”
At Mio’s question, Clarice thought about it and,
“As long as you can see the other side, you’ll be fine!”
She replied cheerfully.
It sounds easy, but the feeling here is different from what we know in modern Japan. In the case of a big river, it can be many kilometers long. We can’t swim that far.
When Mio heard the answer, he also rolled her eyes.
As the conversation was going on, the sea was approaching.
When we arrived at the harbor, the carriage carefully slowed to a stop.
Finally, I would board a ship for the first time in my life.
