The Strongest Wizard Becomes a Countryside Guardsman After Taking an Arrow to the Knee

Chapter 196 – Visitors

They were on the other side, but a bit upstream from where we were.

They seemed to notice us, and walked downstream in our direction.

『Humans.』

「Yeah, who are they?」

Timi got up from drinking and put Shiggy in my pouch.

She made sure that no one would see her.

「Strange to see humans this far out.」

『Strange...』

There was no road here. We were in the process of making one.

No human would normally pass through here.

「It might be the bureaucrat and technicians that Cruz called out here.」

『Seems a bit fast for that.』

I looked over at the group. There were about 10 of them.

As we looked at each other, Timi said,

「Well, with the way their dressed, they seem like the group Cruz called, right?」

「But...the guy in the front looks like that guy that tried to marry Yureena.」

「The son of Cruz’s official assistant?」

「Yeah.」

I had only met the fellow once.

I don’t know if her remembered me, but we were going to see.

Anyway, he was a young man that looked like he was raised in a rich family.

However, today I got a bad feeling about seeing him out here.

The party had now walked to the direct opposite side of the river.

An older man next to the kid yelled out at us in a loud voice,

「DO YOU ALL LIVE AROUND HERE?!」

The river was wide and quite loud. It was hard to hear.

But I had increased my hearing and speaking with magic, so I answered loudly,

「I GUESS YOU COULD SAY THAT!」

Not the truth, but not really a lie either.

It was a statement you couldn’t refute.

「ARE YOU RELATED TO THE DEATH TEMPLE NEAR HERE?!」

「I GUESS YOU COULD SAY THAT TOO!」

That was true, we were definitely related.

And we were also friends with Chelnobok.

「WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!」

「WE MADE A ROAD, AND NOW WE’RE TRYING TO REST!」

Just then, I could hear the bureaucrats kid say to the rest, quite strangely,

「They’re loafing around. You have to watch those types, because they loaf around if you give them a chance.」

The kid said it like he was speaking to himself, but he had said it loudly.

Almost as if he wanted me to hear it.

「Ak?」

Timi said back to the kid.

She was an ancient dragon, so she could hear far better than humans could.

She also would be a fierce terror of a tempest if you pissed her off.

I really hoped this kid didn’t piss her off any more.

「Hey, Timi, he didn’t mean anything...」

I was saying that, and then I noticed.

Maybe he really did mean something by it?

There’s no reason for a kid like that to mouth off if he doesn’t know what work we did.

「Anyway, just calm down, okay?」

I couldn’t explain the kid off, so I just tried to calm her.

Femm’s tail stood straight up.

『Maybe we should scare them a little.』

「Hey, Femm, don’t...okay?」

『You want me to howl at them?』

「Don’t!」

They were quite far. However, this heavenly wolf’s howl is VERY strong.

Probably all of them would be knocked unconscious.

It’s true the older fellow just pretended like the kid didn’t say anything.

The river was wide and loud, so he probably thought we didn’t hear.

He just continued the conversation with a smile.

「WE NEED TO GET ACROSS. DO YOU HAVE A BOAT?!」

「NO, WE DON’T!」

「Tch, damn those fools.」

The kid clicked his tongue at us.

I had a much better impression of him in the capital, and that was collapsing quickly.

I bet Yureena knew this guy inside and out.

「Akkggah?!」

「rgyaah?!」

I could hear the hostility in Timi’s voice.

There was something about this strange sound that came from both Timi and Shiggy...hostility.

It was the first time I heard it.

Shiggy was really angry too.

「I’m guessing this guy doesn’t really want to be Yureena’s husband at all.」

Now I was really feeling depressed about this guy.

I didn’t want to play her lover, but now I had no choice.

「DO YOU KNOW HOW DEEP THE RIVER IS?」

The old man ignored the kid’s rudeness again.

At least he was doing his job well.

「Timi, you know how deep this is?」

「It hasn’t rained lately, so the deepest place is about up to your chest, Alra.」

「Even though it’s wide, it’s not deep.」

After hearing her answer, I yelled out to the older guy,

「ABOUT UP TO HERE!」

And I pointed down from my chest.

Now the older guy turned around and started talking in a voice not loud enough for me to hear.

But thanks to the magic, it was quite clear to me.

「The flow is quite slow, and below the chest, so we can cross, possibly.」

「Are you telling me I have to get wet?!」

「Well, there’s no bridge!」

「You can at least pick a guy for me to ride on his shoulders!」

Oh lord, this kid.

The water would be cold since it’s autumn, and I know he doesn’t want to get in.

But this guy’s reaaaaally selfish.

The older guy picked a fellow for the kid to mount on his shoulders.

「Hey, I’ll do it if it’s an order, but if I lose my strength as we cross, I might fall over, you know?」

I definitely would in my position. The fellow was threatening the kid.

「Me too. Since I can’t swim, I’d like someone to let ME ride on their shoulders.」

「And I’m a bridge carpenter. Shoulder rides aren’t in my contract.」

All the other fellows were refusing.

Then all the other carpenters started joining in.

「I don’t want to get wet, so what if we just complete the bridge and THEN go over. If we just wait here, it should be done quite quickly, right?」

But building a bridge isn’t a quick task. It takes time. These guys were pretty pissed, too.

After hearing this, Timi said,

「These guys are funny, don’t you think?」

「Yeah, because they’ve had to put up with that kid.」

It was enough to make you quit a job you were given.

They were proud craftsmen after all.

No wonder they had probably turned on this kid after spending a journey with him.

After being denied his exalted shoulder ride, the kid then turned to the older man and the rest.

「Gentlemen, I happen to be the son of the ruler’s assistant.」

「Oh?」

He was expecting them to be impressed by his position.

Probably he was given the role after the assistant needed someone to make the village.

「You, over there! Give this man a ride over.」

「It’s cold...so, no.」

He refused so quickly that the older man was taken aback.

And even from the opposite side of the river, we could see the kid’s face turn red in rage.