I Don't Want To Work! - Chapter 154

CHAPTER 154

“Ugh, I’m gonna die.”

…Betty, who had promised to look after me until we left, lay sprawled out in the carriage.

“Sorry, oh no, I’m so sorry, oh no! I… I offended you, oh no!”

“…Stop talking and just firmly shut your mouth, Betty.”

I felt like something ridiculous would come out if she kept talking.

I put a bag under Betty’s head so she could lie down comfortably.

“Uh, thank… thank you…”

After just four days of travel, Betty, whose cheeks had sunken, nodded her head with great effort.

Thunk.

Then her head turned.

…Is she dead?

Oh, she’s alive.

‘Well, this won’t do.’

Shh. I called out to Shu in my mind.

<Baaa!>

With a refreshing stream of water from his palm, Shu popped out.

“Shu, sorry, but could you cool Betty’s forehead a bit?”

<Baahh!>

Shu, who had been fluttering his ears as if to say leave it to him, landed on Betty’s forehead and vigorously fanned her with the fan I had brought just in case.

“…Huh…”

Betty came to a bit.

“What’s, what’s happening-.”

“Don’t open your eyes. You’ll get worse motion sickness.”

Like a zombie summoned by a necromancer, I lowered Betty’s flailing arms and covered her eyes with a firm handkerchief.

<Baaa!>

Seeing me, Shu flapped his legs over her forehead, mimicking my fanning.

Tap, tap.

As the two of us diligently fanned Betty, a knock sounded inside the carriage.

As expected, it was Lionel.

“Your Highness, the maid’s condition… doesn’t look good.”

“Uh-huh.”

I nodded while fanning, looking at Betty with a worried expression.

“I wasn’t worried about motion sickness even when I first used the teleportation magic circle.”

I furrowed my brow.

“Surely she’s not getting motion sickness from long-distance carriage rides.”

Betty hadn’t ridden in carriages for long until now.

The Empire had well-established teleportation magic circles. Even if you had to go a bit further, you could dramatically reduce carriage travel time by using magic circles to board.

An example was the Mage Tower.

But you couldn’t just use teleportation magic circles to go to the Temple of the Lord.

After using teleportation a few times, we had been riding carriages all the way.

“I’m… I’m gonna die…”

Betty is dead.

“Didn’t the medicine Your Highness brought have any effect?”

“Yeah, I gave it to her, but it didn’t work. It’s probably because I made it specifically for me, and motion sickness varies.”

I get motion sickness not from carriage rides, but from using teleportation magic circles. So, I brought medicine that minimizes the effects of mana.

Not the usual motion sickness medicine.

“I guess it won’t work, after all, Lionel.”

I turned my head to look at Lionel.

“Let’s take a break in the nearby village. It would be better if we could borrow a kitchen.”

“Are you going to make medicine?”

“Yeah. Betty’s going to die if we keep going like this.”

It was the same yesterday and today. She was throwing up just from drinking water. She might get dehydrated for real.

“Hmm.”

Lionel cleared his throat.

“There’s a village two hours away.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, but it deviates a bit from our original route. We planned to arrive at the village under the mountain by tonight.”

“Tonight…”

I glanced past Lionel’s shoulder.

It was still early morning, with the sun not even at its zenith yet.

If we stopped by another village now, our schedule would be delayed by a day.

‘We need to avoid hiking at night.’

That’s why I planned to arrive at the village under the mountain by evening so we could rest for a day and start early in the morning.

‘It’s about the schedule or Betty…’

Of course, it’s about Betty!

“Lionel!”

“Yes, I’ll turn the retinue around immediately.”

As if he knew exactly what I was thinking, Lionel nodded right away.

“Ugh, Your… Highness.”

Betty tried to sit up again, so I firmly pressed her forehead.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s just a little change in the schedule, you won’t die.”

“Huh, but…”

“And our schedule has us arriving about four days earlier than the Temple’s celebration.”

It was a long journey, so we planned to arrive early to rest and acclimate.

“So, don’t worry. It’s just a day late at most.”

Whether we arrive four days early or three days early, as long as we’re not late, isn’t that what matters?

“We came out early to deal with situations like this.”

Well, and… 

‘If it gets late and I’m desperate, I’ll tell Lionel to carry me and run.’

After all, I just need to arrive, right?

“So, don’t worry. Got it?”

Swallowing the last resort I couldn’t tell Betty about, I smiled brightly.

Finally seeming to relax at my confidence, Betty nodded her head.

“As you command, Your Highness!”

From the front, where Lionel was leading, another knight came running to report.

“It’ll take about two hours to reach the village Sir Lionel mentioned. However, it might take a bit longer depending on the road conditions.”

“Alright.”

I nodded and smiled warmly.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“It’s our duty.”

The knight, still smiling, hurried away.

The carriage changed direction and began to move, and true to Lionel and the knight’s words, after about two hours, we arrived at the village Lionel mentioned.

“It’s quite big?”

“Indeed it is.”

Lionel nodded beside me.

I had imagined a rural village since it was in the mountains.

But when we arrived, it was quite large and bustling, with sturdy fences marking the boundaries of the village and even paved roads. Many people were bustling about.

“Mountain villages usually aren’t this big.”

And this place even had a canal and streets.

“If you pass through this village and go a bit further, there’s a mountain with a shortcut to Melinder.”

“Ah, a trade route.”

Melinder was a neighboring country with which Pandelion had continuous trade. It was a place where both exports and imports flowed smoothly, so it made sense for the village to be developed and populous.

‘But still, Melinder…’

As Lionel went ahead to arrange lodging with a knight he had sent ahead, I blinked.

I couldn’t remember very well, but wasn’t that where that guy lived?

And didn’t he live in the border area? Should I drop by?

‘Hmm.’

Forget it.

I shook my head after a moment of contemplation.

As much as I missed an old friend, my schedule was tight and it had been too long. 

How long had it been? 

It had been long enough that even a conscience-stricken old monk would go to hell.

‘It’s still a miracle if he’s alive, a miracle.’

I laughed foolishly and went into the inn.

* * *

“How do you feel now?”

“I… I think I’m alive…”

Betty, lying on the bed, nodded with a much-improved complexion.

As soon as we arrived at the inn, I asked Lionel to get some herbs and immediately made medicine, giving it to Betty.

“I felt like I was going to die a moment ago, but now my stomach feels much better.”

Betty said, stroking her stomach lightly.

“It looks better too.”

I reached out and touched Betty’s forehead.

Good, no fever.

“Any strange noises or anything?”

Betty weakly shook her head. 

Although the medicine had relieved her stomach, it would take more time for her strength to return from the motion sickness.

“Betty, don’t get out of bed today and rest well, okay?”

“Yes.”

Betty pulled up the blanket and nodded her head.

“I’ll bring the medicine along with the meal later. Even if you don’t feel like getting up, make sure to eat. And take care of your meal, alright?”

“Yes…”

As the relief washed over her, Betty’s eyelids drooped halfway as if overcome by drowsiness.

Yeah, when you’re tired, just sleeping is the best.

“Sleep well, Betty.”

“Goodnight, Your… Highness…”

Hearing Betty’s barely audible farewell, I smiled softly and left her room.

“What about the maid?”

As soon as I stepped out, Lionel, who had been leaning against the railing waiting for me, immediately followed.

“She’s feeling much better after taking the medicine. It seems resting here was the right call.”

I untied my hair, which had been tied up for making the medicine.

“However, it’s still uncertain if she’ll recover her strength before we depart tomorrow.”

The medicine helped with the motion sickness, but stamina was another issue.

To muster the stamina needed for long-distance carriage travel, we’d have to rest for at least two days.

As I furrowed my brow and sighed, Lionel subtly leaned his shoulder against mine.

“It’ll work out.”

“Do you think so?”

“If anything, I can teleport only the maid using magic. No motion sickness with teleportation, they say.”

Lionel chuckled softly.

“Don’t worry, Master.”

His clear laughter and confidence seemed promising.

For a moment, I stared at Lionel in silence, then soon joined his laughter.

“Alright, shall we go have some food?”

I stretched.

“I’ll ask the innkeeper to prepare. Since everyone else has finished eating, it’ll just be you and me, Master.”

“What were you doing instead of eating?”

“I was waiting for you, Master.”

As we chatted and descended to the restaurant on the ground floor, we encountered a knight halfway down the stairs.

“I was just on my way to find you, Your Highness.”

“Me? What’s the matter?”

“Well…”

The knight hesitated for a moment.

“Your Highness, a person claiming to be Your Highness’ acquaintance has arrived at the inn.”

“My acquaintance?”

My acquaintance???

I’ve never left the palace in my life, what nonsense is this…

‘…or not!’

There was a catch! 

I quickly hurried down the stairs and swung open the door to find a guest waiting.

And there, I met…

“It’s been such a long time, hasn’t it?”

It was a miracle.