Chapter 198: What Did I Receive?

What had transferred from that man? I checked.

『Lost Life Transmission Technique　Sword Technique 6　Spear Technique 1　Fighting Technique 4　Bow 4　Healthy Legs 4　Quick Legs 3　Fire 2　Light 1　Water 2　Stealth 6　Concealment 6　Appraisal 2　Detection 4　Purity 3　Deception 2　Sexual Technique 2　Mana Bag 4　Poison Vision 4　Berserker 2　Strength 2　Mental Magic Resistance 6　Calculation 3　Mental Magic 3　Cooking 2』

Hmm? What increased? I thought that if a skill was the same as or lower than one I already had, it wouldn’t change and would only display if it was new or higher. So what was it... looking carefully, what increased was... ah, Cooking 2... Cooking 2... What came from this guy lying at my feet was Cooking. My shoulders slumped at the sheer unexpectedness. No — Cooking isn’t bad. It’s very good! It’s just that what arrived was in a completely different direction from what I had been hoping for. From now on, martial skills will probably be hard to increase, won’t they? So that’s why skills from such an off-kilter direction arrive? Fighting someone from whom a martial skill would transfer would mean fighting someone much stronger than me, so I feel like I don’t need any more of those. More important than receiving skills is the three of us escaping safely.

Anyway, let’s advance. As long as we’re moving, they shouldn’t catch up so easily. The one who marked Lily doesn’t seem to possess fighting power. That’s why he guides the attackers to us and then runs away himself. No matter what, he shouldn’t follow us all the way across the border.

It was finally around the time night had broken, so we had dried meat taken out of the mana bag and walked while eating. Since it was dried meat, the Cooking skill had nothing to do with it...

I wanted to advance at a light jog, but considering Lily’s body I didn’t want to force her. I glanced at Lily’s face from time to time; she wore a composed expression, so it didn’t seem particularly hard for her at the moment. Perhaps after sleeping the effects had disappeared.

We advanced through the forest. Until now it felt as if we were progressing steadily without incident. I didn’t think we would get lost in the forest and go around in circles in the same place, as one often hears.

And at last we found the edge of the forest. Through the trees a grassland came into view. Just as we left the forest we encountered a party of three knights approaching from the left. Stevie had already noticed them coming. But because we could tell they were approaching with zero caution, we deliberately decided to meet them.

They were startled when they saw us coming out of the forest. A child in the lead with two women following. No matter how one looked at it we were suspicious characters. Even if we had come out of the forest, we shouldn’t look like woodcutters or hunters.

I knew they were knights because they wore the knight-order uniforms I was used to seeing at the Royal Palace. One was mounted; the other two appeared to be attendants. Because we were not mounted, from their perspective we looked like nothing more than commoners.

"Who are you people! Where have you come from and where are you going!"

At the knight’s challenge Lily stepped firmly forward and declared,

"This is Lord Robin Marie. He is the Eleventh Prince of the Marie Kingdom! Yesterday, while heading for the Mainz Kingdom, we were attacked by ruffians, fled from them, and entered the forest. After entering the forest we lost the road and arrived here. I take you for a member of the Marie Kingdom Knight Order. Would you be able to guide us to the border checkpoint with the Mainz Kingdom?"

When she stated this fluently, the mounted knight showed a look of delight, dismounted, and asked,

"Pardon me, but I would like to confirm your identity. Do you possess something that shows your status?"

He was not doubting, but wanted confirmation. I found the careful response favorable!

Thereupon I took the royal crest out of my mana bag. When the knight approached and tried to take it in his hand I pulled the crest back. After being pulled he seemed to realize he had done something improper and said,

"Thank you. I apologize for having you show the crest. It is without doubt the crest of the House of Marie. That means you are Prince Robin. We have been searching for you — at last we meet."

The knight and the attendants knelt and bowed their heads to me.

What I found a little strange here was — how did they know the royal crest? Even for me it was something given when I departed the capital, and it was the first time I had seen it. So could an ordinary knight (an insolent way of putting it) know the royal crest and distinguish its authenticity? Would working at a checkpoint make one able to tell? I didn’t know. When I asked Lily later she said, "It’s only Robby-sama who doesn’t know. Any knight knows it as a matter of course."

"Yesterday Prince Robin was scheduled to pass through the checkpoint, but even after nightfall he had not arrived, and we were worried. A notice from the margrave had arrived in advance informing us of Prince Robin’s expected arrival before noon yesterday. We waited and waited, but you did not come; in the evening the carriage that was supposed to bring Prince Robin arrived at the checkpoint. According to the people of the carriage, Prince Robin and the others had set out ahead on horseback, and we could only think something had happened along the way. The checkpoint personnel have been searching for Prince Robin’s whereabouts since morning, dividing the work among themselves. We are truly glad to have met you, Prince Robin."

The knight spoke with a face full of smiles.

Is that so — the carriage that was not carrying us arrived safely at the checkpoint. That meant the carriage side was not attacked. Did the enemies know we were not on it? Or was there someone watching me? Was there someone among the carriage attendants who leaked information about me? Had such arrangements been prepared even before we departed the capital? Once one starts doubting there is no end. Anyway, all that remained was for me to enter the checkpoint and gain entry into the Mainz Kingdom.

We concealed why we alone had gone ahead toward the checkpoint (hinting at the aftermath of a power struggle inside the Royal Palace) and spoke of the events from the attack onward. The knights were variously surprised and impressed. From the atmosphere of the knights, Maxim’s coup did not seem to have been communicated yet.

"From here on we will guide you. Please rest easy. This area is one we regularly patrol. We could guide you with our eyes closed, hahaha."

The knight said with a good-natured smile. I had no confirmation, but I felt this knight could be trusted. Lily and Stevie were finally showing smiles as well. I found it strange that a member of the knight order knew this area so well. I had thought the knight order was appointed in the capital and then sent out to the provinces. Transfers came with the job, and after staying a while one moved on, so I thought they would not know local matters very well.

When I asked about that, it turned out this knight was hereditary. The capital’s knight order was based on ability, but the provinces were hereditary. Even if they tried to dispatch knight-order members from the capital, no one wanted to go to the deep countryside, so at some point it had become hereditary. Therefore this man was of a knight-order family going back to his grandfather’s grandfather. A knight-order member who had never even been to the capital, huh.

"Then, Prince Robin, please mount the horse. I will follow on foot. I intend to send word ahead to the checkpoint that we have found you, so I will send an attendant ahead."

The knight said, explained to the attendant, and sent him ahead.

"How far is it from here to the checkpoint?"

At Lily’s question the knight answered,

"Approximately five miles, I would say."

Five miles is far. That it was that distant was my frank impression. I had thought it was closer, but we had entered the forest and strayed from the highway.