Ch#113
The coachman's brow furrowed.
He glanced back and forth between Tie and Raoul before opening his mouth.
"What's with the kid on top of the horse there......"
"If you cut in suddenly while driving, it gets caught on the black box and you go to jail! Jail! Bean rice!"
The coachman's face turned baffled.
He glanced at Tie and the members before subtly steering his carriage to the opposite side.
Even as he did, he grumbled and added.
"Ah, then you guys speed up and pull ahead! On this busy festival road, what, crawling along with the horse?"
A huge shock appeared on Tie's face.
"H-How can you say that about......"
The coachman's remark just now was an insult to a child's driving skills.
And compared to the other carriages, Tie hadn't even been going that slow!
Tie glared at the coachman with all her might.
"Tie was driving at constant speed. Mister, you were speeding!"
And speeding was really, really dangerous.
Whenever she went to the market and saw speeding cars, she remembered what Auntie 203 said.
'My my? Speed like that and you'll end up on the road to heaven, not the highway.'
In other words, rushing too much would send you to heaven early.
And that wasn't all.
'The hardware store uncle said it too.'
'Look, Tie. Guys who drive like this? Someday for sure! They'll cause a big accident, that's what.'
Drive weirdly and you'll cause an accident eventually.
Then you'd end up on YouTube or TV, utterly humiliated.
Tie let out a deep sigh.
Then she looked at the coachman with strangely pitying eyes.
"Mister, speeding isn't saving time!"
"What?"
"It's wasting life. Grown-ups said so."
The coachman flinched.
But Tie kept staring at him firmly.
"And going slow means your destination won't run away. If you're in such a hurry, you should've left earlier yesterday......"
The coachman let out a hollow laugh.
He shouted in disbelief, 'What, what kind of kid is this?!' before turning his carriage.
For some reason, noticeably slower than before.
Confirming the restored safe distance, Tie cleared her throat with an 'ahem' and puffed out her chest.
"Raoul oppa. Tie defeated the threatening driver."
"Yes, well done, Captain."
Tie waved her hand casually as if it were nothing.
Then she stared ahead again and widened her eyes.
"Eh? There are even more carriages than before?"
She'd only bickered briefly with the speeding cut-in guy.
But in the meantime, the bridge across the Isera River was completely jammed.
Even the bald coachman who'd threatened her earlier was stopped a ways ahead.
"Kiddo, come here."
Just then, Veil's voice came from the side.
Turning her head, Veil had already gotten down and was holding out both arms to her.
Tie quickly went into Veil's arms and got off the horse.
"Did an accident happen up ahead or something?"
Basto, who had gotten down with Veil, muttered.
Nordics inside the carriage also furrowed his brow.
"This is odd. I've never heard of the Boundary of the Old Gods being this congested."
It was while the members were staring at the endless line of carriages.
"We're screwed! Holy Knights up front have blocked the road!"
From diagonally ahead, a coachman wearing a bizarre fur hat yelled to the carriage beside him.
The neighboring coachman scowled.
"What?! Then how are we supposed to get in?!"
"I don't know! They say everything's controlled during the Lantern Festival! Things are chaos up ahead too!"
The members unwittingly tuned into their conversation.
"What, so we just wait here forever?"
"No idea, they say they're opening the square ahead, but all carriages already on the bridge have to park there!"
"Ha, seriously......"
The neighboring coachman eventually irritably dropped his reins.
Watching that, Basto cautiously approached.
"Excuse me, what's going on?"
The neighboring coachman got down from his horse.
He pulled a cigar from inside his collar and said.
"It's the Lantern Festival. Suddenly carriage traffic is banned."
He started to light it but saw Tie and put the cigar back in his pocket.
Then he frustratingly stared at the blocked road ahead.
"Seems more people gathered than expected. Makes sense since today is the second day of the festival."
As Tie made a puzzled face, Enzo got down from the luggage carriage behind and approached.
"The Lantern Festival is a three-day event in the Capital. They light lanterns to make wishes during harvest season. Didn't expect the dates to overlap like this......"
Tie looked across the bridge again.
No wonder. Even though it was late, the city lights were incredibly bright.
'It's because of the festival!'
Meanwhile, the neighboring coachman continued talking to Basto.
"They're making all carriages on the bridge now move to a nearby unused square. What a mess......"
"Then what about the luggage in the carriages?"
"Well, grab what you need urgently and walk in, what choice is there?"
"Pardon?"
As surprised Basto turned to the members, Nordics muttered awkwardly.
"We have a lot of luggage, including the magic beast cores......"
Nordics looked up.
"Excuse me, about that square where we have to park the carriages. Do you know how far it is on foot to Rosewbelga from there?"
The coachman's eyes widened.
No wonder—Rosewbelga was the street lined with nobles' townhouses.
But after a moment's thought, he answered.
"At least an hour or two on foot. The square's that empty lot across the bridge. Rosewbelga is much further in."
The members' gazes turned to where the coachman pointed.
There, dozens of carriages were already lining up in the lot.
The coachman muttered to himself again.
"How many people must have come for them to control the carriages......"
He climbed back onto his horse.
"Anyway, have a good trip."
As he left, Basto and Nordics, at a loss for words, exchanged glances.
"All right, move it!"
A loud voice came from ahead.
Soon, the blocked road began to clear little by little.
"For now, let's go, kiddo."
Veil hurriedly picked up Tie and boarded the carriage.
Raoul took the reins again and followed the Holy Knights' guidance.
How much time passed as they followed the long line?
Before long, they arrived at a rundown square with broken streetlamps and bumpy ground.
Tie, who had gotten down from the carriage, gulped.
'Way bigger than the mart parking lot......!'
And before her eyes, dozens—no, hundreds of carriages were parked at regular intervals.
"Carry this!"
"E-Excuse me, Your Excellency. Can we bring these carts in?"
"Is security tight?! If anyone scratches my carriage!"
The surroundings were filled with people wearing fierce expressions.
Basto sighed and said.
"First, let's pack what we're taking in."
The members began unloading luggage with tired faces.
But the problem didn't end there.
"Kiddo, come here. I'll carry you on my back."
"Hold on a moment, Veil."
At Nordics' words, Veil awkwardly paused midway through picking up Tie.
Nordics looked around and lowered his voice.
"Looks like information brokers are on us."
At that, Tie's eyes widened.
But it was true.
Looking around, she sensed bustling presences here and there.
"They figured us out from our appearance. That we're Agavert. Probably trying to dig up info on Astie."
Just then, Tie spotted someone hiding far off.
He startled when their eyes met and ducked behind a nearby carriage.
But Tie had already seen the suspicious figure.
'They're...... watching Tie?'
And the reason? To extract info on whether Tie was really super strong or not?
Veil looked at Tie awkwardly.
"Kiddo. How do you want to move? Still, just let me carry you......"
But Tie had already made up her mind.
The child shook her head with a resolute face.
"Tie will walk too."
She was Agavert's captain, after all.
Now that they'd arrived in the Capital with watchful eyes upon them.
She, called the Sovereign King, couldn't just be carried around like a baby by her members.
