Welcome to the Special-Grade Guild! ~ The Beloved Elf Poster Girl Soothes Everyone’s Hearts ~
Chapter 168

168. Flame of Determination

Ow, my butt hurts… I’m currently being jostled in a horse-drawn carriage! I just realized, this is my first time riding in a carriage, even including my past life. I mean, I was usually put in a basket or something…

But thanks to magic, I never got motion sick or sore. I really relied on magic (other people’s) for everything. I only thought I was training! As a member of Ortus, I have to hang in there!

“Ugh, but I feel sick…”

“Meg, are you okay? Just lie down.”

But the motion sickness was strong. Licht let me use his lap as a pillow, out of concern for me. So kind.

“At least put a cloak or something under you. I’m not wearing it right now…”

“Ah! That’s right!”

When he said “under you”, I remembered. I had various items, gifted to me by my overprotective guardians! The carriage has a canopy, and only Ravi-san and the others are here. It’s my chance. And so, I slowly took out a fluffy blanket from my storage bracelet.

“Ta-da! A super fluffy sheeper blanket!”

“………”

A sheeper is a sheep-like creature. Its wool is so soft and fluffy! When you roll it up, it becomes a sheep shape that you can use as a pillow. If you spread it out a bit, it’s a cushion, and if you spread it all the way, it’s a blanket. It even has a hood, so if you put it on, you transform into a sheep! The round eyes and the little ears and horns are the key points! It comes in four colors: white, pink, yellow, and light blue. Ah, just enough for everyone. Thanks to Kei-san, who bought me all of them when I couldn’t choose a color. A-Ahaha…

“You guys can use them too, if you want!”

“…Ah, I feel like I’ll lose if I say anything. I’ll gratefully borrow one.”

Ravi-san took the yellow sheep, looking a bit exasperated.

“…Thank you. I’ll use it.”

Ronny, looking a bit embarrassed, chose the light blue sheep! He spread it out a bit and sat on it. He seemed surprised by how fluffy it was.

“Your family… They’re way too overprotective, aren’t they?”

I know that all too well. Licht made a face but thanked me as he took the white sheep.

Yeah, yeah, it’s soothing to see all these cute sheep together! I’m still motion sick, so I put on the pink blanket, pulled up the hood, curled up, and then rolled onto Licht’s lap again. I’m still small, after all. When I put on the blanket, it completely envelops me, and it’s super comfortable. With the hood on, I feel even more wrapped up, and before I knew it, before I knew it… I was attacked by drowsiness…

“…Cute…”

“…So cute.”

“Yeah, cute.”

I’m glad everyone understands how cute the sheep are! I fell asleep, feeling safe. Sleeping too much? I don’t care!

Thanks to the blanket and Licht’s lap pillow, I was able to travel for about half a day without worrying about motion sickness. I wasn’t sleeping the whole time, you know? I was rolling around, chatting, and dozing off. …It was kind of lazy. W-Well, it’s better than getting sick!

Anyway, we finally arrived at a place to take a lunch break. Among the monotonous, paved road, we came to a slightly open area. Apparently, everyone who travels between villages takes a break here. There are a few large trees, providing shade, so it’s just right.

“Let’s have lunch, even though it’s a bit late. You must be hungry.”

At Jet-san’s words, my stomach growled, as if remembering. Stop it, it’s embarrassing! But everyone heard it and chuckled. Ugh…

“Alright, wait here while we get ready.”

“I’ll help too.”

Jet-san and Ravi-san started preparing lunch. I still have enough food in my storage for all of us to eat, but I can’t take it out in front of Jet-san.

But I can’t just sit around and wait, so I took out a mat from everyone’s luggage and spread it out. Licht used magic to produce enough water for everyone’s cups, making it look like he took it out from the luggage! I guess Licht’s magic is also a secret. I felt like his eyes were telling me not to say anything, so I nodded. Got it!

In the meantime, it seemed like lunch was ready. We each took a sandwich made with dried meat, said thanks, and then dug in. The taste was, well, edible. I see. Normally, you can’t carry freshly cooked food, and it would require a lot of tools to make, so this kind of thing is common. I realized this for the first time. And Jet-san only needs two days’ worth of lunch and some extra. He’s not going to bother cooking.

You might bring some cooking tools for a long journey, but you can’t bring ingredients unless you’re sure you can get them along the way, because they’ll go bad. Especially vegetables, it’s impossible. Nutrition is more important than taste. It’s something you’d understand if you think about it, and it’s probably common sense.

But I only just learned this common sense by experiencing it now. I knew it as knowledge, you know? But I think I can say I only truly learned it now that I’ve experienced it.

“What’s wrong? …Is it not to your liking?”

Licht asked me this in a low voice, probably worried that I was lost in thought. He asked because he knows I’m used to delicious food.

“Nuh-uh, but it’s a bit tough, so my jaw’s getting tired.”

I answered with a grin and bit into the sandwich again. The bread and meat are actually quite tough, so you have to use a lot of jaw strength. You have to chew well. Munch munch.

“…Huh. I thought you’d complain that you couldn’t eat this… You’re tougher than I thought.”

Licht said this and took a bite of his own sandwich. A big bite. I couldn’t help but stare.

Complain, huh? This isn’t really something to complain about. Ah, but a normal 5-year-old might. Humans have a lot of children, so Licht must have interacted with children before. That’s why he was surprised.

But unfortunately, my mental age is that of a middle-aged woman… When my emotions overflow, like when I’m happy or scared or lonely, I’m pulled by my physical age, but I don’t even feel sad or angry about something like this in the first place! So I’m just grateful, I won’t complain at all. …But I couldn’t finish it, so Licht ate the rest for me. My jaw~!

I might be able to learn a lot on this journey. When I was in the guild, I was surrounded by overprotective guardians, so they’d do things for me before I could do them myself. And I accepted that situation, thinking they were just being overprotective. In other words, I was spoiled.

Now that I’m away from everyone, it’s a chance to gain a lot of experiences. Of course, this situation isn’t a happy one, but it would be a waste to just let things happen.

I’ll do what I can, grow, and return with my head held high.

So I can report back with a smile, that I did it. Remember! When I was working like a horse! I lit the flame of determination in my heart. Let’s do this!