Two weeks after the attack, we were finally able to build roofs above the head of all the survivors. There were many things that still needed to be sorted out, but the Duke and his teams were working restlessly on the task.

A small team made up of five people was prepared for this task of enlightening the king. We were going to be accompanied by Garo and his squad. Normally, one would think that we need a bigger team since the princesses were going to travel with us. But here we were fighting quantity with quality.

Other than me, Markus, and the princesses, Jackie was chosen to travel with us. It was somewhat of a surprise, but he turned out to be a famous hero around those parts.

"Okay, guys, we are making them wait. Let's move out," I said.

Princesses were taking a long time to say their byes. Normally, the attention would be around me, but somehow today, it was centered around the princesses.

That was natural since there was a chance that the princesses would be asked to stay in the capital. If I were the king, I would never send my daughter to a dangerous place like this.

Although the main reason we were together was Miss Lilith. So, there was a very low chance of that happening.

"Nara, you are always in such a rush. They are still loading things in the wagon," Princess Anna replied.

"Alright, I haven't seen the maps, so I will head there early. Don't take too long."

I had already said my byes, so I turned around and walked towards the table where Markus, Garo, and Jackie were discussing the travel plan.

"Oh, Nara, you are perfectly on time. We just finished discussing all the minor details of our travel," Markus said when he saw me approach.

When I reached closer and took a look at the map they were working on, I was surprised at how detailed it was. But then I realized they had the resources that only nobles had access to.

They had already marked the places where we would be spending the night, and the time it would take to travel from one point to another point.

By their calculations, it would take us at least 12 days to reach the capital. That was a little far from my approximation, which was around ten days. However, since they paid attention to the details while making this, it would be logical to assume that this was more accurate.

"So, we won't be going through the Great southern desert?" I asked.

If we were to travel through the desert, it would take us a shorter amount of time. The journey would at least become one day shorter.

"No, there are poisonous reptiles in the region. And also, the horses won't be able to walk properly there," Garo replied.

"Makes sense."

Our journey was going to be through the Forest of the endless tree that extended up to the dragon valley. However, instead of going north towards the Dragon valley, we were planning to go west and cross it. After crossing the forest, we would come across a lake called the Wine lake.

Past the Wine Lake was the Great Southern desert, but instead of going through the desert, we would be traveling straight towards the seashore.

There was a district there called the Sonar District, which was governed by Viscountess Sara and her family. From there, we would be using a ship to travel towards the western coast. And after a day's ride from there, we would reach the capital.

It was a long and tiring journey, but we had equipped ourselves with sufficient resources to make it easier.

We were going to take one carriage and two wagons. Obviously, the carriage was for the princess, Markus, and I, while the wagon was for Jackie, Garo, and the knights under his command. The other wagon was for carrying the resources and weapons we would require during our travel.

The only problem I saw was the Serpent river that came before the Forest of the endless trees.

"Is there a bridge above this river around these parts?" I said while pointing at the map.

I was aware that there was a bridge at a day's distance from there. In our first journey through those parts, we crossed the river to reach the village that was past the forest — the village that Beelzebub destroyed.

"Yes, if I remember right, there should be one. Since monster rampage doesn't happen in those regions, it should be alright," Jackie replied.

"Garo, we are done with the preparations. When are we going to leave?" A guy dressed in metal armor —whose name if I remember right was Fizz— asked.

"Soon, tell everyone to be prepared. Also, we are accompanying the princesses here, so tell everyone to be on their best behavior."

"Okay."

His tone was casual and uninterested, as was his appearance. After hearing Garo's response, he turned around and walked towards the others.

"So, Nara, where are the princesses?" Markus asked.

"I think they will be here soon. They were taking a long time to be ready, so I decided to come here before them."

"Ah, okay, maybe we should send someone to bring them."

"Yeah, tha—"

"That won't be necessary; they are here," Jackie said while interrupting me.

I turned around, and there those two were.

Their attire today was a long formal dress, something befitting the princesses of a nation. Princess Anna's dress was blue with several purple flower patterns, while Princess Eliane's design was plain, but there was an attractive golden shine to her green outfit.

Naturally, the crowd gathered around as the two were about to leave. At this point, most of them were already familiar with the princesses, but seeing them in formal dress must have caught their attention.

One of the downsides of the formal dress was — it was hard to climb up to the carriage wearing it. So, naturally, as a gentleman, I assisted them one after another.

""Thank you, Nara.""

Both of them said at the same time, after the two sat inside the carriage. It was so perfectly synced that they themselves looked at each other in surprise.

The horses we were using were bigger than average, and naturally, they were equipped with magical harnesses. The magical harness could supply holy magic to keep them active and reduce their fatigue.

"Our carriage is going to be in the front. You guys and princesses will be at the middle, and supplies will be at the rear," Garo said.

Markus and I nodded as a response. Jackie and Garo then walked up to the wagon at the front while the two of us climbed inside our carriage.

Brown-haired magician, who, if I remember right, was called Mon, was driving our carriage. Fizz was driving the wagon with supplies, and a tall bald man was driving the wagon at the front. All three of them were members of Garo's squad.

Before leaving, I waved my hand toward the crowd. I easily noticed the girls among them, and it was a good thing that none of them were emotional or crying. It would have been hard to leave if they were.

Flare and Yoru were staying with them in case they needed help. I could summon them anywhere I wanted as long as there was mana, so leaving them here, for the time being, was a good idea.

And from there, our journey to the capital began.

__________________________

Volume 3 ends here. Please share, support, and comment.

Also, if you are interested, I am willing to do a parallel story on Zagan's Adventures After Death.

If you are, please let me know in the comments. Alternately, you can follow me on Twitter, which I just recently started, and check the first post there. It's a poll to know your opinion. Just search @BrPever and you will find me. Thank you :)

-BRP