“Ahhh, this is going to be a real hassle, isn’t it?”
After my meeting with the prime minister, my true colors showed, and I ended up getting steamrolled into going to the royal capital after all. It’s been about a week since that meeting, and we’re in the middle of getting ready.
What? You’re asking why we have to move? Well, duh! It’s exhausting keeping that ‘Chieftain Mode’ up all the time, y’know? It radiates magic in every direction, so it’s a real mental drain…
That old man—the prime minister, right? He seemed a little thrown by the sudden switch at first, but I guess he must’ve thought, ‘This is my chance!’ because he totally sweet-talked me into it… I managed to make it clear that ‘I ain’t takin’ responsibility for whatever happens, got it? You got it? It’s all on you, m’kay?’, but we ostriches still have to go to the royal capital.
I mean, personally, I’d love to see the royal capital—the capital of this Heed Kingdom, y’know? A capital’s a place where a country’s true colors are on full display, right? Granted, this is another world, so some things are bound to be different, but it’s gotta be more developed than this town of Plaque, at least. That’s why I’ve got a huge urge to go look around.
But, still…
My flock of lovable idiots who run wild in a small town like Plaque, right? What happens when they go to a place like the royal capital, which is teeming with people? It’s gonna be nothin’ but trouble, that’s what… It’ll definitely be a rare experience for them, I’m sure, but I’m just as sure I’m gonna die from overwork.
“…You already look like you’re on death’s door, but are you okay?”
“Oh, Amelia-san~”
“Whoa, Reis!?”
I dive into the midsection of Amelia-san, who’d just spoken to me. She’s always looking out for us one way or another, and she’s even coming with us on this trip to the royal capital. She’s so reliable, she’s like the flock’s grandma. Well, I’d probably get an earful if I said that to her face, so I won’t, ’kay? It’s smarter to keep your mouth shut when it comes to a woman’s age.
No, really, thank you so much. I’m already bummed out about this, but having you with us will definitely make it more bearable…! And whoa, Amelia-san smells like gentle woods. I get why Dere’s so attached to her. Can I just stay here and bury my face like this forever?
“I don’t mind… Ah, on second thought, please don’t. Your children look like they’re about to dive in, too.”
“Ah, sorry.”
Some of the kids like to copy me sometimes… I can hold back, but those simpletons are liable to forget what they’re doing midway and just charge at full speed. Dere is fond of Amelia-san, so I doubt anything weird would happen, but accidents happen, y’know. Risk management is key.
“If that happens, I’ll actually die, you know? Magic is convenient, but it has its limits. For real.”
“I said I’m sorry… Anyway, Amelia-san, are your preparations done?”
“Yes, I’m an adventurer, after all. I finished a long time ago. As for your flock… do you even have anything to prepare?”
“Nope. Not a thing. We just need to bring ourselves.”
Just as I told her, we ostriches don’t need any preparations. To be precise, it’s more accurate to say we can’t prepare for a journey at all. Our meals are basically whatever we find locally, and we’re fine sleeping on the ground. If we really wanted to, we could have left right away, but…
The royal capital also needs time to prepare for our arrival, and we’ve sort of become guests of the kingdom now. So we need a proper escort and all that. I mean, if we ran into an enemy we couldn’t handle, the surrounding area would probably turn into an uninhabitable highland or something… but at the very least, we need someone who knows the way.
Which is why not only Amelia-san but Matilde, too, and her soldiers are coming with us to the capital. I think… there were about two hundred of them, right?
There’s a chance the monsters along the way won’t be enough to feed everyone. And if we run out of food, in the worst-case scenario, they might end up raiding a nearby village or town. The prime minister, who already returned to the capital to report, must have feared as much, so two hundred soldiers from Plaque’s defense force are coming along to transport food and keep any idiots from messing with the ostriches. Together with the ostriches, we’ll be a group of about five hundred heading to the capital.
But, well, an entourage that large requires a fair amount of preparation, so we ostriches are just kicking back and waiting for them to finish.
“I’d have liked to help out if we could’ve, though.”
“…Are you serious? That’s impossible, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Forget them; even I can’t.”
In terms of mental age and body size, having them do that sort of thing would be a bit of a problem, and their memories are so short they couldn’t possibly help anyway. Besides, the preparations right now are for our food and the soldiers’ food, so there’s even less reason for us to help.
If there’s something edible in front of them, they’ll definitely eat it unless they’re full. And even if they are, they’ll just try to carry it off to their flockmates, so it’s a lost cause no matter how you slice it.
“So, yeah, we have no choice but to wait patiently, right? We’d just be making more work for them otherwise.”
Still, I wonder what the royal capital will be like. The queen, was it? It seems I’ll get a chance to speak with her, and if things go well, I might even get to see the inside of the royal castle, not just the capital. It all depends on how my flock behaves, but I hope I can enjoy myself a little.
