"How long will we be spending, Hero?"
Sarah and Byron were in my tent, trying to put the finishing touches of our trip together.
As they were the only ones who would be accompanying me, it was imperative that we met privately.
Byron was the one who made the earlier statement—since Sarah was already used to calling me by my name at this point.
"It's so we prepare all we need for the journey." The Village Chief added quickly, bowing deeper.
"There is no need for that. I understand." I told him, waving my hand in dismissal.
A sigh escaped my lips as I stared at the two individuals and their reverent expressions. Sure, it was nice and all that they adored me, but there was something called 'overdoing it.'
'To be honest, I want to return here as soon as possible. After all, there are no proper storage facilities here.'
I could utilize technology from my world to solve the problem, but it was simply cheaper and more efficient to use Runes.
'That means I have to retrieve what I need and return before it's too late…'
According to the report I got from Byron and Sarah concerning the ingredients I needed, we would need to explore a 'Labyrinth' to obtain them.
It wasn't like they weren't sold, but the financial condition of our settlement was quite awry.
'I could resort to selling some of the foodstuffs we're producing, but a majority of them will be consumed here.'
Perhaps after this round, we could expand our farmlands and begin trading with other places. But, for now, I couldn't rely on selling stuff.
'At least, not stuff that is here…' My face morphed into a sly smile.
Still, selling was only a secondary alternative. The best course of action—as well as the cheapest—was to actually retrieve the materials ourselves.
Based on Byron's words—since the Novel didn't go into that much detail on it—Mana Chalk could be found in many Labyrinths. The quality varied, depending on difficulty, but it was still doable.
As for Mercury, it could be obtained by a similar means.
That meant it was possible to obtain both ingredients without the need to resort to trade.
'We'll do that, for now. At least, it's not complicated. Once I've fully settled here, we can start the whole trading business.'
I intended to fortify my stronghold as much as possible. To do that, it was inevitable that we would eventually draw attention to ourselves, but we would cross that bridge, when we get to it.
'I'll just have to keep a low profile, get what I want there, and quickly return here!' Yep, that was the plan.
"How long does it take to reach our destination?" I asked Byron.
"Since it's just the three of us, it shouldn't take more than three days."
"… The fuc—?" I nearly spoke, but my shocked sound was stifled almost as soon as it came out.
Byron's answer made me shiver slightly.
It would take a total of three days before we even arrived at the city? At that point, the harvest would have started already!
Bloody hell!
If I factored in our adventures in the city and estimated return journey, the whole thing would at least take a week.
There was no way I planned on spending that long.
"Why is it so long? Is the distance that far?" I spoke with a deflated voice.
"W-well, there's that. But, asides that… there's the issue of transportation. We have to walk on foot. So, that makes the journey quite arduous."
That was yet another bombshell.
'What the fuck? You mean… I'll have to walk for three days? Hell no!'
I had gone through so much injustice in this world, but there was no way they could make me do something so… so absolutely unreasonable.
'I'm just a regular person! I can't do something like that!'
Sure, my Hero buff would grant me good stamina and Auto recovery, but come on… I couldn't endure such hell!
"I-is there no other way…?" I smiled slightly, not wanting to reveal my true emotions.
However—
"No." Both individuals voiced out.
—it turned out despair was all that awaited me.
Space Magic was something that humans couldn't even dream of achieving, so teleportation was out of the question.
Some privileged people could fly with Magic, or used Magic Beasts for transportation. Unfortunately, none of us here had such luxuries.
'I could have come up with something to that effect, but…'
I had no ingredient to use for my Runes. Ultimately, we were stuck.
"Prepare minimal luggage. Simply take what you need for the trip. I'll handle the rest."
That was my answer to them—a small croak I could give so they could leave me all alone in my tent.
As soon as the two departed, I tightly clutched my head in worry and gritted my teeth.
'Oh shit! Oh shit! What should I do?!'
***********************
The moment of truth arrived the next day, and every member of the village saw our group off to the gate.
It was dawn, early in the morning, yet everyone's mood was alit with passion.
We were already outside the settlement, and both my comrades were with a single sack each—packing light—as they were told.
Everyone's eyes bid me farewell, waiting for us to start our journey by vanishing into the horizon.
However…
'Ain't no way I'm going to walk to a city!'
… Things weren't going to go according to how they imagined it.
That was because I had my own plans.
"The time has come…" I spoke with a deep voice of authority, stretching my hand toward the empty vast space before me.
Everyone's eyes focused on the Hero standing before them, and they held their breaths the moment I began to speak.
'Alright fellas! Feast your eyes on thiiiisssssss!!!'
Instantly, a brilliant light burst forth, and an object emerged from thin air.
It was a phenomenal sight, something considered impossible—at least for everyone who watched, but me.
A humongous machine appeared, having a rather peculiar shape and size.
It had four wheels, and space within that contained chairs and a wheel-shaped structure.
I smiled as I watched the stationary black object manifest for all eyes to see.
Yes, it was none other than—
"Legendary Black Beast… I have summoned you for one purpose alone." My voice permeated the excited air as I walked in the direction of the vehicle, holding the 'Control Key' that made it beep as I pressed the 'Unlock Button.'
>PEEP! PEEP!<
The beeping sound caused everyone to step back in fright as well as marvel, but I remained unfazed by the response it gave.
Instead, I placed my hand on its smooth black surface, smiling at it intently.
"Good girl…"
Then, my face turned to the ignorant primitives who gawked at me in both reverence and utter confusion.
What I just summoned was beyond their understanding, so they could only bow in respect.
"We shall ride this ca—I mean, Legendary Black Beast, to our destination."
Sarah and Byron were awestruck as they watched me open the car door.
"Hop in."