Gather Divine Coins and Gacha! - Chapter 25

 Hello again from outside the 【Hideout】 after a long while.

Winter in March is almost over, and spring is just around the corner.

Right now, I—Sera—along with Seriana, Elena, and Alec, are rattling along in a carriage headed for the royal capital.

It seems that children of nobles ranked Baron or higher attend the Noble Academy in the capital for a year starting in January of the year they turn fifteen.

Though education itself can be handled well enough in their territory schools or through private tutors, this is more about meeting peers across the country, forming connections, getting involved in factions and such, and learning shared knowledge and etiquette.

Also, experiencing life in the capital is apparently important for nobles.

Even as nobles, it seems most rarely leave their own territories.

It’s probably similar to the idea of visiting Tokyo at least once in your life.

The academy also accepts international exchange students, so interacting with them is another key purpose.

Apparently, this is where future diplomatic channels are established.

Being a noble seems like a lot of trouble.

Now then, let’s talk about the Zelkis Territory, located at the eastern edge of the Mesaria Kingdom.

Normally, students from this territory depart in February, but we're using a bit of brute force: we're loading our luggage into the 【Hideout】 from inside the carriage to reduce the cargo and consolidate into one vehicle to speed up the trip.

A journey that would normally take close to two months is expected to be completed in under one.

At the end of January, I was suddenly handed a rabbit and told to experiment whether someone other than me could enter the 【Hideout】—I was honestly freaked out.

The result: it worked.

You can't exactly make a direct comparison, but in this pre-industrial world, showing someone my room would raise a lot of questions. Still, since passive skills seem to somewhat reveal their details, I managed to get away with claiming that 【Hideout】 was a passive skill.

Now, everyone’s completely used to lounging around in the living room.

At first, I wondered if we’d be okay without hiring any guards for the journey, but apparently, at this time of year, all territories are focused on maintaining security. Combined with Seriana’s skill, we seem to be fine even with a small group.

Her skill is called 【Area Identification】.

It covers a fairly wide range and can distinguish living creatures of a certain size as enemies, allies, or others.

She even detected me within the 【Hideout】 using this skill.

Come to think of it, maybe the Müller family accepted me so readily because Seriana had already confirmed I wasn’t an enemy. That’s no small thing.

Even from inside the 【Hideout】, her skill works, so although it’s usually standard to not leave town before nightfall, we’re able to aim for towns one or two stops farther ahead since we can check for enemies.

That means we’re making good progress in terms of distance.

◇

“Sera, you help clean up too.”

“Okay!”

One afternoon, with only a few days left until we reach the royal capital, we’re cleaning up after lunch inside the now-familiar 【Hideout】.

Of course, Elena can handle housework, but even Seriana surprisingly seems quite capable. They’ve both grown accustomed to the modern-style kitchen, and since they rarely get to use the skills they’ve picked up, they’ve pretty much taken charge of meals and chores.

“All done eating?”

“Yeah. Let them know it was delicious.”

“Will do~”

I step out of the 【Hideout】 and head over to the driver’s seat where Alec is.

He’s been handling the reins the entire way, only stopping occasionally to rest the horses.

The man’s got an iron butt.

I tried riding up front when we first set out, but a carriage is basically just wheels with a box on top.

It shakes. A lot.

I lasted about 20 minutes before giving up.

Hang in there for a few more days, buddy.

I collect the dishes and return to the 【Hideout】, handing them over to Seriana, who is washing up.

“He said it was delicious.”

“Oh, that’s good to hear. Just a few more days to go—we’ll have to keep pushing. Haven’t you been a bit bored, though?”

“Eh, not really.”

Alec is driving, and Elena takes naps in the 【Hideout】 during the day so she can guard Seriana at night.

Seriana’s been tearing through the piles of books she brought along, plus the ones I quietly borrowed from the church.

She seems to have taken a liking to the single-seat sofa in the living room and has made it her throne.

As for me—while my body may be that of an eight-year-old, I’ve got an adult mind.

So I’ve been reading a lot too, and occasionally stepping outside using the 【Floating Orb】, making the most of the time.

That said, I’ve been trying to activate 【Prayer】 for nearly a month now, and still haven’t felt even the faintest reaction.

Seriously, what is this skill…?