I want to ask you a malicious question.
Suppose you died trying to save someone and could never wake up again,
but now there's an opportunity before you to experience the world anew, at the cost of hurting another, or even more people,
In the dim boundary, there was a girl whose face could not be seen clearly, who knows who she was, showing a somewhat troubled and apologetic smile.
The Hero blinked and fell into deep thought.
She didn't know who the other person was, nor where she was, but she could feel that this question, and her answer, were very important to the other person.
So she thought seriously for a while and gave a serious answer.
[The Hero's answer——]
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
"——I will embrace death."
"But don't you want to live?"
"Of course, I do, but even if it's to save others, I wouldn't give up on myself so easily because I now know that it's not right.
"So if I truly died, it would definitely be because I struggled desperately but failed.
"Since that's the case, I can only accept it."
"Won't you feel unwilling?"
"Of course I'd feel unwilling, but to cling to life at the expense of others as you suggest, that seems like something only Goblins would do.
"Rather than become like that, I'd rather accept my own fate!"
Hero puffed out her chest, eliciting a light chuckle from the other person.
"...Indeed, rather be seen as a Goblin by you, might as well accept my own fate.
"It was a decision I should have made long ago, yet it took your reminder for me to make up my mind."
The hazy girl waved her hand at Hero, her tone gentle.
"Thank you, Hero, thanks to you, I can——"
The drowsy Hero suddenly woke up.
'It seems like I had a strange dream.'
And in front of her, the coachman was stirring the pot of stew.
"Miss, you are really lucky, after all, it's winter, and it's quite rare for such a smooth journey all the way."
Although plain, he seemed quite content.
Although the coachman was burly and quite capable in battle, he was not an Adventurer. If every job could be as comfortable as this one and with a sizeable income, that would naturally be nothing short of wonderful.
"If only the last stretch of the journey could be as stable as this."
Hero nodded in agreement.
The nearly familiar journey continued, and today was the thirteenth day since her departure.
[Critical Success, what happened?]
2. Seems like something's in the depths of the cave where we spent the night?♛
3. A Snow Demon passing by
4. A Snow Woman waving by the roadside
5. A wondrous sight: Silver Snow Blossoms
6. A Cruising bishop at the post house
7. Oh, it's a Goblin.
8. Arrival at the Border
9. The Hero acquires a Special Skill: Travel's Blessing (Luck +2 in a carriage)
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
Now, the Hero found herself in a cave.
The storm outside was much worse than the previous days, and there were no post houses nearby. However, the experienced coachman was very familiar with the locale and had reached the cave before the storm hit, using the carriage to block most of the cave entrance.
But this meant that the Hero couldn't rest in the carriage that night.
The coachman was initially worried that it might upset the Hero, but although she did fit the description of a young lady, she wasn't spoiled and naturally raised no objections.
After hastily collecting enough firewood, Hero even used the Fireball Technique to help the coachman light a bonfire.
Although currently Hero could not speak and chant spells, she was still able to use magic of this level. That could be said to be a Magician's advantage.
Mages can certainly achieve spellcasting without chanting as well, but that requires a lot of practice. Magicians, on the other hand, are generally born with this ability.
Then, while the coachman was preparing dinner, she accidentally dozed off.
"Frankly speaking, if I could have a passenger like Miss you, I wouldn't mind driving all year round without a break."
Having spent quite some time together, the coachman's demeanor had also become more familiar.
"However, you don't have to worry, storms like these won't last long. We can continue our journey tomorrow morning and still arrive at the Border City faster than scheduled."
'Hmm, it's all thanks to Mr. Coachman's skills, and of course, theirs.'
The dream was no longer clear, and the fully awake Hero smiled as she patted the heads of two Chocobos.
Receiving the Silent praise from Hero, the coachman also gave an embarrassed cough.
"However, we have now entered the Border's range, so we still can't let our guard down.
"Of course, it's not to say that getting closer to the Border becomes more dangerous, although indeed, stronger Magic Creatures do appear. But the closer we get to the Border, the closer we are to the Border Count's army, so as long as we stay on the road, it's actually safer."
He kept preparing a simple dinner while chatting one-sidedly with Hero.
The two Chocobos and the Gleaming Scale Serpent coiled nearby.
The coachman babbled on, and Hero occasionally nodded to show she was listening.
"So I'm only reminding you, in the next few days, we can just carry on as usual."