Transmigrated Into A Tragic Romance Fantasy-Chapter 80: Future Plans

The party headed towards Gelida, a small settlement between Lugan Village and the Grand Duchy.

The midday sun was climbing high already.

Yet, not a single person showed signs of fatigue, all thanks to the fine company of a donkey and wagon.

Of course,

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“Are we still far?”

“Hmm, it looks like we will get there by late evening.”

Their new pace was comparatively slower.

But that was inevitable.

While they could have taken a shortcut with the Mountain Range, the wagon’s limitations forced them to pick the longer route.

Also, this wagon was the largest one available in the Lugan village, so the party could enjoy the luxury of leisure travel in the flatlands.

“We should probably have lunch here and take a little rest before we proceed.”

Rendler pulled the wagon to a halt, as everyone began to perform their roles, just as they did for the past six months.

While Rendler set up the camp, Rachel patrolled the surroundings, and Elden collected firewood.

Crack-!

The firewood was then easily ignited by a spark of his magic.

Afterward, those who finished their tasks would fetch water from a nearby stream using buckets.

Amidst these routine motions, one person became a little lost.

Astonished by how fast the camp was built, as if these people were expert survivalists.

“Most times we camp, a meal is prepared. So you can start by preparing the cooking utensils, Your Grace, and once Elden brings some water, you can begin cooking!”

Ariel proficiently instructed Lumia in their routine, as the runaway Duchess nodded her head.

Naturally, to prevent any unforeseen incidents, Lumia kept her hood worn.

[Thank you. I believe I can take over from here.]

After assisting Lumia, Ariel walked towards Elden who was distributing the collected water into smaller buckets.

“Elden?”

“Hm?”

“I just wanted to ask you something...I’m almost done with my epilogue, so...”

“Oh. You made your mind on the ending, then?”

“Yes! Since the Duchess took over the cooking duties I was able to make a lot of progress, Tehehe~”

After Elden finished dividing the water, he settled onto a broad rock beside the campfire.

Ariel, holding her pen and papers, sat next to him.

“What...Oh, great writer...Might you be curious about?”

“Hmpf-! Don’t call me that! It sounds weird...”

“Ah, but who knows? Once you publish your book people might call you that.”

“......You’re joking.”

Though Ariel wasn’t after a blockbuster success by documenting Elden’s story, she harbored a hope that, if published, it would be widely read.

Money? Fame? Glory?

She wasn’t after those things.

Ariel merely hoped that her book would help people see the new Elden.

Not was a Wastrel or a Drunkard, but a noble monster hunter who aids the weak.

Over these past six months, Ariel witnessed his good deeds.

She was present when Elden helped all of those who sought his aid, and it was her wish that everyone in the Elpherion Kingdom knew of it.

She hoped everyone could see how magnificent and beautiful his deeds were.

A man who helped a single mother who suffered from the harassment of Loan sharks.

A man who freed a village from a band of thieves who exploited them.

And,

A man who hunted the mid-tier monster, [Cockatrice}, that terrozied an entire region by preying on man and animals alike. He even used its carcass to prepare a feast that fed the village for two wholedays after slayig it,

All of the events she witnessed during these past six months were recorded.

Showcasing Elden’s transformation into a nobleman, who didn’t care for his status as a noble, stepping forward to help everyone.

It was this exact spirit Ariel hoped would reach the noble houses.

Because of such hopes, Ariel started writing her book.

Aligned with Elden’s wish ‘to settle in a scenic location,’ she had even finished writing up to the conclusion of the story and only the epilogue remained.

Once her first draft was concluded, she would begin the revisions in earnest.

From the main story to the epilogue.

The end of such a long journey must always be a happy ending!

Thanks to this belief, the conclusion of Elden’s story became a happy ending where no one harbored any sadness, and a curious question arose to decorate this climax.

That’s why Ariel gingerly approached Elden so that she could ask for his opinions on a ‘perfect ending’, and hear a bit more of his future plans.

And...To see if his thoughts aligned with hers...

“Um...if, say, you happen to fall in love and get married...”

“Get married?”

“How many, uh, children would you like to have?”

“...Children?”

Startled by this sudden question, Elden couldn’t help but echo Ariel’s words, while the embarrassed author blushed and waved her hands frenetically.

“Ah! I...I was just asking for...Reference! Yes! Just because of that! A-And...It’s okay t-to not have any, ah..No! I mean...If a baby resembles you in the epilogue...maybe the readers would like? It would add a bit more emotion to the ending! S-So that’s why I asked...”

Ariel’s reasoning unfolded in a chaotic mix of a barely coherent mix of truth and excuses.

Indeed, this was the pitful way Ariel had found to understand the thoughts of a man she had grown close to.

“Really? Hm, children...”

Elden pondered while watching the flickering campfire.

It was a question he had never contemplated, neither in his past life nor in his current one.

His past life was simply too harsh to dream of the romance of marriage and the wonderful experience of raising kids, while in this current life, he was occupied chasing the romance of a Culinary Journey, so he never had time to consider such a scenario.

While he had no intention of remaining single for life, the idea of forming a family felt like a distant future event.

Living as a lower-class salary-man, and being Transmigrated into a Noble, there were now plenty of adventures he could chase beyond marriage.

Thus, for the first time in his life, Elden contemplated the matter of ‘having children’.

And soon he delivered Ariel his answer.

A conventional and idealistic answer.

“Maybe two children? One son and one daughter would be just perfect.”

And then,

“......”

Having returned to the camp after patrolling the vicinity, Rachel was startled as she accidentally overheard her Student’s plans for the future.

To Rachel, who didn’t particularly adore small beings called babies, nor understood those who found newborns cute, this was like a bolt from the blue.

Two children...?

Of course.

It was a worry too advanced for her as well, who, like Ariel, had never properly expressed her feelings even once.

***After a splendid meal, composed of Red Lounger meat prepared by Lumia, we headed straight for the settlement of Gelida.

It was late afternoon, and a hint of early twilight filtered through the trees along the forest path.

As we walked silently, Rachel approached me.

“My Student.”

“Yes, Teacher?”

“I wish to ask you something personal.”

“You too?”

“Hn.”

Lately, people have been asking me a lot of ‘Personal’ questions.

Well, Ariel did ask for her book, but still...

“Is it about my training?”

“It’s...Not entirely unrelated. In order to teach a student, it’s good to know their personal beliefs and goals.”

Though she had a point, Rachel had never delved into such grand topics as beliefs and goals in the six months of ongoing training.

Well,

Strengthening the bond between student and teacher is certainly a good thing, so I happily obliged her.

“That’s true. So, what do you wish to ask?”

But then.

A rather unexpected question came.

“What are your thoughts on commoners marrying nobles?”

“Hmm?”

What?

“Ah, well. I was just wondering if it could be relevant to training. You don’t have to answer if it’s difficult.”

No, wait a second there Teacher...How could this be relevant to my training?

Nevertheless, it wasn’t a hard question to answer.

From what I realized, most nobles typically engage in marriages arranged for and by their families.

I had occasionally heard stories of nobles distantly removed from inheritance issues who fell in love with commoners and were expelled from their families.

Even when said noble wasn’t part of the main line, and obligated to continue the lineage, marrying a commoner was considered a ‘stain’ on the family’s honor, which was grounds for exile.

Thus,

The love between commoners and nobles was considered a taboo topic, and a misstep could lead to cataclysmic risks, threatening to ruin everything.

But for someone like me, who was rather indifferent to such societal customs, love was merely a normal right that any man or woman could possess.

“......If they truly love each other, shouldn’t that be something to bless? No one gets to choose their status or birth.”

As I gave my answer, I saw Rachel smiling contently, utterly satisfied with my convictions.

“That’s commendable.”

“What is?”

“Your perspective.”

“But what does this have to do with training?”

That was a question thrown in utter confusion.

To which, Rachel returned yet another puzzling response.

“It does. Because of your answer, my zeal is burning even more brightly now.”

Ah?

Your...Zeal...is what now?

Sometimes Rachel would use our spars as a way to vent her frustrations.

So...for me...That smile she had...

Was giving me all sorts of chills...

Or could it be that this talk of commoners and nobles somehow involved... us?

Nah.

That would’ve been crazy.

Yeah.

Surely that’s impossible.

“What does that even...”

I aimed to ask what she meant, but at that moment, we were interrupted by bandits on our path through the forest.

It seemed straight out of a medieval fantasy — bandits demanding a toll.

“Kekekeke! It’s been a while since we’ve seen folks like you passing through here. Hey mate, look at those ladies! they look so hot!”

“You! This mountain belongs to the mighty Iron Pot Gang! If you want to pass safely, you’ll have to handle us all your money!”

“And the women too! Kekekek-!”

......Iron Pot Gang?

That is, without a doubt the lamest naming sense I have ever seen.