The Bride-Hunting Tale: I’ve Failed 20 Marriage Proposals Already. I Don’t Need Titles Like Dragon Slayer or Hero Who Saved the Nation—All I Want Is a Cute Wife!
From the imperial capital to Rest, the border town of the Earl of Lestarl ’s domain, it usually takes about twenty days by regular carriage.
But the Rigma we use in our territory instead of horses are sturdy and have excellent stamina. Also, the Duke’s household had prepared more than twice as many replacement mounts, so we were able to travel at a much faster pace.
Still, even if I returned early, I’d just be put to work harder than before. So I adjusted the schedule by taking more breaks and extending our stays in towns along the way, ensuring we arrived right on time.
The soldiers sent from Lestarl to escort us weren’t particularly eager to rush either, so I took the opportunity to relax and enjoy the journey at a leisurely pace.
Besides, since we needed to hunt for food for the Rigma along the way, this slower pace actually worked out quite well.
After passing through several domains, and having left the Viscount’s town that governed the land closest to Lestarl half a day ago, the trees began to grow denser.
In the distance, the mountain range that divided the continent east and west faintly emerged from the horizon. The road ahead stretched toward a dark, thick forest that loomed with an air of mystery.
“Huh, so that’s the forest they call the ‘Cursed Woods’? I’ve heard stories about it, but seriously, who would want to live near such a place?”
Ris murmured, her voice tinged with disbelief.
“It doesn’t look that dense from here. Sure, there are dangerous magical beasts, but that’s all.”
This place is my hometown, after all.
Ever since I was old enough to understand anything, I’ve seen forests and magical beasts every day, so it doesn’t strike me as strange or scary. But apparently, people from other regions find the forest pretty eerie.
In truth, though, it’s surprisingly rich in resources — teeming with game animals and natural blessings, not to mention valuable mineral deposits.
There are so many edible beasts that you couldn’t possibly hunt them all, even without raising livestock, and the hides and bones of magical beasts provide materials for weapons, tools, and medicine, serving as important sources of income.
It’s true that agriculture isn’t ideal here — crops don’t grow well and there are occasional beast attacks — but it’s far from being uninhabitable.
“At least the roads are maintained. Though I don’t see any merchants around.”
We had been traveling for a full day since leaving the last town.
The road up to the Viscount’s town had been reasonably wide, but beyond that point, it narrowed down to barely enough space for a single large cart to pass through.
Even so, the path was clearly maintained, and Lestarl soldiers regularly patrolled the area, hunting down large beasts and magical creatures to keep them from coming too close.
Thanks to that, it’s rare to encounter even dangerous beasts — let alone bandits. In fact, aside from long-time merchants, hardly anyone ever ventures this far.
So even though the road is narrow enough for only one wagon at a time, it hasn’t been a problem. Moreover, both sides of the road had been cleared of trees and undergrowth for about fifty leads (roughly 40 meters), making visibility good and the area bright. This was also done by the people of Lestarl during their patrols.
They did this intentionally — so that no sudden ambushes could come from nearby bushes, giving travelers enough time to react.
As a result, I haven’t heard of a merchant caravan being attacked in over ten years.
“The sun’s setting soon. Are we camping outside tonight?”
Ris asked as the scenery outside grew dimmer.
Up until now, she had seemed cheerful and carefree, but now, faced with the idea of camping in what was called the “Cursed Woods,” she looked slightly uneasy.
To reassure her, I opened the driver’s side window so she could see ahead.
“We still have another day’s ride until we reach Lestarl ’s town. But don’t worry — there’s a safe spot set up for overnight camping halfway.”
I pointed ahead, where a small fortress-like wall was becoming visible.
“…They even built something like that?”
“Sure, Lestarl soldiers can camp anywhere they like, but we need to make sure the precious merchants who visit our domain don’t end up in danger.”
As I mentioned earlier, grain is hard to come by in Lestarl , and vegetables are often scarce too. We also rely on merchants to bring textiles and tools.
That camping site was surrounded by stone walls about fifteen leads high (roughly twelve meters) and one lead thick (about eighty centimeters). It was spacious enough to fit ten large cargo wagons comfortably.
Since no one lives there permanently, there were no buildings or roofs inside. Still, there was a well, and places to tie up horses and Rigma — more than enough for a safe encampment.
Normally, building an unguarded fortress along a road might attract bandits to take root, but the Lestarl soldiers patrol regularly. And the heavy, magically sealed gates at the entrance can only be opened by those with special keys — which are given to authorized merchants.
The group entered the campsite, and as soon as the gate closed behind us, the guards immediately began setting up tents. The knights from the Duke’s household followed suit, and within just a quarter of an hour, neat rows of fine tents stood ready.
Once everything was prepared, Lady Sallyfe and former Baron Bosch finally stepped out of the carriage.
They looked around, saw the sturdy walls surrounding them, and visibly relaxed.
Yeah… the name “Cursed Woods” must really scare people from other territories. Maybe I should consider renaming it and spreading a better reputation.
Later, Lady Sallyfe, Ris, and former Baron Bosch retired to the tents provided by the Duke’s household, while I spent the night in the rough-and-ready tent shared with the Lestarl soldiers… Not that I felt lonely or anything.
And so, the next day, swaying once again in the carriage, we reached the town of Lestarl before sunset.