"Alright, with this, we're all set."

A large horse-drawn wagon was parked in front of the outdoor shop. For the next week, the shop would be closed while all the employees traveled together to the royal capital.

Officially, the trip was to introduce some of the outdoor shop's products to the adventurer guilds in the royal capital and the towns along the way. But in reality, since the shop was doing well, it was more like a company trip for the employees.

Thinking back, ever since arriving in this other world, I had never set foot outside Al-Flare. Visiting other towns and the royal capital was something I was really looking forward to.

"I'm so excited, Tetsuya!"

"Yeah, me too! Just like you, Fia, this will be my first time visiting any town besides this one. I can't wait!"

At first, I thought the round trip to the royal capital would take about half a month. But thanks to some fortunate circumstances, it turned out that we could complete it in just a week. On top of that, two well-known A-rank adventurers from the royal capital would be accompanying us as escorts. Because of this, Fia's mother, Rea, gave her permission, so Fia was able to join us on the trip.

Unfortunately, Rea couldn’t take time off work to come along. I’d have to buy plenty of souvenirs for her in the capital to make up for it.

"Tetsuya, I look forward to traveling with you."

"Tetsuya, let's have a good trip."

"Likewise, Berna, Ferry. Looking forward to traveling with you both."

Berna had striking red hair, while Ferry was a petite elf girl with blue hair. Both of them were well-known A-rank adventurers in the royal capital and had been assigned to escort us on this journey.

Since this was an official request from the royal capital’s adventurer guild, the costs for their escort and our accommodations were covered by them. Even though I had offered to cover the accommodations for my employees, the guild insisted on taking care of it.

It seemed that the adventurer guild in the royal capital was very grateful for the compasses we had provided during the dungeon expedition, and now that they would be getting a steady supply, they were more than willing to extend their support.

"Still, this is a really big wagon."

"Yeah, with this, everyone can ride comfortably."

"I've never seen such a large and luxurious wagon before."

Lange, Dolph, and Angel were also joining us for the trip to the capital. Including Lilia and myself, our group totaled eight people. Yet, the wagon in front of us was so massive that it could easily accommodate all of us.

In a town like Al-Flare, where most adventurers were still just starting out, it was rare to see such a grand wagon.

But curiously, there were no horses in front of the wagon. And given that our travel time was going to be cut in half, the logical conclusion was...

"Alright, Ferry, it's all you."

"Okay. Summon—Sleipnir!"

Ferry raised her staff, and a large, glowing magic circle appeared on the ground. From it emerged a massive horse.

"Brrrrrrr!"

It had a beautiful white coat and a massive frame. But what set it apart from an ordinary horse were its eight legs.

"Tetsuya, isn't it amazing? Ferry isn't just skilled with attack magic—she can use summoning magic too!"

Lilia excitedly approached Sleipnir. Since arriving in this world, I had seen many kinds of magic, but this was my first time witnessing summoning magic.

"His name is Sleip. He's faster and stronger than a regular horse."

Apparently, the summoned creature had a name. It was the largest horse I had ever seen, with eight thick, powerful legs.

Now it made sense. With a creature like this pulling the wagon, it was no wonder we could reach the royal capital in half the usual time.

"Whoa, it's huge!"

"And it looks incredibly strong. So this is the summoning magic of an A-rank adventurer..."

Ferry, the petite elf who always enjoyed her meals at our shop, was actually an incredible mage.

"I've locked up the shop and loaded everything we need onto the wagon. Alright, let's get going!"

The shop was locked, and I had posted a sign informing customers that we would be closed for a week. We had stocked up on necessary supplies, which Ferry and Lange had stored with their magic. Rizac, the adventurer guild master, was already informed of our departure. Everything was ready.

Onward to the royal capital!

"...As expected, the wagon shakes quite a bit."

We had left Al-Flare and were now on our way to the royal capital. While we had moved slowly through town, once we exited the gates, the wagon picked up considerable speed.

Berna and Ferry sat at the front of the wagon, while my employees sat in the back.

"This is actually pretty smooth. This wagon is large and well-built."

Thanks to Sleip's incredible speed and the rough, unpaved roads, the ride was quite bumpy. Sitting here for too long would probably leave my whole body sore.

Good thing I had unlocked the outdoor store to level 4. Now I could finally use something I hadn’t bought before because I thought there was no need for it—the outdoor mat!