Chapter 23: Father! I Will Save You!

Miss Laura’s etiquette lessons included horseback riding. Somehow, Alicia learned it over a single week. She aspired to be a hero, and heroes always rode shining white horses. That’s why she spared no effort in mastering it.

Of course, she still needed to use reins and a saddle.

Shadowstep had entry points on both the east and west sides, but only the eastern gate had walls. That was because monsters were expected to come from that direction. Shadowstep had been battling monsters for as long as anyone could remember. Monsters did not strategize—they did not surround or siege the town—hence the strange, one-sided wall structure.

After leading the horse out of town, Alicia mounted it and began her journey. The horse galloped under the night sky. No clouds. A full moon. No obstacles. The road and visibility were clear. It was as if the goddess herself had arranged everything so Alicia could succeed in her foolish quest to reunite with her father.

Alicia thought Shadowstep Crossing was just one prefecture or district away, so she hadn’t prepared. She brought no food, no water.

Technically, she was right. Shadowstep Crossing was only twenty kilometers from Shadowstep City. With a bus, train, or car, the distance could be crossed in less than an hour.

But Alicia wasn’t on a motorcycle.

She was on a horse.

When galloping, a horse could match the speed of a scooter—but only for a few minutes. They couldn’t sustain it for long.

So Alicia spent most of her trip on a trotting horse, moving at a pace no different from human walking. By dawn, fatigue had set in. Her body ached, and the horse was neighing, gasping for breath. Moving at night was unusual for horses. They felt alert, and thus tire faster.

“Ugh... Why aren’t we there yet?” Alicia asked. Of course, her complaint was heard bo no one.

The sun rose higher and higher. When it reached its peak, the horse refused to move any farther.

To be fair, this was no ordinary horse. This trained warhorse was the cream of the crop in Shadowstep. Obedient and disciplined. But even the finest warhorse would not follow unreasonable orders. Its belly was empty. It had been trotting all night.

It needed rest.

Alicia agreed with the horse. While her desire to save her father was strong, her body was exhausted. Her butt was sore, and her legs trembled like those of a newborn fawn.

To quench her thirst, Alicia conjured a floating ball of water with her magic. The horse, who had been working since the previous day, eyed her with envy. How could this girl—who had done nothing during the entire journey—get to drink before him, who had spent the entire night carrying her to the next town? If she weren’t a child, the poor creature might have collapsed from exhaustion.

Alicia might be dumb, but she was sensitive to others’ feelings. Seeing the horse leer at her made her realize something. Even horses were looking down on her. Feeling guilty, she produced more floating balls of water and let the horse drink its fill. The sulking beast neighed as it changed its attitude. Of course—there’s no way his rider would forget to give water to the loyal horse who had carried her halfway to Shadowstep Crossing.

“Ugh. I’m hungry,” Alicia complained.

Looking around, she spotted an apple tree and a banana tree in the distance—obviously not spawned by the two benevolent gods who had taken pity on her. Alicia gazed up at the hanging fruit. She didn’t know how to climb a tree. Why would she? There were barely any natural trees in the city, and people would scream at her if she tried to climb one. But now, she was starving, and food was hanging right before her eyes.

After pondering for a while, Alicia—being the creative kid she was—crafted a wind blade and launched it into the air. The blade sliced off several branches.

Now that both of their stomach was filled, the cheery mood returned. The horse, which had been sulking earlier, regained its strength. It neighed, eager to continue the journey.

Meanwhile, back at the Shadowstep mansion, chaos erupted. Elena had found Alicia’s room empty and reported to Rodrique and the others in a panic.

“I apologize, Count Shadowstep, Elidranthia. I am going to see my father. I need to make sure he is safe. Once he is safe, I will return and serve you. I apologize for all the trouble I have caused. Thank you…” Rodrique read the letter aloud.

“What the hell? Are you saying Alicia escaped under our noses? Are you guys blind? How did she even escape to begin with?”

“Alicia stole a horse from our barracks, sir,” Jadenbale said.

“Damn girl! She escaped just because of a debt? She is a mage. A debt of 150 coins is easy. What a shortsighted kid! I should have tied her up in a dungeon!” Count Shadowstep roared.

“Alicia went to see her father, Father.” Elidranthia corrected her father. Age might already have taken its toll on him. He could no longer read. Or maybe it was because of Alicia’s handwriting.

“We should send knights to chase her, milord,” Rodrique said.

“Of course we should. Why are you guys still here? You! Send ten men to chase after that insolent peasant!” Count Shadowstep roared. Jadenbale saluted and left, gathering his men.

Elidranthia wanted to come with them, but her father forbade her. Repeara might want Eli to join, but there was no reason to allow children to join knights on a mission.

Eli sulked once again, as she might have to sit this one out… or not.

The knights might be more experienced in handling their horses, but Alicia was a kid. She was a girl. Since she didn’t carry any food or water, her horse still trotted faster than the knights. Alicia had arrived at Shadowstep Crossing by the time the knights rallied and left the town to chase after her.

“Ugh… my butt is killing me.” Alicia dismounted from the horse. The horse neighed, as if laughing at Alicia’s suffering.

The Crossing had only thirty or forty wooden houses, most of them inns. Traders parked their wagons beside the buildings while ostlers took care of their horses.

“Need something to eat, young miss? Only fifteen bronzes a night. Thirty if you want to feed and give your tired horse a good wash,” a middle-aged man said as he stopped scrubbing a horse tethered to a fence and bowed to Alicia.

Alicia didn’t have any money. She might have eaten some fruit earlier, but there was something different about having a full-course meal. She didn’t ponder for long before resorting to one of her usual lies. Being powerful with cheat skills had its perks. Even if she didn’t have money, she could always ask for a job.

“I lost my purse, mister, so I don’t have any money. Do you have any magic tools I can charge?” Alicia asked, lifting her hand. A small candle-sized flame burst from her fingertip.

The ostler believed her immediately. Alicia had practiced these kinds of lies ever since she dreamt of being isekai’d. She had dozens of excuses prepared—amnesia, losing her ID in a monster attack, looking for freelance adventuring work, and more. She’d been that sort of guy in her previous life—always dreaming. Good thing one of those dreams turned out to be useful now.

“Ah! You’re a mage?”

“Yes, I am. By the way, do you know a Shadowstep knight named John? I’m here to meet him.”

“John? There are many Johns around. But if you’re talking about a group of knights, one was about to take a stagecoach to the capital in a few hours.”

“Ah! Yes, that’s the one!” Alicia nodded eagerly. “How much does a stagecoach cost?”

“To the capital? Two silver. It’ll pass three villages—Elynias, Elynias Crossing, and Bron. You might need another silver or two to stay at the inns along the way.”

“All right. Thank you, mister. May I know where the knights went?”

“They’re staying at the Roseberry Inn. They’ll leave at dusk.”

“You’re welcome, young miss. If you can, could you charge the fountain at the eastern gate? We don’t really have the money to pay mages, but the lack of water is becoming a concern. It was still fine at the moment. But I can’t help but worry.”

“Sure! Don’t worry about the pay—I’ll just take half a silver!” Alicia replied cheerfully.
Money ruled the world. It was easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism. Alicia just needed to lower her rates, and the money would start flowing in.

But first things first—she needed to meet John. She was relieved he was still here. She thought he would already be in the next town by now.

A tavern was attached to the inn. John and his companions were having an early dinner before their scheduled stagecoach departure.

“Alicia?” John couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw a girl in a maid uniform standing in the village. Maid uniforms were usually associated with nobility—they rarely ever left the mansion.

“Ah! Papa!” Alicia trotted toward her father.

“What are you doing here?” John asked. His voice raised. Alicia, who had been cheering just moments before, took a surprised step back. She hadn’t expected to be scolded.

“I wanted to come with you! When I heard you were going to fight with a duke, I couldn’t help but worry! I heard there’d be bandits on the road!”

“Ugh… Alicia. You mustn’t follow me. You must serve Count Shadowstep.” John frowned at her recklessness.

Alicia knew what she had done was outrageous. She would have never dared to do this back when she was Nathan. But now she was a mage. And mages had job security. There was no way Count Shadowstep could just fire her. The worst he could do was scold her like the pompous jerk he was. And Alicia was prepared to take that risk.

“Papa, let me be with you… you don’t have to deal with this alone,” Alicia said, hugging her father.

There was nothing Alicia could do for her parents when she was Nathan—he was mediocre at best. However, in this world, she was a mage. A high-ranking one.

“Alicia, if you don’t return soon, Count Shadowstep will take our heads…” a soldier said nervously.

“I’m the one at fault. Why are you the ones getting punished?” Alicia asked while looking upward at John’s friend. She only had become a girl for a month, yet she already knew how to use her charm to ask for favors. What a devious child!

“Alicia, this is my job, okay? How did you even get here?”

“Ah, easy. I just borrowed a horse from the stable,” Alicia replied. John facepalmed. Anyone else would’ve been demoted—or fired—if they got caught doing that.

Alas, Alicia was a mage. And mages had job security. As long as it was limited to monetary loss, it could always be repaid through work later. Alicia knew this. And she exploited the loophole.

“Alicia… you can’t do that,” John said, exasperated. “Count Shadowstep has graciously helped us. He’s shown me the path to freedom… to free me from this crushing debt.”

“I know what I did was wrong. But Dad, would you still stay loyal to Count Shadowstep if my life was at risk? Would you keep guarding the gate if I were kidnapped? I know for sure your life would be in danger. Goddess Sistielle told me so,” Alicia said.

Alicia lied. Goddess Sistielle had said nothing about the bandit attack.
But to make her argument convincing, Alicia invoked the goddess’s name. It wasn’t the first time she had done so. John and his two friends recalled how Alicia had said she will be a mage.

“…Fine,” John sighed. “But we must apologize to Count Shadowstep after this, alright?”

“You must return after we reached the capital. Understood?” John said.

“Yes!” Alicia cheered.