Chapter 59

It’S So Damn Uncomfortable.
Thanks to the help of the ‘kind people,’ as Diana put it, we were able to stock up on not only disguise tools but also plenty of supplies.

We managed to move on from our clumsy disguises to something more proper. Though, there was a side effect of having to do my own makeup because Diana and Irian’s skills were so atrocious, the cross-dressing was a success.

Not just for me, but for Irian as well. For the record, I did Irian’s makeup too. Diana and Irian, being people who had never done makeup in their lives, just slapped it on haphazardly. They proved that no matter how good your base is, you can’t win against such a sloppy application.

Thankfully, I’d seen my mom, girlfriends, and the media apply makeup quite a bit back in the modern world, so when I stepped in and did it, it looked much better. What’s so hard about makeup anyway?

Since my skin is naturally good, I focused on keeping it as natural as possible, applying a thin layer of BB cream or foundation as a base. The key is to apply it thinly to avoid caking. Then, I drew in my eyebrows, did my eye makeup, applied lipstick, and added a touch of color to my cheeks.

The point is to avoid anything too dark, whether it’s lipstick or blush. My eyebrows, which I’d never groomed before, looked great with just a little bit of color, and a light touch along the lash line was all I needed for eye makeup. For lipstick, I just chose a natural color, applied it to the inner part of my lips, and then rubbed my lips together to spread it.

Blush was the trickiest, but I tried it with the lightest color, just testing the waters, and it turned out surprisingly well.

…Well, to be honest, even though I only pretended to do makeup, my naturally good looks did most of the work. Diana and Carsilla made do with armor. Putting them in leather armor and hats of different sizes made them look so cute.

As we walked along the road after our disguises, people’s gazes were intense. Is this the fate of a beauty? I guess our kids feel like this all the time. I was enjoying the feeling of being a popular star when something strange happened.

At a crossroads, the lead carriage of a merchant caravan coming from the side veered off the road and crashed straight into a tree. Was this some new kind of suicide method? Turns out, the two layabouts sitting in the driver’s seat were just staring blankly at me.

‘Are they crazy?’

If I just left them, they’d have a head-on collision with the tree and end up a bloody mess. Sigh, I guess I have no choice. They’re just poor souls intoxicated by my beauty, so I can’t let them die. I’ll have to step in myself.

“Diana, take care of the old guy.”

Normally, Irian would have stepped up, but she’s walking awkwardly in her dress. Diana, who looks like a handsome young swordsman in her leather armor and sword at her waist, grinned and quickly jumped out.

She seems to be enjoying herself in that outfit. I cast a buff and leaped after her, and only then did the two guys see the tree coming and start screaming.

Diana, who had gone ahead, gracefully leaped and rescued the old man sitting on the far side. I followed, grabbing the spaced-out young guy, kicking off the driver’s seat, and launching us into the air.

The loud crash of the carriage hitting the tree, the two horses that had been going along just fine suddenly collapsing with death throes, and the debris flying from the impact.

‘Ugh, what a pain. Shield.’

I blocked the debris, landed on the ground, and put the guy down, but he seemed to be in a strange state. I adjusted my voice a bit…

“Are you alright?”

It came out sounding somewhat like a woman’s voice, just like I practiced. Honestly, it’s a little lacking, but my beauty should make up for it.

But why is this guy so out of it? He’s nodding with his mouth hanging open, so it’s not like he can’t understand me.

The sunlight was shining just right, so I quickly scanned him and didn’t see any injuries. I figured I’d done my part, so I went back to our group. Diana, who had arrived earlier, gave me a slight nod.

“Yurian, the caravan leader says he wants to reward us for our help. Is there anything you want?”
“Reward? Not really… nothing.”

It’s not like we’re short on money. It’s just annoying to walk. Why don’t they have cars? We have enough money, but there are no cars. I’m so tired of walking… wait a minute.

“Hey guys, aren’t you tired of walking?”

It’s been two days since we got help from the ‘kind people.’ That means we’ve been walking non-stop for two days. I’m bored to death.

I looked at Diana, Irian, and Carsilla in that order, and they all had the same expression, even though they didn’t say anything. …I see.

“Want to ride in a carriage?”
“Yes!”

Carsilla raised her hand enthusiastically. Diana and Irian also nodded slightly. What would have happened if I had told them we had another 10 days of walking ahead of us?

With the expectant gazes of our kids behind me, I approached the middle-aged caravan leader. He looked to be in his 50s, and he was talking to the spaced-out guy I had saved, looking at the wrecked carriage.

“Ahem.”
“Ah! Y-you are!”
“Yes. I’m the one who saved…”
“A-an angel!”
“I’m an angel… I’m a person.”

Why are they suddenly interrupting and making a fuss? It’s confusing.
But are they even listening to me? The way they’re staring blankly is honestly unpleasant. If they were beautiful women, maybe, but not these potato-looking guys. I don’t need the attention of men.

“A-angel! Thank you for saving us!”
“Thank you!”
“Ah, yes. You’re the caravan leader, right?”
“That’s right! I’m Yanson, the leader of the Rowe Caravan!”

The caravan leader took off his hat and bowed politely, revealing a bald spot on the top of his head. …Hair loss is something even divine power can’t fix. I bowed back even more politely and told him what I wanted. He was happy to help and immediately let us ride in another carriage that was following behind. He even moved our luggage to another place.

Hmm. I feel a little bad.

“You did well, Yurian. What did you say to make them do all this?”
“Yeah. They’re calling me an angel?”
“……Ooh. Angel.”

Thanks, Carsilla. Your enthusiastic reaction makes me feel less embarrassed.
The ride in the bumpy carriage was terrible, but everyone was skilled enough to use divine power to make it a comfortable journey…

“Ugh. My butt hurts.”

I had Carsilla sit in front of me, and we were able to enjoy a comfortable carriage ride. Even if the carriage doesn’t have suspension, divine power makes it pleasant.

Carsilla’s small head wobbled from side to side before falling back and hitting my chest. She had fallen asleep using my padded chest as a pillow. She was even snoring softly, so she must have been tired from walking all day.

I stopped looking at the scenery outside and turned my gaze to the inside of the carriage. Irian was asleep, leaning against the wall of the carriage. She was sleeping with her arms crossed and her mouth tightly shut, just like her.

I wondered about Diana, so I turned my head and saw that she was sitting right next to me, smiling and holding my hand.

“Yurian, aren’t you sleepy?”
“No. I’m fine. What about you, Diana?”

Diana looked around for a moment and smiled faintly as she replied.

“I’m fine too.”

A light weight leaned against my shoulder. A familiar scent brushed my nose. My childhood friend was leaning her head on my shoulder, a little kid was snoring on my lap, and a prim and proper knight was in front of me.

Perfect.
I held Diana’s hand and relaxed until the carriage stopped.

“Time for dinner!”

The carriage, which had been bumping along for hours, finally stopped, and a campsite appeared as the surroundings grew dark. Thanks to the caravan leader’s consideration, our group was able to have dinner by ourselves… but it was like we were celebrities, with gazes pouring in from all directions.

“Everyone, act like you look now. Don’t forget.”
“Okay!”

Diana and Carsilla, who were dressed as men, were awkward, but Irian, who had been dressing as a man for almost her entire life, was also stiff in her movements.

“Yurian, what about our voices?”
“You just have to be natural, and you’ll be fine.”

I reassured Irian, who was worrying unnecessarily, and calmed down Carsilla, who was strangely excited. We had enough supplies, but the caravan leader kept giving us expensive and delicious food, making dinner a bit awkward. Then it was time for bed.

Even though we were traveling along the Imperial Road, water was always scarce, so everyone was dirty, but our group was clean. We had secretly showered with water made with divine magic. I was waiting for someone to come and discuss who would take the first watch, but no one came. Why aren’t they coming?

I had no choice but to go find them myself.

“Hello.”
“A-ah, hello!”

It was the spaced-out guy I had saved earlier. He was always around the caravan leader. Was he a right-hand man? Spaced-out but good at his job?

“T-t-the angel is here!”

…He’s just an idiot.

“It’s time for bed, and I haven’t heard about the watch schedule. How was it decided?”

I figured that getting a ride in the carriage and the food was payment for saving their lives, but they were treating us like VIPs, and I felt bad for not doing anything. If they had just treated us moderately, I would have accepted it as payment for saving their lives, but this was like being a king.

“I-it’s okay! I-I’ll take it instead!”
“…No. You don’t have to do that.”
“It’s an honor to take the watch for the angel!”

…What is this idiot?
I could understand him looking at me with sparkling eyes like a sasaeng fan looking at an idol, but as we talked, he even started crying. Why is he crying?

“Why are you crying?”
“To be able to talk to the angel… to be able to talk to the angel…! I’m so moved!”
“…Ah. Okay.”

…Should I just go to bed?
He’s offering to take the watch for me, so that’s good for me.

“Okay, then. I’ll gratefully accept your kindness.”
“Y-yes! H-have a good night!”

Did the caravan leader agree to this? Surely this idiot didn’t decide this on his own? I turned around with a strange sense of unease, and he made a small sound.

“U-um… um, excuse me, angel.”

That angel talk is so cringey. Ugh… this beauty of mine. It’s always causing trouble.
I tossed my long hair, which was due to the wig, with my hand and turned around at an ulzzang angle.

“What is it?”

Kuh, so chic, so chic. This is what a city girl is.
I was admiring myself, thinking about Irian’s face, and making a prim expression when he suddenly dropped to his knees. What’s wrong?

“A-a-angel! Thank you for saving me! P-please… the honor of knowing your noble name…!”

Hmm. It was a bit burdensome to see him kneeling and shouting so dramatically, but his sincerity was clear. What should I do? I guess I’ll have to make something up?

“Honor? Please get up.”
“Ah, I won’t get up until you tell me!”

I have a rebellious streak, so when I hear something like that, I want to see how long they can hold out. …Well, I wouldn’t actually do something that evil.

“I’ll tell you, so please get up. You’re getting your clothes dirty on the ground.”

Honestly, this situation was quite fun, so I was acting without realizing it. I followed the pretense that Diana shows at public events, helped him up, and brushed the dirt off his clothes. He was overjoyed.

Oh. It’s definitely effective. I’ve always seen Diana do this, so I was used to it, but doing it myself was incredibly effective.
Hey, did you get so emotional because your hyung was so kind? He’s crying, he’s crying.

“A-angel!!”

Still, hearing him call me an angel is a pain, so I should just give him a name and run away.

“My name is… Kim Taehee Emma Watson.”
“Kim, Kim Taehee Emma Watson!”

…Hmm. Let’s run away.

“Kim Taehee Emma Watson!!”

I ran away to our group, avoiding the guy who was muttering my name to remember it. ……Scary, my beauty.