New World with Four Husbands

Chapter 381: Carriage ride

Coco stepped out of the guild building and soon as she did, she was met with the sight of her regular carriage pulling up, its wheels crunching on the path before.

The familiar sound caught her attention and she made her way towards the wooden vehicle, just then, she felt the exhaustion on her entire body, but her exhausted limbs kept moving even though she was on autopilot.

The driver of the carriage, a burly man with a gruff exterior, tipped his hat in greeting as soon as he saw Coco approaching.

"Mornin’, Mrs. Hughes." He grunted as Coco approached, his gaze flickering over her tired form.

Coco’s tired eyes met the burly driver’s and offered a weary smile, then she nodded her head, gentle and slightly sluggish. "Good afternoon, sir."

The driver nodded in acknowledgment, his gruff demeanor softening slightly at her polite greeting, then he opened the carriage door for her, his calloused hands holding it open with surprising gentleness.

Coco shot him a small smile, grateful for the gesture, and silently nodded before she stepped into the carriage.

The soft material of the seat welcomed her weary body with a comfortable embrace as she slowly sunk down into it, the tension in her muscles melting away.

The burly man, his movements quiet, but quick, closed the carriage door behind Coco, sealing her inside with a soft click, and with a practiced ease, he circled around the carriage before he settled into his usual seat at the front.

He reached for the reins and held them firmly in his calloused hands.

The coachman soon snapped them gently, signaling the horses to begin their journey back to her house, causing the carriage to jolt slightly as the horses responded to the command, their steady pace setting a soothing rhythm while the vehicle began rolling along the gravel path.

With the carriage smoothly lurching into motion, Coco let out a soft sigh of relief, her tired body sinking into the comforting touch of the soft seat.

The familiar rocking motion and the rhythmic trot of the horses outside created a soothing atmosphere inside the vehicle, the tension and fatigue seeping out of her with each passing moment.

Coco closed her eyes, the soft jolts of the carriage lulling her weary muscles into ease, the events of yesterday’s and today’s battles, along with the encounters fading into a distant memory.

"Are you okay, Coco?" Lala asked, her eyebrows pinched together in worry.

Despite the fatigue weighing heavily on her body, Coco found solace in a simple act of humming to answer the fairy’s question, her voice filling the silence of the carriage.

"Yeah, just basking on the after glow of a successful fight." She hummed, muttering the words quietly.

"But I thought you hated it?" Lala blinked, confused.

"I did—" Coco was about to agree, but a scroll materialized out of thin air, its surface gently hovering in front of her, successfully cutting her off.

Coco’s eyes flicked towards the floating scroll, her interest piqued as she acknowledged the familiar object, her relaxed posture tapered off gradually, her body moving slowly as she reached forward to carefully grab the scroll.

Coco’s weary eyes scanned the words on the scroll, her expression softening with each word she read.

Even though the fatigue that weighed on her shoulders seemed to bring her entire body down against the cushion, a small smile still tugged at the corner of her lips, the message on the scroll somehow able to lift her spirits.

The stresses and battles of the day were quick to fade as she immersed herself in the words, finding comfort and a fleeting moment of peace during the jostling carriage ride.

[ Congratulations, Coco Coison! Or should I say, Coco Hughes? You had completed all the side quests in a matter of just a day and a half— all the while fighting all the monsters and befriending the sacred beast.

In return for this amazing feat of yours, you will receive the maximum level of the skill, [Purification], to help with your journey as a hunter.

Oh, and please do forgive me, I was a little crude with the side quests I gave you yesterday morning, wasn’t I?

Let me make it up to you by giving you passive skills points to help so this way, you’ll be more in sync with my dearest Lala’s ability.

Aren’t I a generous fairy? ]

"Well, you were the reason why I was stamped with quests so probably?" Coco said, talking to no one in particular as she let go of the scroll.

"Who are you talking to, Coco?" Lala asked, getting off her human friend’s head and flew in front of the scroll instead, squinting her eyes in hopes of gaining the ability to read the contents.

"The one who sent me those quests." Coco answered, sighing weakly.

"You finished all of them, right? Except the quests for your husbands." The garden fairy started, turning away from the scroll and looked at Coco. "Sorry.. Because of me, you had to go through a lot of troubl—"

"Shush." Coco was quick to shut Lala up with a glare. "What did I say about you apologizing for these kinds of things?"

Lala’s lower lip puffed out as she blew an exhale through her nose. "Do not do it because you don’t like it.. I know, I know, but I can’t help it, okay? I feel bad."

"Good." Coco stated bluntly and sat upright. "You should feel bad because what you did is bad, but that’s the reason why you have to stay with me, yeah? Think of this as my compensation for dying because of you."

Coco’s words were said with a sense of finality so Lala didn’t argue further, but she settled herself by Coco’s head, puffing her cheeks out and burying her face in her hair.

"You can pout all you want." Coco said, her eyes shifting back to the scroll. "I don’t care, okay? You’re stuck with me."

"That’s fine, I don’t mind!"