Chapter 51

July 3rd.

The morning of the second day since leaving my hometown, Rasmoa Village. Today, we will depart from here, Kilnareck, shortly after 8:00 AM.

Our destination is Bowden Village, which is 30 km away.

The journey from Kilnareck to Bowden Village is not through a deep forest but through grasslands and a few small forests, making it a relatively easy trip.

Still, for me, this will be the first time entering land not protected by the Rockhart family.

Kilnareck, strictly speaking, is not part of the Rockhart territory, so it is not directly protected by my family. However, due to its adjacency to Rockhart territory, the number of monsters and bandits is significantly lower compared to other regions.

(Entering dangerous land for the first time. I have only lived in safe places like Japan and Rasmoa Village. Will I be okay...?)

I packed my belongings with tension and headed to the front of the Commercial Guild to join Norton's caravan.

It was about 30 minutes before departure, but the wagons were already being pulled out, and the horses were being harnessed.

Near the wagons, Norton and the guard captain, Byron, were having a meeting.

We approached them to greet them.

I raised my hand and called out in a bright tone, "Good morning, Lord Norton, Byron."

Norton bowed with a merchant-like smile, and Byron bowed stiffly, looking a bit tense.

Since Guy was going to have the final meeting with Norton, I was also included.

"We will still be in the middle of the caravan, right? There are ten wagons. Lord Byron will lead, and Deputy Captain Curtis will bring up the rear. We will mainly provide long-range support, correct?"

Byron nodded, and Norton bowed, saying, "Lord Zacharias, Lord Jakes, please take care of us."

According to the explanation Guy gave me last night, if we are attacked, we should follow Byron's instructions and provide support with bows and magic. If the numbers are too great and the situation is unfavorable, we can abandon the caravan and flee.

Whether it's monsters or bandits, the rewards for enemies we defeat will all be ours. In exchange, we cannot claim rights to enemies defeated by Byron and his mercenaries. If we defeat enemies together, we will discuss the rewards.

If we need to camp due to trouble, we won't need to take turns keeping watch. However, we will need to provide our own tents and food.

There are also other detailed arrangements.

I don't think I need the rewards for defeating enemies, but when I told Guy this, he smiled and explained the situation.

"It means they recognize us as a fighting force. It seems that Lord Zach showed his skills to Lord Byron yesterday. The tavern last night was abuzz with talk about Lord Zach..."

If we weren't considered a fighting force, they wouldn't give us rewards for defeating enemies. They would prefer us to do nothing rather than cause confusion by getting involved. By offering rewards, they are giving us the green light to actively engage the enemy.

(I see. All four of us are good at long-range attacks. As long as we don't accidentally hit our allies, coordination shouldn't be too difficult. So, they want us to be proactive...)

Incidentally, there are no set rewards for healing magic. According to Byron or Norton, special rewards will be given based on the situation.

8:00 AM.

At the signal from Guard Captain Byron, the caravan set off.

The ten wagons began to move slowly, and we positioned ourselves between the fifth and sixth wagons.

We left through the north gate of the city and headed onto the Ars Road. There were several other wagons on the road, forming a long line of wagons.

Byron, who was leading, was about 50 meters ahead of us. Each wagon was about 5 to 6 meters long, and with the space between them, each wagon took up about 10 meters. Thus, our caravan was nearly 100 meters long.

(The distance is greater than I thought. There are sixteen mercenaries, including Byron. With us, the total number of guards is twenty. Even a small pack of wolves could cause damage. How will they handle it?)

I was on guard while thinking about this.

However, Liddy, who was riding next to me, spoke in a relaxed tone, humming a tune.

"If you're this tense from the start, you won't last until we reach our destination. You need to know when to be serious and when to relax. Otherwise, you won't have the energy when it really matters."

"Lady Liddy is right. We should be on guard in the forest, between hills, and on mountain passes. On a plain like this, you could even sleep on your horse."

Hearing this from Liddy and Guy, I relaxed a bit.

(Still, it's my first trip... I might as well enjoy the scenery a bit...)

Looking around, I could see the rugged rocks of the Fathas River on my left. Black, pillar-like rocks stood in a row, and the deep green and brown of the river created a landscape like an ink painting.

On my right, the steep peaks of the Aquila Mountains, bathed in the summer sun, showed a beautiful contrast of yellow-green plains, deep green mountains, white rocks from landslides, and pure white cumulus clouds above.

(The horses clop along, and the wagons rattle. It's a peaceful scene, but the presence of armed mercenaries makes it feel a bit unbalanced.)

We took a short break every hour and arrived at a square in the middle of the route around noon.

The square was just a flat area of grassland with no particular facilities, but it was about 100 meters square. A clean stream flowed on the north side of the square, and the horses from the other caravans that had arrived were drinking water.

According to Byron, we would take a one-hour break here.

I dismounted and stretched.

Even with the short breaks, the unfamiliar horseback riding was putting a strain on my thighs and lower back.

I had been learning horseback riding for about a year, so I could gallop on flat ground like roads and grasslands. However, I didn't have much experience with long rides, so I was quite tired.

(I didn't feel tired yesterday because of the excitement of the journey. That's probably why I fell asleep so quickly.)

Guy took the reins and led the horses to drink water.

Liddy, Sharon, and I were wiping the sweat off by the stream. The clear water from the mountains was cold and refreshing on our heated bodies.

After wiping the sweat and feeling refreshed, we prepared lunch.

I filled a pot with water and used a pseudo-Peltier effect spell to boil it.

"O god of fire, I seek the transfer of heat with your power. I will offer the strength of my life to you. Peltier effect."

(This spell is surprisingly useful. It's easy to cool or heat things. The best part is that it doesn't use fire... The name and incantation are a bit awkward, but it reduces mana consumption by more than half, which is amazing.)

The pseudo-Peltier effect works by enlarging the image of the heat absorption and heat release points, allowing for rapid heating and cooling. This increases mana consumption, but compared to a fire-based attack spell like a fireball, it uses only a fraction of the mana, making it almost negligible.

Furthermore, in the magical Peltier effect, the heat release side equals the heat absorption side, making it a completely reversible reaction. This means the mana consumption is almost the same for heating and cooling. However, when heating, it can function as a heat pump, using ambient heat, making it more efficient on a hot day like today.

While thinking about this, I placed my hand over the pot to boil the water. Once it was boiling, I added dried meat and salt to adjust the flavor. After the flavor was set, I added dried aromatic vegetables and continued to simmer.

This is something I often made when I went into the forest with the hunters Rob and the others. It's a rough dish, but it's quite tasty for a short break.

While simmering, I brought a water bottle to the heat absorption side. This cooled the herbal tea inside to a drinkable temperature.

Byron, intrigued by what I was doing, peered over.

"I thought you were doing something, but you're using magic to cook..."

Byron, understanding what I was doing, was amazed that I was using magic for cooking.

"It's convenient. Do you want me to cool your water bottle?"

I offered lightly, and Byron hesitantly handed over his water bottle.

When I cooled the water to about 5 degrees, he widened his eyes in surprise.

"Lord Zacharias, you are unconventional... I mean, you are truly remarkable. I've never heard of a magician using magic for such things."

According to Byron, ordinary magicians conserve their mana and don't use it for trivial matters. Some even stop attacking in the middle of a battle based on their own judgment.

(They probably want to save their MP for emergencies. If I could see my MP like I do, I wouldn't be so cautious...)

By the way, Byron has been speaking to me in formal language since the demonstration at the training ground yesterday.

Even when I told him formal language wasn't necessary, he insisted, "It's a matter of respect." At least Guy agreed, so we're sticking with it, but it feels a bit odd to hear such formal language from the rough-looking Byron. However, his manner is natural, so he might have served in a country in the past.

By the time Byron returned to his patrol, Guy had finished tending to the horses and came back.

Sharon laid out a sheet on the ground, and we had lunch with the dried meat soup I made in a small pot, sandwiches prepared at the inn, and cold herbal tea.

Unbeknownst to us, our elegant lunch had become the focus of attention for the caravan. The mercenaries, especially, were interested when they heard that Byron had his water cooled.

The lunch was satisfying, except for the slightly dry bread in the sandwiches.

Since there was still more than 30 minutes before departure, I lay down on the ground and looked up at the sky. The clear blue sky was dotted with white clouds, and the chirping of larks filled the air, reminding me of the courtyard at the manor.

I noticed Liddy fidgeting with her hood.

When I asked, "Do you want to take off your hood?" she replied,

"No, it will be a hassle later... I'm fine. I'm just a bit uncomfortable because I haven't worn this outfit in a while. I'll get used to it soon."

She must still have some trauma from the past, as she doesn't like to show her face in front of large groups, especially men. In Rasmoa Village, no one bothered her as a guest of my grandfather, and even when she patrolled the village, she didn't hide her face.

(I should think of something. It's too bad for her...)

When I was with my grandfather in Periclitur, she didn't hide her face, but no one bothered her because my grandfather was a famous swordsman.

(I need to become strong and earn their respect, but that will take time...)

With no solution in mind, the break ended, and the caravan returned to the road.