Chapter 60

July 10th.

We have completed our three-day stay in Periclitur. Today, we are leaving Periclitur.

The distance from here to our destination, Doctus, is about 200 km. Even with a leisurely pace of 25 km per day, we can reach Doctus in eight days.

The application deadline for the exam is July 21st, so even with a leisurely schedule, we can arrive three days before the deadline.

The route from Periclitur to Doctus will be along the Aurela Road.

The Aurela Road is not entirely safe overall. Especially the western side of Doctus is a dangerous area where monsters roam, and it is so treacherous that even first-rate mercenaries are needed as guards. Conversely, the route from Periclitur to Doctus is through a well-visible plain, and it is said to be quite safe.

Therefore, this time, we planned to travel the road as a group of four without blending into a caravan.

8:00 AM.

In the damp, overcast air, we left the inn "Nest of the Wild Vulture" with the innkeeper Joahn seeing us off. Due to the morning rush, the street was crowded with people and carts, and we headed towards the West Gate.

After passing through the West Gate and onto the Aurela Road, a long line of carts had already formed.

The noise of the carts rumbling across the plain echoed, and our four horses moved through the space between them.

I couldn't help but say aloud, "The number of caravans is impressive."

Ridi rode her horse closer to mine.

"Yes, Aurela is the center of commerce, so goods like metal products from Caum, food from Lux, and crafts from Sartus are all gathered here. From there, they flow to the southern part of the Kaerm Empire and the Lux Holy Kingdom..."

The distance from Periclitur to Aurela is about 800 km. There is basically no other means of transportation except by land, and it relies on carts.

Downstream of the Fathas River, large ships can navigate, but due to the narrow river where there is no place to escape, the number of ships coming in is said to be small because they avoid battles with large aquatic monsters.

The main cities between Periclitur and Doctus are Auton, which is 50 km away, and Armaswait, which is 100 km away, both of which were formerly fortresses of the Kaerm Empire.

We moved at a slow pace to match the speed of the carts and arrived at today's destination, a post town, without any issues. The next day was overcast, but it didn't rain, and we proceeded smoothly without any trouble, reaching the city of Auton, our destination for the day.

Upon entering the inn in Auton, the merchants were discussing something.

Listening in, it seemed that the weather would worsen from the next day, and they were discussing the departure time and the subsequent schedule.

I thought that rain would have some impact on the operation of the carts, but I didn't think it would be that serious.

So, I asked Guy, "They're making a fuss about the rain, but is it really that bad?"

"The rain in this area is quite heavy. When heavy rain falls, the rainwater flows into the Fathas River, causing the road to flood, and it can take up to three days to move. For caravans, this means additional costs, and if they push too hard, they might get stuck on the road."

It seems that during the summer, from Armaswait to Doctus, heavy rain often occurs due to the terrain.

On unpaved dirt roads, when it rains heavily, the speed of the carts drops drastically.

In areas with poor drainage, the entire road can turn into a large puddle, and carts can veer off the road, breaking their wheels, or horses can slip and get injured, creating a dangerous situation.

"Maybe we'll be delayed here... We still have ten days until the exam, so we should be able to make it, but I don't like the lack of leeway."

Ridi nodded in agreement with my thoughts.

"Yes, we should try to reach Armaswait tomorrow, even if it means pushing ourselves."

"I agree with Ridi. We should check the weather in the morning and aim for Armaswait."

Guy seemed to share Ridi's opinion, and we decided to depart at dawn and head for Armaswait, 50 km away.

The next day, July 12th.

I woke up before dawn and went down to the dining room for breakfast.

The merchants seemed to have the same idea, as the dining room was quite crowded even in the dim light.

After eating and preparing for departure, the sky slowly began to brighten, but it didn't feel like dawn. The sky was still dark, and the Porta Mountains, which should have been visible to the south, were hidden by gray clouds. The Saewum Mountains, which should have been visible ahead, were also hidden, and a cold wind from the west occasionally carried the chill of a sudden rain.

As I looked up at the sky, Guy brought the horses to the front of the inn.

"I asked the innkeeper, and he said that the weather should hold for the day. Let's proceed to Armaswait as planned."

"Sure. If the rain gets too heavy, we can stop at a town along the way. I'll leave that judgment to you, Guy."

We set off for Armaswait in the dim light.

There were other carts that had also set off early, but we, being lightly equipped, quickly overtook them and moved west on the road without any obstacles.

We took a few breaks and arrived at a town halfway through by noon.

It hadn't rained yet, and travelers heading east from Armaswait said it hadn't rained there either, so we decided to continue to Armaswait.

Around 1:00 PM, it started to rain.

We put on our hooded mantles and continued west on the road, avoiding oncoming carts.

2:00 PM.

The rain gradually intensified, making it difficult to keep our eyes open.

The road also began to turn muddy, and the horses occasionally stumbled.

We had already traveled about 10 km from the last town, and it was another 15 km to our destination. If everything went smoothly, we could reach our destination in about three hours, but with the heavy rain, it was difficult to decide whether to continue or not.

"Sir Zack, are you tired? If you are, we can turn back."

Guy asked me this, but I was only mentally tired from controlling the horse in the rain, and my body was still fine. However, I was more worried about Sharon, who had less stamina.

"I'm fine, but how about Sharon?"

Sharon, with her hair plastered to her forehead from the rain, answered resolutely, "I'm fine."

Guy confirmed, "It will be a burden on everyone. If you can't do it, say so clearly," but she shook her head and said, "I'm fine."

"Then, let's proceed to Armaswait as planned. It's okay if we're a bit late. If you get tired or if there's something wrong with the horse, let me know immediately."

Sharon and I nodded, and Guy turned to Ridi.

"Ridi, please stay at the back and watch over Sir Zack and Sharon. If there's anything wrong, stop immediately."

Ridi nodded and immediately mounted her horse, and we set off.

The rain intensified, and water seeped through the gaps in the mantle. The leather mantle, which was supposed to be waterproof, was now heavy and soaked.

After moving for another hour, we took a break under a large tree.

It was just past 3:00 PM, but the thick black clouds made it as dark as twilight.

Sharon's lips were slightly purple, indicating that her body was cold. When I asked if she was okay, she only nodded without complaining.

I warmed the herbal tea in the flask and said, "Your body is cold, so drink this," handing it to her.

She nodded and started drinking the tea, and a slight flush returned to her cheeks.

During this time, I whispered to Guy, "I'm worried about Sharon."

"She's fine. If she becomes a burden, we'll leave her behind."

Although he said this, I could see from his expression that he was worried about his daughter.

I took my luggage off the horse and told Guy and Ridi, "I'll put my luggage on Sharon's horse and ride with her."

Guy shook his head and offered to put my luggage on his horse, but I said,

"I'm lighter. It will be less of a burden on the horse. Besides, Guy and Ridi need to be able to move freely."

Ridi agreed, saying, "I guess that's the best option," but Sharon was not convinced.

"I'm fine. I won't be a burden... I'm really fine."

However, she looked exhausted and I didn't think she could endure another two hours of riding.

"No, we'll reach Armaswait in two hours. Until then, hold on to me tightly."

I said this almost forcefully, and she nodded.

I had ridden with my younger siblings during horseback riding practice, so I wasn't particularly uncomfortable with it.

I got on the horse first and held out my hand. She blushed and said, "Please," as she took my hand. Ridi said, "Oh, oh," with a laugh, but Guy's expression seemed to become a bit stern.

(Well, it's a reasonable decision... I need to focus on controlling the horse and forget about Guy for now...)

After confirming that Sharon was holding on to me tightly, we set off again.

Despite setting off again, the rain did not let up, and it continued to pour like a bucket had been overturned. The sound of the rain hitting the hood of the mantle was loud.

The road was completely flooded, and only the grass in the slightly raised areas between the ruts was visible.

There were no travelers coming from ahead, and only lightly equipped travelers passed us from behind.

Perhaps because I could feel Sharon's warmth on my back, the wet clothes felt warm.

We took a break along the way, but Sharon's condition had improved significantly, and her complexion had fully returned to normal.

Sharon said, "I'm fine now," but I told her, "It's just a little more. It might be uncomfortable, but please bear with it," and we got back on the horse together.

Around 4:00 PM, thunder began to rumble. There was a forest nearby, but on the road with few obstacles, there was a risk of lightning strikes.

"The thunder is getting louder. What should we do?"

I asked Guy this, and he replied,

"We still have a distance to go. Besides, there's nowhere to take shelter around here. It's safer to hurry along."

Indeed, it took more than twenty seconds from the lightning flash to the thunder, but the lightning was coming from the west, the direction we were heading.

(It's about 5-6 km away now, but is the lightning striking near our destination? The speed of the thunderclouds is quite fast... However, if we run into the forest, the risk of lightning strikes increases, so we might as well follow Guy's advice and hurry along...)

After 5:30 PM, we arrived at our destination, Armaswait. The thunderclouds had moved north, so we didn't feel any danger.

Armaswait is a fortress city.

Due to the rain, there were almost no people at the East Gate when we arrived, so we could quickly complete the entry procedures.

Armaswait is a post town with a population of about 5,000, but it used to be a frontline fortress of the Kaerm Empire.

The city is about 1 km on each side, which is the standard size for a fortress city in the Kaerm Empire.

The walls are about 10 meters high and made of stone, with spires here and there, making it look like a real castle from the outside.

We entered the city and headed for the inn.

We moved along the main street that runs east to west, but due to the heavy rain, there were almost no people, and the shops were closed.

According to the gate guard, there was an inn a bit north of the center, and since few caravans had arrived today, there should be vacancies at any of them.

We found the inn in the rain around 6:00 PM.

Upon entering the inn, we finally felt a sense of relief and breathed a sigh of relief.

While Guy was completing the procedures, I checked on Sharon.

"Are you feeling okay? If you have a chill or a fever, or any other symptoms, let me know immediately, and I'll take care of it."

She shook her head and said, "Thank you," with a slight blush, and bowed.

I said, "Don't worry about it," and raised my hand, then turned to Ridi.

"Given this, we probably won't be able to move for the next few days. We still have time, but I regret wasting time in Periclitur."

"From here to Doctus is about 100 km. We can make it in three days, so there's no need to rush. Besides, we were quite wet for a long time, so we need to be careful not to catch a cold."

"I'm fine," I replied, "I can handle it with healing magic," and smiled.

"Yes, your healing magic is surprisingly effective."

Ordinary healing magic is not very effective against internal diseases. While water attribute healing magic can somewhat treat a cold, it is said that using herbs is more effective and faster than