Chapter 21

The next morning.

We were being jolted in a carriage.

After that, Leen's older brother had pleaded with me, saying, "I will pay you a generous travel and reward fee – please, you are the only one I can rely on right now."

He also said, "If nothing happens, it will be like a trip..."

Apparently, due to a shortage of manpower, there was no one else suitable for the job except me.

There should be plenty of others, but perhaps I was the only one with free time.

Indeed, the construction site in front of the dungeon was on a temporary break, and thanks to the "black sword" I received, the gutters I had to clean as part of the "sewer cleaning" request were cleaned at a much faster pace than I had anticipated.

This morning, I felt so good that I cleaned up ten days' worth of requests in one go.

There wouldn't be a need for cleaning for a while.

Thinking about it, the timing was really perfect.

We were heading to the northwest of the capital, to the mountainous town of Tros, and we would be staying there for a while.

After that, if nothing unusual happened, we were supposed to cross the mountains and head to the neighboring country, the "Holy Kingdom of Misra."

Ines, who was riding with us, had the necessary documents for that.

The content of the job I was asked to do was simply to accompany Leen.

If nothing happened, it would truly be just a trip.

It was a rather strange request, but I agreed to it, thinking, "If that's the case..."

"I'm sorry for my brother's impertinence... I hope nothing happens on the way."

"No, it's nothing. I'm getting paid for it, after all."

This time, the request was made through the Adventurer's Guild.

We discussed it on the spot and decided that it would be best.

My current adventurer rank is "F," so I can't take on material collection or extermination requests outside the capital, but just accompanying someone or carrying luggage is fine.

In other words, I would be treated as Leen's caretaker and helper.

As an adventurer, I don't have many strong points, but I have confidence in carrying and transporting heavy things, so in that sense, I might be the right person for the job.

Leen's older brother said he would pay whatever I asked for, but since I didn't know the going rate, I left it to the old man at the Adventurer's Guild.

The old man said, "I got you a pretty good deal, so you can travel with peace of mind," but to be honest, the amount didn't really register with me.

Leen also said she would be happy if I came along, and I owed her for helping me defeat the goblins yesterday.

If it was her request, there was no reason to refuse.

However, the real reason I accepted this request was different.

I haven't told Leen or the old man yet.

It's not really a secret, but... it's hard to say that the reason I accepted the request was simply because I had never ridden in a carriage before and wanted to try it out.

But to be honest, that was the best reward for me.

I've only seen other parts of the capital and a few villages I passed through when I came down from the mountains.

I want to see other towns.

And this time, if we're lucky, we might even get to see another country.

I really want to go there.

I just want to travel and see various places.

Actually, I want to become a proper adventurer and travel on my own, but that's still a long way off.

However, even if I'm just accompanying someone, there's no harm in broadening my horizons.

It will surely be useful when I set out as a full-fledged adventurer someday.

So, this trip is a dream come true for me.

After loading the food and luggage before departure, I had nothing to do, but I was enjoying the carriage ride with a relaxed and carefree mind.

The scenery from the carriage window was picturesque.

Wheat fields stretched as far as the eye could see, nearing the harvest season.

Come to think of it, this was near the path I took when I came down from the mountain, but back then, the wheat was just planted and green.

Just a change in seasons can make such a difference.

Now, as far as the eye could see, it was a golden plain – that's what it should be called.

Just this scenery alone made me realize how fertile the land and how prosperous the country was.

If I became an adventurer and went on adventures, would I see such landscapes, or even more amazing ones?

– I want to see them.

My posture leaning out of the carriage might look like I was getting carried away and excited.

Actually, I was.

However, the person sitting in the driver's seat didn't look happy.

It was Ines, our guard.

There were three of us in the carriage: her, me, and Leen.

"Mr. Noll – I'm really sorry for involving you."

When our eyes met, she apologized.

I thought it was a bit exaggerated for just a trip, but she seemed to be the type with a strong sense of responsibility.

Perhaps this was how she naturally interacted with others.

But today, she seemed to be in a bad mood.

"Are you not feeling well?"

"No, I was just thinking... I'm sorry. I will take full responsibility for your safety. Don't worry too much."

Well, I wasn't really worried about myself... but I was a bit concerned about her.

She had a troubled look on her face, and

besides, Ines's main role was to guard Leen.

Also, she was holding the reins of the horses pulling the carriage.

In a small group, the roles were overlapping.

She didn't look well, and I couldn't let her overexert herself.

"No, I'll try not to be a burden and do my best to protect myself..."

I wasn't very confident in my skills, but I had some confidence in my running speed.

Even if I was surrounded by a pack of wolves in the mountains, I could escape unharmed.

"No – I have a [Shield]. It's my job to protect the people around me."

"A shield, huh?"

When she said that, I looked at Ines, who was sitting next to me, more closely.

She was wearing the same maid-like outfit with a silver armor over it as before.

She didn't have a helmet, and her golden hair was gently swaying in the wind.

But now, I couldn't see any shield around her.

Come to think of it, I couldn't see any weapons either.

"You don't seem to have anything...?"

"I don't need it. In my case, it's better not to have one."

"Is that so...?"

I said that, but to be honest, I didn't understand.

Perhaps sensing my confusion, Ines smiled a little.

"Right – let me show you... [Divine Shield]."

When Ines raised one hand, a huge, glowing wall suddenly appeared in the air.

It looked like just light, but it was definitely creating a 'wall.'

The wind coming from the front of the moving carriage completely disappeared.

"Wow... so this is your 'shield'?"

"Yes, if something happens, hide behind this light shield. Most weapons and magic can't penetrate it."

"Got it, I'll do that."

I had some concerns about a trip with just three of us, but with Ines, I felt reassured.

She was as strong as the spearman who trained me at Leen's family's training ground – I think his name was Lambert.

According to Leen, he was so skilled that he could single-handedly take down a dragon.

Compared to me, who struggled with a single goblin, he was in a completely different league.

If that was the case, Ines must be a formidable warrior too.

I didn't need to be worried about someone like me.

So, I decided to take full advantage of her kindness.

And so, I relaxed and enjoyed the vast wheat fields visible from the carriage.

But then—

I suddenly felt something odd about the vast wheat fields I was looking at.

"Huh?"

On closer inspection, there was a strange path in the wheat field.

I had heard that strong winds could sometimes flatten crops and cause damage, but this didn't seem to be the case.

It looked as if a path had been trampled down.

"What's that?"

"What...? Is something wrong?"

When I spoke, Ines also looked around the wheat field, but she didn't seem to find it.

But it was far back in the field, so it was hard to see, but I could definitely see it.

What was that?

Hearing our conversation, Leen poked her head out of the carriage and looked around the wheat field.

She seemed to see something and looked surprised.

"There... something is definitely there – [Reveal Concealment]!"

Leen used a skill.

Just like when she used it on the goblin yesterday, a transparent veil seemed to peel off from the slightly odd spot, revealing something.

There—

A giant, black, frog-like creature was slowly walking with a plodding gait, and a small boy was standing next to it.

The boy, who had suddenly appeared in the middle of the wheat field, seemed to be looking around in surprise.

The frog and the boy's eyes met.

Then, the frog raised its thick front legs, as if it was about to attack the boy.

Before I could even think, "Danger," my feet were already moving.

"Wait, that's—!!"

—I heard Ines's voice from behind.

But at that moment, I was already using my full [Body Enhancement] to run as fast as I could toward the frog and the boy.

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