Chapter 92

As we hurriedly left the campsite, we came upon a river. The river was wide, but there was a bridge, so crossing it wouldn't be a problem. The issue was that a covered wagon had overturned just before the bridge.

"What do we do?"

Kokushin asked. What should we do, indeed.

I don't like getting involved in troublesome matters, and I don't want to stick my neck out. But I'm not so inhuman as to ignore someone in distress right in front of me. Besides, I can't see anyone around.

As we got a bit closer, a man carrying a log emerged from behind the overturned wagon. He noticed us and wiped his sweat.

"Sorry. Horses can pass through, though."

The covered wagon was blocking the entrance to the bridge, but it wouldn't be a problem for horses to pass.

"What happened? Where are the horses?"

He didn't seem to be a bad person. He had inserted the log under the wagon and was trying to move it using the principle of a lever. There were some drag marks.

Upon closer inspection, the wagon was in a sorry state. It was patched up in various places, and boards were nailed on. When I peeked inside, the axle was completely broken, and the wheels had fallen off, with cracks in them.

"My partner is looking for them."

There were no horses around that could have pulled the wagon.

"Wolves came out. There was only one, and we managed to drive it away, but the new horse got spooked, overturned the wagon, and ran off. My partner is chasing it on the other horse."

It seems they had a team of two horses.

"That must have been tough."

I glanced at Kokushin, who nodded slightly. We dismounted and started helping to move the wagon. Well, Rada and I weren't much help, so we decided to gather the scattered items.

"Sorry."

"It's not urgent, so it's fine. I just hope your partner is okay."

Kokushin answered while pushing the groaning wagon.

The man and his partner were from the same village and were traveling merchants.

"We've been patching it up, but now we have no choice but to replace it..."

The man looked sadly at the wagon. He had been trying to save money by repairing it and had been saving up to get a better one.

"Hey!"

An unfamiliar voice called out. We turned to see a man walking towards us from the forest, leading two horses. One of the horses seemed to have a leg injury, walking in a jerky manner. The remaining man frowned.

"Is it injured?"

"Can't tell. But, who are they...?"

"Just passersby. They're helping us move the wagon."

"Can we get it back on its wheels?"

The man slowly shook his head. The other man sighed deeply.

"I wish it could have lasted at least another two months, or even one."

"There's nothing we can do. We'll have to use the money we've saved so far."

"That's right. Thanks for your help."

The man who brought the horses turned to us and bowed slightly. He looked stern but seemed like a good person.

"First, we need to sort the cargo and figure out what to do with the wagon. Also, the horse. Can I give it a healing potion?"

When I said this, he looked surprised. Healing potions for horses must be rare.

"Will it work?"

"It will. My horse was covered in injuries when I got him, but look how clean he is now?"

"He was used by bad people and had bald spots."

When the men frowned at the mention of injuries, Kokushin added:

"Don't worry. This isn't very bitter."

Lada handed out beginner healing potions to the two men from her bag. I took one from my magic bag and brought it close to the injured horse's mouth. The horse, which was trembling, seemed to be either very scared or in pain.

"Huh? Don't like it? It will make the pain go away."

I opened the cap and tried to give it to the horse, but it refused.

"Well, here. Blanca."

I gave it to my horse. Blanca, who was used to healing potions, gently took the bottle with her teeth and tilted her head to swallow it, then returned the empty bottle to me.

"See? You can drink it."

When I took out a new one, the horse reluctantly opened its mouth. I made sure it didn't choke. The horse swallowed and blinked. Then it stomped its feet.

"Wow. Is it really healed? Can you walk a bit?"

The horse, led by its owner, took a few steps. It no longer dragged its leg.

"Amazing. Is that just a regular beginner healing potion?"

"That's right. Giving it occasionally is good. Just be careful, as some horses might refuse to move if you don't give it to them."

I heard that when Gabar gave it to his horse, one of them started demanding it before moving.

As we talked, we gathered the cargo and moved the wagon.

"By the way, what are you going to do next?"

When I asked, the two merchants looked at each other. The horses were fine, but the wagon was beyond repair. What would they do with the cargo?

"We can only load as much as the horses can carry..."

"If you like, we can take some."

I patted my magic bag. When Kokushin added that it was a magic bag, the two men's eyes widened in surprise.

"I didn't expect to meet someone with one. Oh, that's why you had so little luggage. I see, you have a magic bag. But is it okay?"

"Up to the next town."

"That would be a great help."

Since they treated their horses and wagon with care, I didn't mind. If they had been the type to take advantage, I would have just called for help and left. They were treating us, passersby, sincerely.

With their permission, we counted the boxes, marked them, and stored them. The cargo included cloth, grain, and various decorations. We wanted to avoid any mix-ups, so trust was important.

The only thing left was the overturned wagon. I had an idea and touched the wagon.

Poof.

The wagon disappeared. I moved a bit and took it out. The overturned wagon reappeared. If I had done this from the start, we wouldn't have had to sweat so much.

"...Late"

Kokushin's exasperated voice. But, they both didn't say anything! It's not just my fault!

"I just thought of it."

Besides, it took time to assess their character. I didn't want to be treated like a thief. It was necessary time, yes.

"Amazing. The whole wagon fits in there?"

The two merchants were only amazed and didn't say it was a waste of time.

Since we couldn't just leave it, I put the wagon back in the bag. They wanted to reuse anything that could be, so we would hand it over with the cargo in the next town.

We continued on the road with five horses, clop clop.

"Hey, did you stay there? I'm glad you're safe."

On the way, the topic of the rock shelf came up. What do they mean by 'safe'?

"It's famous for monsters."

"Monsters? Not demons?"

I suddenly thought of the deer.

"From what I've heard from people who encountered them, the appearances vary. Some say it was a large cow, others say multiple foxes. They transform and appear before people, so they're called monsters."

"Strangely, they don't directly attack. But if you do something to anger them, you might end up fighting each other, or your loot might be ruined, or everyone might get a fever."

The two men's explanation made me exclaim, "Wow." So, if we had shot arrows or tried to drive them away, we might have been in trouble.

"Why don't people who know about it go near there?"

"That's right."

If there were danger signs, it would be helpful. If there are signs of camping, you might think it's a safe place. But as long as you don't anger them, it's okay. We even got a souvenir. I won't say that, though.

"What could it be?"

"Who knows. A god or a demon. Either way, it's not someone you'd want to get close to."

I agree. We don't know if it will turn out well next time. It's better to leave well enough alone.