Chapter 67

Getting on the carriage departing from Rihelan, Rio and Shiraha headed north.

They were disguised to some extent, but since not many people left Rihelan, they seemed to have been noticed by those around them.

Due to the influence of Galdrat becoming a saint, Rihelan had suddenly attracted attention, and at the same time, it was regarded as a safe town because of its high combat capabilities.

While there were people going to Rihelan, there were few leaving.

To avoid being tracked, Rio called out to the guard sitting next to him, thinking about making a detour somewhere.

"Jaggi, you're from around here, right? Do you know any place we can make a detour to?"

Jaggi, the leader of the C-rank party assigned as a guard from the Adventurer's Guild, answered while keeping an eye on the surroundings.

"You're thinking of avoiding being tracked, but there's no suitable place. There are small frontier villages, but outsiders would stand out even more."

Rio, who also came from a similar frontier village, nodded in agreement. Outsiders do stand out quite a bit.

While thinking about heading straight to their destination, San Ankumayu, Jaggi suddenly had an idea.

"How about the town of Sufan?"

"Sufan?"

Hearing the name of a town that sounded familiar, Rio tried to recall it. However, before Rio could reach the answer, Shiraha spoke up.

"The town where the spirit Sufan resides."

That's it, Rio thought, reaching the same conclusion.

The spirit Sufan was a well-known spirit in the country, and there was even a religion that worshipped it, which had existed for a long time.

Due to its long history, there were many anecdotes and idioms in military tales.

"May Sufan be with you, right?"

An idiom that describes an invincible strength that repels all.

Jaggi nodded.

"Exactly. Sufan's unique magic repels everything. No one can enter its territory."

After explaining and exchanging glances with the party members, Jaggi turned back to Rio.

"Thanks to Sufan's influence, it's a safe town without any evil beasts around. Adventurers don't usually have much business there, but there are many tourists, so you can blend in. What do you think?"

Rio looked at Shiraha, who was sitting across from him.

Shiraha, who didn't seem very interested, tilted her head when their eyes met, as if wondering why Rio was looking at her.

If the decision was left entirely to him, that was fine too, so Rio answered Jaggi.

"Let's make a detour. The guard can stop there."

"Alright? Well, with your skills, you should be able to survive in San Ankumayu, so no worries."

The guard fee was prepaid by the guild. Since making a detour would consume the guard days, it was better for both parties to part ways in Sufan.

Rio and Shiraha's goal was a person named Churas in San Ankumayu. Since Churas, a knight, had been secretly investigating the magic gem with Nac, it would be a bother to bring unrelated guards along.

"Since that's decided, we'll get off the carriage halfway. Originally, this carriage wasn't going all the way to San Ankumayu anyway."

"Sufan is close? And, I want to send some souvenirs to my hometown. Do you have any recommendations?"

"You're in a real tourist mood."

Jaggi laughed, thought for a moment, and then gave a recommendation.

"Jam is famous there. It's made from a fruit called Filz, which has a sweet and sour taste with a deep, sweet aroma. It's a specialty alongside honey."

"Jam, huh? It's expensive, though."

"Sufan is safe because of the surrounding area, so agriculture and forestry are well-developed, making it quite cheap. There are many tourists who come to see the spirit Sufan, and even nobles who come to see the orchards during the flowering season."

"Wow. I'll check the prices and decide."

They got off the carriage at a larger village and started walking on the road.

Even though there was a possibility of being targeted, Jaggi and the others decided that being overly cautious would defeat the purpose of their disguise, so they followed in a relaxed manner, yawning and the like. Still, they covered Rio and Shiraha's blind spots and subtly kept an eye on passersby.

Despite being a C-rank party, they were directly assigned a guard request from the Adventurer's Guild, so their skills were reliable.

"Still, why San Ankumayu? That area has the worst security. Well, since it's a rule not to pry into people's backgrounds, it might be safer for someone being targeted to hide there."

"That's part of it, but there seem to be a lot of strong people, right?"

Jaggi frowned, not entirely convinced by Rio's answer.

"Ah, you were talking about testing your skills. Yeah, there are a lot of skilled people. Most of them are involved in underground activities, though."

"Is it that dangerous?"

"Of course. It's right next to the territory of the evil god Kazha, who destroyed the Shubet Kingdom. It's a gathering place for evil spirits, evil beasts, and criminals. It's said that the spirit Sufan is the only thing keeping it in check."

"Mr. Sufan is great, isn't he?"

"You should pray to him."

As Jaggi said, the road they were heading to was crowded with tourists. The closer they got, the more people joined from other roads.

It wasn't so crowded that they were swept away, but for Rio, who considered himself a country bumpkin, it was a nerve-wracking number of people to avoid bumping into. Naturally, Rio took Shiraha's hand and started walking at the edge of the road.

Shiraha looked down at the hand that was held and tilted her head.

"Is it okay?"

"What is?"

"Is it okay to hold hands?"

"It's fine. It would be troublesome if we got separated."

Rio understood the misunderstanding that holding hands might cause, but he decided to prioritize safety.

Shiraha squeezed Rio's hand back and smiled happily.

"Usually, I can run away, but today I caught you."

"Catch me... You're not a dog on a leash."

Rio sighed, still finding her offbeat, and looked ahead.

The town of Sufan was in sight.

Starting from Chapter 3, updates will be every two days.