Chapter 82

Three Otem carts were completed.

They have a simple structure, with a large box, four wheels, and a handle.

Of course, in Otem style, a face is also carved on the front.

It's been a while since I did such good work.

I immediately tried to pick up the Baum birds with both arms and load them onto the Otem cart, but Gordon stopped me.

"Abel, before you load them, there's something I want to check. When you catch Baum birds, sometimes they come with a bonus. With this many, some of them must be carrying something, lend them to me."

A bonus?

I didn't know what he meant, but I had no reason to refuse.

I silently handed the Baum birds to Gordon.

Gordon took the Baum birds and sat cross-legged on the ground, placing them on his knees.

He opened the beak of a Baum bird with his right hand and stuck his fingers inside. Then he hit the neck with his other hand.

"... What are you doing?"

"This one's a dud. At least one of them should be... Ah, there it is! A little more, a little more! Damn! This! Damn! Got it, got it!"

Gordon pulled his right hand out happily.

In his hand was a gold coin covered in saliva.

... It seems the "bonus" refers to gold coins that occasionally remain in the mouths of Baum birds, which other adventurers used as bait and then escaped without paying.

Even though he offered it to me with enthusiasm, I felt a bit resistant to accepting it.

"... I'll give you the ones that came out of their mouths. You were originally chasing the Baum birds to get the gold coins, right?"

Currently, Gordon is working for free.

While I do feel like using him to the fullest since he caused us trouble, he is also useful as insurance against Gaston.

He has strength that I lack, and he seemed genuinely scared, so the likelihood of him betraying us is low, which is a relief.

Considering he might be useful in the future, it's best to prepare some compensation.

It seems we'll have to buy a new bow for Mordon, but they don't seem to have much money.

A few gold coins, considering the number of Baum birds, are a trivial amount.

Besides... I don't really want to touch those slimy gold coins.

"Is it okay? Really? Abel... no, Abel-bro!"

Gordon, moved to tears, spread his arms and approached me.

"Stop it, bro. Hey, don't bring your hands near me!"

... In any case, it didn't take long to make the Baum birds spit out the gold coins, and the loading work was completed.

With Meara and the Gordon brothers pushing the Otem carts, we started walking towards the city of Romane.

Even though they are divided into three, the number of Baum birds is still large.

Compared to the muscular Gordon brothers, it seems a bit tough for Meara.

Meara occasionally stops to wipe her sweat and gasp for breath.

Then she takes a deep breath, gathers her strength, and speeds up to catch up with the others.

"Are you okay?"

"No, I'm fine! In fact, a bit of a challenge is just right for Meara!"

Meara, speaking with slightly labored breath, looked genuinely exhausted.

The handle position might be a bit high for her.

I should have adjusted it to fit her better.

I'll consider it for next time.

I thought about carrying my own luggage, but I don't have that much spare energy.

Magic, especially delicate magic, drains one's mental energy.

My legs are also sore.

I'm barely managing to walk. Really.

On the way back, Gordon narrowed his eyes in dissatisfaction, comparing me and Meara, and scratched his head.

He seemed to want to say something, but when our eyes met, he quickly looked away and forced a smile.

What, is there something on my face?

"... Hey, girl. I'll carry that load on your back."

Gordon suggested to Meara.

"No, I don't want to! This is something Meara was entrusted with by Abel!"

Meara quickened her pace to get away from Gordon.

"I appreciate the offer, but it's not that important, and it would be better if you carried it..."

I called out to Meara, who was walking away.

Meara, trying to maintain her speed, was swaying from side to side.

"... Abel-bro, you could at least carry the load on your back."

Gordon said, looking away and speaking hesitantly.

"No, I... I really want to, but I'm barely managing to walk... Honestly, I need a break soon..."

"That's a joke..."

Gordon turned to me, opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped.

"What? What's wrong?"

"W-When did you start sweating so much, Abel-bro..."

... I thought I had improved a lot since we left the village.

"Sorry, Meara, let's take a short break soon. Meara, hey!"

I called out to Meara, who was walking ahead.

Meara turned back slightly and tried to stop the Otem cart... but the inertia pulled her, and she stumbled.

"Kyaa!"

Meara's body fell forward, and the Otem cart was about to fall off the edge of the road.

This is bad.

I took out my staff and thrust it into the ground.

A magic circle appeared, and the surrounding ground was enveloped in light.

"Earth Erosion"

The soil at Meara's feet sucked the soles of her shoes, forcing her to regain her balance.

"Ah, ... huh?"

Meara opened her eyes, which she had closed, and tilted her head in confusion.

The Otem cart, with its front wheel partially off the road, stopped abruptly.

The scene looked as if time had frozen.

"Phew!"

Since I had to prioritize stability, I made the ground around Gordon's feet change as well.

As a result, Gordon's right knee, which was off the ground, hit the suddenly stopped Otem cart.

"Ah, sorry, Gordon."

"N-No, it's fine... ouch, ouch..."

I want to cancel the magic, but if I do, the Otem cart will fall off the road.

The drop isn't very high, so we could pick it up, but if it flips over, the Baum birds might get hurt.

"Earth"

I waved my staff.

The light from the tip of the staff reached the spot directly below the Otem cart, which was about to fall.

The terrain deformed, and the soil piled up.

Ground appeared under the front wheel of the Otem cart.

"Okay, it should be fine now."

"Thank you, Abel... You saved us."

Meara, seeing that the Otem cart was safe, finally relaxed, and the tension in her body eased.

"Hey, who the hell are you, really?"

Gordon stared at the newly formed ground, his face contorted.