Chapter 74: Unexpected Ambush

In a gorge so dense with trees and leaves that the sky was not visible, a man slipped and fell due to the moss on the rocks. At the same time, the people following him tumbled and fell one after another.

Boom!

“Aaaah!”

“Be careful!”

“Damn, watch where you’re going!”

“Ouch, tsk tsk. Hey, are you okay?”

The procession, formed by groups of people, was so long that its beginning and end were out of sight. Most were caravan members, but there were also a significant number of outsiders who had entrusted themselves to the caravan to pay and move to other regions.

“Can you get up?”

“Yes, thank you.”

A man helped the fallen woman to her feet. She had her hair tied up under a headscarf, dressed typically like a woman from the Hawan Kingdom.

The squad member shouted while reorganizing the chaotic line.

“Keep moving! It gets worse the further back you go!”

“Yes, yes. I’m going. When will we get out of here?”

“We’ve only been in for a short while. It will take at least a week.”

“Hey, the wheel is stuck! Push from the back!”

Not only people were moving. Boxes that couldn’t fit on the carts had to be dragged by ropes, and the rare animals in cages, exotic furniture, and heavy minerals were a definite burden on the procession.

The woman shook her hands and grumbled to herself.

‘Oh, really… I’m such an idiot for getting excited and eating that meat.’

From now on, she would never, under any circumstances, eat the meat Kakanter gave her. Su, who had her mouth tightly shut, stroked the gula powder she had in her pocket. It had been two days since they left the Hawan Kingdom, and she was just getting used to how the caravan’s march proceeded.

‘Meals are three times a day. For dinner, they always boil a stew with everything left over from before.’

She had even prepared the gula powder, which could cause food poisoning, and the venom of the yellow scorpion. Her goal was to keep the procession tied up in the gorge as long as possible. It would be even better if they had to turn back.

“The sun is already setting.”

Since they were near a remote area, darkness fell quickly once the sun set. The deputy leader checked his watch and clicked his tongue. At this rate, they might not get out within a week.

“Alright! We’ll rest here for the night. Prepare dinner. Don’t wander too far, and set up your own sleeping arrangements.”

“Ouch. I’m dying. I’m dying.”

“Who the hell ordered this? Damn it!”

“It must be some unknown noble.”

When the order to rest was given, everyone groaned and put down their loads. Although Su, as an outsider, had no load to carry, the squad members were each responsible for carrying items as big as themselves.

“Can I help with anything? Even though I paid, everyone looks so exhausted…”

Su approached the place where dinner was being prepared and spoke cautiously. The large pot was filled with everything left over from today.

“Not too heavy, right?”

“A little heavy, but I’m fine.”

“Hold on.”

Su smiled awkwardly while holding the pot. The squad members who were in charge of cooking glanced at her briefly before getting busy preparing dinner.

Swish.

She put her hand in her pocket and found the gula powder, then naturally sprinkled it into the pot.

A squad member who brought the seasoning looked at her curiously.

“You can put it down. Were you holding it all this time?”

“Oh.”

‘Damn it… I was told to hold it.’

Su forced a smile, suppressing the frown on her forehead. The man marveled at her strength and stirred the pot roughly with a ladle, mixing the gula powder into the stew.

“Start serving! Who’s on duty today?”

“I don’t know. You do it again.”

“Damn, I was hungry last night too!”

“I’ll do it. I’m not that hungry.”

“What? You?”

When Su offered to help, the squad member, though puzzled, gladly handed over the ladle. Since the person on duty could only eat after serving everyone, there was no reason to refuse.

Clap clap clap!

“Come on, everyone line up!”

“Who’s she?”

“She joined us from Hawan.”

Su greeted the people warmly and stirred the pot. She even crushed the clumps of gula powder that hadn’t dissolved with the ladle.

“Hey, it’s a bit bland.”

“Is it? Hold on. Would you like to try this?”

She even offered gula powder to the person who asked for more seasoning. He ate the stew with the gula powder and immediately opened his eyes wide.

“…This is!”

‘Oh no, did he notice?’

“…Why, why are you doing that?”

“The seasoning is just right. Thank you.”

The man turned away, giving her a thumbs up. Su sighed in disappointment and kept stirring the pot. Everyone needed to get sick for her to return to the desert…

“Haha! The food today is delicious!”

“Can I have another bowl? Choke.”

Unaware of Su’s intentions, the laughter of those relaxing echoed through the forest. In the distance, a wolf’s howl could be heard.

* * *

Mereleopf Manor.

“Mom, I’m hungry.”

“Hold this. Don’t chew. We’ll have dinner soon.”

The mother gave the child a long-dried piece of meat. After sucking on it a few times, the child couldn’t help but chew it.

“Don’t chew, I said!”

“Aaaah!”

The child burst into tears at the mother’s harsh scolding.

This wasn’t just happening in this house. The same was true for the neighboring houses, the houses in front, and the houses behind. The harvest was so poor that the consequences were severe. Although trade with foreign lands was the main source of income, it was still a problem…

“We’re doomed.”

“Indeed. I’ve never seen such a case since I was born.”

“Wasn’t it like this last year?”

“It wasn’t this bad. The river water was mixed with blood, and that’s when things got crazy. Shouldn’t we ask Bratz for compensation?”

“Come on. Didn’t you hear? Someone from Mereleopf Manor tried to kill Ian. That’s why the relationship is so awkward.”

It’s the worst harvest in history. The food they had stored from last year to prepare for hunger was almost depleted. They couldn’t ask for mercy from the Mereleopf Baron either. If they offended him, he might demand more taxes.

“The people from Bratz say gula is delicious…”

“Do you want to become an animal? I’ll cook and eat you myself. Hehe!”

“No, really. There’s an advisor from the palace who often eats it. He said the news is slow to reach the frontier, but in the upper regions, even the royal family and nobles eat gula.”

“Idiot, do you believe that?”

“That’s why I offered money to gather gula.”

“No…”

She wanted to argue but couldn’t think of a proper response. She had heard that they were even planting gula densely in the ground, paying for it and cultivating it. It sounded like a rumor because outsiders were strictly blocked.

“I don’t care about gula. I just hope the caravan comes soon. At this rate, we’ll only be left to suck our fingers.”

Everyone nodded in deep agreement at someone’s words. When the caravan came, they could provide lodging and facilities and receive money and food. Moreover, they could buy food from the caravan.

They always looked north when the cold wind blew, in the direction of the Hawan Kingdom.

Clop clop!

Then, a horse galloped down the main street of the village. By his clothes and feather, he was clearly a foreigner. He asked the manor residents.

“Which way to the manor house?”

“Go straight down the left road. Are you from the caravan from the Hawan Kingdom?”

“Yes, but…”

His expression didn’t look good. The residents, trying to stop him from leaving hastily, asked.

“What’s the matter?”

“The caravan is stuck in the gorge. Everyone seems to have eaten something bad and is suffering from severe food poisoning. The doctors are in agony, so I came here first. Move aside.”

The man quickly headed to the manor to ask for help. The residents, staring blankly at his back, had one thing on their minds.

“Stuck in the gorge?”

If they were stuck, when would they arrive? Or would they even come at all? Everyone looked up at the Mereleopf Manor with a sense of despair.

Meanwhile.

“What? What did you say?”

The Baron of Mereleopf couldn’t believe it and kept asking. It was a large caravan with over a hundred people. How could they all be stuck due to food poisoning?

“It seems the dinner was the problem. At first, only a few showed symptoms, but as time passed, more and more fell ill… Over half of them are now lying down, unable to move.”

It must have been quite a sight, with people collapsing in that dense forest. Mereleopf stroked his beard and tried to calm his shock.

“Tsk tsk. I told them not to boil everything together like pig gruel!”

Would the Baron understand the situation of a caravan that crossed the sea and traversed the land? Food poisoning during a march was common, but it was rare for everyone to be so severely affected. Most just had mild stomachaches.

“Anyway, send some doctors. The medicine we prepared ran out in just one day.”

“How will you pay for the treatment?”

“The caravan will pay for the members, and the outsiders will pay individually.”

“Where are they located?”

“About here.”

“It’s quite far. I’ll charge double for the travel expenses.”

The Baron of Mereleopf looked at the map the man pointed to and added greedily. By the location, they had just barely escaped the entrance of the mountain range.

“The caravan leader said to do as you see fit. Saving lives is the priority. But since we’ve also sent people to the Hawan Kingdom, it’s best to hurry.”

“Alright. Wait a moment. Outside! Butler!”

“Yes, sir.”

“Call all the doctors in the manor, except for those who find it difficult to walk.”

Soon, the butler reported that the doctors had been gathered, and Mereleopf sent soldiers to escort them.

The horses carrying the doctors left the manor in a line. The residents followed their shadows with troubled hearts.