Chapter 14

Leda and Mina set out from the town early in the morning, seeing off the townspeople who had come to bid them farewell. Some people tried to persuade them to stay a bit longer, but they couldn't keep relying on others forever. Although Leda wasn't without the desire to savor the peaceful village now free from the attacks of the magic wolves, he decided to set out in search of new lands.

The town of Amrus is a day's walk east of Morleria if you take a leisurely pace. With Mina, a child, it would take even longer, but if necessary, Leda could carry Mina to make up for the lost time.

"Hey, Leda. What kind of town is Amrus?"

"It's a developing town on the frontier. I've heard it's just starting to be developed, and there aren't many residents yet."

"Hmm. Are we going to live there?"

"They are recruiting residents, so it would be nice if we could. I plan to continue my activities as an adventurer, but if there's a well-paying job, I might take that too. I hear they can introduce us to jobs, so let's go to Amrus first and see."

"That sounds fun."

Leda gently patted Mina's head as she smiled at him. When they left Morleria, Mina seemed sad to part with the people they had met, but now she had regained her energy. Leda was relieved to see her smiling, as he wanted the young girl to be happy.

(The weather is nice today, so it's perfect for walking. It might take a while, but as long as we arrive before nightfall, it should be fine.)

Leda didn't want to make a young child camp out, so he aimed to reach the destination by the end of the day. After walking for about an hour, the trees along the road became denser, making the area a bit darker. This area was being developed from the forest.

Morleria was originally a town established as a base for forest development. Now, the base has moved to Amrus, and they are working on developing the border forests and mountains and building roads. Because it's an undeveloped area, monsters and bandits often appear, which is where adventurers come in.

Leda had heard that development would continue for years to come, so he expected there would be no shortage of work.

"Ah! There's a carriage!"

"…Is something wrong? I'll go check it out, but stay behind me, okay?"

"O-okay."

Leda noticed two stopped cargo wagons by the side of the road and became cautious. He could sense someone's presence, but he couldn't understand why they had stopped in such a remote area. If they were taking a break, there should be someone keeping watch outside the wagons, and they should have a fire to keep away wild animals. However, there was nothing, which made him puzzled.

Shielding Mina behind him, Leda cautiously approached the wagons and called out.

"Hey, is there any trouble?"

After a while, a middle-aged man with a turban appeared from one of the wagons.

"Ah, who are you?"

"I'm an adventurer named Leda. Why are the wagons stopped here? Is something wrong?"

"Ah, yes, actually… we were attacked by monsters."

"Monsters!?"

Leda drew a knife from his belt and became alert. He had been feeling safe because they hadn't encountered any monsters, but in undeveloped areas, it's not unusual to run into them.

"No, we managed to defeat them."

"Huh? Then what's the problem?"

"Actually… one of our guard adventurers was injured, and we can't heal him with the potions we have."

"Ah, I see. I might be able to help with that."

"R-really?"

"I can use healing magic. I'm not as good as a priest or healer, but if you'd like, I can try to use it."

"R-really? You would do that?"

"Of course."

"B-but, I'm not sure if I can pay you properly."

"Ah, don't worry about it. It's free, free."

"Free!?"

The merchant's eyes changed at Leda's words.

"If that's the case, could you please help us! I don't insist on it being free! I will definitely thank you, so please!"

Leda was pulled into the wagon by the merchant, who grabbed his arm.

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