Chapter 71

Leaving the royal capital Gran, Aldis set out for the city-state of Reitin with the members of the "Morning Star of the White Night."

It was already just before noon.

The departure was delayed because Ted and the others needed some time to recover from the damage caused by Merrill's cooking. Even the seasoned mercenaries like Ted and the others didn't have the energy to move right away after that.

The road leading west stretched endlessly, backed by the horizon and a clear blue sky. A gentle breeze blew, and the sunlight was neither too strong nor too weak, illuminating Aldis and the others. Thanks to this, their steps were light.

"If everything goes smoothly, it should take about four days to reach Reitin, right?"

As Orphelia said, the journey to Reitin would take four to five days on foot. If there were no troubles along the way, they planned to arrive by midday on the fourth day.

The road between the royal capital Gran and the city-state of Reitin was known for its good security. There were no attacks by beasts or bandits, and the only sights were the occasional passing merchant caravans and the mercenaries they encountered.

Things changed around the time the second day passed, at dusk on the third day after leaving the capital. Just as the sun was about to set and the sky was turning to "pale sky," Norris noticed something unusual ahead.

"Hey, aren't they being attacked?"

"Huh?"

At Norris's words, Ted squinted and shielded his eyes with his hand.

"Indeed, they are being attacked... by a caravan, it seems."

"Looks like it. The attackers... are they beasts? What are those things?"

In Aldis's view, there were three carriages and about ten guards surrounding them, and the attackers. The number of attackers was one, and it was clear from their size and shape that they were not human, but the silhouette was unfamiliar on the plain.

"Since there are guards, we don't need to get involved, right?"

"No, I don't think so."

Aldis immediately contradicted Norris's words, who had judged that there was no problem because of the guards. Indeed, there were armed guards, but their skills were not very high. Two guards had already been knocked down by the attackers' attacks.

"Can't help it, let's lend a hand."

As Ted ran out, the other three quickly followed. Even as they closed the distance, another guard fell victim.

"Hey... could that be... a Raktor?"

As the distance to the caravan halved and the situation became clearer, Orphelia panted and spoke.

"Huh? A Raktor? No way... but it does look like a Raktor."

Ted, who had started to deny it, changed his words.

What the guards were facing to protect the carriages was a huge, light purple snake. Its body was slightly thinner than a wine barrel but longer than three carriages linked together. It was the giant carnivorous beast known as the Raktor, familiar from the Kossus Forest.

"Why is a Raktor here, in such a place?"

Next to Orphelia, who posed the question, Norris spoke.

"I don't know why, but no matter what the opponent is, we have to do the same thing."

The distance was too far for Ted's sword to reach, but it was within range for Norris, the archer.

Stopping, Norris drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and released it with a steady aim. The arrow Norris fired passed by Ted, who was still running, and pierced the Raktor straight.

"Shaaaaa!"

The distance was too great for the arrow to have much power, and it probably didn't cause a deep wound.

However, it seemed to have succeeded in diverting the Raktor's attention from the caravan. Although Aldis couldn't discern the Raktor's expression, the slow turn of its head seemed to express the giant snake's frustration.

"Aldis! I need support!"

While still facing forward, Ted shouted and charged at the Raktor with his sword drawn.

"The burning flame is the proof of my power and pride—Fireball!"

A small fireball appeared at Aldis's fingertips with a short incantation for disguise. The moment his finger pointed at the Raktor, the fireball expanded explosively, growing to about fifty centimeters in size and flying at high speed.

The Raktor, suddenly faced with a new enemy, hissed and showed its long tongue.

Aldis's fireball struck mercilessly. To avoid affecting the guards, the well-aimed attack hit the rear of the Raktor's body, enveloping its light purple skin in flames.

"Giiiiiiii!"

The Raktor writhed in its burned and scorched body.

Seemingly deciding that Aldis and the others were more dangerous than the mercenaries surrounding the carriages, the Raktor turned its emotionless eyes toward them.

That judgment was not wrong. However, if anything, it was too late.

The moment the Raktor changed its target, Ted, who had raised his bastard sword, was already close enough to cut off its head.

"Here goes!"

With a casual cry, as if chopping wood, Ted brought down the heavy iron blade.

"Kya—!"

The Raktor's head, severed along with its dying scream, hit the ground with a heavy thud.

"Good work."

Aldis, who had caught up, praised Ted's efforts.

"Nothing much, really."

In fact, with Ted's skill, he could handle one or two Raktors easily. He would probably have taken care of it without Aldis's support.

Of course, that was because Ted was an experienced mercenary. For most mercenaries, a Raktor was a formidable opponent that required them to be prepared for death.

"Did you... survive?"

The mercenary, who had barely survived the sudden intervention, collapsed.

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, but... they are..."

When Ted asked, the mercenary, with a grimace, answered. His gaze was on the fallen guards, the victims of the Raktor. Some had their sides torn open, others had their necks bitten off. Several mercenaries were already dead.

They probably never expected to be attacked by a Raktor in such a place. According to their story, the mercenaries guarding the caravan had anticipated encountering beasts wandering the plains, but a battle with a Raktor was completely unexpected.

Raktors, which usually inhabit forests, were not typically encountered in such places. Whether they had strayed from the forest or chased their prey to this point, it was an irregular event.

"If it were Glass Wolves or Coyotes, we could handle them if they weren't too many..."

The mercenary, who usually hunted beasts around the town where they were based to earn a living, occasionally took on jobs to guard caravans traveling along the road. The road was not often dangerous, and it was common to finish a job without even drawing a sword. As long as they were careful of bandits, it was a profitable job.

According to the mercenary, they had taken this job with a light heart.

"Never thought it would turn out like this..."

Despite the loss of his comrades, his words were restrained. It seemed they were not close acquaintances. The mercenary said they had formed a temporary team for this job.

"Well, we worked together for a short time. It's sad, but... this is just part of the job as a mercenary, right?"

"That's true."

Ted understood that. His agreement was tinged with a bitter feeling.

The merchants leading the caravan thanked Aldis and the others warmly and invited them to accompany them to Reitin.

"Since we're all heading to the same destination, it's not much trouble to guard you along the way, right?"

No one objected to Ted's words. The three silver coins per person per day for the guard fee was a meager amount for Aldis and the others, but the distance and route would be the same whether they guarded the caravan or not.

Moreover, the beasts that appeared on the plains were no threat to Aldis and the others. As Ted said, it was truly "incidental."

Additionally, as a gesture of gratitude, Aldis and the others were allowed to ride in the carriages, unlike the other guards. They saved themselves the trouble of walking and even received a guard fee. It was a good deal.

After spending the night along the road, Aldis and the caravan set off westward at dawn.

"So, you're from the Naglas Kingdom?"

Aldis, relaxing in the carriage, was chatting with the merchant who was holding the reins on the driver's seat.

"Where are you from?"

Aldis, who was not good at idle conversation, continued the talk reluctantly, feeling it would be unadultlike to remain silent after being given a ride.

Ted and the others were in other carriages.

If Norris or Orphelia had been with him, he could have let them handle the conversation and taken a nap. Such thoughts, inappropriate for a guard, crossed his mind as he struggled to stay awake.

"We come from a small town near the northern forest, where we've been buying goods."

"The cargo is wood and... is that the smell of herbs?"

"That's right. You have a good nose."

The carriage was filled with wood. However, mixed with the unique scent of wood was the pungent smell of herbs collected from the forest. The strong odor, which would make a small child run away just from smelling it, stimulated Aldis's sense of smell.

"Herbs aside, isn't wood bulky, heavy, and not very profitable?"

"Usually, it is, but now in Reitin, both wood and herbs are selling at high prices. The Jinbali Trading Company buys them at twice the usual price."

"I don't know what they use them for, but apparently, the supply of wood around Reitin has become scarce, and many merchants like us are bringing goods from distant places."

"Hmm, that's quite a hassle, huh... *yawn*"

Aldis yawned widely, wiping away the tears that formed at the corners of his eyes.

"Haha, the rocking of the carriage does make one sleepy."

Indeed, Aldis was half-asleep in his mind.

Rowing with the rocking of the carriage, he would wake up every time the wheels bounced over the road's bumps. He would give a half-hearted response to the merchant's talk and then drift back into a doze. While Aldis repeated this dozens of times, the carriage steadily moved westward.

Without being surrounded by bandits or attacked by beasts, the group reached Reitin by evening that day.

2019/08/05 Correction: "inhibition was effective" → "inhibition was effective"

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