A Pending Decision
The Merchant’s caravan was composed of two carriages.
One carriage carried the goods, while the other carried the merchants.
The carriage that the Merchants are in are filled with other people as well. It seems Merchants and other rich people hire guides when they move about the Holy Land.
These guides are called Stewards. I don’t know what they do exactly, but unlike explorers who use the Holy Land as a place to explore and hunt, they live in the Holy Land and serve as guards and assistants to those who pass through.
I’ve heard that explorers do this often as well.
However, since this village is at the edge of the Holy Land, there was little need to hire them for that, but they probably don’t have much to do either.
This time, their products were mainly alcohol, medicine, and tobacco. This village is completely self-sufficient, so it didn’t need to buy most food products.
They trade their agricultural products in exchange for the Merchant’s products and wares. Sometimes, the villagers supplement their payment with some money, but barter is the only way to make ends meet.
I remained hidden while watching them from a distance.
After all, it would only spell trouble if people like Denner or Iko found me, and they’re probably on guard since they haven’t met these Merchants before. I don’t think there’s nothing to worry about in that sense, but I was still scared of being found if I got closer.
The trading continued on from morning to afternoon, and the Merchants got ready to set off into another town. Since I had no idea where I wanted to go, using them as guides was the best way to go.
So I began to follow them while being vigilant of my surroundings.
The animals pulling the carriages were not exactly horses, but white, horse-like creatures with horns and long, cat-like feet that were called Haku. It is said to be popular among Stewards because there is a legend that if you ride on it, you will not be prone to sword-related disasters.
I learned about this while listening to the Merchant and the Steward’s conversation earlier.
The Merchant was a well-built, middle-aged man called Kiria, while the Steward he hired this time was a young man called Kisan.
They started talking about this in an attempt to make small talk.
I was naturally curious about it too, so I listened in. I’ve always seen the Haku whenever the Merchants came to visit, but to the villagers, it was just another animal they saw all the time, so none of them showed any interest in it, nor talk about or ask any questions about it. And because of this, I didn’t know what type of animal it was or what it was called for a long time.
The story surrounding it was only passed amongst the Stewards, so Kiria didn’t know it either, though he said that he only used the Haku since they could fight and were good for long-distance traveling.
Hmm, so it was a story only amongst the Stewards. Learning about the culture of a different community is such a fun experience.
In addition to that, I was also able to hear some valuable stories. It was a good start to have such an experience right after leaving the village.
Several hours had passed since we left the village.
The carriage went through a small flat area in the forest. It shook and rattled as it passed through the roots of trees, but it didn’t matter to me since I was flying.
I looked back.
It was far away, but the large tree that reached the heavens stood in the horizon. The roots of the sacred tree, Nergu, reached until here, but its roots were less dense compared to the ones in the forest near the village.
Soon after, we arrived in the nearby town.
For the first time in my life, I was entering another settlement other than the village.
I wonder what kind of place it is? I’m a little excited.
As it turned out, it was not much different from the village.
Of course. This village was also benefiting from the blessings of Nergu, though in a smaller scale, after all. The town relied a little more on livestock breeding and farming, but everything else was almost the same with the village.
It was a bit of a letdown, but it was still an unfamiliar town.
It was fun to see a landscape I had never seen before.
After Kiria and his group finished doing business in the town, they immediately left.I took advantage of this and followed suit. I was a little tired, so I sat on the carriage and rested. I was sorry for adding more weight to the Haku’s load, but I hope they could bear with it for a while.
I thought about my future as I sat on top of the carriage.
I was thinking about where I would get off, since I had no particular destination when I went on this journey.
But this time, I'm going to show myself and live like a normal person. I can't stay in hiding forever. I want to live in a big place. A big city is good. The forest is also fine, but if I can, I want to live a different life. And if I don't like it, I can always go back.
So should I just come along until this caravan reaches its final destination? That seems to be the best choice. After all, if it’s Kiria’s home base, then it would surely be in a big city. I didn’t have any basis to think that he lived in a city per se, I just had a feeling that he did.
I enjoyed a nice cool breeze on top of the carriage as it continued to run.
But I noticed a sinister presence in the area. I looked at the Steward, but it didn’t seem like he noticed.
And so, I spread out my Magic to check what it was and found it after a while.
It was watching us from the far end of the forest.
I thought it was just a dog at first, but it was different. When I tried to find out what it looked like, it resisted my Magic and pushed it away, but the reaction was different from Kisch’s Fighting Spirit.
No way, it couldn’t be. It couldn’t be the beast Shium’s mentioned before that could manipulate both Magic and Fighting Spirit.
If it was, then this would be the first time I’m encountering a monster.
I was troubled about what I should do next. Should I hunt it down? But it wasn’t being hostile and was just observing us.
It would be good if we just travel past it and nothing happens. If it becomes dangerous, then it would be best to run. After a while, I convinced myself not to do anything and decided to leave it alone.
Since they were moving later than they had planned, they camped out when night fell. If they had moved according to schedule, they would have reached the next town in the evening, but if they continued like this, they would have arrived at midnight.
It was the Steward’s job to be vigilant when they were out in the open like this. Kisan quickly built a fire as soon as they set up camp.
“I’m really sorry about this. I had planned to rent some rooms if we had arrived at the next place as planned.”
“Hahaha, don’t worry about it. Doing this is part of our job after all.”
Kisan took out a few ingredients from the carriage and prepared it.
He soaked the white, rice-like grain in water and put it over the fire. When the water came to a boil, he mixed it with shredded leaves which were probably medicinal herbs, and shredded dried meat. After a few minutes, it began to smell good.
“Mmm, that smells good.”
Kiria smiled as he looked into the pot.
“It’s actually supposed to be colder and with tougher, dried pieces of meat, so this is a more refreshing version.”
The two other attendants thanked him for the meal.
“Ah, well, it doesn’t smell like this in the Holy Land, but this should be fine.”
It seems the delicious food was also part of Kisan’s job.
It looked so tasty. I wonder if there would be any leftovers. If there are, then I’d be able to sneak and have some while they were busy.
Unfortunately, the porridge was so delicious that it was gone in a matter of minutes. Kiria even asked for seconds.
Everyone turned in for the night as it got later. The sound of the crackling bonfire echoed in the air and the bright flames made the surroundings look like they were shimmering.
Kiria and the other Merchants were sleeping comfortably in the carriage. It seems the beddings inside weren’t part of their wares. They were sleeping peacefully, wrapped up in the fluffy blankets that smelled so good.
However, it seems Kisan had also fallen asleep. He was leaning against the sleeping Haku while their reins were tied around his hand. It seems the bag he had with him contained supplies that could be taken out and used during emergencies.
I guess I should sleep too. I climbed up the nearest tree and looked for a place to sleep.
But as soon as I closed my eyes, I felt an uncomfortable presence.
The sounds I could hear increased.
Until earlier, the only sounds were the fire, the four of us and the two sleeping animals, and the rustling of leaves.
This time though, there was one breath too many.
I searched for the source of the sound and looked there. In the darkness, there were two glowing, red eyes.
“!!”
I reflexively jumped back and went to another tree. It seems the creature hasn’t noticed me yet.
I followed its gaze and it landed on the carriages in front of me. I wonder if it was after that.
It approached slowly, and its form was revealed by the light from the fire. At first, I thought it was just a big dog. But at the next moment, I realized I was wrong.
Its head was a dog’s. A big, skinny, white dog. But it was taller than a human,and it had 3 legs on both sides of its body.
I was horrified. This was the first bizarre beast I had encountered since I came to this world. I’ve already seen other animals which were similar to my previous world, and I also knew about the Haku which was like a combination of other beasts. But this encounter was different.
No one woke up. Even Kisan, who should have been the first to notice, was fast asleep.
Seeing this, I was a bit disgusted.
So I thought, here we go again.
If I don’t do anything now, it will probably attack the carriages. Will Kisan be able to fight it? I don't know, but even if he could, it will only be after the goods are damaged.
It seems Kisan is still inexperienced as a Steward. If he couldn't deal with this big dog and it caused damage, it would be a good lesson for him.
The best option was to abandon him. If I don't help, then they’ll eventually wake up. I was also interested in what they would do after they discovered the dog.
However, there are a lot of possibilities in this situation. First, it might attack Kisan and the Haku who are out in the open. It was just a few steps away from them, so if it bites their heads off, then that will be the end of it. After that, it can either eat or drive away the Merchants who have little fighting power so it could leisurely scavenge the carriages.
The thought made me feel bad. I didn’t hate them, and I wanted them to keep on going until we reached the big city.
After gathering my thoughts, I concluded that it was safer to eliminate the dog since I didn’t know what it was up to.
I deployed my Magic and covered the big dog with it. It struggled and pushed my Magic away, but it was no match and was completely covered. Then, I cast sound-proofing magic over it.
“JYUUUUUU, JYUUUUUUUU!!”
The big dog notices the change and tries to cry out. However, nobody could hear its voice nor could they hear the sound of it kicking the earth anymore.
I lifted it up with my telekinetic powers. It was quite heavy, and the force of its kicks in the air was strong.
Beads of sweat started to form on my forehead. It was my first time carrying something this big, and it felt like I was carrying a ton.
Then, I carried the big dog and dragged it away from the Merchant’s group even as it continued to thrash about in its prison.
We must have been 100 meters away from the camp when I stopped since I couldn’t see the light from the campfire anymore. Then, I set the dog down at a suitable place, hoping that it would run away and never come back.
However, things didn't go as I had hoped. As soon as it was on the ground, it started running towards the Merchants again, but it also realized that there was someone blocking its way. Did it think that it could reach its prey faster if it shook me off?
“Jyuu, jyuu! Jyuu!”
The dog barked as it ran through the tree
So I stopped hesitating and cut off its legs with my wind blade.
Unlike boars and birds, it was still hard because it was protected with Magic. However, it wasn’t so hard that it could not be cut. The next moment, six of its legs were stained with fresh blood and fell off.
I felt sorry for the confused and struggling dog, but I wasn’t going to show it any more mercy.
I cut off its head, and I didn’t hear its cries for struggle anymore.
Kisan and the others woke up at dawn. Then, they relit the campfire and began preparing breakfast.
I was thankful that they didn’t bother to scout the area. After all, it would be a problem if they found the remnants of my butchering.
As expected, it was difficult for me to butcher the big dog I fought yesterday. I only cut off the part of the thigh that was edible, and chopped up the rest and buried it in the ground. It was such a waste, but it would be difficult to eat all of it, and I didn't have the time or materials to make preserved food either.
And so I roasted the thigh meat and ate it. It tasted like chicken with no fat and was very bland. I didn’t like it much.
Kiria and the others seemed to have finished their breakfast and were soon on their way as they wanted to arrive in the next city in the morning. When I listened to their conversation, I learned that their next destination was Kiria’s home base. I decided that I was going to live there next.
I wonder what kind of town it is?
We're already out of the Nergu Forest. I'm sure there will be new experiences.
I excitedly followed the carriage.