1st Volume, 11th Chapter ăThe Port Town, Pascamă
In the southern part of Merville town is the Commercial district which Iâm familiar with.
In the eastern part is the Industrial district where craftsmen and artisans have their workshops.
In the northern part is the Residential district where people abide in.
And then, in the western part is the junction of Commercial and Residential districts, making it bustling.
In Pascam port town in the west, a variety of items is imported via sea route.
Items of daily necessities, utility items, raw materials such as ores and leather, and variegated items are transported to Merville town, and are then delivered throughout Lechelle kingdom.
Itâs logical for the western part to be bustling for itâs a gateway.
I, who had yet to visit this part of the town, had my heart racing when I visited as a Pascam escort.
Hey world, wait for me!
Oh wellâŠâŠI arrived at the west gate ahead of time and was now waiting for others.
After a while, Arnold-san and Lim, Bays-san, and Batteau-san arrived respectively.
Batteau-san arrived in a large, hooded carriage drawn by two horses. To possess such a carriage, Batteau-san seems to be a successful merchant, donât you think?
As expected of Merchant Lv2.
Earlier, Batteau-san said that he was going to Pascam in relation to procurement. However, if you looked at the items inside the horse-drawn carriage, you could guess that he intended to export, too.
Because we were escorts, I was behind the carriage.
The beastkin parent and child were on the left and the right.
Bays-san was sitting leisurely with Batteau-san on the coachmanâs rack.
Oh well. This time, heâs an examiner and accompanying us for free, is that why? However, is that really fine?
As far as the front is concerned, as long as Batteau-san calls out to us if anything happens, thereâs no problem.
Bays-san, who demanded to be treated as nothing more than air, gave me just one piece of advice.
According to him, there have been incidents of horseshit triggering land mines, so I have to be extra careful.
I hate him already~.
Was the one who nonchalantly advised me to guard the rear not you, Bays-san~?
Someday, Iâll make you pay.
After leaving Merville town, we headed straight to the west.
When the lush green filled my view and the silhouette of the town faded, I started feeling homesick even though I hadnât even spent 10 days there.
The speed of the carriage was pretty fast.
According to the feedback from my body, I think it should be about 6~7km per hour.
Walking on foot at such a pace was quite tiring.
If I didnât have the Physical Abilities Enhancement skill, I would most likely be smeared in horseshit by now.
Since the two guarding the left and the right had naturally more strength than a human, they were doing fine.
As for Bays-san, I couldnât see himâŠâŠHe must surely be asleep.
When the shadow cast by the sunlight shrinked, indicating that the sun had reached its zenith, the carriage came to a halt in order to take a short break.
Because the place was slightly inclined, it seemed to be a small hill.
I sat on a rock, where the view was nice, opened the water flask and rehydrated myself.
Whether it was an illusion or not, the soothing view was washing my fatigue off.
When I looked up, the clusters of clouds were gently drifting across the blue sky.
When I lowered my gaze, I could see the far, far away horizon.
When I lowered my gaze further, I could see a forest on the left. The very forest which was my hunting ground â the south forest.
On the right, I could see plains stretching and a river flowing.
The Pascam highway seemed to pass through there.
There was still quite some distance left. However, there seemed to be a post station along the highway.
âŠâŠAccording to Batteau-san, we will be having the lunch there.
Built at the post station along the highway is a plain and simple inn for travelersâ and merchantsâ use. Itâs managed by the villagers who live nearby.
There was a small road branching off the post station to the right. It must lead to the village. It wasnât visible, thoughââ
ăDid you find somethingâŠâŠ?ă
ââ!? The sudden question surprised me so much that the water in my throat shot up my nose.
It was Lim.
ăNo, I was just thinking how beautiful the scenery is.ă
ăIs that so? The village where I used to live was just as beautifulâŠâŠI so miss my village.ă
Limâs dark brown hair, bathed in the sunlight, was shining golden just like her eyes.
Her expression was sorrowful. Was she reminded of the demonsâ invasion of her village?
It was bad of me. But I had no idea that my words would have this effect.
ăMy pocket is getting too heavyâŠâŠă
ăEh? Did you say something?ă
âŠâŠThis beautiful scenery and Limâs tragic past; I canât take both at the same time, is what I meant but I couldnât say it.
ăââThe carriage should be leaving anytime now.ă
ăUnă
I was rather fortunate that Lim didnât get what I said.
Was my mind off because of walking so much so fast?
ăWhat do I do? Iâm ashamed to death.ă
Is what would have happened.
A while after descending downhillââ
We arrived at the post station. It was lunch time.
Batteau-san and Bays-san planned on having the lunch inside.
I and the beastkin family decided to have the lunch, which we brought with us, outside.
It was also our duty as escorts to guard the carriage from those who were up to no good.
I bit into Dario-sanâs ăAlma Chicken Roast Mille Feuilleă style pastry.
Because I was told that it would taste even better if warmed, I had someone in the inn heat it over fire.
Is that how it was made on Earth, too?
The pastry comprised several layers. Each layer had a different seasoning, with meat stuffed between layers.
The first layer contained salt and pepper â hors dâoeuvres.
The second layer contained bouillon like sauce. It had a strong taste â main dish.
The third layerâââŠâŠ
ăâŠâŠDario-san, youâre a god, seriously.ă
After I was done with the lunch, I took out the fruit pie which I received from Dario-san.
One of the two, who were having their own meals, twitchedââwhich didnât go unnoticed by me. It was Lim.
I decided to eat one myself and offer the rest to Lim.
ăIs it really that good?ă
I tried to ask again but the pie had already been snatched from my hand.
ăAah, youâll have to share it with Arnold-san this time, however.ă
ăâŠâŠUnă
Her expression was so funny, I couldnât keep myself from watching. *gununu*âŠâŠwas her expression when she was handing half the fruit pie to Arnold-san.
It was such a charming sight.
ââOnce again, we coursed to the west.
While we were advancing along the highway, we could see the silhouette of a dense forest on the left.
Because there were only plains on the right, we were required to be cautious of the left.
I would hate it if thieves showed up.
Killing humansâŠâŠIâm not sure if I can do it.
Oh well. According to Batteau-san, thieves donât take unnecessary risk of raiding escorted caravans.
Iâm probably overthinking because of fatigueââ
ăââPugiiiii!ă ăPugyuaaaă
Un, it was the monsters that attacked.
Coming out of the forest were four Orcs.
As for their appearance, there was nothing notable. They looked just like a bipedal pig.
Their skin was a mix of ash and mud. Their height was same as an average human. Drool was dribbling down the corner of their mouths as if they were excited.
They were holding clubs in their hands.
As for their skillsââăStick Arts Lv1ă.
They had varying skill points ïŒ6~8/10ïŒ.
Stick Arts, huh?
Thereâs no harm in having one more skill. Should I steal then?
ăSeiji, Lim! Take on a monster each. Iâll take on two.ă
Arnold-san, who was guarding the left of the carriage, charged first.
Followed by me and then Lim.
I pulled the whetted Baselard out of its sheath and closed the distance while observing the swinging club of the enemy.
They seem to be strong physicallyâŠâŠHowever, if they canât hit, itâs of no use.
The swung club hit the ground.
After I dodged the attack by jumping to the side, I swung my sword before the enemy could regain its posture, sending its right arm flying.
I touched it in the meantime. However, it resulted in failure.
âŠâŠItâs not like Iâm ruing.
Mopping it up was now the priority.
The orc, which was groaning upon losing its right arm, lost its head next. Thereafter, I shifted my attention to Lim.
Right at that moment, the Orc, which was wielding a club, received Limâs fist.
The blow was heavier than what I saw in the contest earlier.
WellâŠâŠShe has the Magic Power Conversion skill, after all.
Mana is converted at the point of impact and added to the attack power, most likely.
The Orc, whose head had completed one full revolution, collapsed.
The monster, which had collapsed with a thud, was breathing faintly.
I quietly touched it with my hand and stabbed my sword into it.
ââAlright, successfully stolen.
By the way, a skill canât be stolen from a dead opponent.
Thereâs no doubt about it for I have already tried it.
Thereafter, I turned to Arnold-san. Apparently, my worries were unfounded.
When I turned to him, he was holding an oddly curved blade. The Orc was lying, bisected. There was no need to lend him a hand.
I wanted to steal from all four of them but we were acting as a group.
I was able to steal from one, though. Itâs satisfactory in itself.
ăIndeedâââŠâŠYou all really are strong.ă
Batteau-san admired us, gasping.
Bays-san didnât come down the carriage.
He probably knew that it would be alright.
ăOrc subjugation should be a rank D questâŠâŠă
I muttered to myself.
ăHowever, Orcs donât come out of the forest much, they only appear on the highwayâŠâŠShould IâŠâŠkeep something for verification at PascamâŠâŠShould I?ă
The bodies of the Orcs didnât have anything that could be used as raw materials and we didnât receive any subjugation quest either, so we left their bodies as is and proceeded.
The forest, which could be seen on the left, disappeared. After a while, we caught a glimpse in front of us on the horizon.
After walking for one more hourâŠâŠwe finally arrived at Pascam port town.
It wasnât on the scale of Merville town. However, the spectacle of a port was exciting, nevertheless.
Because it was about sunset, the sun setting in the shoreline painted the port in a romantic color.
Since the ships normally arrive during the day, itâs usually lively at that time. At this time, it seemed deserted.
Oh well, itâs not like I came here to play.
After Batteau-san arranged for an inn, he went to deliver the goods on the carriage to the trading firm at the scheduled time. After we escorted him to the trading firm, we were relieved for the day.
Tomorrow morning, we would likewise go to the trading firm to stock up the procured goods. After that, we would depart for Merville town. It would be quite a busy.
Bays-san had to check up on Pascam Adventurerâs Guild, so he separated from us.
Unlike Bays-san, who had it easy on the coachmanâs rack, we were tired of walking (or it might be just me), so I made a beeline for the inn.
I entered the inn, which had already been arranged for, and was led to the room.
Judging from the construction, this inn looked to be of higher grade than Feeder Popsâ.
However, it all comes down to the food.
Since it was an inn located in a port town, it only had fish.
ăWho made this crude thing!?ă
I was hoping it wouldnât come to that.
âŠâŠI wonât be able to say it.
ââMore importantly, it was a room for three.
Oh well. The client was paying for the inn, I couldnât tell them to arrange a separate room each for us escorts.
AlsoâŠâŠLim didnât show any signs of rejection upon sharing a room with me.
Was that the effect of regular dose of fruit pie?
Or was she at ease because Arnold-san was there?
It was probably both.
Hey, thereâs a girl here, right? I meanâŠâŠItâs about time for bathâŠâŠI canât do it inside the roomâŠâŠ
The attendant probably read my mind, so he said.
ăIt must be tiring coming here all the way from Merville town. Thereâs a bath facility at this inn. Do use it, please. It will be charged additionally.ă
âŠâŠThere is?
After all five of us gathered, we had the dinner. It was quite delicious.
The fish was fresh. Lim, who was a cat herself, especially liked it.
When the fish grilled with fragrant grass was served, she couldnât suppress the twinkling in her eyes.
After I was done with the regular maintenance of the sword, I took bath and changed into comfortable clothes.
I massaged my feet a bit, which went stiff after traveling all the way on foot, and threw myself on the bed as I would have to be up early morning tomorrow.
After I lied down, I decided to confirm todayâs spoils before going to sleep.