After a serious persuasion mixed with a little coercion, we clarified that we were not the ones who caused this disaster. The caravan people, though skeptical, acknowledged that we weren’t the culprits.
“Thank goodness you believe us. Ah, by the way, where are you headed? If you happen to pass near Germodai Volcano, I’d like to go with you.”
Fortunately, they said they were just visiting this village on their way to trade with the natives near Germodai Volcano.
Originally, they planned to hire mercenaries from an inn after exchanging goods in this village. But seeing the state of the village, it seemed things had gone awry, and they mentioned they would have to look elsewhere. To them, I made a proposal.
“I’d like to make a suggestion. We must go to Germodai Volcano anyway, so how about hiring us as your escorts? Though the timing and location aren’t ideal, we’re gold-ranked adventurers. Our skills are guaranteed.”
“Not gold-ranked adventurers, but a group of adventurers? Wait… one, two, three… wow, really. What kind of people are you? No, more importantly… we don’t have the funds to hire gold-ranked adventurers. Sorry, but…”
“That’s no concern of yours. We’ll escort you free of charge, but only if you’re going to Germodai Volcano. If not… your plans will be disrupted, and we’ll have to frown and walk a long distance. If that happens, both sides will suffer.”
When the merchant was presented with an offer he couldn’t refuse, he sighed as if there was nothing he could do, yet smiled slightly while extending his hand with a businesslike smile, saying, “Alright, count on me.”
I responded with a fabricated smile and shook his hand.
“Likewise, thank you. Since there’s no reason to stay here anymore… shall we go now?”
It might sound cruel, but there truly was no reason to stay. There were no living people, nothing worth salvaging, and no criminals to punish.
Unless one is peculiarly artistic when faced with ruins. The merchants seemed to agree with me, opened the carriage door, and invited us in.
Just moments ago, they were looking at us like highwaymen. It struck me how fickle people can be. Still, good things are good, so I told everyone to get on while I entered the carriage first.
“You sure have a knack for words. You know, with that skill, you might’ve been better off as a diplomat rather than clinging to being a hero. Why did you choose this path?”
Akashi, impressed by my eloquence, asked why I chose to be a hero. In the past, I would’ve simply replied that I wanted to see the world…
“…Because I wanted encounters like this. Ah, never mind, forget it. Alterra, get in. Mari… the luggage compartment… Hmm, that sounds harsh. Yuna, would you hold her on your lap instead?”
Yuna also thought loading Mari into the luggage compartment wasn’t right and readily agreed to carry her. While she’s technically a doll, she looks so human-like that it feels strange.
Alterra sat beside me, Yuna held Mari on her lap, and Akashi sat next to her. The carriage was somewhat cramped, but somehow we managed to squeeze everyone in before telling the merchant at the driver’s seat to depart.
Despite cramming everyone inside, one person ended up being pushed out to the driver’s seat, making for a bizarre sight. However, considering the safety guarantee, it wasn’t such a bad deal.
“Then let’s go! It’s a long road, so be careful!”
With a creaking sound, the carriage began to move. As it swayed back and forth, my thigh touched Alterra’s, and our shoulders brushed against each other, but I remained silent without showing any discomfort.
It wasn’t unpleasant for me, nor was it something anyone could point out and expect me to fix. The seats were spacious enough for one person but too narrow for two, making contact inevitable.
Alterra seemed to notice the contact as well, avoiding eye contact and swishing her tail in the opposite direction, though that didn’t stop our thighs from touching.
While wondering if liking this sort of proximity was too much of a mess, I still found joy and happiness in being close to the woman I liked.
Putting aside whether it’s right or wrong, Alterra felt softer than I imagined. Those impure thoughts dissipated along with the carriage’s jolts.
—
—
…Isn’t it a bit excessive that we’ve been touching for the past week? Even considering our friendship and the cramped carriage, isn’t there a bit too much physical contact?
It feels like he’s deliberately sticking close, but it’s hard to criticize since the cramped space makes contact unavoidable.
We’re friends, so some contact is fine, but for some reason, prolonged contact makes me feel unusually warm or uneasy, and I want some distance.
It’s not that I dislike it, but these unfamiliar sensations are strange. Yes, strange.
The odd sensation makes me feel light-headed, and my chest flutters in an unfamiliar way, so I want to avoid it. Friends shouldn’t feel this way toward each other.
“…Anyway, though the grammar may seem chaotic due to the forced amalgamation of different linguistic rules, there is still a system to it. First, if you understand all the irregular verb conjugation tables here, you’ll be fine. It’s not difficult; you just need to memorize them. Um… Alterra, is something wrong? Are you having trouble concentrating?”
While earnestly teaching vocabulary, Myungho noticed I wasn’t focusing and asked if anything was wrong.
After hesitating for a while, I finally decided to speak up. The prolonged contact was making me feel unnecessarily warm, so I suggested to Myungho that I’d rather sit on top of the carriage and keep watch.
“Ah, you should’ve said earlier. If anything makes you uncomfortable, feel free to say so. I’ll help if I can.”
As soon as Myungho realized I was uncomfortable with the contact, he immediately asked the driver to stop. The driver obliged and quickly halted the carriage.
When I’m alone, I miss someone’s warmth, but now that I’m feeling it closely, it feels burdensome—how ironic.
But what can I do if it’s truly burdensome? If he were aggressively clinging, I’d have slapped him and told him to cut it out.
But that’s not the case. This is just due to lack of space. Even the sturdy Yuna kept readjusting her posture because it was uncomfortable.
…Could it be because of Mari? That thought crossed my mind, but shaking off distractions, I nimbly climbed onto the carriage roof. Being in the open air made me feel much more comfortable.
Detecting vibrations was also much easier here. For instance, arrows slicing through the air.
I blocked the arrow’s trajectory aimed directly at the merchant’s forehead with a wall. The merchant realized a moment later that an arrow had been heading his way and fell back in shock.
“Myungho! Get out! I don’t know what’s happening, but it’s an ambush!”
Just as I was trying to clear my head, why an ambush now? Well, it’s fine. This will surely erase those strange feelings from my mind.
Hearing my shout, Myungho immediately jumped out of the carriage with his sword drawn. Seeing Myungho jump, Yuna followed suit.
Once the arrow was blocked, the trees revealed burly-looking bandits emerging from between them. They must have set up camp to ambush travelers.
Now I understand why the road seemed suspiciously well-maintained. By now, those strange feelings had long vanished from my mind.
“…Around fifty of them.”
“Judging by their demeanor and eyes, they’re seasoned pros. Alterra, Yuna… to prevent more victims, we’ll have to kill them all. Can you handle it?”
Saying this, Myungho adjusted his grip on his sword. A purple aura swirling around the cracked blade looked ready to unleash its power any moment.
“Of course.”
“With Alterra around, there’s nothing we can’t do.”
Though Yuna’s confidence seems a bit odd, it’s good that she says she can handle it. She summoned a massive two-handed axe from the earth, revealing her fighting spirit.
These guys are armed with small daggers, likely using the dense forest to their advantage.
So splitting the trees should suffice. With a powerful leap that shook the carriage, I sent the head of one smirking bandit flying along with a nearby tree.
Even though one of their comrades exploded instantly, the rest showed no hesitation, rushing forward upon hearing the command to charge.
Each swing of mine took out a few nearby trees and several bandits, making this less of a fight and more of a massacre.
Even with thin camaraderie among them, some fled upon witnessing their companions getting bisected alongside trees. Those trying to escape ran into the wall I erected moments ago, cursing loudly.
Deciding my side offered no hope, the remaining bandits charged toward Myungho and Yuna. However, Yuna swung her bow like a club instead of firing arrows, much like my approach, and Myungho unleashed streaks of purple energy following every slash of his sword.
Though the bandits wielded tiny daggers, they probably intended to use the dense forest to their advantage.
Splitting the trees should be enough. With a powerful leap that shook the carriage, I smashed the head of a grinning bandit along with a nearby tree.
Even though one of their comrades exploded instantly, the rest showed no hesitation, rushing forward upon hearing the command to charge.
Each swing of mine took out a few nearby trees and several bandits, making this less of a fight and more of a massacre.
Even with thin camaraderie among them, some fled upon witnessing their comrades getting bisected alongside trees. Those trying to escape ran into the wall I erected moments ago, cursing loudly.
Deciding my side offered no hope, the remaining bandits charged toward Myungho and Yuna. However, Yuna swung her bow like a club instead of firing arrows, much like my approach, and Myungho unleashed streaks of purple energy following every slash of his sword.
While Yuna’s combat style makes sense, the force Myungho wields now seems ominous. Is this also the power of the sword?
Bandits struck by the violet blade didn’t bear physical wounds, but their souls separated from their bodies and were sucked into Myungho’s sword.
They’re fighting well, so I don’t need to intervene, but this ominous feeling lingers. When did Myungho start using this?
“…Ten by me. Fourteen by Yuna. Twenty-five by Alterra… so one remains.”
The fight seemed over, but Myungho insisted one remained and asked me to find him.
“Do we really have to kill them all? Even if one survives, they can’t do much alone.”
“There’s always an ‘if.’ There might be more allies. Alterra, please.”
…Now that you mention it, that does make sense. Still, do we have to…?
A slight doubt arose, but I suppressed it and searched for the last one. They couldn’t have escaped during the fight since I erected barriers all around.
In a corner, I found one pitifully punching the barrier.
There you are.
Informing Myungho of his location, I even guided him there.
Seeing both of us, the bandit knelt down, begging for mercy. Myungho stared coldly, disdainfully, then raised his sword and plunged it into the bandit’s chest with a dull thud.
The sword glowed more grotesquely than before, reflecting on Myungho’s face.
Its color was an ominous deep purple.
—
The fight, which was closer to a one-sided slaughter, seemed over, but the unsettling feeling remained. When did Myungho start wielding such power?
