Aside from travel provisions, there turned out to be more to worry about in preparing to leave than I had expected.
Until now, I had simply gone along on other people’s requests, so there had been no need to think too hard about it. But this was different.
The destination had been decided, yet the actual method of getting there was daunting.
I did have a map.
But it was closer to a crooked, roughly sketched drawing, with no way of knowing who had drawn it or where.
It was so poor that I could not even tell whether something was a mountain or a hill, a river or a shallow stream.
Naturally, a map like that, which showed neither accurate distances nor proper routes, could not serve as a guide.
In the end, there were two choices left.
Hire a coachman, or tag along with someone else.
‘It would be best if I could get involved in something like an escort mission...’
With that in mind, I stopped by the Mercenary Guild first.
As expected, given the times, there were no requests headed to a village on the far western edge like Riverton.
Most of them were urgent supply transports bound for regions thick with the scent of war, or risky merchant caravan requests that had to pass through dangerous areas.
Thanks to the danger pay attached to them, at least, the guild notice board was plastered with such jobs.
A sigh escaped me on its own.
If Mr. Barrett were still in the city, I would have at least brought it up to him, but he had already left, and all that remained were two people ignorant of the ways of the world.
“Should we look for a coachman after all?”
Aileen asked cautiously.
“Yeah. Let’s go to the gate.”
Near the gate on the outskirts of the city was a large stable.
It was a place where carriages and horses came and went, as well as a gathering point for coachmen from outside.
I did not know exactly how it was run, but we had to go and see.
I adjusted my helmet and nodded to Aileen.
“Let’s check the stable first. If we find something on the way, all the better.”
“Yes, understood.”
It was a little troublesome, but it was a process we would have to go through at least once anyway.
Feeling the wind, which had grown cool before I knew it, we headed toward the gate.
The stable was crowded, just as expected.
It was a scene reminiscent of a taxi stand in a busy district at dawn.
The yard was noisy with hands busy loading luggage onto carts, merchants haggling with coachmen, and peddlers preparing to depart.
Voices bargaining as luggage was tied to saddlebags, the sound of horses anxiously stamping their hooves and neighing, and the occasional shout that burst out.
The sounds of life pouring out from all over tangled together in a complicated mess and filled the air.
“There are so many people.”
Aileen murmured in admiration as she looked around.
“Maybe because war is about to break out.”
“Does that mean there are that many people trying to leave?”
“It probably means there were that many outsiders here, since this is a trade city.”
Aileen nodded quietly.
When I realized that we, too, were among them, the situation felt strangely more real.
I took a short breath, then slowly surveyed the surroundings.
Where the coachmen were gathered, which carriages still had room.
A merchant clapping his hands after concluding a deal, and an elderly couple arguing with faces swollen for some reason.
Each thing seemed trivial on its own, but right now, it was information I needed.
“Over there. How about that man?”
Where Aileen indicated with her eyes, there was a man leaning against a carriage and yawning in a relatively less crowded area.
A middle-aged man who looked somewhat older. His leather vest, rough coat, wrinkled eyes, and tough jawline left an impression.
Seeing him silently combing a horse’s mane, it seemed he had no passengers for the moment, at least.
“Let’s go ask.”
I immediately moved toward him.
Both the horse and carriage were still in good condition; now was the right time to negotiate.
“Excuse me...”
“Hmm?”
“Are you a coachman?”
“That’s right. What do you need?”
“Do you happen to go to Riverton?”
“Riverton... Riverton... Ah, you mean the village to the west? Hmm.”
He thought for a moment, then swept his eyes over our appearances.
“Do you have money? As you know, that place is a bit far.”
Clink.
Without a word, I took out a pouch full of silver coins and lifted it slightly.
I had spent quite a bit getting our supplies together, but for now, we still had plenty of funds.
The coachman’s eyes gleamed for an instant.
It was the reaction unique to a seasoned merchant who had smelled money.
“Hmm... You were more valuable customers than you looked.”
He rubbed his chin with one hand and fell into thought for a moment.
“Riverton... Not many people head that way these days. Since the front line is to the east, everyone’s flocking over there.”
“...So you can’t go?”
“That’s not it.”
The coachman smirked, the corner of his mouth lifting.
“I’ve still got two horses left, believe it or not, and the carriage is big. It’s just... a bit dangerous to go alone. It’d be nice to have an escort.”
“We can do that for you.”
At my words, Aileen slightly turned her head and looked at me.
The coachman snorted and asked,
“An escort? Including that little lady?”
“...I may not look it, but I’m confident in my skills.”
“...Are you?”
He swept his gaze over us from top to bottom once more.
After checking my equipment, his eyes took on a hint of caution.
It seemed he did not take it as simple bluster.
“Well, doesn’t look like you’re lying. Still, Riverton is quite far. Even one way, not round trip, it’ll easily take a week.”
“We’ve taken that much into account.”
“Hmm... Fine. Then let’s do it like this.”
The coachman counted on his fingers as he spoke.
“You two can ride in the back of the carriage. But you’ll have to make some room for cargo along the way, and since the road is rough, you may have to lend a hand. And fifteen silver coins. Pay now, and we can leave right away.”
“Fifteen?”
I asked back as if surprised. It was cheaper than I had expected. I had thought he would ask for at least twenty.
“If war breaks out, that side might get closed off. I’m headed there to take care of some goods in advance, and it’d be a waste to go with just the horses. You’re the escort, and I’m the hauler. It’s not a bad deal for either of us.”
At those words, I began taking silver coins from the pouch and counting them.
Aileen quietly approached and asked,
“Will that be all right?”
“Yeah. It might actually be for the best. Being able to leave at this timing, I mean.”
And so, we handed over fifteen silver coins and decided to board the carriage bound for Riverton.
“See you here tomorrow at sunrise.”
“Understood.”
***
The carriage departed before sunrise.
The road was better than expected.
At first, there were many stones, and it rattled quite a bit, but after some distance, it changed into a dirt road, and the shaking lessened.
Thanks to the uncovered carriage, the slowly blowing dawn air reached us directly.
“...”
Aileen, sitting beside me, was quiet.
She was not usually the taciturn type, but now she seemed lost in thought as she gazed at the scenery.
Seeing that, I did not go out of my way to speak to her.
The rear of the carriage was better than I had thought.
There was a lot of luggage, but there was enough space to sit and lean back.
Leaning lightly against the carriage wall, feeling the vibration rising from the wooden planks, I closed my eyes in silence.
The coachman’s humming from the front tickled my ears.
It was not a tune I knew, but thanks to its steady rhythm, it was rather cheerful in its own way.
The horses were running without difficulty, and so far, the road had been smooth with no particular problems.
“This is my first time having such a quiet journey.”
Aileen said softly.
I only nodded and did not add anything.
Thickets of grass stretched out on either side, and in the distance, a mountain ridge could be seen.
...He’s taking us the right way on his own, right?
I was not certain, but fortunately, it did not seem too different from what was marked on the map.
‘He definitely said it would take about a week.’
It was still the first day.
It was unreasonable to hope that nothing would happen during a long journey.
Still, if only today could pass without incident, that would be enough.
“Liv... do you have a goal in life?”
Aileen, who had been blankly watching the scenery, turned her head and asked.
Judging by her wistful expression, she still seemed immersed in her sentiments.
A goal... There was one I had been thinking about all along.
“...I have to go home.”
I answered briefly.
“...Home?”
Perhaps it was an answer she had not expected, because she looked puzzled.
“Where is your home...?”
“...”
A brief silence passed, and after looking at my expression, Aileen quietly withdrew her gaze.
“...Let’s do our best together.”
At the small voice that reached my ears, I nodded without a word.
There was not a single cloud in the blue sky, but strangely, that clarity did not enter my eyes.
***
The third day since we began our journey.
In the end, the first problem occurred.
“Ha, well now...”
Fortunately, it was not bandits or monsters.
The problem was the carriage wheel.
The wheel was stuck in the mire and would not budge.
The three of us pushed together, but the mud was deeper than expected.
The wheel slipped even more, and the mire swallowed the carriage further and further.
“It’s sunk deeper than I thought.”
Aileen said, brushing the dirt from her hands.
“I thought we might try pulling it, but this... I don’t think it’ll come out even if we drag it.”
The coachman scratched the back of his head and sighed.
I looked around near the wheel.
The ground was muddy, soaked with water.
Perhaps the dew that had fallen overnight was the cause, because the earth had sunk in deeply.
“What should we do...?”
Aileen asked with a worried expression.
At first, I considered absorbing the moisture and drying the mire, but looking at it closely, it seemed things would become even more troublesome if it dried in this state.
If the mud hardened, the wheel might be trapped even more firmly.
We did not have much freedom when it came to tools or magic.
“Let’s unload the cargo and reduce the weight first. After that, we’ll look for something to lay under the wheels.”
“Yes, understood.”
At times like this, it was best to take the simple approach.
We helped the coachman begin unloading the cargo one piece at a time.
It took quite a while just to move the boxes and sacks beside the mire.
Our shoes kept getting stuck, and our hems were quickly covered in mud.
Only after exhausting ourselves like that did we finally succeed in getting the wheel out.
“Damn it all...”
The coachman cursed as he examined beneath the wheel.
The carriage pulled from the ground was not intact.
The axle of the front wheel was visibly bent.
“Looks like it took a shock when it plunged into the mire. The axle’s gone.”
“Then we’ll have to fix it.”
“Yeah. We’ll have to repair it here before we go. If we drive it like this, it might break.”
“Can’t be helped.”
Was there somewhere nearby to wash up?
Just as I was looking around for a moment, the sound of a carriage and hoofbeats came from afar.
When I raised my head at the sound and checked, a sturdy-looking carriage was approaching the mire.
I quickly shouted.
“Uh, excuse me! You need to stop because of the mire here!”
Did my shout reach them?
The sound of the wheels, which had been drawing closer, stopped.
A moment of silence, and then someone on the driver’s seat leaned forward and examined the road ahead.
The man who seemed to be the coachman confirmed the mire, then took off his hat and nodded.
Soon, he turned the horses and got down from the carriage.
He slowly walked to the rear and carefully relayed something to the person riding inside the carriage.
Seeing his attitude, I thought the person inside might be of fairly high status.
A little while later, a figure inside the carriage lifted the tent flap and revealed himself.
The person who emerged was a man.
He wore a navy-blue robe and was quite tall.
But the first thing that caught my eye was neither his clothes nor his pale skin.
It was his head.
To be precise, the crown of his head.
His head was open in the middle, as clear as a plate.
It was not a roundly shaved shape; rather, it felt as though only that spot had been punched clean through.
The hair around it was neatly grown, while only the crown was smooth and glossy.
It was too perfect to be natural hair loss, and if he had done it on purpose, it was a style whose purpose I could not understand.
I stared at him without a word.
My gaze kept being drawn to the crown of his head.
“Thank you for your help. I was told the road was blocked.”
He spoke first.
His voice was low and calm.
“Yes. There’s mire up ahead, so you’ll need to go around. We got stuck in it ourselves and are repairing the carriage now.”
When I answered, he looked over my state once, then quietly nodded.
“I see. That is unfortunate.”
There was clear compassion in his tone.
It was not a formality; his voice sounded as if he truly felt that way.
“Do you happen to need assistance?”
He added cautiously.
At those words, I smiled faintly and answered,
“We’re all right. We can wait slowly. It’s not as if we’re in a hurry.”
“If you are in a hurry... I could give you a ride. May I ask where your destination is?”
He asked carefully.
I hesitated for a moment before answering.
“...Riverton.”
At that, his eyebrows rose slightly.
“Oh, Riverton, you say. What a coincidence. It seems God has forged a connection between us. I, too, am on my way to Riverton.”
“What? Really?”
It was more surprising than I had expected.
By the way, God... Was he a priest?
“I have business to attend to in that village. If you do not mind, would you care to accompany me?”
“...I appreciate the offer, but we’ll just take our time getting there.”
I refused gently.
We had already paid the coachman, and the request was not particularly urgent.
There was no reason to force ourselves into an uncomfortable journey with a stranger.
“I see. Understood.”
He nodded, then gave a light bow.
“Then I shall go on ahead. I hope we may meet in Riverton.”
After saying that, he returned inside the carriage tent.
Soon, the coachman pulled the reins, and the carriage slowly turned its direction, moving to avoid the mire.
The sound of hoofbeats gradually grew distant, and the man with the peculiar impression disappeared from sight as well.
It was only when noon was nearly upon us that we finished the repairs and were able to set off.