Chapter 123: 7-6 F4: Merchant Guard

Franklin, 20 Years Old, Fifth Month of 949

Stepping back from the tree, I replaced the sword on my back and put it into its sheath. Not a complete scabbard; it was more or less a clip. It made me worry whether or not any sudden movements would make it slip and cut me. Then again, my armor seemed relatively durable at a glance.

It should be fine… More importantly, holy shit! What even was that!?

I had always been fit, not that I worked out, but I could make it up several flights of stairs without getting winded. Yet, that had been an experience. Not only was my body just all around better, but my muscles were also harder, my reflexes were faster, and I was all around stronger. So, initially, I planned to swing the sword and get a feel for it. It shouldn’t have been more than a few minutes of messing around, but it had been hours. The sun was high in the sky when I first started, and after stopping, it was now approaching evening.

And those moves as well!

I lacked knowledge of swordsmanship, so I could not have known any forms or maneuvers. Yet, as soon as I drew the blade, it was as if I suddenly acquired a decade’s worth of practice; flowing fluidly from one form to the next in a patterned sequence, the tree’s scarred and mangled trunk was a testament to my ability. Bringing a hand up, I touched the hilt of the sword behind my head once more.

The blade as well; what’s it made out of? Several hours of beating on wood, and it’s not dented or dulled at all.

It was a conundrum I couldn’t even begin to answer.

Well, there’s no use standing around on the side of the road like an idiot; this is a fantasy world, probably. That means there are probably monsters and bandits or some such; I should head for the city I saw before it gets too dark.

Setting off along the road toward the distant settlement, I began to ponder my situation. Earlier, I had come up with something of a brief plan:

Get into the settlement, which was the direction I was now heading. Following that, find George and the other three champions besides myself. Lastly, we would locate Claire, and then the three of us would figure out a way home. Along the way, I would probably end up helping the goddess with her demon problem or whatever, but that wasn’t one of my immediate personal goals.

That said, I am doing rather well, all things considered… However, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for me to panic in a situation like this…

I had always been reasonably level-headed, but at the same time, I had also always taken the time to properly consider my choices before acting. Yet, here I was, jumping the gun. On the one hand, the whole series of events had felt like they were very much “do or die,” but on the other…

Did the goddess mess with my head?

Claire’s parting words rang in my ears, “If you meet a god or goddess on the way over, be careful and watch out fo-” She had been cut off at the last line but given the context of her other warnings…

I’ll need to be careful how I proceed from here on out… Going to that city is still the right play; I need information. But beyond that… Well, I have Claire’s warnings and a bit of my own knowledge, so I won’t be an idiot.

Telling someone that I was an otherworlder was off the table outright. Likewise, claiming to be a champion of the gods was a no-go. Only when I knew more about them, especially how they factored into the political situation. There would also be the question of money; food and lodging aside, what if the city had an entry tax? A quick pat down of my clothes revealed a small pouch containing a handful of coins with a design I did not recognize.

…Four and five. Five coins total… Is that a lot? Probably not. I’d wager it’s only enough to get into the city and rent a room at an inn.

“Haaa….” I breathed a sigh and put the various worries and concerns out of my mind; there would be plenty of time to consider them later. For now, I just wanted to take in the sights as I walked; this was, after all, a whole different world. That said, there wasn’t much to look at. To my left, an open plain stretched rather far toward a mountain range. To my right, more open plains but with some sparse trees that eventually grew thicker until turning into a forest. At my feet was the unpaved and dusty road, with my destination city at one end. At the other end, the road eventually vanished over the horizon.

…And I don’t even know enough about trees to be able to tell the difference between those and something from Earth. For all I know, there isn’t any, and these are just some random species of deciduous foliage.

The view was amazing, even breathtaking, but it was just a view. The most striking feature of the landscape was the lack of people. This was an established road leading towards a walled settlement that looked, from this distance, to be of considerable size. Logic dictated that the road should have been relatively well traveled, yet it was seemingly empty.

“Is it just the time? The gates could close at dusk, so anyone traveling would have been sure to arrive by now….” But, looking at the sun, it looked like it would slip below the mountains in another few hours.

…Assuming that’s the case, I should probably hurry. I wouldn’t want to be stuck outside.

Taking a moment to collect myself, I broke into a sprint. Surprisingly, despite not having been much of a runner previously, my body could maintain quite the speed for a relatively long time. And even without measuring my pace, I was sure I was moving faster than I had originally been capable of. The plains were a blur as they flew by me, and the wind slapping against my face stung a bit. Yet, the city wasn’t actually getting any closer. Maybe it was a tiny bit larger, but it was impossible to tell.

I can, probably, keep this, pace for, a while, but it won’t, matter if, the gates close, by the time I, get there.

A feminine voice called out to me from off the side of the road, “HAIL!”

“Leana! Get back here!” Followed by a furtive masculine voice.

I skidded to a stop and turned back to where the voices had come from while my hand drifted up and gripped my sword hilt.

“Who goes there!” My cringe-worthy retort was answered by a stroke of silence before the female voice called out again.

“Over here!”

The male’s voice did not say anything more, so I tentatively left the road and approached where the two calls had come from. A short distance away, I discovered a strange dip in the ground. A minor quirk of the terrain had made it invisible from the path, but just to the side, it opened up into a rather deep space. At the bottom of the area was a cluster of covered wagons and a circle of people gripping their weapons.

Bandits!? Wait, no. They’re dressed too well. Well, maybe not. I don’t really know how bandits would really dress… And I don’t see that girl anywhere.

After a few seconds of a tense staring contest, I took my hand off my sword. The assembled people slowly reciprocated, and the tension began to wind down.

“See? I told you; he doesn’t look like a threat.” A girl poked her head out from one of the wagons. She had long black hair tied into a single braid and light brown skin. Appearance-wise, she was probably about fifteen or sixteen, though this being nominally a fantasy world, there was no way to know for sure.

“Leana! Get back inside! We don’t know that for sure yet!” The man who spoke was the same as the voice I’d heard previously.

He looked the oldest of the group and was a bit round but in a sort of stocky way. Clearly, he was relatively strong under that layer of fat. The girl sighed but did what she was told, vanishing back into the wagon.

I held my hands up in a hopefully placating manner, “I swear, I don’t mean any harm to you and yours.”

The various other men murmured amongst themselves but turned to the speaker. Evidently, he was their leader, so I decided to focus my efforts on him. In theory, I could walk away, but that would mean I wasted this opportunity. At the very least, these people could answer some questions for me.

“Then, what are you doing? Forgive me if I don’t believe you.” The leader’s sardonic question was understandable; thinking about things from his point of view, I was rather strange.

Traveling alone was undoubtedly a risky prospect, and add to that the fact that I had been sprinting like a bat out of hell… yea, his disbelief was understandable. And I had no answer; the truth was certainly out of the question.

“…It’s… complicated. To tell you god’s honest truth, I don’t know where I am and was trying to get to the city.” My explanation caused something of a stir to run through the group.

Yea, I wouldn’t believe me either; such a textbook excuse. Wait, what?

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The leader seemed to have let his guard down somewhat, contrary to any reasonable expectation, “God’s? You must be from pretty far away. Still, how did you end up in this gods forsaken stretch of the country? And now, of all times?”

That’s what you seized on? Not the fact that I have no idea where this is or how I got here, but “god” instead of “the gods…?” …Polytheism, then. Need to keep that in mind. That said… it sounds like this isn’t the most fantastic place to be.

“Now? Is something happening?”

The man blinked incredulously before shaking his head, “Confound it, fine! If you meant to do anything ill to me and mine, you’d have done it already. Doubt we could stop someone as strong as you, anyway; Leana, bring the man something to eat!”

“Finally!” The girl, Leana, poked her head out of the wagon and then hopped out entirely.

The man ignored her and turned to me, “Come, sit by the warming stone; I’ll fill you in on what’s happening.”

Warming stone…?

Following the man over to a circle of benches and chairs all arrayed around a large rock, I soon had my answer. Rather than a fire, whatever this thing was, it emitted a fair amount of heat. What’s more, if the black handles were anything to go by, it was portable.

Curious, but this isn’t something quickly asked about. Not knowing the area is already bad enough, but asking about it would be a mistake if this is super common. So I can assume it’s probably something like a magic space heater and go with it.

Taking a seat, I turned to face the man, “Then, please forgive my ignorance, but what exactly is going on?”

He chuckled dryly, “What isn’t? Drakas only just got over their succession war, and now they’re making noise about demons coming back. As if that wasn’t already bad enough, they’ve been so gracious as to inform the Alliance that their new Queen is coming to pay a’ visit.” He glowered at the rock for a moment before continuing, “And she’ll be coming to Zensten first, so any merchant with half a brain is staying well away.”

Zensten is probably the city up ahead of us, then. It sounds like this “Drakas” is a monarchy, and they have a poor reputation. Going for context, that makes this a merchant caravan led by a merchant lacking half a brain.

“Then, I take it you don’t have half a brain?” The man nodded grimly, confirming at least a portion of my theory.

“Aye, I’m taking my caravan into Zensten; that’s the only reason we’re here. Really unlucky for them; first, the disappearances, then Drakas sending that ultimatum. Someone will have to keep trade going; there’s undoubtedly profit in it; as long as you don’t stick your head out, so I figured it might as well be me.”

Not that I had any context, but what he was saying barely seemed to make sense. Surely merchants should be clamoring to seek it out if there was profit. Nevertheless, it was something that bothered me enough to risk asking, “And nobody else is going to?”

He snorted, “Humph! The big companies can afford to cut off one or two cities while they wait to see which way things swing. It’s independents like myself that have to take risks!”

“I see… Then, you aren’t afraid of those disappearances? Or of Drakas trying to pull anything?” Somehow, the conversation worked out in my favor; the man was slowly revealing bits of information that let me form a picture of what was happening in the area.

The demons are definitely coming back; the goddess told me as much. But it sounds like Drakas might be the only place actively preparing… I don’t know enough to say for sure, but the Queen might be coming out to try and form a military coalition or something. She’s probably someone I’ll want to meet, but I need to be careful; the way this guy is talking and the expressions he’s making... Their reputation probably can’t be much lower.

“The disappearances don’t concern me, no, but Drakas is plotting something. Snakes and hegemonists, the lot of them. Hell, the Free Cities Alliance only exists to keep the border secured.” Then, after a moment of contemplation, he shook his head, “Times are certainly changing if Drakas is actually moving. ‘Won’t know ‘til it’s over, what way things’ll shake out.”

I gave him a moment’s pause before pressing further, “I can’t say why… but I need to get to Zesten.”

Things so far were moving in my favor unnaturally. Given that, then ideally, pressing a little more would pay off.

“Ha! Of course you do; running down the road like that. But you won’t make it for another day… The wind’s a real killer at night on these plains,” Leana interrupted him and handed me a bowl of soup.

“Dad, why don’t you just hire him; he’s clearly an adventurer. And one with a rather powerful purpose, too, based on his speed.”

The merchant gave me a sidelong look before nodding, “Well, that could work; I can’t pay you much, but I’ll feed you and let you use one of the tents tonight. Then, in the morning, you’ll be able to enter the city as one of my guards. What do ya say?”

Well, that’s almost too good to be true…

Still, it was a good deal, assuming it worked out like that.

“…That’s all well and good, sir, but I don’t understand; why me?”

He shrugged, “As out of the ordinary as our meeting was, Leana seems to think you’re a good sort. There’s also no arguing that you’re pretty strong, running at such a speed. Plus, the more we talked, the more I get a good feeling about you; I think that, whatever it is, you’re not up to no good.”

Really? Just like that?

“I don’t mean to argue, sir, but I don’t think I’m all that strong… Well, I don’t really have any point of comparison.”

“…And stop calling me that; I’m no knight. Name’s Hugo. If you can’t find anything to compare yourself to, then you’re already stronger than most in these parts. Besides, that sword on your back; it’s simple, clean, and efficient. Not something a pretender would carry. Will you take me up on that offer?

That’s not really what I meant when I said I had no point of reference… But he really got all that from looking at my sword, huh?

For better or worse, there was little reason to refuse the deal, “Alright, I’ll take you up on that then, Master Hugo.”

He wrinkled his nose and shook his head, “No, just Hugo. Call me Hugo, and that alone. Unless you want to court Leana.”

I laughed a bit awkwardly, “Hahaha… All right. Hugo it is.”

He wasn’t, like, serious, was he?

Leana, for her part, showed no reaction to her father’s rude comment, despite having been well within earshot.

…I’ll keep in mind that this is a different world and assume that was something of a joke.

“Then, as the newbie, should I take first watch?” Raising my head, I addressed one of the men from earlier. He was probably in charge of the guard detail based on his attire and stature. He was big and broad-shouldered and the only one wearing metal armor. Additionally, his cloak had an embroidered pattern matching the canvas covering the wagons.

His stern face broke into s grin, “Well, ain’t that something; a pup that knows his place… That said, don’t kiss too much arse, or we’ll take advantage of you. No, the watch order is already set for tonight. But if you stick around for the next trip, I’ll work you into it. For now, wake up and help out if the alarm is sounded… Though this close to the city, that won’t be a problem.”

Dipping my head, I grinned ruefully to myself.

Yea, I need to be assertive. I am the champion of summer or whatever, I should probably try and act the part.

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