As the voice of a caravan leader echoed across the station, the entire station bustled with activity.
Everyone was making their final preparations.
“Shulim.”
Her father, Rezerian, walked over at that moment.
“Let me introduce you to a few people.”
He gestured toward several well-armed individuals standing behind him.
“These people are the C-Class adventurer team escorting you on this journey—Hunting Fangs.”
Shulim looked past Rezerian. It was a five-person party. Judging from their gear and attire, they consisted of an armored vanguard, a swordsman, a scout, an archer, and a mage.
“Hello!”
Shulim gave a polite bow.
“Hello, young lady!”
The party leader seemed to be the swordsman. He smiled and returned Shulim's greeting.
“Everyone, this is my daughter's first time traveling far from home. If any inconveniences arise on the road, I must ask you to look after her.”
“Mr. Hayeral, you are too polite! It's no trouble at all!” the leading swordsman replied with a smile.
Then he looked at Shulim. “Young lady, is your luggage all packed? Where is your carriage? It's about time we depart.”
“My luggage is already on the carriage. The one I am riding in is over there, Mr...?”
“Just call me Alec,” the swordsman said with a smile.
“Alright, Mr. Alec.”
“Those who aren't ready yet, please hurry up!”
The caravan's urging voice rang out once again.
Alec paused, then turned to Rezerian. “Mr. Rezerian, we must depart. Is there anything else you need help with?”
Rezerian shook his head. “This is plenty.”
“Understood. We guarantee we will deliver your daughter safely to the county capital of Leicester!”
There were no caravans traveling directly from Mente Town to the Royal Capital, and the same applied to adventurer teams.
Therefore, Shulim needed to head to Leicester county first, and then join other caravans there to travel to Langard.
...
“Ding-a-ling—!”
The crisp chime of a bell echoed within the station.
“Moo—!”
Soon after, a giant pack beast the size of a hill stood up. It carried a massive amount of cargo on its back, including a makeshift wooden shelter, where two people were currently controlling the beast's movements.
As the imposing giant pack beast set off, this mixed caravan of several merchant groups and numerous people all began to move.
Nearly twenty carriages drawn by shield-horned beasts lined up in a long queue, slowly rolling out of the station.
Shulim boarded her carriage and leaned her head out of the window, waving her right hand to her father, mother, Fran, Collette, Ander, and Kunon.
“Goodbye, Father! Goodbye, Mother! Goodbye, everyone!”
“Goodbye, Shulim!”
“Goodbye, Shulim!”
“Have a safe trip, Shulim!”
“Goodbye...”
The parting voices of her family and friends gradually faded in the distance.
Until they could no longer be heard at all.
As the caravan picked up speed, Mente Town, where she had lived for eleven years, gradually vanished behind her.
Ahead of the caravan, entirely new scenery approached Shulim one after another.
Staring at this completely unfamiliar landscape, Shulim suddenly realized something.
So, my journey has begun...
...
...
“Moo—!”
Thump! Thump! Thump...
In the mountains, the long-drawn cries and heavy footsteps of the giant pack beast echoed continuously in all directions.
Anyone with experience would instantly know a massive merchant caravan was passing through upon hearing such a commotion.
Though not owned by a single large-scale merchant house, this collective caravan comprised of multiple merchant groups was in no way inferior in scale.
Aside from the giant pack beast walking in the middle, there were about ten carriages drawn by shield-horned beasts both at the front and the rear of the caravan, either transporting passengers or fully loaded with goods.
Scurrying around the perimeter of the caravan, four guards mounted on swiftfoot beasts patrolled back and forth.
Inside one of the carriages near the front of the line, Shulim sat quietly in her seat. Though she appeared to be resting, her eyes were constantly scanning her surroundings. While forest environments were a very common sight to her, a normal forest like this—one where monsters barely appeared and even had a road cutting through it—felt rather novel.
Of course, she wasn't just admiring the scenery; she was also silently observing her fellow passengers in the carriage.
Perhaps because having mixed genders in a single carriage was deemed inconvenient, everyone inside this particular carriage was female.
There was a silver-haired elderly woman with a gentle and kind face, an ordinary-looking middle-aged woman, and a rather flamboyantly dressed young woman. Counting Shulim, the four of them represented almost every age group.
When they first boarded, none of them spoke much. Although the young woman did not show it on her face, there was a constant trace of disdain and annoyance toward the middle-aged woman and the elderly lady in the corners of her eyes.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged woman seemed rather timid and reserved, barely daring to make eye contact with anyone as she quietly stared out the window.
As for the elderly woman, whether she was completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere or simply too outgoing, she could not sit still for long and began taking the initiative to start a conversation.
Shulim and the young woman both looked unapproachable at first glance, so her target naturally shifted toward the middle-aged woman.
The middle-aged woman initially had no intention of talking, but she could not withstand the elderly woman's persistent chatting. Coupled with her seemingly weak submissive personality and inability to refuse others, she ended up spilling her life story in no time.
She claimed to be an ordinary farm wife. Her younger sister, who lived in the city, had run a highly successful business and invited her to live in the city to run a branch store, which was the only reason she had embarked on this trip.
Nor did the elderly woman hide anything, quickly revealing her own background as well. It turned out she had a son who had gone to the city to make a living when he was young. Fortunately, he managed to become a soldier under Count Leicester. He had recently been promoted and had already bought a property in the county capital, writing a letter not long ago to ask his mother to move in with him.
The elderly woman was incredibly happy about her son's current life, which was why she had been in high spirits ever since she left home.
Perhaps finding common ground in their humble backgrounds, the elderly woman and the middle-aged woman gradually warmed up to each other.
The elderly woman unzipped the bag she carried with her and pulled out a box of fruit biscuits.
“These are a specialty of our region. My son loves them, so I brought some for him. How about it? Would you like a taste?”
“Oh, how could I possibly accept?” the middle-aged woman politely declined.
“Ah, don't worry about it! I have plenty more in my suitcase. The ones in my bag were meant to be eaten on the road anyway. No need to be polite, here, have some!”
Unable to decline the elderly woman's insistence, the middle-aged woman had no choice but to take a piece of fruit biscuit and put it into her mouth.
“Oh, it really does taste wonderful.”
“Right? If it's good, eat a few more!”
The elderly woman laughed merrily, then stood up, took out a few more biscuits, and handed them to Shulim and the young woman.
“Here, you two young ladies have some too!”
Staring at the elderly woman's hand directly holding the biscuits, the young woman immediately felt a wave of disgust, but she couldn't bring herself to show a sour face to someone so warm and enthusiastic.
She could only say, “Thank you, but I already ate before boarding, so I'm full right now.”
“Ah, is that so...? Well then, little girl, why don't you try some? They are delicious!”
Rate on N.U.
