The day after casting magic, we gathered at the entrance of Feel.
Our mission was to escort a trader heading to Prada Village.
Of course, Jade and Fluorite were with us, and since Flam and the others were also involved, we rented a beast carriage from the Crafter’s Guild this time.
The beast gear was finally completed, and we’d attached it to the two of them, but this time they needed to pull the beast carriage, so they wouldn’t be able to fly freely for a while longer.
Prim and I sat in the driver’s seat, while Flam, Raus, and Rebecca were inside the beast carriage. Strangely, Ed and Marina were also inside the carriage.
“Wow! I never thought I’d get to ride in a beast carriage pulled by Hippogriffs!”
“Seriously. They say these guys are still children, but they seem stronger than Battle Horses already.”
Hippogriffs are stronger than Battle Horses, so one could easily pull a beast carriage. However, due to the extremely low number of contractors, opportunities to ride them are almost nonexistent. With two of them, it’s virtually unheard of. That’s why the two of them were so excited about riding in such a rare, two-Hippogriff beast carriage. However, Fluorite looked quite displeased, so I planned to let him off once we reached the gate.
“It’s just a short distance from the stables to the guardhouse, right?”
“Even so. The fact that we got to ride is what matters!”
Marina nodded vigorously in agreement, but I couldn’t understand. Well, it wasn’t that I couldn’t understand at all. I had been thinking of going somewhere with everyone once we got a new beast carriage, so it was just a matter of sooner or later.
“There’s meaning in being the first to ride!”
“Hear, hear!” Marina and I exclaimed in unison. What should I do with these half-fairies…
“Good morning, Yamato-san, everyone.”
While I was dealing with those half-fairies, Meena greeted us.
There was only one trader’s beast carriage, but we alone didn’t have enough people. Therefore, about ten people from the Order’s Guild were also joining as escorts, and Meena was among them as an Order.
“Good morning. Rosemary-san, good morning to you too.”
“Yes, good morning. I look forward to working with you today.”
The one in charge of the Orders was the Sub-Order’s Master, High Order Rosemary. It wasn’t feasible to have the Order’s Master Rex or Gram, who were High Orders, come out, but it would have been a problem if no one came. So, it seemed a Sub-Order’s Master was dispatched.
“Yo.”
“You came too, old man. Seeing us off?”
“Yup. This request holds a lot of weight for the Hunter’s Guild. I can’t get involved after sending you off, but I can at least see you on your way.”
Uncle Linus had been quite busy lately. Since Saches Trennel, the former Hunter’s Master, was discovered to be a spy for Retisencia, he had been temporarily appointed as the Hunter’s Master. He was directly appointed by the Grand Hunter’s Master, but it was impossible to have two Hunter’s Masters in the same branch. Therefore, procedures to revoke Saches’ qualifications were being expedited, but since he was not present, it would take several days. Furthermore, we had captured all the hunters who were in Feel until recently, leaving us as the only available hunters.
Because of this, the survey of the Mylight Mountains couldn’t be conducted. Also, Saches, who had not yet been captured, and the Raid known as Patriot Pride, who was guarding him, necessitated increased security in Feel in cooperation with the Order’s Guild. In fact, Uncle himself was patrolling alongside the Orders. I thought some hunters from another town should have arrived by now.
“A group did arrive yesterday. It was a C-rank Raid, though.”
Rex also showed his face. The Order’s Guild was also struggling with increasing workloads. On top of guarding Feel, maintaining public order, and conducting combat training, they were now hunting monsters in place of hunters, making them, in a way, more short-handed than hunters.
“I feel bad that we’re taking manpower from the Order’s Guild at a time like this.”
“Please don’t worry about it. We can’t ignore it either.”
The Order’s Guild also had jurisdiction over neighboring villages. This time, since An and Catastrophe Species were rampant, the Orders couldn’t easily leave Feel, but several Orders had been dispatched to Prada Village. Originally, they were supposed to escort villagers up to Feel for supplies every two weeks and then be replaced, but the Orders dispatched this time had been confined to Prada Village for nearly a month. Therefore, half of the Orders assigned to this escort duty were also replacements.
“Everyone, thank you for your cooperation.”
An elf woman with her semi-long hair casually tied back bowed her head. This was Streia, the trader who would be going to Prada Village. Actually, Streia was also the younger sister of Talos, Richard’s disciple. Naturally, Ed and Marina knew her well, and since she was like an older sister figure to them, they seemed relieved when they learned we would be escorting her.
“We appreciate your cooperation as well.”
“Thank you for deciding to go to Prada Village at such a difficult time!”
Flam, Raus, and Rebecca had been in Prada Village until recently, so they were well aware of the village’s situation. Prada Village was currently experiencing food shortages due to the rampages of Black Fenrir and Green Fang. Even when we visited, the meals were very meager. So, we happened to defeat about five Glass Boas we found nearby and offered them, which was greatly appreciated.
“Then, let us depart. Streia’s beast carriage will lead, surrounded by us on our Battle Horses, and bringing up the rear will be Meena and your Hippogriff beast carriage, Yamato-san.”
Rosemary, who was also the captain of the merchant caravan’s escort, decided on the formation. Since it had been discussed and decided in advance, there were no objections.
By the way, Streia’s beast carriage had a dual enchantment of Mirroring and Storaging. The front part, including the driver’s seat, was enchanted with Mirroring, providing living quarters and stables, while the rear part was enchanted with Storaging, allowing for the transport of a large amount of cargo. Beast carriages used by traders are called beast merchant carriages, and this is standard for them. Even so, they cost a considerable amount of Divine Metal, so many traders purchase them through the Trader’s Guild on an installment plan. The interior of the Mirroring was simple, and the Storaging typically held about three ordinary beast carriages’ worth of goods, which was standard for a trader’s beast merchant carriage. However, Streia, who was a B-rank trader and focused on transporting ore and other goods from Feel, was earning quite a bit. Therefore, her Mirroring interior featured a bedroom of about six tatami mats and a living room of about ten tatami mats. The stable for the Grantpus was large enough for one to lie down horizontally, and the Storaging capacity was equivalent to five beast carriages. The interiors of beast merchant carriages used by higher-rank traders were even more luxurious and quite comfortable, I heard.
“Then, Order’s Master, Hunter’s Master, we will depart.”
“Ah, go ahead. Be careful.”
Alright, time to depart. We need to escort Streia properly and deliver supplies to Prada Village. Black Fenrir and Green Fang have been defeated, and the Retisencia spies, including the hunters, have been apprehended. Therefore, there shouldn’t be too much danger on the road. However, we must not let our guard down.
