Chapter 53

The next morning, Leon and Karen set off before dawn, even before the sun had risen. Their attire was the same as always. Thanks to Leon’s new spatial bracelet, they didn’t need to carry extra luggage, and the caravan had already promised to provide food and supplies.

At the front gate, Caesare had come to see them off, hands clasped in prayer.

“May the Goddess watch over your journey. By day the sun, by night the moon, shall guard your path.”

“Thank you for everything, Bishop Caesare.”

Leon bowed politely in reply. Meeting Caesare had been a stroke of great fortune for him.

Without that connection, they could’ve never prevented the disaster of City Swallowing in advance. It truly felt like divine guidance. Even Leon, whose faith was rather shallow, thought so.

“Hero Leon, this is for you,” Caesare said as he reached out his hand, holding something.

“What’s this?” Leon asked, looking at the item.

Caesare handed him a necklace, modestly adorned with the sun and the moon. On the corded string hung the insignia of the Holy Church. At first glance, it looked like a simple trinket, but the moment it touched his skin, Leon could feel a faint power radiating from it.

Items imbued with magic were called “magical tools” or “artifacts.” So what were those imbued with sacred spells?

“A relic...” Leon muttered upon realizing it.

“Yes,” Caesare nodded at Leon’s words. “It allows the use of healing-type sacred spells. Use it in situations where it’s tricky to reveal the Holy Sword.”

For a Hero who possessed the Holy Sword, it might not seem particularly necessary. However, for Leon, it was essential.

If someone not of the clergy casually used sacred spells with the Holy Sword, it would surely raise suspicion. This relic, on the other hand, would serve as a plausible cover story.

“And this relic has a hidden function.”

As Caesare spoke, he flipped over the sun and moon emblem to reveal tiny engravings on the back. It was braille, not text meant to be read with the eyes.

It had to be traced by touch to be understood, and if one wasn’t trained in it, impossible to decipher. This necklace contained coded braille used only within the Holy Iron Inquisitors.

“Present this to the Church’s upper ranks, and they will summon all nearby Holy Iron Inquisitors. If someone other than the original owner uses it, it can only be used once, so please use it wisely.”

“Understood. Thank you for such a valuable gift, Bishop Caesare.”

Authority to mobilize the Holy Iron Inquisitors? Leon could feel the necklace in his palm grow heavier.

While they wouldn’t cooperate without a just cause, this meant he could wield the might of the strongest military force on the continent. Even as a single-use item, its value was incalculable.

If something like City Swallowing happens again, this would be an incredibly powerful card.

Leaving behind Caesare, who had helped them right up to the end, the two departed the Church grounds where they had stayed for nearly a month.

The city at dawn was eerily quiet. They passed through the empty streets, arriving just as the Storm Caravan had finished preparing for departure. Leon found the wagon from the day before and boarded with Karen, just as the other wagons—loads all checked—began to move forward.

Thus began their long journey to the Titan Mountains.

“Good morning, Ms. Karen, Mr. Leon.” The leader of Storm Caravan, Arnold, approached their wagon cheerfully and asked, “Have you had breakfast yet?”

“Not yet, actually,” Leon answered.

Neither of them was bothered by skipping a meal. Leon actually preferred it that way, and Karen also liked to keep her stomach empty.

Arnold chuckled heartily at that answer.

“

Haha

, I figured as much. That’s why I brought this myself!” he said as he held up a basket filled with white bread, fruit, and dried meat.

There was no reason for the caravan leader himself to deliver it, but the A-rank in their party must’ve made him extra sincere. It was likely his own way of showing respect.

Unable to turn down such clear generosity, Leon accepted the food. He thought he was getting used to the lifestyle of adventurers, but perhaps he had underestimated just how much weight an A-rank name carried.

“Mr. Arnold, you really didn’t have to go this far...”

Arnold waved off Leon’s comment as no big deal, but to Leon, it was almost overwhelming. Only after Arnold moved on to another wagon could Leon finally breathe again.

Karen, who’d been watching from the side, giggled and sneered, “

Haha

, is this your first time getting treated like this? You looked like you didn’t know what to do with yourself, Hero.”

Leon sighed and responded curtly, “He’s doing this because of you.”

It was his first time on a job like this, but even he could tell this kind of treatment wasn’t the norm. Just one look at the food in the basket said it all.

Fresh fruit, soft bread, smoked and perfectly seasoned meat. It was nothing short of a VIP meal.

Well, this isn’t so bad.

He just wasn’t used to it. Following Karen’s lead, Leon took a bite of an apple. With a refreshing

crunch,

the juice burst out as if showcasing its freshness. It was a far cry from those gnawing on hard, stale bread.

Still, he had no desire to make a show of solidarity. It wasn’t about avoiding hardship, but neither did he see the point of volunteering for unnecessary suffering.

“Looks like some people are bothered by it,” Leon muttered.

“

Hm

?”

Karen, nibbling at her bread, tilted her head at the comment. Unlike Leon, she hadn’t sensed anything unusual, but it didn’t take long for her to pick it up.

“

Ah

, sounds like it’s time to lay down the pecking order.”

She was his senior by far as an adventurer. There was no need for Leon to explain anything—she saw right through it and already had a simple lesson for Leon.

“Amazing...”

Leon nodded, taking her advice to heart. Adventurers and mercenaries were all the same. Once a ring for a duel was set, one just had to teach reality with action.

At that moment, the wagon hit a stone, and El-Cid clattered against his thigh in the scabbard. The glint of the sword’s exposed edge flashed sharply for an instant.

***

The journey of the Storm Caravan was going smoother than expected. Thanks to their early departure, the wagons rolled out of Blaine onto the empty main roads without a hitch. Around twenty wagons moved in unison, stirring up thick clouds of dust behind them, which quickly dispersed in the wind.

At first, Leon peeked through the window on the side of the carriage to take in the view, but before long, he had returned to his usual calm demeanor. Karen, of course, didn’t miss that.

“How is it? Nothing too special, right?” she said like she’d been expecting this.

Admiring the scenery outside the city was only fun for a moment. After that, it quickly got old. And for someone like Leon, whose senses were sharper than most, it was even more so.

Still, he voiced a small observation, “We’re going faster than I thought.”

“Our carriage?”

“Yeah.”

Karen responded with a hint of disinterest, “You’ve only seen them plodding around inside the city. When it comes to long-distance trade, speed is everything. With two thoroughbreds pulling a carriage enchanted with weight reduction magic, of course, they’re fast.”

“Magic? All of them?”

“Yeah. Weight reduction magic is one of the most common and useful kinds. It doesn’t take much mana, so it can be used for a long time at a low cost.”

Most people unfamiliar with it wouldn’t know, but magic had already seeped into all parts of civilization. Storage warehouses used temperature-control enchantments to preserve food, carts and wagons were enchanted with weight-reduction magic, and floating spells were used to transport building materials.

Once one got a taste of it, they couldn’t go back. It was practically the magicians’ business model.

People bought convenience at a reasonable price, and magicians finally had a stable income to fund their research. That cycle had continued for decades, even centuries, and the result was the widespread commercialization of magical tools.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely convenient.”

And Karen was right. Thanks to the enchantments, the horses could gallop without ever getting exhausted. Aside from drinking water or taking the occasional odd breaks, the wagons barely stopped at all. Traveling nonstop all day made for incredible speed.

Compared to walking, it was dozens of times faster. Leon suddenly felt like a fool for having walked all the way to Blaine.

“But weight-reduction doesn’t always work in your favor,” Karen said as she gazed calmly out the window. “When the chassis is too light, even small bumps in the road can shake the whole thing. If one of the horses trips, it’s a disaster. That’s why we undo the magic once we enter rough terrain.”

“Oh, so once we get to that point...”

“We’ll move a lot slower.”

Only then did Leon understand both the pros and cons of the enchantment. They said it would take at least two months to reach the Titan Mountains, and he had been wondering why it would take so long at this pace.

That one question, born from inexperience, was now resolved.

“Come to think of it, Mr. Arnold gave us a map.”

Leon unfolded the map Arnold had given him and located Blaine, tapped its spot with a finger, and then traced the distance to the Titan Mountains.

They had to cross one national border, five territories, and three mountain ranges. On foot, it would’ve taken years.

Before he realized it, Karen had leaned in, resting her chin on his shoulder.

She said, “Let’s see... Looks like we’ll be in open plains for about three days, then we head into the forest. This time of year... the bugs are going to be nasty.”

“Don’t they have bug-repelling magic or something?”

“It used to be popular, but apparently it agitates some monsters like the Giant Mantis, so they stopped using it.”

Leon had asked jokingly, but the seriousness of her response told him she really hated insects. She wouldn’t have looked into that kind of background otherwise.

“They probably coated the wagon with some repellents, but... worst case, I’ll just dilute one of my poisons and spray it.”

“Nothing that affects people, right?”

At Leon’s question, Karen glanced away with an awkward expression.

“Hey.”

“I-it should be fine as long as they don’t inhale too much of it.”

With a sheepish grin and a vague answer, she trailed off, but Leon’s raised eyebrow refused to drop.

It was a top assassin’s custom poison. Accidents could kill people instead of insects. He eventually got her to promise she’d only use the harmless ones.

Then, the caravans shouted, “Stop! We’ll camp here for the night!”

The sun had set before they noticed, and a fiery twilight was spreading across the horizon. The wagon carrying Leon and Karen gradually slowed and then came to a halt.

“Should we get out?” Leon asked, but Karen flopped down lazily.

“Not hungry, so I’ll pass. Go out if you want to stretch your legs. If I’m needed, just call.”

“Alright.”

Unlike him, everything seemed familiar to Karen. Above all, any move she made would inevitably draw attention. Staying put was a kind of courtesy on her part.

There wasn’t much for adventurers to do during a trade journey. Lower-ranked adventurers might try to help with chores to leave a good impression, but a B-rank like Leon was too high-profile for that and could end up putting the caravan in an uncomfortable position.

So, Leon stepped down from the wagon and quietly observed the bustle of people moving around.

Hmm, so, you need to start the camping preparation this early if you want to have it done in time.

He was learning a lot just by watching the people lighting campfires, setting pots on top, and feeding the horses that had pulled the wagons all day. The entire caravan moved in unison like a single organism.

It was clear they had worked together for a long time. And naturally, that made the presence of something foreign all the more obvious.

Figured they’d approach if I was alone.

Sensing someone coming up behind him, Leon placed a hand on his sword’s hilt without turning and spoke.

“Do you have some business with me?”

Apparently not expecting the question, the approaching group murmured among themselves until one stepped forward to say, “‘Business’? You talk like you’re the one who hired us.”

“I suppose it sounded that way because that’s how you chose to hear it.”

“

Hah

.” The man sneered and spoke in a rougher tone, “Just because you’re tagging along with an A-rank, you think you can act like one? You’re as immature as you look.”

“Isn’t it funny to talk about immaturity when so many of you all came to pick on one guy?”

“Got a lively mouth,

huh

?”

“Apologies, but I think that line belongs to me.” Leon turned to face the mercenaries with a cold, hardened look and continued, “Let’s be honest. You’re pissed off because a kid with less experience and fewer years under his belt is getting better treatment than all of you.”

“You little—!”

Their patience snapped. The mercenaries stepped forward. Still, perhaps aware of how pathetic it would look ganging up on one person, none of them reached for their weapons.

Four mercenaries and Leon glared each other down. The rising tension had nearby merchants murmuring anxiously. That was when Karen appeared out of nowhere and slipped between them.

“Alright, that’s enough. Why are grown men barking with their mouths? If you don’t trust his skill, why don’t you see for yourselves?”

“A-are you serious?” a mercenary asked.

“What, you think I’m gonna take his side, or something?”

When Karen narrowed her eyes, the mercenaries momentarily recoiled under the weight of her killing intent but soon shook it off and grit their teeth. True to their B-rank caliber, they weren’t easily overwhelmed.

Among them, the one who seemed to be the leader spoke.

“Very well. If you’ll mediate fairly, we’ll change how we treat him based on the outcome.”

“Good.” Grinning, Karen turned to Leon and asked, “You don’t mind going right now, do you?”

“No problem,” Leon replied as if it were obvious.

It was the same conversation they’d had in the wagon. If the mercenaries held prejudices against him, all he had to do was break those narrow minds with strength.

Power is the only thing that gets you respect in this world, anyway.

As the crowd stepped back in a wide circle at Karen’s gesture, Leon drew the sword at his hip. The Holy Sword, El-Cid, usually noisy—its silence felt especially strange today.

“Veteran B-rank mercenaries,

huh

...” Leon muttered as his golden eyes scanned the four men, then turned cold.

“Beatable.”

That was his honest impression.