Chapter 46
The town was wrapped in the cold light of dawn.
The brightening sky traced the rugged outline of the mountains.
Our footsteps rang out, breaking the pristine silence.
The market at the foot of the bridge was already beginning to wake.
Amid the river's rushing waters, the wheels of a vegetable-laden cart clattered over the cobblestones.
The merchants' low voices dissolved into the damp river mist.
Beyond the bridge, a dozen or so carriages waited for the gates to open.
At the head of the line, an armed group cast a particularly dark shadow.
I spotted a familiar face among them.
—Glen.
He seemed to notice us, too.
He raised a hand in greeting.
"Hey. You took the job, then."
He wore a friendly smile that didn't match his intimidating face.
"Yep. We're the Scales of Oaths."
Lyle puffed out his chest as he introduced us.
"You picked a party name, huh? It's a good one."
"Tch. The Scales, huh? Trying to ride the Guild's coattails? This job's no place for kids."
A cold voice cut in from the side. A tall man stood there.
He wore chain mail and carried a large crossbow on his back.
"Don't give them a hard time, Bolf. They took down a drake at their age."
Bolf fell silent for a moment, then quickly returned to his usual scowl.
"For their age, maybe. Just don't get in our way."
With that, Bolf returned to his companions.
Glen quickly eased the tension that had settled over us.
"He's the leader of the Red Wolves. He's a pain, but he's reliable. And then—Aileen!"
Glen called over a woman dressed in a robe.
She carried no weapon. She seemed to be a mage.
"These are the Scales of Oaths. They're kids, but they've got some skill."
Once Glen had introduced us, the woman called Aileen offered a gentle smile and held out her hand.
"I'm Aileen of the Wind of the Azure Sky. Pleased to meet you."
Lyle hesitated briefly, then took her hand.
"Lyle of the Scales of Oaths. Pleased to meet you."
Lyle's face turned a little red, as if he were embarrassed.
"All right, introductions are done. Here's the formation. Black Iron and the Wind of the Azure Sky will guard the middle of the caravan, where the valuables are. The Red Wolves will scout ahead. You lot take the rear."
Once Glen had finished introducing everyone, he moved straight on to business.
"The cargo at the rear isn't worth as much, but the rear guard's important. I'm counting on you."
After patting Lyle on the shoulder, Glen went back to conferring with the merchants.
The pale light outlining the mountains began to melt into a faint golden hue.
The morning sun slowly began to illuminate the land.
The chill in the air gradually gave way to warmth, and shadows stretched across the town's cobblestones.
The first bell rang, and the gates creaked open.
The driver's sharp crack of a whip cut through the morning air.
The wheels creaked as one heavily laden carriage after another passed through the gate.
Amid the billowing dust, we followed the last carriage through the gate.
—So we're at the rear.
It was the likeliest place to be targeted in an attack. The most dangerous position.
Naturally, the cargo was worth the least, too. In a way, it made sense to assign it to the newcomers.
As soon as we crossed the bridge and passed beyond the gate's deep shadow, the road became a merciless uphill climb clinging to the mountainside.
The road curved sharply along the mountainside, and the backs of Black Iron up ahead vanished at once into the shadows of the conifers lining the way.
Lyle glanced around and cautiously rested a hand on the hilt of his sword.
"You won't last long if you stay that tense. I'm already scanning our surroundings, so I'll let you know if any enemies show up."
At my words, Lyle relaxed his shoulders a little.
"...Yeah, I'm counting on you. I'd rather die than have to tell that bastard Bolf we got eaten from behind."
Lyle gave a wry smile, but every so often he looked back down the road, sweeping it with a sharp gaze.
The only sound that seemed unnaturally loud was the carriage wheels grinding over the mud as it began to dry.
The horses walked slowly because of the uphill slope.
There was no one in sight behind us anymore.
Only the single road stretching from the gate remained, quietly bathed in the morning light.
"Hey, Lyle. If you keep watching behind us, you'll get left behind."
Elena urged Lyle on.
The gap we'd kept at about ten paces to avoid the dust kicked up by the carriage had somehow grown to twenty.
"I know, I know."
Lyle smiled wryly, then quickened his pace and caught back up with the carriage.
Kai walked uphill without complaint, his large shield strapped to his back.
The caravan slowly climbed the road without incident.
"...Funny. Nothing's happening."
Lyle muttered, sounding a little disappointed.
From up ahead, we could hear the drivers' relaxed calls to their horses and, now and then, a whistle from Bolf's group signaling that all was clear.
"See? I told you. If you keep your shoulders so tense, you'll be worn out before we even reach Millheim."
I teased him a little, and Lyle shook his head as if embarrassed before finally facing forward and walking on.
After several breaks, the sun began to sink toward the horizon.
As we rounded a wide bend, the view suddenly opened up.
"...Finally, a flat stretch of road."
Lyle lifted his head and let out a breath.
We'd been climbing a seemingly endless, steep slope, listening to the creak of the carriages and the horses' snorts.
Ahead, a few stone houses stood in black silhouette against the setting sun.
In the settlement's square, we could see cooking smoke rising from another caravan that had come from the opposite direction.
"...That's it for today! We'll camp here for the night!"
Glen's booming voice echoed through the mountains.
As if they'd been waiting for the signal, a dozen or so carriages streamed into the clearing beside the road and formed a circle.
"Hey, newcomers! Gather firewood, then bring water buckets from the water point. Don't get in the grooms' way!"
At Bolf's command, we went back and forth between the water point and the clearing again and again.
By the time we'd finished hauling the heavy buckets and piled up firewood for our own campfire, the sky had turned a deep indigo.
When I glanced over, the Red Wolves had already finished setting up their camp.
They deftly got a fire going and began roasting meat. The savory smell of sizzling game fat drifted over on the wind.
Bolf and his men passed around a wineskin, their faces flushed red as they boisterously raised their voices.
"...Tch, acting all high and mighty. They're already having drinks while we're still getting the soup ready."
Lyle spat out the words in irritation.
The Red Wolves' crude laughter drifted over to our campfire with the chill of the night.
"...Hey, did you see that spice wagon? They bet their whole fortune on this trip. And look at how scared they are. What a bunch of cowards."
"Their whole fortune, huh? Ha, that's a riot. They snap at even us, the people protecting them. They'd need a dozen hearts to pull that off."
The men burst into laughter as they gulped down the wine.
They seemed to be making fun of their terrified client over drinks.
We got our campfire going and finally started preparing dinner.
We hung a pot from an iron tripod and tossed in the bacon and vegetables we'd bought in Ennsburg.
As it heated, golden fat rose to the surface of the cloudy broth, and an appetizing aroma tickled my nose.
"It should be about ready."
Lyle took out a block of cheese.
He shaved it into thin slices with a knife and scattered them generously over the bubbling soup.
The cheese lost its shape as soon as it touched the heat, melting together with the bacon fat and giving the soup a rich, creamy thickness.
Once the soup had come to a boil, Lyle deftly ladled it into each of our wooden bowls.
We dipped bread into it and brought it to our mouths.
No one said a word as we quietly ate.
We'd finally begun to feel at ease when...
From the darkness, the sound of boots treading on dirt drew closer.
"Have you finished eating?"
Glen called out in a casual tone.
After checking on our meal, Glen stayed beside the campfire.
"We're splitting tonight's watch into three shifts: now until midnight, midnight until just before dawn, and then until sunrise."
He counted off the shifts on his fingers.
"Just send one person from each group. You can decide among yourselves who takes which shift."
After telling us that, Glen raised a hand as if his business was done and turned to leave.
Everyone looked at Lyle.
"All right, let's take turns: me, Noah, then Kai. Elena, you can rest tonight."
The three of them nodded.
No one objected.
After confirming that, Lyle let out a small breath and continued.
"All right, everyone else get some sleep."
We wrapped ourselves in our cloaks and lay down where we were. The thick wool kept the cold of the ground at bay.
I could feel the firelight flickering behind my eyelids as my consciousness slowly sank away.