Chapter 41
The second day's itinerary ended much earlier than expected.
Enya let out an exclamation as she surveyed the central courtyard, where dozens of carriages had gathered.
“It's bigger than I expected.”
Even with monsters roaming about and centaurs launching attacks, the sunlight hadn't fled; it still shone down on them.
Beneath the warm sunlight, the frozen ground thawed, and the bricks and grass glimmered brilliantly.
“This is where the caravans traveling across the grasslands gather. It has to be big enough to hold their carriages and cargo.”
She nodded at Tarmin's words and jumped down from the cargo bed.
The exotic arched windows and enormous main gate, wide enough for carriages to pass through, delighted her.
It was a roadside lodging for caravans, a ‘caravanserai.’
The sight of a one-story stone building ringed by walls, with a garden and stables in the middle, made it clear what its builders valued.
Danis climbed down from the driver's seat, checked the condition of the horses and carriages, then announced to the group.
“We'll rest here until tomorrow!”
“Isn't that a little early?”
She'd expected as much, but checked the weather once more.
There was still plenty of time before sunset.
Tarmin whispered in her ear.
“The horses are exhausted. We can't push them any farther.”
“Ah, I get it, so don't whisper right in my ear.”
She rubbed her ticklish ear where his breath had brushed it, and Tarmin snickered.
The horses were drenched in sweat, their coats almost white with foam.
The passengers, still trembling with fear after the attack, began murmuring among themselves.
They asked if it was safe, what centaurs were, and whether they shouldn't keep moving.
But Danis firmly shook his head.
“I understand how you feel after what happened. I'd like to get to Akhraba, too, but the horses will die. We should be grateful we made it here without a single one of them collapsing from exhaustion.”
It was just as Tarmin had said.
An elderly woman among the passengers stepped forward with a worried expression.
She'd been riding in a carriage with her husband.
“What if those monsters keep chasing us?”
Instead of answering, Danis shifted his gaze.
He seemed to be looking for someone.
Enya sighed and raised her hand.
“Captain?”
Danis spotted Enya and brightened.
“Oh, there you are, clever young lady! I have a question. Those horse-men—or man-horses, whatever they are—how far can they travel? Are they faster than horses?”
“I can't say exactly, but I think they're about as fast.”
“That'll do. Thank you. They've headed south, so if we wait for the monsters to move on, we'll have at least a day's lead. Even if we take a detour, it'll only waste our strength.”
At last reassured, the people began unloading their belongings.
But Danis still looked uneasy.
“I'll let the horses rest and talk to the owner here. I'm more worried about the other caravans passing through than about being chased. Or when we head back to Quaalid… No, wait, miss?”
“Yes?”
“Sorry to keep bothering you. I should've asked this sooner. Are those fellows chasing us? They didn't seem to be after our loot.”
Enya didn't answer right away.
She turned and looked around at everyone.
Tarmin caught her eye and silently mouthed a question.
Why?
Enya gave him a faint smile, then answered Danis.
“I don't know.”
Across the group, Lise watched the two of them in silence.
**
As long as they didn't intrude on another caravan's area, the building was generally open to everyone.
It offered lodging and meals, as well as amenities for travelers. There was a well in the center of the courtyard, and most importantly, it had a public bathhouse.
While the women traveling with the caravan happily hurried off to the bathhouse, the men started drinking liquor made from mare's milk.
Tarmin was looking around the shop run by the caretaker.
Bottles that looked like they contained alcohol lined the shelves, alongside all kinds of goods, from preserved food to exotic carpets.
After a while, the old man sitting behind the counter grumbled at him.
“If you're not buying anything, get out.”
“Oh, sorry. I'm still deciding.”
Tarmin was deliberating as he looked at the brightly patterned carpets.
He wondered if one might keep them warm if they laid it on the ground or spread it over their blankets.
But he soon had to shake his head.
A large carpet would be a burden all by itself.
“I should've looked for one on the way back.”
He was thinking of buying some jerky to chew on in the carriage when he spotted a familiar wine bottle.
It was the kind commonly seen in Quaalid.
“Uh, ahem! Cough!”
Caught off guard by the unexpectedly familiar sight, he hurriedly coughed and turned away.
What was he thinking, getting excited over a wine bottle in the middle of the day?
The old man took one look at Tarmin's awkward face and spoke as if he'd figured it out.
“What is it, looking for a gift for your girlfriend?”
“What?”
“It's obvious.”
“I-I don't have a girlfriend, exactly, but I was thinking of getting a gift.”
“Girlfriend, wife, whatever.”
The old man crooked a finger at him.
As Tarmin grimaced at the suggestive gesture, the old man ignored his lack of an answer and set a small box on the counter.
When the old man opened it, the jewels inside reflected the light and blazed brilliantly.
“Take your time looking.”
He'd just told Tarmin to leave, but now he wore a sly smile, as if he'd caught the scent of money.
Tarmin shook his head.
The thought of giving her a gift wasn't bad, but Enya was hardly the type to like valuables.
Maybe things would be different if he found a gem with magical properties, but he had no eye for that sort of thing.
“Sorry, but she's not really into jewelry.”
“Of course, I've got other gifts, too! Just wait.”
Tarmin had only been trying to say he wasn't buying anything, but the old man was persistent.
It was quite some time before Tarmin finally left the shop.
**
Enya, looking refreshed after her bath, strolled through the caravanserai's courtyard.
She was still wearing a thick coat, but simply soaking in a bath and washing herself was a tremendous luxury after traveling across a grassland of nothing but horizon and grass.
When she had to share a blanket with Tarmin without even washing up, she'd been so self-conscious she couldn't sleep properly.
Just then, she spotted him coming out of the building and approached in a cheerful mood.
“The women are all done washing up, so if you want a bath, you can go now.”
Tarmin only noticed her a moment later and jumped in surprise.
“Oh, yeah. Got it.”
Enya laughed and shoved Tarmin's shoulder.
“Don't just say you got it—I'm telling you to go right now. Show some consideration for the person sleeping beside you.”
“O-Okay.”
She'd been teasing him, but Tarmin only nodded, without much of a reaction.
He'd been happily exploring her mouth whenever he pleased, but now he was acting awkward, as if they'd only just met.
“What's wrong?”
Puzzled, she looked him over and saw that he had his arms behind his back, hiding something.
A shop sign hung over the building Tarmin had come out of.
“Did you buy something? Why are you hiding it?”
“No, it's nothing much…”
Tarmin looked embarrassed.
His hesitation made Enya increasingly nervous, too, and she swallowed.
She put a hand over her pounding heart and wondered.
What if it was something he couldn't easily tell her about?
They'd shared all sorts of things, but the man in front of her was a pervert who kept a dog collar at home.
He was a man who couldn't restrain his lust and did lewd things in front of people, even in broad daylight.
An incarnation of desire and the root of all evil.
Tarmin scratched his head vigorously, then brought forward the item he'd been hiding behind his back.
“This is soap from Akhraba.”
“Huh?”
“They say it's made with thyme. It feels like I got ripped off, but use it if you want. Or don't.”
…
“By the way, is thyme the name of a flower? …Enya?”
The moment she saw the soap in Tarmin's hand, Enya suddenly went pale and buried her face in her arm.
“Hey, what's wrong? Don't you like it?”
She didn't answer. She sniffed herself here and there, then, looking uncertain, suddenly tried to take off her outer clothes.
“Whoa! What are you doing?”
Tarmin was startled and grabbed Enya's arm.
They weren't alone at the lodging in the middle of the day.
People passing by stared at them with wide eyes.
Unable to take off her clothes, Enya looked on the verge of tears and asked,
“Do I smell that bad?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“I'm going to bathe again!”
“Huh? Hey!”
**
A blonde girl suddenly charging into the public bathhouse caused an accident: a man taking off his clothes was so startled he fell over.
“I'm sorry.”
“I don't know what your story is, but mind yourself. Otherwise, I may have to throw you out.”
“Yes…”
After bowing her head and apologizing to the man she'd knocked over for getting the order mixed up, she repeatedly promised the caretaker who'd come to investigate that she wouldn't cause a public disturbance. Then she sat down on the floor of the lodging with an exhausted expression.
From far away, she could hear the laughter of people drinking.
Tarmin rubbed his brow, tired, and said,
“You thought I was teasing you about smelling bad?”
“Sorry…”
Enya said, hanging her head.
Without being told, she'd sat there on her knees.
After checking that the two of them were alone in the room, Tarmin burst out angrily.
“Hey, you idiot! I said it was a gift! How did you get that meaning out of it? Is there somewhere that gives gifts to insult people?”
“Well, in the south, people sometimes use gifts to convey bad intentions. Like giving a book to someone who can't read.”
“Huh, really? Then do those people never give gifts?”
“They explain the meaning beforehand or give several things at once, so it's unclear what each one means.”
“I see… No, that's not the point!”
He'd been listening blankly to the fascinating custom, then caught himself and hardened his expression.
They had until tomorrow, too. He couldn't let this chance to tease Enya slip by.
He scolded her with a stern expression.
“So what? Am I from the south?”
“No, but…”
“You just misunderstood. I didn't do anything wrong, did I?”
“But you took so long to give me a bar of soap, so I thought maybe…”
“Ahem!”
At his sharp rebuke, Enya stopped short.
He decided to keep quiet about the fact that he'd felt awkward, too, since this was his first time giving her this kind of gift.
“I'm disappointed you would take someone's kindness that way, Enya.”
“Uh, um…”
“You were wrong, weren't you?”
“Ugh, I said I was sorry. Can you stop already…?”
Enya, who'd been about to snap at him, held her breath.
Tarmin was smiling broadly as he patted his knee.
“Come here.”
Enya flinched and glanced around. When she saw no one was there, she let out a sigh of relief.
Her face turned red. She opened and closed her mouth, but in the end couldn't say a word and stood up.
It seemed she'd started to say something like, ‘What if someone sees us?’ but gave up.
After checking outside several times, Enya came over and sat on Tarmin's lap.
He whispered in her ear.
“You're so obedient now. I tell you to come, and you come.”
“…You jerk.”
“I'm kidding.”
Tarmin smiled and wrapped his arms around Enya's waist as she sat on his lap.
For a while, he said nothing, just holding her tight as if he might crush her.
He could feel her soft skin through her clothes.
“U-Um, wait, gently…”
Even as Enya moaned, she kept checking the entrance in case someone came in.
*****