Chapter 178: Mayfield
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 178: Mayfield
Before entering the cave, we decided to take a short break.
I didn't let on, but the past two days of non-stop travel had left us utterly exhausted.
We had already searched over seven mountains, day and night.
“Come here.”
I found a suitable spot to sit and called Sylvia over.
After a moment's hesitation, Sylvia obediently came to my side.
Thump.
But where she sat was a little strange.
“...?”
“...?”
I was dumbfounded by the moderate weight and the soft touch of skin on my lap.
Sylvia, who had naturally settled between my legs, slowly turned her head.
Her usually sharp eyes were wide, and her pupils trembled faintly, like a cat caught in the rain.
“...I don't remember telling you to sit there.”
A laugh escaped me, and Sylvia scrambled to get away.
Of course, I wasn't about to just let her.
“L-Let go!”
“Don't want to.”
“Gah?! Wh-Where are you touching?!”
“Your chest.”
I wrapped my arms around the waist of the escaping Sylvia and pulled her back down between my legs.
Sylvia struggled to break free, but she soon seemed to realize it was futile and quieted down.
It seemed forcing her to sit on my lap every time we rested for the past two days had paid off.
I savored the feeling of victory as I stroked Sylvia. However, her reaction to me touching her chest or pussy was so violent that they were off-limits, so I couldn't easily go there.
“I'll kill you... I swear... I'll definitely kill you...”
Sylvia muttered, burying her face in her knees. I casually ignored her murderous threat and closed my eyes.
Truthfully, I could have just used my remaining potions or holy water to recover my stamina, but I decided we should rest because Sylvia didn't look well.
I was the one who had spread my magic detection to its maximum range over the last two days, but Sylvia was the one who had run all over the mountains as if combing through them.
Ever since Iris collapsed with a high fever, Sylvia had been acting like someone on the run.
Just last evening, we had found a large lake deep in the mountains.
The lake emitted waves that scattered magic, making it impossible to investigate its depths with spells.
Splash!
“Sylvia?!”
She had jumped into the lake without a moment's hesitation, trying to find any potential magical beasts.
But the creature we were looking for wasn't in the lake.
Instead, there was a C-grade magical beast, the one that had been emitting the magic-scattering waves.
I still can't forget the look on Sylvia's face as she dragged the beast's corpse out of the water.
The sight of her, looking like a drowned rat, with anxious eyes and nervously chewing her lip.
I suspect she's blaming herself for what happened to Iris.
'...If this doesn't work out, I'll just have to end this matching here and go get a magic stone from Earth.'
In reality, Iris's condition wasn't that serious. If it had been a life-or-death situation, I wouldn't have done something as foolish as searching the mountains for two days.
It would have been many times faster to just return to Earth and get a magic stone.
Of course, it would become dangerous if we let too much time pass, but for now, she was fine.
'If it's not in that cave, I'll have to give up.'
My magic detection and analysis confirmed that a fairly strong magical beast was nestled deep inside the cave.
Whether it possessed a magic stone that would satisfy a high-level spirit, however, I didn't know.
“Nothing's going to happen to Iris, so you don't need to be so anxious.”
I took Sylvia's faintly trembling hand.
The back of her hand was covered in scars, big and small, and her palm was full of hard calluses.
“...Stop with the pointless bluffing and just let go.”
“Whatever you say.”
Her voice was as blunt as ever.
When I released my arms from her waist, Sylvia scrambled out of my lap without a backward glance.
At a glance, she seemed no different than before, but the fact that she had unconsciously sat on my lap, and that she didn't react too strongly to my touch as long as I avoided explicit areas like her chest or butt, was progress that couldn't be ignored.
“Shall we head in?”
I moved next to Sylvia and immediately took her hand.
As I intertwined our fingers like lovers, Sylvia frowned but didn't show the same blatant killing intent as before.
“...You're not planning on holding it the whole time, are you?”
“I'll let go when a magical beast shows up.”
She seemed to be enduring it, probably because she didn't know what I'd demand if she refused.
But I was practicing the art of patience.
Waiting for the day Sylvia herself would ask for it.
'...Though I doubt a few months will be nearly enough.'
We each checked our condition.
It was only a short break, but a good amount of my magic had recovered. Sylvia seemed to have regained some of her stamina as well.
With no reason to hesitate, we headed straight into the cave.
Sure enough, a large, tiger-like magical beast was hiding deep inside.
I'd never seen one before, so I didn't know its exact name or rank, but it seemed to be at least A-grade.
Of course, it wasn't strong enough to take on a party consisting of an Aura Master-level knight and a 4th Circle mage.
By the time we returned to the village with the beast's magic stone, the sun had set.
Fortunately, Iris's spirit was pleased with the magic stone.
Honestly, I was so annoyed I wanted to beat it up a little, but I heard the spirit had also been suffering for days while paying the price, so I decided to let it slide.
The next morning, Iris was up and about as if she'd never been sick.
As we prepared to leave, the villagers gathered to thank us.
Among them was an old couple who had lost their son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren to a magical beast.
*
Time passed swiftly, and we soon left the county far behind.
In a nearby city, we were able to board a carriage bound for the Gail Marquisate. It was headed for Mayfield, known as the largest city in the marquisate.
From there, I planned to find a carriage to the Partal County.
As Mayfield was one of the Veilhaven Republic's largest breadbaskets, I was sure we could find a carriage that would take us near the border.
Rattle, rattle!
The carriage in this medieval fantasy world shook relentlessly, boasting the worst ride quality imaginable.
Of course, thanks to a spell Iris had taught me, I was able to avoid getting motion sick.
“Mmm... Hyun-woo...”
Iris was asleep in my arms.
She taught me magic whenever she had a spare moment and hadn't rested properly in days, so it was no wonder she was tired.
I stroked her hair, infusing a bit of magic into her from time to time.
It wouldn't have been very effective on another mage, but perhaps because my magic was imbued with the divine power of the World Tree, it had the effect of restoring Iris's stamina, magic, and fatigue.
“Is that your wife?”
The man sitting across from us struck up a conversation.
He was a middle-aged man with a portly build.
“Technically, she's my fiancée. We're just about to have the wedding.”
“And the young lady next to you?”
“She's also my fiancée.”
Smack! Sylvia hit my shoulder. Her hand stung more than I expected.
“Haha! Seeing how close you are, you must be fiancés.”
“What nonse—Mmph!!”
I clamped my hand over Sylvia's mouth.
“My fiancée is just a bit shy.”
“I understand. My wife was like that in her younger days. A woman who would blush and say she was too embarrassed to even hold hands in front of others.”
His name was Logan, and he was apparently a traveling merchant.
He said that around this time of year, he would buy food supplies in Mayfield and travel around the nearby villages.
“Aside from Mayfield itself, this area has a lot of mountains, so it's not great for farming. There's plenty of hunted meat, but crops like wheat and potatoes are scarce.”
“Hmm.”
I hadn't even asked, but he cheerfully began to spin one tale after another.
Stories about when he first started as a merchant, or about the time he tracked down a man who scammed him and stuck a knife in his leg.
I'm not usually one to enjoy chatting with men, but it was surprisingly not a boring way to pass the time.
“Isn't it dangerous traveling alone? What about magical beasts or wild animals?”
“Haha, I've been a merchant for twenty years, and I've never once seen a magical beast. Well... you hear news now and then about a beast wandering out of the Great Forest and attacking a village, but it doesn't happen often enough to worry about. Bandits, on the other hand, are a different story.”
“Bandits?”
“Hm? You don't know? There are quite a few bandits around here. Of course, they're just wanted criminals who've fled into the mountains and become bandits.”
The man's words reminded me of my time traveling with Cheon Yeo-hwa.
'We used to hunt bandits often back then, too.'
If we found one with a bounty, she'd happily lop off their head.
“No need to worry too much. Even bandits wouldn't show up on a main road like this...”
Just as Logan was about to continue with a hearty laugh...
Thwip!
An arrow pierced the side of the carriage and flew past him.
I don't know if you'd call this bad luck or what, but the arrow flew straight for the space between my eyes. Dodging seemed like a hassle, so I just caught it.
“A-An arrow...? Don't tell me!”
While Logan was freaking out, I sensed dozens of people surrounding the carriage. A rough count put them at over thirty.
“B-Bandits!”
The driver's panicked voice rang out as the carriage suddenly lurched forward. The sudden acceleration threw me forward.
More and more arrows began to pierce the carriage. It was worse because the carriage was made of canvas.
Of course, none of us were hit.
I deflected the arrows heading for Logan as well. Partly because an innocent person dying in front of me would be a hassle, but mostly because I didn't want the smell of blood stinking up the carriage.
“Hyun-woo...?”
“Go back to sleep.”
I handed Iris to Sylvia and immediately climbed onto the roof of the carriage.
Just as I thought, men hiding in the nearby bushes were firing arrows. Judging by their ragged appearance, they were definitely bandits.
“Driver.”
“G-Guest?! How did you get up there?!”
“Stop the carriage.”
“What?!”
The driver seemed intent on escaping, but the bandits had set up an ambush further down the road.
They were probably planning to trip the horses with a rope or something.
I conjured a flame in my palm and showed it to the hesitant driver.
“A-A mage?!”
“If you understand, then stop.”
“...Yes!”
The driver pulled on the reins, and the carriage gradually slowed.
The horses, spooked by the arrows, didn't listen well, but we managed to stop before they got caught in the rope.
As soon as the carriage stopped, the bandits swarmed out as if they'd been waiting.
“Haha! Should've just stopped sooner!”
“Looks like a merchant! Check the cargo hold first!”
“Wait, who's that guy on top of the carriage?”
“Who cares! Drag the driver out first!”
I glanced over the bandits, who were busy grinning foolishly.
It took less than a second for the smiles to vanish from their faces.
The gazes of the men, who had been staring at the carriage with eyes shimmering with greed, were now fixed on me.
Thud- As dozens of magic circles filled the sky, the men began to drop their swords and axes one by one.
“A-A-A mage!!”
“Run!!”
“Fuck! Why the hell is a mage in a place like this?!”
Having lost their will to fight, they shoved their comrades aside, desperate to escape.
But my magic had been targeting them for a while now.
“Anyone with a bounty on their head, raise your hand.”
Of course, no one did.
*
Mayfield. One of the Veilhaven Republic's largest breadbaskets and the biggest city in the Gail Marquisate, bustling with visiting merchants and carriages.
Somewhere in the back alleys of Mayfield.
“Hah, hah, hah...!”
A woman in a hood was running for her life, trying to suppress the ragged breaths that rose in her throat.
But she didn't get far before she was forced to stop by men blocking her path.
“Where are you off to in such a hurry, little lady?”
A single glance told her they were back-alley thugs.
The panicked woman quickly turned around, but more men, apparently the thugs' companions, were approaching with sleazy grins.
“...If you back off now, I'll let this go.”
The woman's lips trembled as she glared at them.
But the men didn't even blink, instead letting out sneers.
“Ooh, listen to that voice.”
“We'll have to teach you what happens when you go for a stroll without an escort.”
“We won't be responsible if that pretty face of yours gets scratched up from putting up a pointless struggle, you know?”
When one of the men pulled a small dagger from his pocket, the woman sighed inwardly. A moment later, a blue aura began to flow from her.
“...What's that?”
The men instinctively took a step back at her display of power. Being back-alley thugs, they didn't know much, but their survival instincts were sharp.
“I warned you.”
No sooner had the woman spoken than a magic circle bloomed in the air.
“A-A mage?!”
“Run for it!!”
Only then did the thugs realize who she was, but it was too late.
A mass of blue magic shot out from the magic circle, flying toward them.
Thwack! Crack! Thud!
The magic projectiles struck the thugs squarely in the back of their heads. They collapsed, bleeding.
“Hah... hah...”
The woman immediately slumped to the ground, catching her ragged breath. Once she had calmed down, she got up and ran off in a certain direction.
From beneath her hood, her blue-gray hair fluttered in the wind.