Merchant Escort Quest #10
Merchant Escort Quest #10
"Ah, sorry."
"I-it's okay."
I pulled away from Rebecca's chest, pretending it was an accident.
Fortunately, Rebecca seemed to buy that it had been a simple mistake.
Still, I hadn't expected her to get so worked up just from a kiss.
I hadn't tickled her chest or caressed any other sensitive spots, yet her nipples were standing at full attention.
'I don't think I'm even that good at kissing...'
Thinking back on it, my tongue-work was pretty clumsy.
There was no way I could pull off one of those legendary feats you only see in smutty novels, where a guy makes a woman climax from a kiss alone.
So that meant Rebecca was just drunk on the atmosphere.
The unique situation of our lover's play had stirred her interest.
I felt a sense of accomplishment as I watched a visibly flushed Rebecca.
Was this my instinct as an incubus?
It was perverted, but the more I discovered a partner's new erogenous zones, the more gratifying it felt.
It gave me the same kind of motivation I felt when learning a new spell.
"Let's head back to the lodge now."
"Yeah."
I took Rebecca back to our lodging.
I was still riding the high from what just happened, but there wasn't any opportunity to act on it inside.
Because well over a dozen adventurers were packed into the room.
Unless you were completely insane, there was no way you could start doing anything lewd in a place like this.
Rebecca and I simply lay down on the floor and tried to sleep.
Of course, neither of us managed to get any deep sleep until morning.
For a variety of reasons beyond just being stuck in a shared room.
*
The next morning, the merchant caravan left the city of Barca and began the journey back to Yoen-su.
It looked like they'd managed to offload all their goods within a single day, because the wagons were now packed full of new merchandise.
Rebecca and I followed the caravan's procession while yawning incessantly. We'd slept so poorly the night before that the yawns just wouldn't stop coming with every step we took.
As I trudged silently along the wagons, the middle-aged merchant called out to me.
"Good work so far, Luke. You won't need to manage the water jars anymore. We've sold out of the jam."
"Understood."
I answered the merchant with a drowsy look on my face.
It was perfect timing, since there was actually a favor I wanted to ask him.
"Can we ride in the wagon for the return trip too? As you know, I'm a mage, so my body's a bit frail. Everyone knows mages have a naturally weak constitution, right?"
"Your forearm is thicker than my head; what kind of nonsense are you spouting? Sorry, but the wagon you rode in is already full of goods. There's no room for passengers. Just get down and walk with the rest of us."
"Ouaaaangh."
The middle-aged merchant rejected my request with zero mercy.
It was already a pain in the ass to walk with this drowsiness bearing down on me.
Ungrateful bastard.
From now on, I was going to have to march on my own two feet.
My days of riding in comfort and lapping up honey were over.
The five days it took to return to Yoen-su felt longer than before, but honestly, it wasn't that bad.
That's because every night, I got to spend time kissing Rebecca.
"Rebecca, let's do that thing. Let's try mana charging through kissing."
"W-well, if it's mana charging, I guess there's no helping it..."
Rebecca refused to kiss during the daytime when everyone was awake.
But come nightfall, when everyone at the camp was deep asleep, she readily agreed to my requests.
The session lasted roughly 10 minutes.
It was only 10 minutes, but Rebecca's response was definite, so the mana charging never once failed.
The amount of magic gained wasn't much, but doing it every day meant it would pile up into something considerable.
Many a mickle makes a muckle, as they say.
Smack.
Whenever we kissed, I always made sure to press our bodies tightly together.
That way, when our chests met, I could physically feel her nipples gradually stiffening. And after the kiss ended, I'd sometimes pretend to be clumsy and twist my body to rub against hers, and her reaction was always a sight to see.
"H-hnk!"
She'd flinch back.
Or let out a faint, stifled moan.
Either way, Rebecca was always so dazed right after a kiss that she never seemed to realize my movements were deliberate. If she'd caught on, there's no way she would have just let it slide.
I managed to keep up these thrilling mana charging sessions with Rebecca for the entire five-day trip back to Yoen-su.
During those five days, the caravan had nothing to do besides march.
Because we weren't attacked by any enemies, not even once.
It made sense that there were no monsters along a heavily trafficked road, but it was rare to see no bandits either.
A wagon carrying a fat load of cargo traveling the highway was practically guaranteed to become a target.
So I struck up a conversation with Ethan, who was walking nearby. Ethan, with his long career as an adventurer, might know something about it. He didn't disappoint, readily telling me what I wanted to know.
"Apparently the Kingdom's knight order recently wiped out every bandit hideout in the vicinity. Since knights who can handle mana were deployed, the bandits had no choice but to close up shop for good. They're probably enjoying their vacation in the underworld by now."
I had no idea that a bandit subjugation had taken place recently.
No wonder we saw almost no monsters, let alone bandits. The knights probably exterminated them while they were at it. For someone who took on the caravan escort quest, it basically meant I got to leech off their efforts.
There were no more enemies left to block the caravan's path.
Five days later, the caravan finally returned to Yoen-su.
From an adventurer's perspective, this marked the end of a long, 10-day quest. Everyone wore a happy expression as we settled up and received our pay from the middle-aged merchant.
"Luke, you put in good work. Here's the 6 Silver stated in the contract, plus an extra 3 Silver as a bonus."
Jingle—!
The silver coins fell into my palm with a cheerful sound. I opened my eyes wide and stared intently at my hand. It was definitely 9 silver coins. If he'd shorted me even one, I was fully prepared to crack the merchant's head open.
The reward I got for finishing the quest was a total of 9 Silver.
9 Silver was a jaw-dropping sum from my perspective. It was the first time in all my 20 years of life that I'd held this much money. As I crammed the nine silver coins into my pouch, a shiver ran down my spine.
"A mage like you was a huge help on this trade trip. You kept our food supplies from spoiling with your magic. I'll be sure to include a generous evaluation in the report I submit to the Guild."
"Thank ya kindly."
I bowed my head to the middle-aged merchant to express my gratitude.
Now that I had the money in hand, the quest was truly over.
I could see the adventurers who'd gathered on the street starting to disperse, one by one.
Ethan gave me a light nod of farewell before heading off on his own way as well.
But even after nearly all the adventurers had scattered, a few figures still remained on the street.
Namely, Rebecca and me, and the nun, Sister Kate.
Kate, having confirmed that all the other adventurers were gone, approached me and spoke carefully.
She leaned in close to my ear and whispered in a low voice.
"...Mongma-nim. When were you thinking of picking up the Holy Water?"
"Anytime's fine."
Since it wasn't urgent, I decided not to rush Kate.
Above all, I was in an incredibly good mood after receiving 9 Silver.
"Anytime, you say? Then I'll set a time that works for me. Come to the church in three days, in the early morning. I'll have the Holy Water ready and be waiting for you by the main entrance."
Her voice was flat and stiff, devoid of any emotion.
My conversation with Kate didn't drag on any longer than that. Once we exchanged the Holy Water, our business would be over anyway.
Honestly, in my heart, I wanted to smack this damned nun upside the head.
Something about her brazen voice just got under my skin.
However, Rebecca, who'd been watching this exchange, seemed to slightly misunderstand my relationship with Kate. The moment Kate left, Rebecca looked at me and spoke with a voice full of displeasure.
"What were you just talking about? With that blonde nun."
"Huh? It was just a casual greeting."
"You were grinning way too much for just a greeting. You..."
Rebecca was squinting at me with narrowed eyes.
Apparently, she'd been watching me talk with Kate from the side.
Wait, she said I'd been grinning?
Ah, did a smile sneak out naturally when I thought about getting that Holy Water?
I wiped the smile from my lips and opened my mouth.
"Alright, it wasn't just a greeting. I'll tell you later. It's a bit... awkward to explain here..."
It would be fine to tell Rebecca about Kate's secret. I didn't have so much loyalty to Kate that I'd hide it from a party member.
Like a true Gold-Tanned Incubus, I was planning to make Kate's re-education tonight's drinking story. In other words, I had no intention of letting some annoying misunderstanding fester.
Typical Chad Trait.
Never has misunderstandings with women.
"What's that? Why can't you say it here?"
"It's a life-or-death matter for that nun. If you're curious, just have a little after-party with me tonight. How about a drink?"
"A drink? Sounds good."
The moment the subject of booze came up, Rebecca's expression instantly softened.
Did she really like drinking that much?
She always acts tough, yet she passes out after just a few bottles.
If she sprawls out on the street again tonight, I'm not going to forgive her. She'll have to be prepared for me to charge her mana while she's unconscious.
"Where should we meet? That Moon-something place from last time?"
"Yeah, Moon's Blessing. Let's meet out front."
I waved my hand, ready to part ways with Rebecca. I wanted to get back to the inn quickly and unpack. But just as I turned my back to walk away, an ominous sound rang out from behind me.
"Ugh..."
The sound of something hitting the ground.
I turned my head to see Rebecca collapsed on the dirt.
"What's wrong?"
"I misstepped and tripped."
"You misstepped...? There's not even a rock or anything here."
I looked at Rebecca with a puzzled expression. There was absolutely nothing around her that she could have tripped over. Which meant she had tripped over her own feet. She had good enough motor skills that there was no reason for her to make a mistake like that.
"Yeah, I'm just tired... After walking for ten whole days, my body is completely wrecked."
Rebecca got to her feet as she dusted off her clothes.
Then she flashed me a smile, as if to tell me not to worry.
"Moon's Blessing, right? I'll head over there. See you later."
"Yeah."
Was it because the long quest was over and the tension had finally faded?
Rebecca's movements as she walked back toward the inn seemed oddly lethargic. And when we met again at the tavern some time later, she was still looking just as sluggish.
*
That evening, I met Rebecca again at the tavern. She was slumped over the table. She was so still, she didn't even seem to notice I'd come near, just lying there face down.
"Rebecca?"
I had to shake her shoulder two or three times before she finally sat up. Her eyes were a little puffy, so it looked like she'd been asleep. She was so exhausted she could fall asleep in a tavern?
"Fall asleep in a place like this and your mouth will hang wide open."
"I'm just so tired..."
"Are you even in any shape to drink? If we go hard today, isn't something bad going to happen?"
"I can drink."
Rebecca glared at me for a moment, her pride pricked. But eventually, as if even that required too much energy, she slumped forward again. Then she spoke up in a gloomy voice.
"Honestly, I think it might be a little hard for me today. Sorry."
"Why are you sorry? If you're tired, you need to go home and get some real rest. Let's head back, quickly."
We hadn't even ordered anything, so taking up space like this was just inconsiderate. I reached out and helped Rebecca to her feet. But her condition must have been worse than I'd thought.
Rebecca staggered and then collapsed.
"Rebecca!"
Luckily, I caught her quickly and supported her so there was no serious accident.
Rebecca was breathing heavily without a word.
"Don't tell me you've got a sickness or something?"
I pressed my palm to Rebecca's forehead.
My ominous feeling was right on the mark; her forehead was burning with a fever.
I felt my heart drop.
Illness.
The most terrifying thing in this otherworld was illness.
In this medieval hellhole with no concept of sanitation, horrific plagues could break out sometimes. Even clinics and a nun's Divine Power had their limits, and it was said to be difficult to completely drive out a disease.
Especially for impoverished adventurers, an illness was fatal.
They have no money for treatment, and it was a common sight for them to waste away and die in an inn. A promising adventurer's career could end the moment they caught a single disease.
I couldn't help but worry.
Because in that moment, an image flashed through my mind of Rebecca withering away to nothing but skin and bones atop a bed.
"You can't die, Rebecca!"
"What are you babbling about?"
"Anyway, you're not allowed to die! I can't lose my fixed party! I absolutely can't! Without you, I have no one else to party with!"
"Honestly, why would I even die..."
There was no more need for talk.
I couldn't send her home like this.
To be safe, taking her to the clinic had to be my first priority.
Her symptoms could get even worse.
Calamities like tiger attacks, smallpox, and war were all targeting my fixed party.
Before I knew it, the second crisis that could disband my party had arrived.
"Let's go to the clinic. Right now."
"The clinic? That's a waste of money."
"Shut up and just follow me, damn it."
I practically carried Rebecca on my back and took her to the clinic in Yoen-su. Luckily, we managed to get her seen before it closed for the night.
Some time later, the elderly healer opened the door and came out of the examination room.
I grabbed the old healer and asked in a panic.
"Healer! What kind of disease is it? Is it fatal?! Please, save my one and only party member!"
"It's just exhaustion. A good day's rest and she'll be fine."
"Wha."