kscans

Chapter 86 - The Goblin Attack and a Promise to Claire

The chaotic battle continued. However, we were starting to gain the upper hand and push back the goblin horde. I was worried about Claire in the central wagon of the caravan. The front and rear were well-defended by adventurers, but the other sections were more vulnerable, with only the wagon drivers doubling as combatants. Protecting the caravan's cargo, and Claire, was the escort job we had undertaken. While firing arrows to suppress the enemy archers, I glanced over at Mizuki. She moved gracefully, swinging her sword. With a single strike, a goblin fell and vanished. The psychological shock of having killed Task didn't seem to be affecting her. Fang, fighting beside her, also exuded a sense of stability. The axe he wielded looked wild and brutish, but it was nothing less than a series of skillful movements designed to deliver fatal blows and deflect arrows. His motions were efficient, embodying a refined technique.

"Hey, don't just stand there. You're worried about the company members, aren't you?"

Fang shouted, having noticed my gaze.

"Mizuki!"

I called out to her as she fought beside Fang.

"It's fine. Leave this to us. Fang and I can handle it!"

Mizuki replied. Famu came over to me. She probably intended to accompany me. I switched back to my katana and we exchanged a nod.

"We don't need two healers. Doris, protect the leader!"

At Fang's words, Doris tightened her grip on her staff and nodded. Myra, who had been about to follow me, stopped in her tracks. She gave me a sad look, but there was nothing I could do. Somewhere along the line, command of this area had been taken over by Fang. It was a situation where no one knew who the leader was. She seemed to vent her anger by swinging her mace down on a nearby goblin.

We cut down the goblins swarming the caravan as we made our way to the central wagon where Claire was. A goblin arrow flew towards me. Famu knocked it out of the air. Her movements were swift. I felt a sense of pride in her growth. I launched a rock sphere from my earth magic at the enemy who had shot the arrow. It wouldn't work on boss-class enemies or heavily armored foes, but it could deal damage to goblins. The moment the goblin flinched, Famu leaped forward with great force, slashing it down. The goblin vanished. She then spotted another goblin hiding in the tall grass and charged at it. A death cry echoed through the air. She picked up a Mana Seed and returned.

"Your movements have gotten faster."

"It's a Miburō skill. At level twenty, I can use mana to increase my agility."

"That's a skill that fits you perfectly."

I started to reach out to pat Famu's head, but I noticed Doris was watching me. Feeling embarrassed, I pulled my hand back.

"Alright, let's hurry to Claire's."

Famu and Doris nodded.

Near Claire's wagon, Mercedes had dismounted and was fighting alongside the drivers. He had an injury on his arm. He was swinging his sword to keep the enemies at bay, but due to his injury, his movements were awkward. Famu slipped between him and a goblin, allowing Mercedes to retreat to a safe location. Doris rushed over to him and began to heal him. He had been wounded, but it seemed the enemy's encirclement was thinner here than at the front or rear.

"Where's Claire?"

"The young lady is inside the wagon."

I switched to my bow and began loosing arrows at the surrounding enemies.

As we continued to fight while protecting the wagon, the enemies gradually began to flee. I wanted to give chase, but our combatants were limited in number, so we had no choice but to let them go. Out of frustration, I loosed an arrow at the back of one of them, but it missed. I realized that Doris was standing next to me.

"How's Mercedes?"

"It was a minor injury. He said he was going to check on Claire and went back inside the wagon."

For a while now, she seemed to be observing my actions intently.

"Is there something about me that's bothering you?"

"No... oppa, oppa, oppa, oppa, oppa, oppa, oppa, oppa, oppa, oppa!"

Doris, who had tried to deny my question, suddenly started shouting. Famu, who was keeping watch nearby, looked at us in surprise. Doris herself was also surprised. For a moment, I thought she had gone mad. Then I remembered the penalty I had set for when she lied to me.

"You don't have to shout 'oppa' anymore, even if you lie."

Had that canceled the order?

"But why did you lie?"

"...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lie. I was just comparing this party to my old one. But are you sure? If you were going to cancel it, shouldn't you have done it after your last question was answered?"

"Maybe so, but even if it is my fault, it's scary to have someone suddenly start shouting 'oppa'. I really should have just stuck with a normal lewd command. Besides, I don't plan on using any more orders that activate the Slave Mark, so you're free to do as you please."

"A normal lewd command... You really do think about nothing but lewd things, don't you?"

Doris chuckled and nodded. It was better to have her smiling by my side than being timid and nervous.

"Your old party, was it the one that was heading for the eastern edge of the world?"

She nodded. I wondered if her companions had tried to get her back after selling her. I was also very curious about how she felt towards them, but it was a difficult topic to bring up.

"Did your companions try to get you back after they sold you?"

"At first, they tried to buy me back from Lord Izaak... I mean, from Izaak, but the price was too high."

"No matter how high it was, all they needed was money for treatment. If they had just used the money for that and earned the rest..."

I trailed off as I remembered. Because I could get Mana Seeds with my special skill, I had never had to think too deeply about money. Looking at her, I felt that taking the skill to increase rare item drop rates was the right choice. It was truly fortunate that I was able to take in Famu and even suppress the symptoms of her illness. Still, I wondered just how many gold coins the church had demanded from them.

"Once you're freed from slavery, do you plan to go back to your companions?"

"I think I'll look for them. But as for whether I'll rejoin the party and continue adventuring..."

As I was talking with Doris, Claire got out of the wagon with Mercedes. Claire looked around anxiously, confirming that the fighting was over. Avea walked over from the front of the convoy. She didn't look like she had taken any damage at all. Her bikini armor was as impressive as ever.

"The enemy seems to have retreated,"

Avea said.

"Are there any injuries?"

Claire asked with a nod.

"It seems no one has taken enough damage to be unable to move. Aira is treating the injured at the front."

"Then let's have the injured in this area gather around Doris. Myra will see to the rear. Famu, go and tell them."

Famu nodded and ran off.

"Let's depart as soon as the injured are treated and we've confirmed there's no damage to the horses or wagons."

"Right. I don't want to linger in this spot. It's a hollow, and visibility is poor. Let's make it quick,"

Avea replied to Claire's words. Both of them turned their gazes to me. I realized they were asking for my opinion.

"It seems the monsters in this area have become more active due to the Big Hoppers' migration. Let's heighten our alert."

After saying that, I was about to head back to the rearmost wagon when Claire tugged on the hem of my clothes.

"Mash, in preparation for another monster attack, please ride in my wagon as my guard."

We resumed our journey. The treatment of the injured was quickly finished thanks to our three healers, and there was no damage to the horses or wagons. Fang and Doris joined Altair to guard the front, and Cecily returned to patrolling the entire convoy on horseback. Famu, Mizuki, Myra, and Aira were in the rear wagon, on guard duty. I was in the central wagon with Claire. The interior had a somewhat more luxurious feel than the other wagons. The seats had cushion-like padding, and the interior was adorned with small decorations. In addition to Claire and Mercedes, there were two other company members in the wagon. I sat facing Claire, with Mercedes next to her. The other company members sat next to me and him. I felt a bit out of place. I should have forced Famu to come with me. Mercedes cleared his throat. I looked at him, and he gestured with his eyes. He seemed to want me to talk to Claire.

"You went through a lot in Nieren, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. But you were amazing, Mash. Just as my father expected."

"How long will it take to get to Fuhrt?"

"If nothing happens, about five days, I suppose."

The conversation died down. If it had just been the two of us, I might have been able to make some lighter small talk, but in front of the company members, I was at a loss for words. The atmosphere wasn't one where I could say anything intimate.

"Lord Mash, please don't mind us and continue your conversation with the young lady."

Mercedes said this, but his gaze was fixed on me. There was a considerable amount of pressure in his eyes. Had Mateo ordered him to make sure Claire and I ended up together, no matter what? I looked at Claire, and she wore an expression just as awkward as mine.

"Mash, Mercedes is worried that our relationship isn't progressing."

I knew that without being told, but what was I supposed to do, just make a move? Would I be forgiven if I reached out and groped her breasts right now?

"Fuhrt is a vibrant and beautiful town. How about the two of you take a walk through the town together when we arrive?"

Losing his patience, Mercedes tried to set up a plan for us.

"How many days will we be staying there?"

"Let's see. We have to transfer the cargo from the wagons to the ship. That will take at least one full day. I think we'll need a total of about three days, but if we're late arriving in town, we might not be able to board the ship we've booked. If that happens, we'll have to wait for the next one."

So there were consequences if we didn't stick to the schedule. The rain and the Big Hopper attack had caused delays. But surely they had accounted for the fact that a journey wouldn't always go according to plan. The question was how much of a delay they had factored into their calculations.

"Alright. I'll spend one of those days with Claire."

When I answered, Mercedes let out a sigh of relief instead of Claire. At this point, I was starting to wonder about Claire's true feelings. I just hoped she wasn't thinking of letting me have her out of a sense of duty, like Kalpana.