kscans

Chapter 70 - Departure

Early the next morning, Yuri and the others were preparing to depart for the nearest town, a post town named Han. They said that if they left early, they could reach their destination before nightfall.

"I'd rather not camp out in a place with such strong magical elements."

That was the explanation from Kudol, the leader of the adventurer party "Lucky Footsteps" that was serving as their escort. For Yuri, who lived in a place with even stronger magical elements, all he could do was offer a vague smile in response. Well, he could agree with not wanting to camp out.

"The monsters seem to be active this year, but we should be fine."

Contrary to its unheroic name, "Lucky Footsteps" was a C-class adventurer party with a fair amount of experience not only in escorting but also in anti-monster combat. Yuri had no intention of questioning their judgment, but one word caught his attention.

"The monsters' movements are active?"

Perhaps because he lived on the edge of the mountains, Yuri had no sense of such things. After all, monsters attacked him the moment they saw him. The only ones that did not were those clearly weaker than him, and they, for their part, would generally scurry away. In such a daily life, it was impossible to tell whether their behavior was active or not.

"Yeah. It seems to be related to the poor harvest, but we don't know the details. Or rather, we can't be certain."

"The harvest?"

"Right. Some say that just like the crops, the monsters' food is scarce. Others say it's because the number of wagons coming to the countryside to buy food has increased. There are plenty of opinions, but that's all they are."

"No decisive factor, in other words."

"That's about it."

Kudol cut the discussion short there, but then he glanced to the side.

"The young lady is with us this time, too. I hope things don't get messy."

Following his gaze, Yuri's eyes fell on the figures of Dona and her grandfather, dressed for travel and chatting cheerfully with the villagers. The two of them were also accompanying Yuri to town this time.

It had started the night before. When Dona heard that Yuri was going to town, not just the post town of Han but the merchant city of Laurenzen, she had said she wanted to go too. She seemed to have said it thinking it was a long shot, but Old Man Audel had agreed, saying it would be good for her to see the merchant city at least once. The question was how they would get back. Traveling the roads overrun by monsters without an escort was impossible, and they did not have the funds to hire one. Normally, that would have been the sticking point, but this time, they could rely on Yuri, a warrior brave enough to live alone in the mountains. After Yuri readily agreed, their trip to the city was realized. The permission from Adon, the cargo owner, was also a big factor. Adon had gone along with the idea, thinking it would be less stressful for Yuri on his first trip to the city to have acquaintances with him. In Adon's mind, Yuri was already being treated as a VIP, and he considered it a small price to pay to earn his favor.

"We're staying at an inn in Han tonight, right?"

"Yeah, we'll stay one night to let the boss finish his business, so we'll be leaving around noon the next day."

This time, Adon had business to attend to in the post town of Han. He was acting as an agent for tax payments. There was a magistrate's station, or rather, a branch office, in the town of Han, and it was customary for End Village to transport their tax payments to Han, in a large group for protection against monsters. This time, Adon was handling it for them. Some of the men voiced their disappointment at not being able to go to town, or more accurately, not being able to carouse in town, but the ever-shrewd Adon had pacified them by selling the alcohol he had stocked up at a bargain price.

"Alright, let's get moving!"

And so, the curtain rose on Yuri's first outing in this world.