Chapter 35
The man jumped down from the carriage and ran into the bushes.
Then he emptied everything left in his stomach.
"Blaaargh!"
It was already the third time he'd thrown up.
Kaian wondered whether the man could possibly have anything left to vomit.
Judging by the vivid sounds coming from the bushes, apparently he did.
"Good grief... What kind of merchant throws up this much just because I used a little [Enhance]?"
This client was proving annoyingly high-maintenance.
Still, he had paid for a highest-rank request.
Kaian couldn't simply ignore him.
Frowning, he shouted toward the bushes.
"Mister! You okay?"
"Blaaaaaaargh!"
"Right. Take your time."
A while later, the man staggered out of the bushes with a deathly pale face.
Considering the sounds from moments ago, it was impressive that he'd returned on two legs rather than crawling.
Kaian floated a water bottle toward him.
"Thank you..."
"We're almost at the temporary shelter. I'll slow down from here."
"Thank you for that too."
Kaian released the [Enhance] spell on the horse and slowed the carriage.
Clop, clop.
Rattle, rattle.
The man still looked half-dead.
He carefully controlled his breathing, apparently trying not to gag again.
"I... had no idea a horse could run that fast."
Kaian snorted.
"How old-fashioned. Was that your first time experiencing [Enhance]?"
The man stared at him in disbelief.
"Are you serious?"
"Isn't that why you got motion sickness?"
"Ha!"
The man laughed bitterly.
"Do you know how many kilometers we just covered? A normal escort would need two days even if they hurried!"
"So?"
"We crossed that distance in half a day!"
Kaian chuckled.
"You said you were in a hurry. Sounds like you found exactly the right escort."
He grinned.
"And this is about the minimum you need before you can say, 'Oh, he used [Enhance].' Mister, have you only met amateurs until now?"
The man shook his head, looking exhausted.
He was beginning to understand why Dominic, the famous owner of F&F, had seemed strangely easygoing.
I keep getting dragged around by this boy.
Clop, clop.
Rattle, rattle.
Thanks to Kaian's skilled driving, they reached the temporary shelter before sunset.
Temporary shelters were scattered throughout the forest.
They had been built and were maintained by the Vernas Exchange Union.
The shelters were only small cabins, but the exchange covered their usage fees.
For escorts, they were excellent benefits.
Kaian parked the carriage in the clearing outside the cabin.
He unhitched the horse and tied it inside a separate stable.
"The Union placed protection magic on the stable, so the horse should be fine. I'll put protection magic on the carriage myself. If anyone tries to take it, I'll know immediately."
Kaian yawned widely and opened the cabin door for the man.
"Let's rest for a while and move again as soon as the sun rises tomorrow."
Creak.
The man kept glancing around the cabin as though something bothered him.
Kaian sighed.
"If you're that nervous, do you want me to put tracking magic on the cargo?"
The man practically jumped.
"Ah! No! That won't be necessary!"
"Why are you rejecting it so dramatically?"
"I-I'd simply like you to leave it so I can open the carriage from time to time. I feel calmer if I can see the goods with my own eyes..."
Kaian nodded lazily.
"Fine. But don't wander around too much in the middle of the night. This forest is much more dangerous after dark."
His voice turned serious.
"The forest is already black during the day. At night, things even blacker than the forest start walking around. Understand?"
"I'll be careful."
Kaian scratched his stomach.
"Well... if I hear you scream, I can reach you within two seconds. But you could also die in one, so keep that in mind."
The man immediately hurried inside the cabin.
"Y-you've worked hard. I'll make dinner. I'm actually a decent cook."
"Hmm. Sure. Go ahead."
Kaian didn't look convinced.
But the stew the man made was surprisingly delicious.
It tasted good enough for Kaian to understand how the man's body had gotten so round.
After a satisfying meal, sleepiness crashed over Kaian.
He looked once more at the carriage outside the window and sat down on the living room sofa.
"Yaaawn... Is it because I'm still growing?"
His eyelids kept drooping.
They felt as if someone had placed heavy rocks on them.
Kaian eventually lay down on the sofa and shouted.
"Mister! I told you nights are dangerous! Stop wandering around and get some rest!"
"Understood!"
The man's clear answer came from the kitchen.
An immediate reply without a moment of hesitation.
Kaian grinned.
"...Liar."
A few seconds later, Kaian was completely asleep on the sofa.
The man cautiously emerged from the kitchen.
He slowly approached Kaian and waved his hand in front of the boy's face.
No reaction.
Kaian was breathing softly.
There was even a faint snore mixed into it.
The man sighed in relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Good. I was worried the sleeping potion wouldn't work."
Then he pulled a locator device from inside his clothes.
A red light blinked on its surface.
"We came farther than I expected... but those people should get here quickly."
The man forced down his nervousness and left the cabin.
He waited beside the carriage for around ten minutes.
Then the bushes around the clearing moved silently.
A group of dark elves emerged.
The man swallowed.
Even though he could clearly see the dark elves, their presence felt faint.
"The goods?"
Sarvel, leader of the dark elves, immediately got to the point.
Without saying anything unnecessary, the man opened the carriage.
Click.
Inside, the porcelain and silverware still sparkled beautifully.
But no one present had any interest in expensive tableware.
The man pulled a handle built into the side of the carriage.
The floor rose, revealing a hidden compartment.
Whirrr...
The space underneath was filled with highest-grade mana crystals that shone even more beautifully than the dishes above.
A greedy smile appeared on Sarvel's face.
"Excellent."
Even Sarvel, leader of the dark elves, had never seen this many mana crystals gathered in one place.
Mana crystals were special minerals processed so they could hold mana.
They were used to regulate mana balance.
That meant private ownership was prohibited.
Transporting them across borders without national permission was obviously illegal as well.
Sarvel looked at the sweating merchant.
These aren't goods some ordinary merchant could ever handle.
But Sarvel didn't ask how the man had obtained so many mana crystals.
The merchant was most likely nothing more than a disposable carrier.
Well, my position isn't much different.
Sarvel's task was simply to steal the mana crystals and later hand them back to a designated person.
Knowing anything beyond that would only put his life in danger.
The merchant spoke nervously.
"Under no circumstances can these be allowed to cross into Silvaris."
"If you're planning to recite the terms of the contract again, don't bother."
Sarvel looked toward the cabin.
"How many escorts are traveling with you?"
The merchant hesitated.
Sarvel frowned.
"Are there many?"
"N-no. Just one..."
He swallowed.
"A boy who hasn't even reached provisional adulthood."
In this world, fifteen was considered the age when someone could use magic outside their household and was treated as a provisional adult.
Kaian had introduced himself as "almost fifteen," so the man assumed he hadn't even reached that age yet.
He had deliberately mentioned Kaian's youth because he wanted Sarvel to show some mercy.
Instead, one of the dark elves happily said,
"Young boys have tender meat."
Laughter came from the darkness around them.
Judging by how many directions it came from, there were far more dark elves present than the man had thought.
He kept quiet about the fact that Kaian's magic was anything but ordinary.
Partly because he didn't want to offend Sarvel's pride.
And partly because no matter how talented Kaian was, there was no way he could fight this many dark elves.
The man had even slipped Kaian a sleeping potion.
His hands began shaking with guilt.
I never imagined Dominic would send such a young boy as the escort...
But it was too late to back out.
In the end, the merchant led Sarvel and three dark elves toward the cabin.
Creak...
The old door opened with an unnecessarily loud sound.
The merchant shrank even further.
I'm sorry, boy. I hope your last meal was at least enjoyable...
But there was no tender young meat waiting inside.
Only an empty sofa.
The merchant frantically looked around.
"Wh-what? Where did he go?"
He turned toward Sarvel.
"He was definitely here! I even put him to sleep with a sleeping potion!"
The man expected Sarvel to explode in anger.
Instead, Sarvel immediately turned around and left the cabin as if he'd already expected this.
Something was strange from the moment we entered the clearing.
The merchant had clearly traveled here with an escort.
Yet Sarvel had sensed no presence at all inside the cabin.
His suspicion only grew after entering.
A faint trace of mana, previously undetectable, had begun flowing in from outside the cabin.
And that mana was gradually becoming stronger.
Sarvel narrowed his eyes.
He's deliberately leaking his mana.
It was obvious provocation.
Sarvel stared into the dark forest.
The darkness that had always felt familiar and comforting suddenly seemed ominous.
As if trying to drive away that strange fear, Sarvel shouted.
"What a familiar and unpleasant mana!"
A reply immediately came from somewhere in the air.
"Ah, I was thinking exactly the same thing. Why are we suddenly on the same wavelength? Keep this up and I might get attached."
It was Kaian's usual shameless tone.
The merchant had grown familiar with that voice over the past half day.
He hurried outside.
But the forest remained dark.
Kaian was nowhere to be seen.
Without realizing it, the merchant finally blurted out the warning he'd kept to himself earlier.
"That boy... he's young, but his magic is far from ordinary."
Sarvel let out a dry laugh.
"You summoned the Reaper of the Forest and you're saying something that relaxed?"
"Reaper...?"
That didn't sound like a nickname that belonged to the easygoing boy the merchant knew.
Sarvel clenched his teeth.
"Why did it have to be him...?"
But then he seemed to make a decision.
He spoke firmly to the merchant.
"Once this is finished, you will pay twice the agreed reward."
"What? What are you talking about?!"
The merchant stared at him in disbelief.
Sarvel didn't even look at him.
He was too busy watching for Kaian, who still hadn't shown himself.
Sarvel ground his teeth.
Damn it. I've sharpened every sense to the limit!
He still couldn't locate Kaian.
And yet the mana around them continued growing stronger.
The surrounding dark elves also stared into the darkness in full combat readiness.
By now, even the merchant understood how serious the situation had become.
Something has gone terribly wrong!
Then...
Like a theater curtain being raised, the clouds moved away.
Bright moonlight poured over the clearing.
A cheerful voice descended with that cold light.
"I knew it! Trouble was written all over your face from the start! Mister, you know smuggling mana crystals is treason, right?"
"...!"
Everyone on the ground looked upward.
High above them...
Kaian was walking down through the air.
Countless leaves floated where stars should have been, and he stepped on each one as though descending an invisible staircase.
Shhhhh...
Seeing his utterly relaxed appearance, Sarvel gritted his teeth.
"Remember. Double."
A mocking smile spread across Kaian's clear, youthful face.
"What are you talking about? Has it been so long since I hit you that you've lost your ability to think?"
Sarvel raised his hand and gave a signal.
The dark elves instantly melted into the surrounding darkness and entered combat formation.
Kaian hummed happily.
"Hmm, hmm. Even just a dark elf's head is worth money."
At that moment, the merchant understood.
The beautiful Reaper who had descended from the sky had no intention of allowing any of them to leave alive.
