Chapter 129 - Conversation during Travel (1/2)

Ch. 129: Conversation during Travel

In the end, Loren was able to borrow a donkey to carry the food and medicine Rose provided to them.

It had resulted in him telling her that they could fail the job on purpose, but since it was a personal job from Rose herself, not the guild itself, it wouldn’t leave any bad marks on his career, so it was quite lighthearted.

Rose did have a sullen look on her face, but Loren felt that she wasn’t even being that serious.

After all, if one were to hire six iron adventurers it would take a few dozen silver coins, but the supplies they had received wasn’t even close to that amount.

“Wouldn’t you have been able to increase our payment if you tried?”

“Since they’re in a tight spot, they could think of countermeasures. It’s better to play it safe for these types of things.”

Lapis seemed dissatisfied, but publicly she was on the side that agreed with Klaus, so she couldn’t express her dissatisfaction loudly, so all she could do was whisper to Loren, but Loren shook his head.

Loren knew that greed would only bring more trouble.

He thought that they should be satisfied that they got something out of nothing.

From Rose’s description, the neighboring village was only a few hours away, so since they didn’t have anything to do while the villagers unloaded the carriages, they decided to head there.

“I don’t really want to go though.”

“I understand how you feel, but could you give in already?”

Layla said in response to Loren’s complaint with a troubled laugh, but what was on his mind differed from what she was thinking, so Loren shook his head, wanting to clear the misunderstanding.

“It’s not about the extra job. I made the village give us supplies, and I got extra payment. I still have complaints, but I’m convinced.”

“Then what are you thinking about?”

“About the neighboring village.”

According to Rose, the closest village to hers was to the north.

The size was almost the same, but farther north, past the village, was a slightly large forest, and when Loren looked at the map, he saw that the battlefield that the two nations were fighting at was past that forest.

“Nearing the battlefield means more danger. You’d understand why I don’t feel like doing this, don’t you?”

To a former mercenary like Loren, the battlefield was like an old home to him, but it wasn’t someplace he wanted to step close to either.

His words of not wanting to get close if he could, came from knowing the dangers of that place.

“Well, there’s a forest between, and it’s quite large, so wouldn’t it be fine?”

Roll said, looking upwards in a diagonal direction as if recalling the map in her head, so Loren replied as he scratched his head.

“Only if they were fighting head on with each other. But if they were to go around and attack from the side, the cavalry could go around a forest very quickly.”

Loren knew how scary cavalries were.

Their mobility and penetrating abilities were way more powerful than normal soldiers and weren’t opponents you would want to meet in battle.

“You’re so worrisome.”

When Ange remarked so, surprised at his attitude, Loren shrugged.

“You won’t be able to survive the battlefield if you aren’t.”

“I don’t really want to get near one then.”

“If you keep adventuring with that, wouldn’t you have to one way or another?”

When he nodded towards Klaus, who was in the front holding the reins of the donkey, Ange thought for a moment.

“Klaus is supported by the nation, so he would have to be in battle one day.”

“We’ll try to help him so that wouldn’t happen, but we don’t know for sure.”

A nation supporting distinguished adventurers or adventurers with potential did mean they considered them to help in battle, but more than that, they were also expected to find and explore ruins, as well as hunt down monsters to keep the nation safer.

Anyone could understand how foolish it would be to send someone who could do all these things to a battlefield, where only battles are waged, but there could still be times where they would have to face the enemy in war.

“I’ve started wondering if I should start thinking of switching parties.”

“That’s not my problem but…actually, I’m more confused why you haven’t left him yet.”

Loren thought that Klaus wasn’t a bad person.

He showed a bit of hubris every now and then, but he was a good person in general.

Being sloppy with women was a big fault in his personality, but the fact that if it was a woman, age or looks didn’t matter, he could be considered a philanthropist as well.

“So, he has a fairy tale protagonist kind of aura?”