Chapter 162: Departing, Again, and Camping (1/2)

Just as Lapis said, the post-town officials didn’t need that much time to verify their story. They started interrogating the captured bandits and dispatching riders on fast horses to the depot location right away. Loren’s party was proved to have raided and destroyed the depot, and earned much gratitude from the town.

“Why’s it feel like they change their attitude wey too easily?”

Gula wondered. At first, she was still holding a grudge over the town’s earlier distrust, but the sentiment immediately disappeared from her mind once she saw the meals they had prepared to show their gratitude. She began to systematically and thoroughly clear up the dishes with a great joy. Loren kept half an eye on her while talking to the town’s top official, thinking that they were quite shrewd in dealing with this matter.

They were talking about the treatment of the captured bandits. He had made a promise, so he was letting the officials know about the bandits’ cooperative attitude.

Loren was also refusing the remuneration from the town. The amount was not that much, and they needed to repair the raided southern districts.

The refusal was actually to lay the groundwork for a request for aid.

“We would like to ask for your help instead.”

Loren told the fat man who was acting as the representative of the town officials.

The first thing he asked of them was to take the items scavenged from the bandits’ depot. Their party couldn’t carry them around, and they wouldn’t sell for much money. He wanted the town to keep these items, and gave the parties some cashes for them. When Loren said the town could decide the value of the items, Lapis looked a bit unhappy, but the delegate immediately started appraising the items.

From the town officials’ perspective, the remuneration for Loren’s party was a done deal: They had already decided how much to reward them, and it was unexpected that the party refused the reward. This proposal of exchanging the items found in the bandits’ depot for cash would actually be more profitable for the town, so there would be no reason to reject it. They offered Loren’s party a sum slightly higher than the intended remuneration and received a quick acceptance.

“If you’ve left the appraisal to me, we would have gotten 20% more.”

Lapis absentmindedly whispered to Loren, and he patted her head with a wry smile. If he left the negotiation to Lapis, they would come out with a better deal as Lapis had said. However, to Loren, this deal was just a bonus. Thus, he wanted to avoid wasting time just to make the other party feel a bit of loss.

“Is this really alright? We can still discuss the reward now.”

“No, this is good enough. We have another request to ask, if you please.”

The second request was for the town to continue lending them the carriage they had been using. Horses were expensive by themselves, and caring for them was also costly. Renting a carriage was expensive, but Loren was asking the town to let them use one free of charge, just like they had for the depot raid.

“We originally came here on a different job. We’re now a bit pressed on time after completing your job.”

If they returned the carriage now, they would have to walk to their original destination, and that would take two days. If they used the carriage, they could arrive in half a day, or one day at most.

Loren wanted to use the carriage no matter what. Tizona was still alright with their current schedule, but it was best to have some time to spare in case something happened.

“We’re going to a rather dangerous place, so we might not be able to return the carriage. What do you think?”

Loren wasn’t sure they could return the carriage at all, and he properly cautioned the delegate about it beforehand.

The official thought about it, then replied with a smile:

“I see. Please feel free to use it.”

“We are the one asking for it, but is this really alright for you?”

Loren asked for a confirmation. A carriage was a valuable asset of a town. And yet, the town delegate was willing to let them borrow it for free, even after being told that they might not be able to return it.

“Yes. It’s not a problem. Even if you don’t return it, we won’t regret it. This town has already received something much more valuable.”

With this job, the town had been able to remove the bandit threat while expending almost nothing. They didn’t have to send out soldiers, and Loren’s party had refused the reward. Even though they had to spit out some cash in exchange for the scavenged items, it wouldn’t be difficult to earn back almost the same amount if they sold those items.

Moreover, once the rumors about a hundred-odd bandits based near the town being practically annihilated in one-day spread, no other bandit gangs would think about coming to this region for a while. It wouldn’t be forever, but they would be able to enjoy safety for a time. This was a nice bonus.

Loren had already considered all these benefits before proposing the request. The town official also seemed to understand, and thus willingly accepted it.

Regardless of the actual context, Loren was thankful that they were able to borrow the carriage. After enjoying the town’s hospitality, the party immediately loaded their luggage into the carriage and left.

***

“I’m always the driver…”

Horse’s rein in hands, Lapis muttered with the tiniest bit of resentment.

“Because you’re the best at it.”

“Loren, at least come and sit with me please.”

“Me? But this will get in the way.”

The greatsword on Loren’s back was already a hindrance inside the carriage car, and it would be even more troublesome at a narrow space like the driver coach. But if he left it inside the car, he wouldn’t be able to react on time if something happened.

“This feels a bit like I’m being excluded, doesn’t it?”