Things happened quickly over the next few days.
Count Solace was sentenced to death.
His entire house was exiled from the kingdom, and his wealth was seized, the noble name Solace destroyed.
The victims were either returned to their families, or if they had been the ones to sell their children, arrested and jailed.
The kids with nowhere to go were surreptitiously placed by the kingdom, into noble houses to be trained as servants, with tradespeople to become apprentices, or given to families looking to adopt.
Ben and Ken ended up going home with Angie and Bella, giving us gratitude with their goodbyes.
As for the two of us, well we couldn’t travel with my foot still healing, so we stuck around the capital just long enough to get everything wrapped up nicely.
Once my stitches were removed and I could walk without any problems, we packed up our stuff and headed for the eastern gate of the city, accompanied by some friendly faces.
“Well, you two take care of yourselves.
And now that a noble isn’t after you, feel free to come back anytime you’d like.” Peter smiled at us, relaxed as he leaned up against the wall.
Jax nodded as he rubbed Louis’s back, as Louis was crying.
“Yeah, if you kids are ever back in the capital, look us up.
I’m sure you’ll both be respectable adventurers with lots of stories to tell by then.” Rey smiled.
“Thanks guys.
We won’t forget how much you’ve helped us.
Louis, good luck becoming a necromancer, okay?” Louis snorted, his nose sounding like a pig settling down into mud.
“Y-You too.
Good luck you two.
Visit me when you’re back!
I’ll give you a discount!” Peter rolled his eyes and smiled.
“Kid, adventurers should part without a goodbye, much less tears.
Imagine how awkward it’ll be when you see them again.” I chuckled at his joke as we turned.
“We have a lot of people to visit when we come back!
But thank you!
For everything!” We went to join the line to go out of the city, waving back to them and they waved back before turning and walking away.
I shouldered my bag, and looked ahead as the line moved forward and we neared the front.
On the road again.
Honestly, it felt almost comforting.
While I didn’t begrudge the Jolly Fools for wanting to stay in this city, there was just something about the road that felt more like home to me now.
The people in front of us passed through, and the guard held out his hand.
“Identification.” We gave him our guild cards and he scanned them before handing them back.
“Next.” Now we were in the Third District, on the road heading east.
Rey jogged ahead a little, and excitedly turned back.
“The capital sure was exciting, wasn’t it?” “I guess that’s one word for it.
Dangerous may fit better though.” Rey shrugged, turning back and falling in step with me.
“Maybe.
But we sure did learn a lot.
I activated my aura for the first time!
And you mastered telekinesis, so you’re a second-class mage now!” True.
We did gain a lot from our time here too.
Though we only had about fifty silvers between us after nearly three months of killing slimes and completing quests.
But we gained new things too.
A travel chess set and a pack of cards.
Books on sailing and history.
A painting kit, which I made good use of when I had to stay home and rest my foot while Rey hunted slimes and quested on his own.
Our tent was a lot more colorful now.
And now we had a new destination.
Port Pleasant, with the possibility of getting a berth on a ship and sailing out of our home country.
To the Echolola Archipelago.
Rey was all about it, exploring the world and seeing knew places.
Plus, I think he really wanted to see the ships up close.
The truth is, I couldn’t wait either.
His excitement was beginning to rub off on me.
So while we could stay, as no one was after me anymore, I think we were both ready to see something new.
We created a hill, and on the next hill I saw a sizable caravan, heading east like us.
“Hey Rey.” I nudged his shoulder and nodded to the caravan.
His eyes lit up and he nodded.
And we both picked up the pace.
Traveling with the caravan would be more comfortable and safer than traveling on our own.
Or… at least that was what we thought.
“Rey, just fold.” I rolled my eyes at his pathetic hand as I idly sketched behind him with my sketchbook and charcoal.
“Hold on Kat, I just need the right card…” He was going for a straight, idly playing a friendly game of poker with the caravan guards.
We sat just outside the circle of wagons where their party was staying, the horses tied up by the trees.
The sounds of conversation and easy laughter made the night feels light, comfortable.
Evidently, the caravan leader did not approve of gambling, which is why they came over to by our tent, away from his judging eyes.
The dealer flipped up Rey’s last card, revealing it was not a six like he needed.
The lady who’s been betting big this round put her cards down.
“Sorry kid.
Flush.” The other guards groaned too as she raked the pot of about twenty copper in.
Rey desolately looked at the now empty space where his pile sat.
He turned and gave me puppy eyes.
“Kat?
Can I please—” “Absolutely not.
You had twenty coppers for gambling, and you aren’t getting more until Port Pleasant.” Rey, for all his lovable nature, was not very good with gambling.
I took advantage of this in the past when we made silly bets when we were children.
He just couldn’t resist, even when the odds were against him.
But when playing with real money, I knew I had to set a hard limit to his fun or else he might get addicted.
He had twenty coppers in his gambling fund until we reached the next city, and he agreed to it.
He tsked and grumbled.
“I didn’t think I’d lose it all the first night.
I didn’t win a single hand…” The lady who won chuckled, accepting the cards and shuffling them for a new hand.
“Sorry kid, but you should listen to your partner.
The most important part of gambling is knowing when to quit.” “I know, I know…” He fussed and shuffled back, out of the card circle.
Instead, he reached into his bag, and angled himself so he could read his sailing book by the light of the lantern.
I continued to sketch the clouds backlit by the moon, but I just couldn’t get the lighting just right… I checked the time.
It was getting late anyway.
“I’m going to bed.
Don’t stay up too late.” Rey grunted.
“I won’t.
G’night.” I packed my art supplies away, and crawled into our tent, settling into my bedroll.
Mmm.
It was about a month into spring, and it felt so nice at night now.
Not too cold.
Not too hot.
I wish I could be this cozy all the time… I drifted off.
I awoke to a scream.
Sharp and terrible, it cut-off suddenly.
I jerked up in bed, seeing Rey do the same out of the corner of my eye.
He was stunned for a moment before there was a shout, followed my more.
Screaming that the caravan was under attack.
He reached for his swords, and I for my wand, and we yanked out of bed, stumbling out of the tent flap.
It was the dead of night, and the light from the lanterns flickered wildly as shadows lurched in front of them.
“Kat, stay close to me.” Rey took his neutral stance with his swords, ready to fight.
I took a deep breath, and checked behind us, covering our rear, my wand already faintly glowing.
It didn’t take long for a few shadows to peel off towards us.
Wolves.
About five of them.
The first one ran straight at Rey, leaping up to bite him.
But Rey took advantage of this moment to step forward and let the wolf skewer itself on his rapier.
He swung it out and the wolf fell to the ground, killed in a single strike.
The other four took caution, not throwing themselves right at us, but instead circling, looking for an opening.
Unfortunately for them, I wasn’t planning on standing idly by.
“Mana arrow!” My spell struck true, my aim honed by hours upon hours of hunting.
The wolf I hit in the shoulder bloomed red, giving a sharp, pained bark, before collapsing.
Now they knew keeping their distance wouldn’t keep them safe.
The remaining three wolves glanced at each other before peeling off, back in the dark forest.
I glanced back towards the caravan, but that looked like it was winding down too.
The wolves retreating, their surprise attack over.
Soon, there were only the shadows of the caravan guards.
“Roll call!
Everyone, come into the light!
Let’s see who’s still here.” The caravan owner was a rougher, grizzled man with an eyepatch.
He stepped in front as the guards formed up by the middle wagon.
Rey and I shared a glance before reluctantly making our way towards them.
We stood a little off to the side as the leader counted.
“Ten, twelve, fourteen… we’re missing someone!” The leader sighed as he scanned the guard’s faces.
“Lenny!
Has anyone seen Lenny!
Search for him!” The guards broke apart again, and the leader glanced over at us.
“You two are still alive too?
That’s good.
You two should set your tent up in our camp.
It’s dangerous to be so far apart from the rest of us.
At least now that we’ve gotten the attention of a whole pack…” Oh.
Right, we probably should.
“We will.
Um… We’ve never been attacked by monsters on the road before…” Although, I knew that was why cities and towns had walls.
Honestly, perhaps it was more incredible that it took this long… “If the two of you were travelling on your own, it would have been a lot less likely that you’d have been attacked.
Monsters outside of dungeons tend to group up and target large groups of mana to eat.
Usually, that means they target a larger group of humans.
But only two weak children?
Chances are, even if the monsters did sense you, they wouldn’t have thought you were worth the hunt.” The man turned, and leaned his spear up against the wagon, pulling out a small leather book.
He took out a pen next and began noting something down inside it.
“Then… why don’t you travel with fewer people?” Rey looked around at the guards still searching with lanterns.
The old man chuckled.
“Oh, I wish I could.
But monsters aren’t the only danger on the road.
Bandits could target the caravan to try and steal my goods.
And having fewer guards would only make us an attractive target to them.
It’s always a balancing act…” “Sir!
We found Lenny!” He head snapped up.
“Alive?” His face fell as the guard who reported it shook his head and looked away.
The old man sighed.
“Okay.
We’ll give him a proper burial before we leave tomorrow.
Oh, and take his weapon and his locket.
The weapon technically belongs to me, and the locket should go back to his family.” He finished noting something in his book and slipped it and the pen back into his pocket.
He looked back at us.
“Now that the two of you have caught their attention, the pack won’t just let you be.
It’s better if you stay with us until we reach the city.
Go ahead and move your tent over here with the rest of us.
And men!
Secure the bodies to break down in the morning, as well as Lenny!
Chances are this pack is going to heckle us the entire way, so everyone is pulling double watches!” A few guards groaned, but most simply obeyed the man’s orders, shifting about, grabbing the wolf bodies and stacking them in the pile.
As for the lone casualty… they brought him back into the light, and seeing his body made me nauseous.
He had been mauled.
His throat torn out.
And he… Rey sighed.
“I… was just playing poker with him.” We lingered for another moment as they covered him with a sheet.
Then we turned to our tent to break it down and set it up in the circle of wagons inside the little clearing.
While we were at it, I dragged the wolf bodies over too, and set them to the side of the main pile.
I could skin them when it was light out… The caravan set a new watch, this time each guard had a partner who looked out too, watching for movement from just beyond the lantern’s light.
It took me a lot longer to fall asleep this time.