“Master, I’m hungry.”
I haven’t heard that in a while, so I do a double take, and Hikari tilts her head with a confused expression.
“A-are you all right?”
“Hn? My stomach isn’t.”
The response to the question I asked without thinking is very Hikari-like.
She’s even rubbing her stomach to show she’s hungry.
She’s been eating less lately, to the point where everyone’s been worried… Including me, of course. Watching her eat with that satisfied look on her face is a healing sight in this world.
Mia also looks relieved by this, and Sera and the others all pat her head at the same time.
It feels like Hikari acting like herself changes the mood a lot.
We have breakfast, and leave the town right away, heading towards Nove like we planned. Not that we’re planning to actually reach it.
And just as we thought, when we cross the gate, I can see on Map one of the guards leaving his post.
We couldn’t confirm whether that man is in that town or not, but judging these movements, I’d say there’s a pretty good chance that either him or someone related to him is here.
I could see a reaction on Map when we were in the inn too, like we were being watched.
Marcus, a noble, and Sera’s last master, when she was a combat slave in the empire.
He treated slaves like they were things, and lost his temper when things didn’t go as he wished.
He had a pretty good social status, but after what happened with Sera, he was apparently demoted.
“It really is as you said, Sera. What now?”
“…Sora, can you see where patrols are?”
“Hold on.”
Nothing shows up on Map, so I infuse it with magic energy to increase its range.
By doing that, I can see a group moving together this way.
Their speed tells me they’re clearly not on foot. It’s a group of ten people riding horses.
That means there’s a pretty good chance that this is a patrol. And there aren’t any more reactions either.
“There’s a good chance it’s them.”
“I agree. Even if they want to attack us, they probably want to avoid a confrontation with the patrol. If he still had political power, he would’ve probably captured us in town and made up a cover-up story.”
If he had the power to make that incident go away, he wouldn’t have let us leave.
“Judging by the distance, I’d say the patrol should be back in town by night.”
“Then the others will probably only leave after that. That means that no matter how fast they go, they aren’t going to catch up to us today.”
Then we need to get as much distance as we can, and find a good place to face them.
From what I can see on Map, I don’t think anyone will see it, but we still have to be cautious.
The scenery around here is dreary, and without much place to hide. If someone were to use a skill to see far away, they could easily find us.
We hurry along, but make sure to rest. Everyone’s used to walking by now, but that doesn’t mean their stamina is infinite.
I want to walk a good distance, but my experience tells me it’s better to not overdo it and make sure to rest as we go along.
We have lunch, and around the time when the meal is starting to make me feel sleepy, we pass by the patrol, and they call out to us.
Patrols are hit-or-miss. Some are friendly, and others not so much. If we happen to find bad ones, they might start trouble and demand bribes, but thankfully, we haven’t found any of those yet.
After preparing dinner, and around the time when we are starting to eat, I see on Map the patrol reaching the town.
“The patrol just got into town.”
“I see. I wonder how it will turn out.”
“We can only watch and see. There’s nothing we can do.”
I say to a worried Chris.”
“What if that person after Sera is part of the patrol?”
Says Mia, and everyone except Hikari stops eating and looks at her.
As everyone’s eyes focus on her, Mia is so surprised that she almost drops the bread she’s holding.
We completely missed that.
It’s true. Someone he knows, or maybe Marcus himself, could be in that patrol.
And if everyone on that patrol is under his influence, he could make up some crime, since there are no witnesses.
“We need to do something… At least get further away from the town. I want to get off the main road if possible, but…”
I’d like to walk for another two days at least before straying off the road.
This area is hard to walk, and there’s a river in the way, so we have to cross a bridge.
“I don’t know if I can, but maybe I’ll try making…”
I still have a good stock of wood.
First, I use Alchemy to create a trailer to use as a base.
If it’s too big it might not move, so I need to make it big enough for four people to be able to sleep. No, there’s no deeper meaning to that.
The remaining two can sit in the driver’s seat, because we should still have someone keeping watch.
I can create pseudo rubber with the Creation skill to use as tires. I can pick sap with Alchemy, and then use monster materials and magic stones.
I make spares too, but it’s just a basic design, with a tire on each side.
I attach them to the base, and done.
Now I just need to call the canine golem to pull it.
Yes, the Shaping skill is doing good work here too.
“How about we use this to move at night?”
“Hum, this?”
Asks Rurika, sounding exasperated. Hikari on the other hand, gets closer, looking interested.
“It’s kind of like a wagon. As for how comfortable it is… I have no idea.”
I emphasize the fact that with this, two people can keep watch while four sleep. But we do need people that can supply the golem with magic energy and look for enemies.
As for the instructions to the golem, I can just tell it to move along the main road.
“A-and we need a roof too.”
Both to protect from the elements, and to infuse it with an obstructive skill.
It should protect us if someone uses a skill to see far away… In theory.
“Well then, let’s decide the order.”
And so, Hikari and I go first while the others sleep.
I can control the speed by the amount of magic energy infused, but I’ve figured out that it shakes too much if it’s too slow.
After some trial and error, I manage to lead it to a speed where it doesn’t shake too much.
Also, it shakes less than a wagon.
Rurika and Chris say this much is nothing, but Sera and Mia take a while to fall asleep.
And as this cart runs along, I enlarge Map to see if there is any movement coming from the town.
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Thanks for the treat.
So that’s the end of week for chapters look forward to next set as they make their way to the dark forest.