Ch.116Chapter 116 – Supply Depot

    As soon as I emerged from the warp gate created by the dragon, I fell to the ground.

    “Kuhack!”

    I must have fallen from quite a height, as my body began to roll with considerable impact.

    When I finally stopped rolling, pain shot through my entire body.

    “Ugh… ack.”

    The impact of the fall left me unable to breathe properly for a moment.

    Only when the pain finally subsided could I manage to get up.

    I quickly looked around.

    “This place…”

    …I had no idea where I was.

    It had gotten a bit dark, but I could at least tell that this was my first time here.

    ‘I need to move first.’

    Rather than just sitting around, I thought I should start moving to figure out where I was.

    Since my body still ached and movement was difficult, I transformed my weapon into a staff to use as a walking stick and stood up.

    Before it got any darker, I needed to find a place to rest.

    I summoned what little strength I had left and began walking.

    First, I needed a place to rest.

    And I needed fire.

    ‘…Hmm?’

    After walking for a while, as I was passing through an area with dense trees, I noticed something.

    There was a light just ahead.

    Looking carefully, I could see small flickering flames—someone had lit a fire.

    ‘What’s that?’

    There wouldn’t be a fire there for no reason.

    Of course, this could save me the trouble of making one myself.

    If other adventurers had lit it, they would likely be willing to share their fire, assuming they had no ill intentions.

    But it could also be bandits.

    Without knowing where I was, I couldn’t determine which was more likely.

    ‘No choice, I guess.’

    Either way, the fire was my priority now.

    Plus, wherever a fire was lit would be a suitable place to rest.

    Thinking about it, even if they were bandits, they probably wouldn’t pose much danger to me in my current state unless they were large in number.

    Still, I approached cautiously, keeping potential dangers in mind.

    When I arrived, I noticed something strange.

    “What the…”

    There was no one there.

    Just a fire burning.

    ‘There are signs that someone was here recently.’

    Very recent signs, in fact.

    It seemed unlikely that someone would light a fire and leave it unattended for long.

    Which meant…

    ‘A trap!’

    “Yaaaah!!”

    Suddenly, someone pounced on me from the side.

    ‘Such strength!’

    As I was grabbed, I could feel that my attacker’s arm strength was no joke.

    What’s worse, I was too exhausted to properly resist and couldn’t shake them off.

    After struggling briefly, my opponent managed to get on top of me.

    Then, someone who had been hiding in the bushes jumped out, holding what looked like a staff…

    “Sera? Christina?”

    “Huh? Wait…”

    Looking closely, I realized it was Sera who had tackled me.

    Behind her, Christina stood frozen, having stopped mid-swing with her stone staff.

    It seemed we hadn’t recognized each other due to the sudden attack and the darkness.

    An awkward silence fell between us.

    Then suddenly, both of them rushed toward me.

    “You’re safe!”

    “Master!”

    Sera hugged my face while lifting my upper body.

    And Christina embraced me from behind.

    “Thank goodness! I’m so, so relieved!”

    “I’m so glad we found you again!”

    “Hey, wait…”

    And so I began to be buried between the two of them.

    Yes, Sera and Christina.

    My face was buried between them from both sides.

    “Can’t… breathe…”

    Despite my plea, Sera and Christina’s arms only tightened around me.

    +

    After Sera and Christina finally calmed down and let go, someone descended from a tree.

    I recognized the familiar smell of cigarettes.

    “So you’re here too, Beatrice.”

    “Likewise, you got blown away too, Helmet.”

    Beatrice spoke with a somewhat dejected expression.

    “…I was so close to finishing it.”

    She looked extremely displeased.

    ‘Can’t blame her.’

    She must be the most heartbroken, having been interrupted in her revenge against Somnus.

    But since I didn’t feel obligated to comfort her, I decided to ask what I needed to know first.

    “Do you know where we are?”

    “No idea. I might be able to guess once it gets lighter.”

    Beatrice replied with a sigh.

    “But judging by the plants and trees, we’re definitely still within the Kingdom of Mikea.”

    “Really?”

    “Yeah.”

    I felt somewhat relieved.

    The Kingdom of Mikea had relatively well-maintained roads.

    No matter where we had landed, finding the main road to the capital wouldn’t be a major problem.

    With luck, we might even be near the capital.

    ‘…Come to think of it, that’s strange.’

    I had assumed we would be scattered randomly, but my companions were all relatively close by.

    ‘Was it intentional?’

    Did that dragon deliberately send me and my companions to the same area?

    But I couldn’t think any further due to fatigue.

    “…Why did that beast suddenly blow us away like that?”

    “Probably a desperate move since it couldn’t win.”

    Beatrice answered curtly.

    She seemed to be in a bad mood and low on energy, likely because her revenge had been interrupted.

    “I’m going to rest.”

    With that, Beatrice climbed up a tree.

    She must have been extremely tired after fighting the dragon and chasing Somnus.

    As I watched her disappear into the leaves, Sera tapped my shoulder.

    “What is it?”

    “Please hold still for a moment.”

    Sera rummaged through her belongings and took out what appeared to be medicine, which she began applying to my wounds.

    Then Christina started using holy magic over the treated areas.

    “You had medicine with you?”

    “The things I always keep on me survived. Most of our luggage is still at that fortress, though.”

    “I see.”

    Of course, the dragon wouldn’t have transported our luggage as well.

    Those items were likely lost for good now.

    Fortunately, there wasn’t anything particularly valuable in them. By the time I finished that thought, Sera and Christina had completed their emergency treatment.

    Then Christina handed me a wooden bowl.

    “What’s this?”

    “Beatrice made the bowl by carving wood with magic.”

    I didn’t know Beatrice had such a skill.

    Surprised, I looked inside the bowl.

    I saw something warm with steam rising from it—a mixture of plants and water.

    “…What is this?”

    “It’s my pride and joy—herb porridge!”

    “……”

    Occasionally, Christina had mentioned this thing.

    “You see, the plants around here happen to be edible. It’s a bit limited without proper seasonings, but I boiled them well, so it should be fine to eat!”

    Christina smiled as she offered me the bowl.

    I looked into it again.

    ‘…I’m supposed to eat this?’

    Looking at the completely green porridge, I quietly tried to think of a way out.

    I started searching for an escape route.

    “No way.”

    Sera forcibly placed the bowl in front of me and handed me a wooden spoon.

    “Sera.”

    “Christina and I have already eaten ours.”

    Sera said with a smile.

    I think I understand that smile now.

    “…So it’s ‘you should suffer too,’ is that it?”

    I whispered quietly to Sera.

    But she didn’t answer, just kept smiling while silently urging me to take the bowl.

    Then Christina sat down beside me.

    “Um, don’t worry, it tastes good!”

    “Do I really have to eat this?”

    “You need to replenish your strength for tomorrow.”

    After saying that, Christina’s eyes began to sparkle.

    ‘That’s cheating.’

    She clearly had expectations.

    She wanted me to enjoy what she had made right in front of her.

    I looked at the bowl again.

    ‘Green.’

    Completely green.

    Could this mushy green substance actually taste good despite its appearance?

    I quietly looked at Sera’s face.

    Seeing her expectant expression, I silently shook my head.

    The unspoken pressure to eat this green substance made it difficult to find the courage to put it in my mouth.

    “Master?”

    Christina was looking at me with a pure smile.

    I darted my eyes around.

    Looking for an escape route.

    “Please try it!”

    It was futile.

    As if to block my escape, Christina smiled brightly as she offered the herb porridge.

    Finally, unable to resist those eyes, I scooped up a spoonful and put it in my mouth.

    I could see Sera smiling brightly.

    +

    The next morning.

    Beatrice came down from the tree energetically, apparently well-rested.

    “What’s wrong with everyone? You all look half-dead.”

    “There’s a reason for that.”

    After turning my eyes away from Beatrice, I held up a bowl.

    “Want some herb porridge?”

    “Get that away from me.”

    That reaction—it seemed she had managed to avoid it.

    She had somehow dodged the concoction that Christina had made with pure good intentions, which was difficult to refuse.

    “Um, everyone? Is there some problem with—”

    “It’s nothing.”

    “Yeah, it’s nothing, Chris.”

    Since it was made with good intentions, we didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so Sera and I quickly diverted Christina’s attention.

    Fortunately, Christina seemed to accept it.

    “Now that it’s daylight, let’s get moving.”

    “We should figure out where we are first, Sera.”

    Christina said, looking around.

    Beatrice also fell into thought.

    Everyone was trying to determine our location based on the information they had.

    “…We need to find the main road first.”

    Everyone nodded at Sera’s words.

    Finding the main road was the first step, whether we headed to the capital or elsewhere.

    So we were about to split up to search for the road.

    Just as I took a step, Sera immediately grabbed me and made me sit down.

    “Come on, I should go too…”

    “Your injuries are the most severe, Kay.”

    “But they don’t really hinder my movement?”

    “No way.”

    She must have been very worried, as Sera showed no signs of backing down.

    After exchanging glances with Christina, Christina nodded and withdrew with Beatrice.

    “Sending just those two is—”

    “Those two are enough. I’m keeping you here, Kay.”

    As if she really intended to prevent me from going anywhere, Sera placed her hand on my shoulder.

    ‘This is a bit much, even so.’

    Being the only male in this group, it felt awkward to just sit around.

    I tried to stand up anyway…

    “Hup!”

    I felt her incredible strength.

    I decided to wait obediently.

    +

    Shortly after, Christina and Beatrice returned, having found the main road.

    Beatrice approached with a bright smile and spoke.

    “Hey, I think I know where we are.”

    “Really?”

    “Yeah, really.”

    As Beatrice came closer with a smile, I reached out toward her.

    “Helmet?”

    “You’ve got a twig in your hair.”

    I brushed the twig from her hair.

    Beatrice looked at me as if I’d done something strange, then started patting herself down.

    After finishing her adjustment, she spoke.

    “If we follow the main road, we’ll reach a cemetery.”

    “A cemetery?”

    “Yeah. It’s the place you reach when you head west from the capital.”

    While I didn’t know our exact location, I could at least determine the direction.

    The cemetery was the place we had visited during the undead incident before.

    “Speaking of the cemetery, it reminds me of working with you, Master.”

    “Indeed.”

    I remembered how she had tried to charge off in a strange direction, saying something about giving peace to wandering lambs.

    It was so absurd that it’s still the first thing I think of when I see Christina.

    “Well, that’s fortunate, I guess.”

    Now that we roughly knew our location, returning should be easier.

    But Beatrice’s expression was somewhat ambiguous.

    “What’s wrong?”

    “It’s not exactly ‘fortunate’ in every way.”

    Curious, I looked at her, and she finally spoke carefully.

    “It’ll take about five days to walk from here.”

    “Damn it.”

    Naturally, we had no supplies.

    Which meant…

    We would have to eat Christina’s herb porridge for five straight days.

    “……”

    I had to prevent this.

    That, at all costs, had to be prevented.

    ‘But I can’t just starve either.’

    I started to struggle between Christina’s herb porridge and starvation.

    Memories of my experiences in the New Kingdom began to surface.

    I recalled being in deep contemplation while staring at tree bark back then.

    ‘No way.’

    I quickly racked my brain.

    A way to solve this problem.

    A way to obtain supplies.

    I had to escape the horror of herb porridge.

    I needed to avoid the same suffering I experienced in the New Kingdom…

    ‘The New Kingdom?’

    Why did I only think of it now?

    “Beatrice.”

    “What?”

    I turned to Beatrice, who responded grumpily.

    “Do bandits roam around here?”

    Beatrice began to look bewildered.

    “Well, not zero chance, but being close to the capital, it’s more likely there aren’t any.”

    I nodded at her answer.

    Come to think of it, it was winter now.

    And our group consisted of three women and people who appeared to have no proper equipment.

    ‘That’s it.’

    I felt like I could see a way forward.

    “Kay? What are you thinking about?”

    “Oh, nothing much.”

    I smiled slightly at Christina and Sera.

    “I just thought that bandits make excellent supply depots.”

    I said with a slight smile.


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