Ch.125The Road to Scofield Plains (2)

# A Refreshing Morning

I woke up a little before sunrise, feeling completely refreshed.

My wife remains unconscious, marinated in my genetic material, but that’s not my concern.

“Ugh. Cold.”

Perhaps it’s because it’s the 18th month now.

Feeling the chill, I left the tent and approached the campfire that had gone out during the night.

Crackle. Crackle.

After casually tossing in the firewood I had gathered before going to bed last night, I lit it with Ignatus. Warmth began to flow around us again, and I sat down on a nearby rock, gazing at the dark sky before sunrise.

The brilliant light of the stars is the only source illuminating the sky, but soon those lights will melt away like snow under the radiance of the brightest sun.

And when the sun sets again and the moon rises, they will once again begin to show off their light.

As I was lost in such contemplation, Lucia emerged from a nearby tent, rubbing her eyes in a half-asleep state.

“Bathroom…”

She didn’t seem to notice me as she went far away to the bushes, covered her private parts, and relieved herself. Only when she was returning did she appear somewhat awake and recognize me.

“When did you wake up?”

“Just now.”

“I see… Well, I’m going back to sleep, so wake me up when it’s time for breakfast.”

With a yawn, Lucia went back into her tent, and I silently began brewing high-quality tea leaves in a teapot.

*

“Haaah….”

As I started pouring tea into cups, my wife emerged from the tent with disheveled hair.

The dried and cracking genetic information of mine stuck to her skin surface was truly something else.

“You’re up?”

“Yeaah…”

She gestured for me to come closer, but her body, covered in a membrane of protein and moisture, emitted a rather unpleasant odor, so I pushed her away and pointed toward the water’s edge with the spout of the teapot.

“Go wash yourself. You smell.”

“Tch… Whose smell is it anyway…”

“Hurry.”

“Fine.”

My wife, her surface covered in human-produced mucus, grumbled as she headed toward the water, and I watched as the rest of our companions began to stir.

Simon was the first to rise, followed by Casia, and finally Lucia.

“Whew. It’s getting too cold to bear without armor now.”

“Is it?”

“Aren’t you cold?”

“Not really… It’s warmer than the sea breeze in Parcival…”

“Right… you’re from a coastal city.”

Needless to say, the sea is cold even in summer, and deathly cold in winter.

I’ll leave it to your imagination how cold Parcival gets in winter, located in Faerun, the northernmost of the 13 continents.

In my case, until I found shelter in the ruins, I slept outdoors using snow as my blanket, and in the sweltering summer, I worked carrying 3.6-ton water containers up and down high-rise buildings. This gave me particularly high resistance to both heat and cold.

It wasn’t any special talent; the homeless who were less capable than me simply died.

Humans are creatures of adaptation, after all.

“I’m back.”

As Simon and I were conversing, my wife returned, now fluffy and clean, and snuggled right into my arms.

“When are we leaving today?”

“Let me think. It’s winter now, so we need to buy winter clothes… I’m fine, but you all aren’t.”

“Come on. Someone might think you’ve been meditating in the snow mountains or something.”

Simon grumbled, but I continued speaking while massaging my wife’s buttocks as she began boiling water in a pot.

“Is there anywhere nearby to buy clothes?”

“Let’s see… If we travel for about one more day, there should be a large village.”

“A large village? How big?”

“About 5,000 to 8,000 people? That’s what I heard. Should be more than adequate for buying winter clothes.”

“I certainly hope so.”

As long as we could satisfy the clothing part of the necessities of life—food, clothing, and shelter—I didn’t particularly mind.

And if there happened to be a faster route to the Scofield Plains from that village, all the better.

You know how roads are divided into main roads and side roads.

“What’s the name of this village?”

“Derickson.”

“Named after a person, I suppose?”

“Most likely.”

One interesting point is that while most villages are named after people, most cities are not.

Take Parcival, for instance. When Parcival was just a small port village, it was called ‘Harrington.’

The ‘harring’ in Harrington referred to herring, as Parcival was once a small village that sustained itself through herring fishing.

As time passed, with a steady influx of people and goods, and the population grew to the point where it could no longer be called a village, the residents of that time held a contest to decide on a city name, and thus Parcival was chosen.

Perhaps this village called Derickson would also change its name to something more “stylish” when it becomes a city.

Just like a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly inside its chrysalis.

*

We set our course for Derickson village and started on our journey again. After riding for about four hours:

“Hey! You there!”

“?”

“Stop for a moment! There are people here!”

We spotted adventurers walking along the road, and when they saw us, they waved their hands, urging us to stop.

When I gestured for my companions to halt, the adventurers staggered toward us. They seemed to have come from Derickson village, where we were heading.

But their appearance was terrible. Their armor was considerably damaged, as if they had been through a fierce battle, and some were walking while clutching bleeding arms that hadn’t received proper treatment.

“What’s the matter?”

“You folks. Heading to Derickson village?”

“That’s right?”

When I said that, the woman who appeared to be their leader made a pained face and spoke.

“Derickson village is finished. The undead have completely taken over. The survivors fled to the farms in the Scofield Plains, and we bought them time to escape.”

“And?”

“Well… as you can see, we were defeated. Half the villagers got infected. I think it’s because we didn’t have a mage… that necromancer bastard brought his own soldiers too, so their numbers have probably increased by now.”

“Do you know the exact number?”

“From what we saw, over 10,000. Skeletons, ghouls, and even giant bats.”

“I see…”

A normal adventurer would turn back, but not me.

Because I was a knight, and all knights have a duty to destroy the evil ones who corrupt this world.

“Simon.”

“Hmm?”

“Distribute potions and food to these people.”

“Understood.”

With a stern face, I gave the order, and Simon dismounted to give potions to the injured adventurer party. Then he distributed dried vegetables and salted meat from his spatial storage.

It wasn’t a large amount, but it would sustain them until they reached the nearest adventurer’s guild.

“Go to the adventurer’s guild and report the fall of Derickson village. We will head to Derickson.”

“Right… you’re a knight? If you’re a knight, I guess you have no choice…”

The female adventurer wiped her nose and approached my stirrup.

“Listen… I don’t know much, but when we escaped, the village militia was still desperately holding on. It hasn’t even been a day since we left the village. There might still be people alive.”

“The militia… what about their armaments?”

“Well, what kind of decent weapons would you expect in a village, not even a city? They’re all armed with miscellaneous things like old family swords or worn-out maces. Still, they somehow managed to hold out thanks to the palisade, but when the bats flew in and the ghouls started climbing over the palisade, there was no chance of winning…”

“What about your ranks?”

“Three Flints, one Kindling, and I’m Charcoal rank.”

“I see…”

They were weak adventurers.

Their equipment, their skills—they were a weak party that couldn’t even be compared to our Iron Walker party.

However, I had no intention of condemning them.

Losing the battle was beyond their control, and they had diligently fulfilled their request, successfully buying time until just before their client (in this case, probably the village) disappeared.

I’m not sure if they’ll be able to receive compensation, but at least they weren’t cowards or weaklings.

“Did you see the necromancer?”

“Only from a distance. Height around 160 to 170 centimeters? I only remember the height being between a tall woman and a short man. I couldn’t tell the body type because they were wearing a black robe.”

“That’s enough. You may go now. We will depart for Derickson village.”

“Very well. I wish you luck, Sir Knight.”

And so, although our party encountered an unexpected event, none of us were flustered.

An adventurer is one who adventures.

Even if the end of that adventure is death, one must move forward with dignity.

Simon mounted his horse again, and I gave my wife a tight hug before gripping the reins once more.

“Let’s go! We will purify Derickson village!”

In the name of the sun, we shall be victorious!