Soon, it was the day of the caravan's departure.
Having spent the past few days training with Kase, Colin yawned as he climbed out of bed and pulled the gear he'd prepared from underneath it.
"Gear" was putting it generously. It was really just a burlap sack and two Torches.
The burlap sack was obviously for gathering herbs. The Torches were for sleeping in the wild—a precaution against beasts. At the very least, fire would probably frighten them.
They weren't expensive, either; he'd gotten them for just a few coppers.
So, whether he managed to gather any herbs or not, the pay from the escort job combined with his savings would be enough for rent. The rest would be enough for him to live on oatmeal for a few days.
The trip would take two days, they'd stay for three, and he'd be back just in time to pay his rent.
He was really making the most of his time with this trip.
"Colin, let's go!"
Kase's voice shouted from outside the window.
After a quick check of his gear, Colin stuffed the Torches and such into the burlap sack, slung it on his back, and climbed down from the attic.
"Give us a hand here, Colin."
Before he'd even found his footing, Kase's voice was in his ear again. "Great, you even brought a sack for us. This stuff is a real pain to carry."
Colin took a closer look. The Half-Orc was hugging a pile of assorted junk.
"What is all this junk?"
"This is all useful stuff." Kase threw the items onto the ground with a clatter.
Colin took a closer look. On the ground were two Javelins, two Beast Traps, a sling, and a small, palm-sized leather pouch. Kase was busy stuffing everything into the burlap sack.
"This must cost more than ten Gold Coins! You have that kind of money?" he asked in surprise.
"The traps are from our tribe. The second-hand Javelins and the sling were only seven Silver Coins total. You're sure this trip includes meals, right?" Kase slung the sack over his back and headed for the tavern, with Colin hurrying to catch up.
"It looks like you're geared up for a hunt, not a caravan escort."
"It is a hunt. You haven't forgotten 'White Frost,' have you? The bear that's worth sixty big, shiny Gold Coins."
Colin stopped in his tracks. "You're serious?"
"With traps and Javelins, no beast is a threat," Kase said proudly. "That's another lesson for you from us. Don't you forget it."
"And dragons?"
"Dragons aren't beasts. Besides, isn't a Dragon-Hunting Spear just a type of Long Spear?"
"Look, if we don't run into that bear, we are absolutely not going looking for trouble," Colin stressed. "I have no intention of throwing my life away."
"Alright, alright," Kase grumbled. "But let's get one thing straight. If that bear comes looking for us, we won't be holding back."
The two continued to bicker back and forth all the way to the tavern entrance.
After they filled up on some bread and cheese, the caravan pulled up to the tavern entrance, just like last time.
This caravan also consisted of only five wagons.
There were more guards this time, though. Each wagon had four Low-tier Adventurers, including a few locals from Thousand Masts City.
Colin, familiar with the routine, climbed up and sat down next to the driver, Bob.
"You two look pretty professional for this trip," Bob said with a laugh as he got the caravan moving.
"Better to be safe than sorry," Colin replied.
Just like the last trip, the journey was incredibly dull.
Before long, Kase's rhythmic snoring began to fill the air.
The scenery was completely different from the trip to Silverpine Village. The great road north ran alongside a vast, endless coastline.
A golden thread shimmered on the azure surface of the sea, and occasionally, you could spot fish leaping from the water.
The sea breeze washed over them in cool gusts.
On the other side of the road were rolling hills. The vegetation was sparse but not barren—it looked perfectly natural. At least, it was a considerable improvement over the forest they'd passed through on the way to Silverpine Village.
As they traveled on, a group of refugees suddenly appeared on the road ahead.
Anyone who made it this far was tough. There were at least forty or fifty refugees in this group, and most carried farming tools or Wooden Spears for self-defense.
As the two groups passed each other, something clicked for Colin.
Bob hadn't hired him and Kase to fight monsters so much as to guard against these desperate refugees who had nothing to lose.
A Half-Orc and a human who could use Cantrips were far more intimidating than a few Ordinary guards.
As the refugees disappeared into the distance, insults directed at them began to bubble up from within the caravan.
He wouldn't join in the name-calling, but Colin could understand where the others were coming from.
In Thousand Masts City right now, the more people there were, the harder it was for people at the bottom like him to survive.
'Speaking of which, there must be Gods in this world, right? After all, his body's previous owner had seen a Priest use a Divine Art to heal the sick.'
'So why haven't any of the Gods done anything to solve or alleviate this so-called "winter disaster"?'
Colin felt no resentment or prejudice toward the refugees. His mind was just aimlessly grappling with the problem of how to fix the winter disaster, even though he knew there was a high chance he'd never find an answer.
「Time passed.」
At some point, the coastal road had turned inland, cutting deep into steep hills. In the far distance, the peaks of an unnamed mountain range were visible.
The landscape along this stretch of road grew far more oppressive.
Greenery was scarce on either side of the road, save for some yellowish-green shrubs and patches of half-dead grass.
The caravan fell silent; no one spoke, and the only sound was the occasional yawn.
Kase, in the wagon behind, had been awake for a while. Every so often, he'd hop down to find stones, chipping them into well-shaped Stone Bullets. In terms of infinite ammo, a sling was far better than a bow.
Learning from his last experience, Colin kept his hand on his sword hilt, even though nothing was happening.
Every rustle of leaves or gust of wind drew his attention. Before he realized it, his palms were slick with sweat.
After so long in this state of heightened alert, Colin was starting to feel dizzy. His concentration began to fray, as if he were being subjected to some kind of mental torture.
CLATTER.
Suddenly, a clatter of colliding stones made him jump.
'Enemies?'
Colin forced himself to focus and scanned his surroundings.
But all he saw were ochre rocks and listless shrubs. There was no sign of life.
"Fellas, we've got company!"
Hearing Kase's shout, Colin actually felt a sense of relief.
'No, this is no time to relax!'
He quickly drew his weapon and got to his feet.
The words had barely left Kase's mouth when several shadows shot out in front of the caravan. Immediately after, horses neighed in panic from both the front and the rear.
Colin looked back.
Sure enough, the rear of the caravan was also under attack.
'Attacking the front and rear simultaneously... that means the attackers have some Intelligence. Maybe it's a Goblin Tribe here to rob us.'
Just as Colin was thinking this, several dark shapes shot out from nearby.
A closer look revealed the attackers to be Wild Wolves with matted fur.
'Are Wild Wolves in this world especially good at ambushing caravans?'
A WHOOSHING sound cut through the air from above. Kase, standing at the back of the wagon, whirled his sling in a brown arc. With a flick of his finger, a polished Stone Bullet flew out and smashed into an attacking Wild Wolf, crushing its skull.
That single blow drew the eyes of nearly every Wild Wolf.
They let out several hoarse barks, then bunched together and charged toward them.
Another stone flew out, felling another unlucky wolf.
Seeing his chance, Bob immediately wrapped himself in his Cloak and dove under the wagon.
Colin drew his sword and leaped from the wagon.
He took a deep breath and brought his sword down on the head of the lead wolf. The beast dropped to the ground, stiff as a board, and didn't move again.
The sheer force of the blow made the rest of the Wolf Pack hesitate.