Those Who Guard the Trade Route

The Spartian warrior witnessed the Etoroki's death, then raised his sword to the heavens to offer the victory to his god.

Sheathing his blade, he turned to face Azu and the others with a broad grin and introduced himself.

"My name is Darz Alanee. Thanks to you all, I had an easy time of it. First, let's strip the materials before they spoil."

Darz set about harvesting the Etoroki's materials.

Azu helped him with the work.

When the dismantling was done, they'd collected a large magic stone, claws, fangs, a pelt, and tendons.

"I'd like the pelt, fangs, and tendons if you don't mind?"

"Of course. We owe you."

Master shook hands with Darz, and the deal was struck.

The more valuable Etoroki materials were going to Darz, but given how much he'd contributed to the fight, just getting anything at all was more than generous enough.

The claws and magic stone alone would fetch a tidy sum.

"What brings you out here?"

"I heard rumors of an Etoroki sighting in this area and came to investigate. Can't have the trade route endangered."

"By yourself?"

"Ha, hardly. Even I'd have my hands full with an Etoroki solo. I came with my subordinates, but we spotted some Grizun. I figured the Etoroki was this way and rushed over."

Grizun were the black wolves the Etoroki had commanded.

They'd only yielded pelts and magic stones from those. Darz had no interest in them, saying the quality was too poor for weaponry. So the party kept those.

"In any case, thank you. You really saved us."

"Think nothing of it. It's my job, and I got materials out of it. But I have to say, you've got a good party there."

Darz surveyed Azu and the others.

"A light warrior with sharp eyes and sound judgment. A cleric whose blessings you can physically feel. A mage who can pierce an Etoroki's heart. You'll be strong enough to take one of these down on your own before long."

Coming from a Spartian warrior with that caliber of combat awareness, it was likely the truth.

They were growing far faster than Master realized. This slave party of his.

As they talked, three more Spartian warriors arrived, riding not horses but enormous birds.

All three were every bit as formidable as Darz.

Beating even one of them in a fight would be a tall order for the party.

Unlike the Etoroki, these warriors wielded their tremendous strength with the backing of vast experience.

The birds they rode had vestigial wings that could no longer fly, compensated for by massively developed legs built for speed. They were technically monsters.

Spartian warriors had domesticated these bird monsters and used them as mounts.

Naturally, riding a monster carried its own dangers, but in Spartia, no warrior too soft to handle one existed.

"Captain! Running off alone like that is unacceptable!"

One subordinate led what was presumably Darz's bird mount while voicing his complaint.

"And predictably, there's nothing left for us."

It seemed they were more annoyed about missing the Etoroki kill than anything.

They lived up to every rumor. No, they exceeded them.

"Sorry, sorry. Well then, travelers, I'll take my leave. If the gods will it, we'll meet again."

With that, Darz and his warriors hauled their bag of materials and departed.

The Spartian warriors apparently safeguarded the trade routes running through this no-man's-land.

Efforts like these protected the value of commerce and strengthened Spartia as a nation.

"That said, Alexia, well done."

Master moved to praise Alexia by placing a hand on her shoulder, but she swatted it away.

He rubbed his rejected hand.

Alexia laced her fingers together and snorted.

"Honestly. Slave or not, don't just touch me so casually. I only did it for my own sake."

"I was just showing appreciation, but fine. It benefits me either way. Elza, Azu, good work to you too."

"Sure thing～"

"Yes!"

Azu sidled up close to Master and peered up at him.

He puzzled over what she wanted for a moment, then reached out and patted her head.

They loaded the magic stone and claws onto the wagon and set off immediately.

They'd buried the Etoroki's flesh and blood with the warriors' help, but the smell still lingered.

Staying too long would attract other monsters.

Whether because the Spartian warriors had passed through or not, the road from there on was peaceful.

No monster attacks. They stopped for rest a few times and covered good distance.

They were just short of Spartia when the sun went down, so they found a cave and decided to spend the night there.

The cave was a decent size.

Far safer than camping out in the open.

A fire inside the cave kept them warm even through the cold night.

They grilled dried river fish and smoked meat over the flames.

The bread had gone stale, so they soaked it in water to soften it up.

It wasn't exactly appetizing, but they brought out what remained of the cheese too.

Even Alexia, who'd been visibly unimpressed with the meal, seemed satisfied with the warmed, melted cheese.

Azu was desperately blowing on the piping-hot cheese, nibbling tiny bites.

"It's delicious. I didn't know you could eat cheese this way. I was surprised the first time I tried cheese too."

"That so? You're still growing. Eat more."

Elza, meanwhile, had somehow produced a bottle of wine and was helping herself to a glass.

"Ahh, cheese really does go best with this."

"That was stashed in the back… When did you even… Well, whatever. It's not like it was for sale."

Wine didn't travel well on the road. It was no good as merchandise, so Master had brought it along for himself.

He poured Azu a cup too, but one sip earned a face that defied description, so he drank the rest himself.

Alexia grumbled and complained, but she held out her cup, so he poured her a share.

Not enough to get drunk on, but knowing their destination was close put everyone in decent spirits.

A quiet night. Nothing but the chirping of insects and the crackling of the campfire.

Alexia and Master took the first watch.

Compared to the early days, they could hold a somewhat civil conversation now, but that was only because Alexia was making concessions.

When it was just the two of them, conversation still didn't flow easily.

That was just how it was.

Master gazed at Alexia's profile.

… Lit by the firelight, her face was beautiful.