Chapter 133.1
The next day .
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Although a lot happened, somehow everyone was able to get to the last day safely . As our stay came to an end, it was now time to go back to Gimuru . I started preparing first thing in the morning, had lunch early before noon, and then rode the carriage that went the same way we came .
“It’s already been 5 days, huh . ” [Student 1]
“Time sure flew by quickly . ” [Student 2]
“I thought it would feel a lot longer . ” [Student 3]
The groupings for the carriages were the same when we came here . So I was with the same people on the first day . Only, they’ve already gotten to know each other, so they weren’t as quiet as before . On the fist day, Roche-san had to interfere to get them to talk, but now, they’re talking naturally without anyone pushing them to .
“Don’t make too much merry now . ” [Roche]
“That’s right . We may be going back right now, but this training session isn’t over just yet . ” [Lucy]
Roche-san and the others warned them . They said that they understood their feelings, but there was always a chance to happen upon monsters outside of town . After the students were warned, they immediately started paying attention to their surroundings .
They’re serious, but it’s obvious they’re not used to this . They were so tense it was exhausting just looking at them . Seeing that, Roche-san and Lucy-san wryly smiled . Now a peaceful atmosphere filled the carriage .
We didn’t happen upon any monsters or bandits and we were able to peacefully arrive at the camp .
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But…
“Roche-san . ” [Ryouma]
“Yeah . It seems we’ll be sharing today . ” [Roche]
When it was time to unload the luggage, I heard the sound of wheels, so I turned toward the direction of the sound . There, I saw a wagon with a large curtain headed toward ouro direction . As the wagon approached us, they opened up some distance and lined up beside us .
“The corner is fine . Are there any open spots left?” [Coachman]
“There are . Feel free to take it . ” [Roche]
The coachman of the wagon exchanged a few words with Roche-san, then he went to a corner of the camp .
At the same time .
“Attention! Students, by now, you have all been taught the rules of the camp . Today, we aren’t the only ones using this camp . Make sure you don’t cause trouble for other people . Those of you who’ve forgotten the rules, come see me!” [Roche]
I also warned the students not to cause problems to unrelated people . All the instructors were wary of the wagon . At camps like this, it’s common for bandits to dress up as travelers and then attack .
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There are those that rely on strength and numbers . Some attack while others are sleeping . Others approach their campmates with a smile and offer drugged liquor and food . As such, the general rule when sharing camps like this is to not get in each others’ way as much as possible .
But in the end general rules are just general rules . There are exceptions .
“Can I have a moment?” [???]
This must be the person inside the wagon . A moderately well-dressed man . There was a man with him who seemed to be his escort .
“What is it?” [Ryouma]
“Did you come from that direction? If so, I’d like to ask about the way from here . Mainly regarding the condition of the road and if monsters appear or not . Stuff related to our safety . ” [Moderately Well-Dressed Man]
“In that case, please talk to our leader . He should know more . I’ll guide you . ” [ryouma]
“That would help . Thanks . ” [Moderately Well-Dressed Man]
The condition of roads is a topic of life and death to travelers . If they carelessly step onto a dangerous road, they could lose their lives .
It’s standard procedure to get information before leaving town, but the condition of the road could change along the way . Because of that travelers also exchange information with each other .
“Leader . These people want to learn about the road . ” [Ryouma]
“Got it . ” [Roche]
I left them to Roche-san, but he asked me to stay behind to see how these things go .
Still, it wasn’t as if they did anything special .
They didn’t bother with idle talk and just went straight into talking about the condition of the roads .
Their conversation didn’t even last 10 minutes . The two men didn’t bother to stay and just quickly left the carriage .
“…Ryouma, what do you think about them?”
After seeing the two men off, Roche-san asked me that in a quiet voice .
“They didn’t seem particularly suspicious, but… They did look like they could fight . It’s not just the guard . That person who claims to be a merchant could fight too . ” [Ryouma]
The guard being able to fight is a given, but the man who claimed to be a merchant also had calluses that suggested he was used to holding weapons . His movements did not seem as refined, however…
“I’d say he’s about as strong as the guard…” [Ryouma]
From experience, there are a lot of bandits that feel like that person .
But in a world like this crawling with monsters and bandits, not just relying on a hired guard but also learning the sword isn’t that strange .
From the merchants I know, Pioro-san from the Saionji Company also had calluses from weapons . I didn’t feel like it was something worth asking about, but it seems he knows how to handle a short sword at least .
Serge-san from the Morgan Company doesn’t seem to know how to use a weapon, but I did see him walking with a self-defense magic tool .
That’s why I don’t think they’re suspicious just because of that .
“Is there something suspicious about them?” [Ryouma]
“No . I share your opinion . They don’t seem particularly suspicious . It’s just that it’s almost that time of the year…” [Roche]
That time?
“It’s almost winter, right? The period from winter to summer, especially, the New Year, is when nobles are most active in their social life . ” [Roche]