Chapter 104: The Basics of Escorting
With Nil’s introduction complete, we set off once more towards the Commercial City. Alissa and the other two were part of a party called “Crimson Blade,” which primarily operated in the Commercial City. It seemed they often took on escort jobs, and they were currently looking for work on their return trip from Raven.
“Still, you guys are D-rank adventurers, huh?”
“Yeah, we just recently became D-rank.”
“That makes sense. So this is your first escort request, then?”
I hadn’t intended to take on this job myself, but I certainly saw it as a good opportunity.
“By the way, I heard you were traveling by carriage, so I prepared some horses. What about you guys?”
As we were about to leave the city, the three of them who had brought horses looked puzzled. They had mentioned it would take two days to reach the Commercial City, but that was the time required if we were using a carriage. If we ran, we could easily make it in a few hours, and if we flew, we’d probably arrive even faster. I hadn’t given much thought to our mode of transportation.
“Now that you mention it, we originally planned for you to ride along in our carriage.”
“Oh, I see.”
Fleur’s words eased my mind a little. Admitting I hadn’t thought about it at all would make me seem far too unreliable as an escort.
“Hmm…”
Alissa seemed to be deep in thought after hearing that, but she soon spoke up with a conclusion.
“Well, since we’re here and the area is relatively safe, it should be fine. So you can go ahead and ride in the carriage as planned. Normally, that wouldn’t be acceptable, but this time we’ll make an exception.”
Upon hearing more details, I learned that part of an escort’s job was to intimidate potential threats. Ensuring safety meant not being attacked in the first place, so it was unthinkable to appear without visible escorts.
“Besides, you guys look like kids. Even if you were out there trying to act as escorts, the bandits would probably just see you as easy prey.”
W-What did she just say…?
I glanced around at the others. I might be shorter than Rio, but looking at Fleur, Ramber, and the other female adventurers, none of them were shorter than me.
“So, does that mean there won’t be any clients who want us to escort them?”
Rio asked, her brow furrowed in confusion, but Alissa nodded slowly with a serious expression.
“That’s usually the case when it’s a first meeting. But you have a Tamed Monster with you, right? It all depends on how the client perceives that.”
“I see…”
“Well, let’s get moving. I’ll explain more during our break.”
“Understood.”
With that, we received a few pieces of advice before setting off, climbing onto the cargo area of Fleur’s carriage as we departed for the Commercial City.
After taking a second break, I found myself inexplicably riding a horse. Of course, I had never ridden before, so I was on a two-person saddle. Yes, I was currently sitting in front of Alissa. On the opposite side of the carriage, Rio was riding in front of Mel, receiving various instructions.
“Still, the look on Rio’s face when you said you’d teach him while riding two together was priceless.”
A deep voice came from behind us. Naturally, since I was wearing leather armor, I couldn’t feel Alissa’s soft presence against my back. If I didn’t turn around, I would have assumed a man was behind me.
“Ahaha.”
When Rio realized she was riding with Alissa, her expression softened, but I was the only one who noticed. As a mage, Frellis wore a robe that gave off a mature woman vibe, which made me feel a bit uneasy. But I couldn’t exactly say I felt less resistance with Alissa.
Besides, we had a duty to receive instruction on our escort mission. There was no option to decline.
“Just tell them not to worry; I’m not going to eat them or anything.”
“Haha…”
If it came to that, I’d have to resist with all my might… But if Frellis were to approach me, I might not have the confidence to fight back… What am I even thinking? Calm down, me. Focus on Rio.
“Alright then, let’s get serious and talk about the basics of escorting.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Snapped back to reality by Alissa’s voice, I continued northward while listening intently to her detailed explanations about the fundamentals of escorting. I felt like I was gaining some riding skills as well.
Without any particular troubles, we finally arrived at our campsite for the day. Perhaps because we were beginners at escorting, our arrival was considerably delayed. There were other parties already there, so we secured a spot in a quiet corner. People were startled when they saw Nil, but it was a relief that there was no uproar.
“Hmm…”
“What’s wrong? Even if it’s your first time escorting, you’ve camped before, right?”
Alissa asked as I hesitated over whether to set up the Camping House.
“Well, yes, but…”
If it weren’t for the escorting, I would have set up the Camping House without hesitation, but having the escorts retreat into a large house felt wrong. First, we needed to prepare dinner, and I could discuss the Camping House with Rio later.
“Hehe, let’s just prepare dinner for now. We don’t have much time, so let’s keep it simple.”
“Sounds good.”
I guess we’ll have to whip something up quickly… So what should we make for dinner?
“Depending on the escort request, sometimes the client provides the meals. We’ll handle our own this time, but make sure to confirm the details of the request beforehand.”
“I understand. Got it.”
With that, the three of them moved a little further away to tend to the horses.
Speaking of which, how do I take care of Nil? I’ve been feeding him and washing him every day, but should I be brushing him too? I’ll think about that later.
As for dinner, we were responsible for providing it this time. While I had various recipes to demonstrate, I worried that I might not have enough time to showcase them all.
“We have fresh ingredients, but we might be short on time.”
Rio seemed to share my concern.
“Yeah.”
Without a clear plan for what to cook, I began to use Earth Magic to create a stove.