As I approached the carriage to meet up with Nia and the others, the beastmen looked this way.
“Have you arrived, Sky Knight?”
I couldn’t see Nia, but a large man called out to me. He’s Marg, the sub-leader of their group, a beastman who seems to be from the dog family, with dog ears.
“Hey. Looks like I’ve come at just the right time. Where’s Nia?”
“She’s talking with the merchant we’re escorting. She should be here soon. Then we’ll depart… I want you to walk at the very front. It’s a rare opportunity to have the Sky Knight join us. It’ll be a good deterrent.”
“What do you take me for? Well, I don’t mind, I’ll leave the scouting to you.”
Marg nodded and then we shook hands.
As I sat down on a suitable rock to wait for Nia, she came over waving her hand, bringing two well-dressed men with her.
I stood up as Nia introduced the two men.
“Sky Knight-sama! These are the president and the head clerk of the Caverick Trading Company, who requested our escort this time.”
The atmosphere was light.
The older of the two men introduced spoke.
“I’m Maxon Caverick, the president of the Caverick Trading Company. We’ve requested Nia’s party this time, but I heard that the renowned Sky Knight, Lord Orbst, would also be joining, so I thought I’d come to greet you.”
“Oh, I had some free time. I guarantee a safe journey in the name of the Sky Knight.”
“Hahaha, that’s very reassuring. We can leave it to you with confidence. If anything happens along the way, please inform this head clerk.”
“I’m Lino Ban, the head clerk. I’ve heard a lot about you, Sky Knight, but seeing you in person, you’re even more impressive than the rumors. I’m counting on you.”
After shaking hands with the head clerk, the merchants returned to their carriage.
It’s about time to depart.
“It’s great, isn’t it, Sky Knight-sama? Having a name that’s recognized. We’ve finally become famous recently, but we still get underestimated.”
“To be honest, the title of Sky Knight has taken on a life of its own. Well, it is convenient. Alright, let’s go.”
“Yesss!”
I checked that everything was ready for departure.
The scouts led the way, and I started walking in front of the carriage.
Since the carriage moves faster than a person walking, I’ll have to walk briskly the whole time. Adventurers’ job is to walk, so anyone who can’t handle this won’t survive as an adventurer.
It’s tough if you’re wearing too much equipment, so I keep it to sturdy light armor.
The beastmen are naturally lightly equipped, and their physical foundation is different after all.
The group behind us is also hurrying to follow. They will gradually fall behind, but if something happens, they will probably send up a smoke signal.
The carriage guards walk with constant vigilance. However, with this group, thieves targeting merchants won’t attack.
It’s odd to say this about myself, but it would be suicide for thieves to attack adventurers of the highest caliber, who hunt dragons treated as disasters.
Nia and the others, aside from dragons, regularly hunt large monsters.
Even the weaker monsters are scared off by our presence and go far away. Ironically, the more powerful you become as an adventurer, a profession anyone can enter, and the more your name sells, the easier the job becomes.
What should I eat at our destination? While keeping watch, I, who am bored with nothing else to do, think about such things as I walk at the front. It will continue like this for a while.
Then, one of the scouts comes back to whisper to Nia and then disappears again. Nia’s face takes on the look of someone plotting something bad.
Nia leaves her post and comes over to whisper in my ear.
“We found the thieves’ stronghold. After we finish the escort, let’s go thief hunting and make an extra profit. Sky Knight-sama?”
“Of course. It’s starting to get fun.”
In the empire, thieves are not granted human rights.
In other words, the treasures accumulated by thieves are all for the taking by those who subdue them. Well, the thieves know this too, so they usually hide their strongholds and stockpile their forces…
For me and Nia’s group, it’s just a bonus that we can earn on the side. Pitiful. No matter what happens, they should regret choosing to be thieves.
One scout seems to be sticking to the thieves to keep watch.
We will arrive at our destination by noon tomorrow, so if we hurry from there, we can launch a surprise attack tomorrow night. It would be nice if there were something unusual.
