“Apologies for being late. There were a lot more things to pack than I thought.”
The wizard smiled brazenly like he had made prior arrangements with him to join his departure, and then tapped his hand against the bag he carried, which was too heavy and big for his own physique.
“I wanted to buy a horse, but livestock are ridiculously expensive here. If we’re crossing the border, then we have to secure a horse first when we arrive at the southern region.” And, with a long yawn, he leaned against a pile of straw. “Well then, I’ll go to sleep. Please wake me up when we arrive at the destination. “
Riftan glared coldly at Ruth and jumped up to grab him by the collar. The wizard screamed loudly. “Aaaack!”
He didn’t care for a bit and attempted to throw him out. The wizard then clung desperately to the wagon’s railing and cried out in an urgent voice.
“W-wait, wait a second! Let’s talk about this! I also have my reasons for leaving.”
Riftan continued to stare at him coldly and released his grip carelessly. The wizard then crawled back into the wagon and grabbed his luggage tightly.
“Aren’t you being too much? I can’t believe you just tried to throw me out without a single hesitation! How can you be so ruthless when we’ve had our fair share of experiences together!”
Riftan growled furiously, ignoring Ruth’s protests. “Find another wagon or get a horse in the next town. I don’t care where you go, but don’t even think about following me.”
The wizard flinched at his words. “Are you going to keep that cold attitude?”
Riftan didn’t feel like it was worth answering, so he sat down and turned his back to him. The sound of the wagon’s wheels rolling against the snowfields continued for a long time. Ruth, who stared at Riftan in the uncomfortable silence, soon began to speak.
“It’s more beneficial for Sir Calypse to be accompanied by me. Having a wizard will get you more commission fees, and it’s a lot safer than wandering around alone.”
“Which one is safer?”
Riftan’s eyes flew open, giving the wizard a chilling look. Ruth just shrugged his shoulders and frankly admitted.
“I don’t want to be left alone in a place like this! I don’t like the way they treat wizards here. To be honest, I’m terrified that they’ll drag me to the church’s jury anytime and I don’t think anyone else will protect me.”
Riftan clenched his teeth. Just how many times do I have to let this guy know that I have no intentions of protecting him?
“What does that have to do with me?”
Ruth’s face turned red at his brutal reply.
“If I attempt to cross the border by myself, I wouldn’t end up alive. I will be robbed by thieves, kidnapped by a trafficker to be molested by pervert nobles, or devoured by a monster! Are you sure you’ll be fine with me ending up like that? I’ve saved Sir Calypse’s life a couple of times yet how can you act like that towards your life-savior?!”
Riftan covered his ears with a disgusted face. The wizard, who had been chirping with a high-pitched voice, now began to whine, clinging to the hem of his trousers.
“I’m a top-tier wizard. A genius wizard acclaimed by the Wizard Tower! I’m going to have your back, so what in the world is your issue with that? What’s so bad about that for you to reject it so cruelly?!”
“Are… Are you not going to let go of this?!”
“I can’t let you go even if I die here! To be honest, I can’t trust the other mercenaries! If I hadn’t bragged about you looking out for me, they would have taken all my shares. I do crazy and unimaginable things for people to earn money when I have the time, but no one pays me as much as you do!”
Riftan pressed the back of his neck with his palm and cursed under his breath. Truly, the guy’s tricks and talent were useful in many ways, he showed commendable reflexes in times of crisis especially in healing and defensive magic, thanks to his experience. However, the irritation that the noisy guy provoked out of him was unbearable. Riftan relentlessly pried the wizard off.
“Look here, I’ve told you many times that I’m comfortable with being alone. If you need someone to protect you, find someone else. With your skill, not only one or two people will be more than willing to hire you, so why are you so attached to me? Any lord who hears that you’re a top-tier wizard will welcome you with open arms!”
“You’re saying that, but it’s not true!” The wizard exclaimed bitterly, pulling his bushy hair in frustration. “I’m wandering around because I’m hiding from the Wizard Tower. No lord will dare keep me by his side when he finds out that I rebelled and other wizards despise me.”
It was the first time he heard about that. He had already sensed that Ruth was entangled in a vague, complicated situation, but to think he turned his back against the Wizard Tower… he couldn’t even imagine what he could have done.
Riftan pressed his thumbs against his throbbing temples. The wizard appeared extremely pitiful and he was persistent too, surely he would crawl after him no matter what, so it would be difficult to pry him off unless he knocked him down unconscious, but he didn’t want to go that far. Eventually, Riftan uttered his reply in resignation.
“Fine. I’ll let you join me. However, there will be a couple of conditions.”
“Conditions?”
He nodded. “Don’t talk to me unless it is absolutely necessary.”
Ruth’s lower lip protruded. Riftan narrowed his eyes at him and spoke firmly, emphasizing his speech word by word.
“Don’t ask useless questions. Don’t be annoying, don’t annoy me, and if you just quietly follow me like you don’t exist…”
The wizard snorted. “Why don’t you just glue my mouth shut?”
Riftan spoke harshly through his teeth.“If you can’t do it, then get off the f*cking wagon now!”
“…who said I can’t do it?” Ruth immediately lowered his tail. “Fine. I’ll be so quiet that you won’t even notice I’m right next to you.”
Riftan eyed him suspiciously and let out a small sigh. When the atmosphere completely changed, Ruth hummed softly and wrapped a blanket around his body to avoid the bite of the cold wind. It was obvious that the trip was going to maddeningly annoying. Riftan gritted his teeth and closed his eyes shut.
***
Contrary to his expectations, the wizard was not the worst companion he could have had. Most of the time, he was lying down cocooned in a blanket, taking a carefree nap. And when he was awake, he did his part diligently as well, such as setting up and lighting a bonfire or preparing a meal.
Occasionally, he would be annoying when he grumbled to himself or bothered Riftan, but when he shot the wizard a serious glare, he would immediately shut his mouth. After all, it was something that he could tolerate.
They traveled riding the horse-drawn wagon for a full day and rested in a small village. Fortunately, they were able to join merchants heading for the southern region. At first the merchants were reluctant to hire them, but most of the mercenaries had already journeyed north in preparation for the civil war, so they had no choice.
Riftan was paid six silver coins for escorting merchants to Osyria. It was a ridiculously low sum, but he didn’t bother to negotiate since his purpose wasn’t really the money but a way to travel. Moreover, looking for a merchant who would hire a mixed-blooded man like him in the northern region was comparable to searching for a needle buried in a haystack.
“Here, that’s the pay.” Riftan said, handing Ruth three silver coins.
The wizard took it coldly and gave him a disappointed expression. “Is this the only way that we could travel for a thousand miles?”
“If you have any complaints, go back to the Black Horn Mercenaries now. Getting jobs that pay like these is common if you don’t have a middleman.” (Note – Middlemen are people who finds the mercenaries clients to work for, e.g. Samon)
Riftan answered bluntly and loaded his luggage on the saddle. He had no choice but to purchase two horses so that they could escort the wagons properly. Riftan looked at the horse that seemed too weak for him to ride on, then looked at the group of merchants preparing for the trip.
Their group consisted of twelve mercenaries and fourteen merchants. Although the merchants appeared to have good physiques, like most northerners, he couldn’t be sure whether they would be helpful in case they encountered a horde of monsters or thieves.
Riftan gauged the mercenaries’ skills with his scrutinizing eyes and went to the middle of the procession. When all preparations were completed for the journey, they departed the village and began to move south.
Their journey went smoother than he expected. Although a blizzard struck them in the middle of their journey, there was a positive note in it, since there were lower chances of encountering thieves or monsters on a bad day. They were able to reach a small town in the south through the frozen land without any mishaps. There, they took a rest and left straight for the borders.
After about two weeks of travel, Riftan was finally able to see some grassland. Osyria’s plains, which marked the season of rain, were covered with a fresh green color, and a group of deer leisurely drank clear water from a brisk flowing stream. They settled their wagons near the stream and let the horses graze in the grass.
“I think we will reach the capital in a week or so.”
A merchant, who was sitting on the coach’s seat, looked at the map and then turned to Riftan to ask. “What do you plan on doing when we reach our destination?”
Riftan looked at him with a confused face. He was wary whenever people talked to him as he always wore an unapproachable aura. He chewed on a jerky and replied in a sour tone.
“I’ll rest for a few days and then look for a new quest.”
The merchant’s face suddenly became noticeably brighter. “We’ll be staying for around 10 days, purchasing some goods, and then we’ll go back to Balto. Will you still be my escort? I’ll pay you double the price on our way back.”
Riftan’s lips lifted at the corner. They encountered a pack of werewolf cubs twice while crossing the border. He guessed the merchant took a liking to him after seeing his skills that he exhibited during the attack. Riftan stuffed the rest of the jerky into his mouth and dusted his hands.
“I appreciate the offer, but I have to decline. I’m planning to stay in Osyria for the time being.”
A faint expression of disappointment clouded the merchant’s face. “Perhaps, are you planning to participate in the sword competition held by the church?”
Riftan frowned at the question which was out of the blue. “Sword Competition?”
“Didn’t you hear about it? It’s a huge competition where swordsmen exhibit their skills and compete, while the nobles and royalty from all countries spectate. It’s the perfect place for a wandering swordsman like you to make himself known.”
“Aren’t those competitions usually limited for knights to participate?”
“That’s not the case, even in jousting matches, anyone can freely participate. The sword competition is hosted by the high church and the fee to join the competition is only two denars.”
Rifan sneered. Two denars was an amount that commoners could hardly touch in their entire lives. There was nothing in the high church but a bunch of inflated idiots doing business to climb a fake hierarchical ladder for status. Riftan pulled out his canteen, drank to quench his dry throat, and responded coldly.
“I’m not interested.”
“With skills like that, don’t you think you’ll surely catch the eyes of nobles?”