Chapter 48: It Was Supposed to Be Only One Cart

I returned to Sedol not only to sightsee.

I told Rue’s chief where I was going, promised Lina another report, and intended to answer the man who requested an escort.

I was inclined to accept—but only after defining the task and reward.

Avoiding Sedol’s airspace, I landed in the familiar open field, then walked to the entrance and asked permission to enter.

A man was surprised I bothered. I explained I didn’t want to enter unannounced.

“You may, as long as you stay away from horses and carts. People know what you did east of town.”

I entered.

I didn’t know the requester’s name.

“…The person who asked me to guard cargo.”

“Who?”

“…Didn’t ask name.”

The gate man laughed and advised waiting in the cargo yard; the requester would find a dragon before the dragon found him.

He was right.

“Val!”

The man appeared.

“…Before answer, I ask. Name.”

A pause.

“Ah. Rody. I send cargo east.”

“…Rody.”

I asked exactly how far the escort would extend.

Rody first said beyond the bridge, to the region where I had previously seen wolves. After thought, we agreed: the task ended at the farthest area I had already scouted, or earlier if danger made progress impossible.

I would prioritize humans over cargo. Rody added that cart breakdowns and lost wheels weren’t my responsibility; he wanted help specifically against magical beasts.

“…Reward?”

Rody laughed. “You remembered to ask.”

“The chief told me.”

I could choose money or goods.

“…Meat. Something that keeps.”

Dried meat could be provided.

Neither of us knew a standard price for hiring a dragon.

Rody proposed showing what he could reasonably pay, allowing me to reject it before taking the job. A bundle of narrow dried strips was brought.

“Not the whole bundle,” Rody hurried to say. “About half for one escort.”

It wasn’t a cartload, naturally. I didn’t know whether it was a high or low fee, but food was precious even in Rue.

“…I’ll try for that.”

Rody extended his hand, saw my claws, and lowered it.

“Please.”

“…Please.”

The agreement should have ended there.

Another merchant approached.

“If Val is going east, I’ll travel too.”

Rody scowled. “I didn’t hire him for your cargo.”

“I don’t need to. I’m only using the same highway.”

He was benefiting without paying, but the highway wasn’t Rody’s.

I clarified: if wolves endangered humans, I would help. I made no promise to protect the other merchant’s cargo.

The man accepted.

Rody’s cart was prepared with sacks, crates, and two armed guards.

I explained I would fly at a distance because the horse feared me. I could watch the road and forest edges, but not see through the woods. The guards agreed to remain alert.

That reassured me. I couldn’t handle everything alone.

The cart left Sedol.

At first there was only Rody’s cart, with the opportunistic merchant and packhorse behind.

Then two waiting travelers joined the line.

Farther on, another man rose from the roadside and joined with a packhorse.

I climbed higher and looked back.

The procession was plainly longer than when it left town.

Rody noticed too but couldn’t drive anyone from a public road.

Before the rocky stretch, I landed far from the horses and waited.

“Did you see something?” Rody asked.

“…No. The people increased.”

Rody looked back.

“…Are those your cargo?”

“Not one piece.”

“…I heard one cart.”

“I also expected one cart.”

The followers waited openly at a distance. Their reasoning was easy to understand: if the eastern road was dangerous, travel while a dragon was present.

But a longer line changed the task. Watching the front hid the rear, and moving back obscured the front. Rody’s guards weren’t hired for everyone either.

“…What if more join?”

“Don’t ask. I’m thinking.”

The highway continued east beyond the rocks. No wolves were visible yet.

But trouble might come not only from the east.