Chapter 47: Merchant Caravan
Isolde waved her hand dismissively, her crimson eyes half-lidded as if bored. "No need for repayment. We just happened to be passing through."
Oliver scratched the back of his head, clearly uncomfortable at the man’s deep bow. "Seriously, it’s fine. Just... focus on patching your people up first. They look pretty banged up."
"Oh, don’t worry about that. We have healing potions with us," the man said quickly. Straightening, he extended his arm for a handshake. "My name is Rolf. I’m the head of this caravan, and the one you saved is my daughter, Mia."
Oliver took his hand and gave it a brief shake, nodding.
"What are you doing in a forest like this without proper escorts?" Isolde asked bluntly, crossing her arms. "You do realize it’s dangerous out here, don’t you?"
At that, Rolf’s expression turned sour. "Hah... what can I say? We had escorts, but those bastards ran the moment they saw the Tuskhorn." His voice rose with anger, his hands balling into fists. "I’ll file a formal complaint with the guild. I’ll make sure they never get another escort mission again—"
"Father." Mia placed a calming hand on his arm, patting it gently. "It’s no use getting angry now. At least everyone’s alive."
Rolf let out a long sigh but nodded, visibly forcing himself to calm down.
Mia turned toward Oliver and Isolde with a curious look. "What about you two? Were you in the forest for a quest? Are you adventurers?"
Oliver shook his head. "No, we were just passing through. Trying to reach the nearest settlement. Do you know of any village or town nearby?"
"Of course we do," Rolf said, perking up. "There’s a village about an hour from here on foot, but if you want a proper town, it’s a full day’s walk. We were headed there ourselves. Why don’t you join us as escorts? You’ll get there faster with our wagons, and we’ll pay you escort fees too."
Oliver glanced at the splintered wagons and broken wheels scattered around the area. "Uh, not to be rude, but your wagons don’t exactly look ready for travel right now."
Rolf puffed up his chest, looking slightly proud despite the situation. "Oh, dear mister, you don’t need to worry about that. We always travel with spare parts and skilled hands to repair damage. We’ll have everything back in shape before nightfall."
"Yet you were almost killed," Isolde remarked dryly, her voice like a pin pricking his pride.
Rolf deflated instantly, letting out a sheepish laugh. "W-Well... who could’ve predicted that our escorts would abandon us?"
Oliver quickly cut in before the mood soured further. "Ha... ha... Right, no one could’ve seen that coming. Anyway, since we’ve agreed, let’s not waste more time standing around. We’re still in the forest, and another attack could come any moment."
Rolf nodded in agreement, already barking orders to the caravan crew to begin repairs. Mia, still standing nearby, gave Oliver and Isolde a grateful smile before hurrying to help the others.
~~~
The repair work began almost immediately. Caravan hands scrambled to gather spare wheels and tools, working with the sort of quiet desperation of people who had nearly died minutes earlier.
Oliver stood nearby, awkwardly leaning against a tree. He wasn’t much of a craftsman, and truthfully, he’d only get in the way if he tried to help. So he mostly just stood guard, keeping an eye on the tree line in case more monsters showed up.
Isolde, however, watched the slow, clumsy repairs for all of five minutes before sighing loudly. "Honestly... you humans take forever."
Rolf, who had been crouched next to a broken axle, looked up in confusion. "Uh... we’re going as fast as we can, Lady Mage—"
"Step aside." Isolde clapped her hands once, and several glowing rune circles appeared around the damaged wagon parts.
The caravan workers hesitated but instinctively obeyed, stepping back.
The runes flared to life, and before anyone could blink, the broken wheels rose into the air, floating smoothly over to the wagons. Axles straightened themselves with a crackling sound as wood magically knitted back together. Loose cargo lifted off the ground, stacking itself neatly back into place as if following an invisible blueprint.
In less than three minutes, the wreckage was gone — the caravan looked as though it had never been attacked at all.
The workers all stood there, slack-jawed.
Even Oliver had to whistle. "Well... that’s one way to do it."
Isolde dusted her hands theatrically, as though she had done something trivial. "There. You people can stop crawling around in the dirt now."
Rolf stared at the restored wagons in awe, then looked at Isolde with something between reverence and ambition. If I could hire someone like her permanently... my caravan would never be in danger again.
But he quickly dismissed the thought. Someone this powerful wouldn’t waste her time working for a small-time merchant like him.
Still, he bowed deeply again. "Lady Mage, you have my sincerest gratitude. You saved us twice in a single day."
Isolde simply turned on her heel and walked back to Oliver. "Let’s just get moving before more trouble shows up."
Within the hour, the caravan was back on the road. The wagons rolled smoothly despite the earlier damage, creaking softly as they made their way along the dirt path.
Oliver and Isolde took positions near the front, walking alongside the lead wagon.
"You know," Oliver said, glancing back at the repaired wagons, "you basically made everyone here your fan for life."
Isolde smirked. "Of course I did. A proper mage should leave mortals awestruck."
"You’re really full of yourself, aren’t you?"
"Huh~ A weakling like you wouldn’t know the feeling that comes from the admiring gazes of people." She said arrogantly,
Oliver coughed into his fist and turned forward again. "Whatever. At least this will get us out of the forest faster."
The caravan moved steadily, the forest around them growing quieter as dusk approached. The earlier tension of the attack had been replaced by the rhythmic sound of wheels and hooves. Occasionally, Mia peeked out of the carriage window, smiling shyly at Oliver and Isolde before ducking back inside.
For the first time since entering the forest, Oliver felt like they were actually headed somewhere — like he was leaving the darkness of the past behind, step by step.
The caravan moved steadily under the fading orange glow of dusk. The rhythmic creak of the wheels and the soft clip-clop of the horses’ hooves were oddly calming.
From the lead carriage, Mia poked her head out again, this time lingering a little longer. "Um... Oliver, Isolde, right?"
Oliver nodded. "Yeah?"
"Can I ask you something?" she said, tilting her head curiously.
"Sure," Oliver replied, though he suddenly became cautious.
"You two are so strong. Where are you from? It’s hard to digest you are not adventurers."
Oliver and Isolde exchanged a quick look. Neither wanted to tell the truth.
"We’re from the Valemont Empire," Oliver said after a moment. He kept his voice casual, as though it was the most normal thing in the world. "And no, we’re not adventurers. We’re just... friends, I guess. Out on an adventure of our own."
Isolde gave him a sidelong glance but didn’t correct him.
"Friends, huh?" Mia said, smiling knowingly.
Oliver pretended not to notice her tone.
From the driver’s bench, Rolf chuckled warmly. "Young people sure have aspirations. When I was your age, I also thought of traveling the world... until I realized there’s no money in it. And also lacked the strength too."
Oliver smirked. "Guess we’re doing it for more than money."
As they continued down the road, Oliver decided to turn the tables. "What about you guys? Where are you coming from?"
Rolf perked up at the question. "We’re from the Kingdom of Harrowind. Small place, nothing like the big empires, but the soil there is perfect for cotton cultivation. Our company—Silverloom Merchant Company—mostly deals in cotton fabrics. It’s our specialty."
"Cotton fabrics, huh?" Oliver said thoughtfully. "So that’s what’s in all those crates?"
"Exactly." Rolf grinned with pride. "See, in our kingdom, cotton’s cheap. But in Valebridge Town—the place we’re headed to—cotton is expensive. The soil there isn’t suited for growing it, so most of their cloth has to be imported. Even after factoring in the cost of travel, we can still make a good profit."
"Smart business," Oliver said with a nod.
"Thank you." Rolf’s grin widened. "Of course, if those damned escorts hadn’t run off, we’d have been there by noon. Still... thanks to Lady Mage here, we might still make good time."
Isolde just flicked her hair back and looked away, clearly uninterested in small talk.
Mia, on the other hand, kept sneaking glances at Oliver. "So... what’s it like traveling with such a powerful mage?" she asked innocently.
Oliver scratched the back of his head. "Exhausting," he said before he could stop himself.
Isolde turned her head sharply, narrowing her crimson eyes at him. "Excuse me?"
"Uh—I mean... it’s a learning experience!" Oliver said quickly, waving his hands.
Mia giggled at their bickering, and even some of the workers riding in the back chuckled softly.