Merchant Noble is out (2/4 chapters for today)
Escape
(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)
When Tyr’s army was annihilated, a mop-up battle was taking place along the border. The adventurers who fled in all directions were captured one after another, and those who resisted fiercely were killed on the spot.
“A single adventurer has escaped!” (Soldier)
“Don’t let them escape! Chase—!” (Soldier)
With the shouts of Jeanne’s soldiers at her back, Mia desperately ran away, abandoning her comrades.
“This way!” (Mia)
Due to the sudden attack, Mia didn’t even have time to get on a horse and fled on foot. Since she would have no chance if pursued by horses, she escaped into the mountains along the way.
“Haaaaaa!!” (Mia)
With legs and hips trained through years of adventuring, she sprinted up the grassy, wooded mountain slope in one go. Then, she ran through the mountain at an incredible speed. She dodged trees, leaped over a small river. Even animals startled by the sudden appearance of a human jumped out of the bushes and ran away, only to be overtaken by her. At one point, her foot got caught in a vine, and she nearly crashed headfirst, but she flipped into a backflip and kept running.
“What the… that one…” (Soldier)
Even the soldiers, as expected, could not keep up with her nimble movements.
Their shouts gradually faded, and by the time she entered the second mountain, they had completely disappeared.
“Did I shake them off…?” (Mia)
Mia cautiously turned around, and the presence of pursuers had completely vanished.
“Fuu. Ugh…” (Mia)
As relief set in, a sharp pain ran through her back. When she reached around to touch her back, she found several arrows stuck in her. She had been so focused on escaping that she hadn’t noticed, but it seemed she had been shot with arrows. Since Mia was wearing an adventurer’s belly guard, the arrows had not pierced deeply. What she needed to be careful of in this situation was not the arrow wounds themselves, but the bleeding.
“If I pull the arrows out now, there is a risk of unstoppable bleeding. For now, I should keep running without removing them. My body! Please hold out until then!” (Mia)
While speaking her usual loud monologue, Mia encouraged her own body and started running again.
“This incident must have been an unexpected ambush for the Warden Household. Because if they had known beforehand, they would have taken measures in advance. Which means, not only Tyr-sama but also Arc-sama is in danger. Tyr-sama is surely under attack right now, so I won’t make it in time, but I must somehow deliver the information and explain the situation to Ark-sama and Minerva-sama.” (Mia)
From her not-at-all-bad reasoning, Mia deduced that Arc in Mikanda was in danger.
Shouting loudly to encourage her own body, she ran through the night without rest.
“Hang in there! Hang in there, me—!” (Mia)
She was a prodigy who had become a third-rank adventurer at this young age. She had more than enough stamina to run for three days and three nights. However, this time, by sunrise, she was already staggering. Due to anemia from blood loss in her back, she was on the verge of collapsing.
“Haa… haa… my legs are heavy. At this rate, I won’t make it back to Mikanda. This is troubling.” (Mia)
Finding a suitable tree stump, Mia collapsed onto it as if falling.
“This is clearly a man-made stump. Which means, it wouldn’t be strange if there’s a house nearby.” (Mia)
Taking deep breaths to steady her breathing, Mia massaged her thighs while looking around. Her vision was distorted and blurry from anemia, but she could make out a small hut in the distance. And not only that, but there was also a horse tied up beside the hut.
“If I use that horse, I can get back to Mikanda in an instant…” (Mia)
Since it was an emergency, would it be acceptable to steal it?
For a brief moment, a wicked thought crossed Mia’s mind.
“No, no. I am a third-rank adventurer. A person who must be an example to others!” (Mia)
She quickly shook her head to dispel the thought.
Then, raising her heavy body, she wobbled toward the hut and knocked timidly on the door.
“Yes, who is it?” (Verite)
The door opened slightly, revealing a woman’s face.
There were some wrinkles on her face, suggesting she was quite old, but her toned physique and sharp eyes made her look very youthful. And perhaps she was trying to hide it, but her composure in seeing the blood-soaked Mia without even a change in expression was remarkable.
Mia knelt and greeted her. Rather than to show respect, it was simply because she couldn’t stand.
“I am Mia, a third-rank adventurer. I was participating in a certain war, but my allies are in a dire crisis. In order to quickly convey this emergency to the lord, I have come to ask you to lend me your horse.” (Mia)
The woman glanced at the arrows stuck in Mia’s back but still did not show much sympathy.
“That is unfortunate. However, in this deep forest, that horse is our only means of transportation. Without it, I cannot go into town for shopping, nor can I escape if pursuers… or bandits break into my home. I ask for your understanding.” (??)
“P-please wait!” (Mia)
Mia crawled and grabbed the closing door.
Then, she took off the silver necklace hanging around her neck and held it out.
“This is my only possession. It is the silver seal, proof of a third-rank adventurer. This seal guarantees social credibility and would sell for a hundred gold coins. Please, allow me to purchase the horse with this silver seal.” (Mia)
The woman stared at the necklace for a while but then returned it with a troubled expression.
“A hundred gold coins… But this is the most important thing for an adventurer like you, is it not?” (Verite)
As she said, this necklace was more important to Mia than her life. However, Mia had no hesitation.
“Please, allow me to sell it. Time is of the essence. If everything becomes too late because of me, I won’t be able to face my lord.” (Mia)
As the woman struggled with Mia’s desperate plea, a voice called from inside the house.
“Verite. Come here for a moment.” (??)
“Leone-sama.” (Verite)
The woman called Verite entered the house and spoke with the boy called Leone.
“This adventurer is saying this much. If we don’t give her the horse…” (Leone)
“But she has seen our location. To be thorough, she is a person who should be eliminated here.” (Verite)
“Verite. That is wrong. You always say it, don’t you? ‘Always act with royal dignity.’” (Leone)
“…” (Verite)
“If the horse is gone, we will simply walk. It’s not like our lives are particularly busy, anyway. Right?” (Leone)
“Understood.” (Verite)
Having obtained Verite’s consent, Leone lifted the half-conscious Mia.
“Stand up, adventurer with arrows in your back. We require nothing. I believe this horse should be ridden by a loyal subject like you. Now, take it.” (Leone)
“Thank you… kind people. I will never forget this debt. I swear upon the name of Mia, a third-rank adventurer, that I will surely repay this favor.” (Mia)
With tears streaming down her face, Mia expressed her gratitude.
Then, with Verite’s help, she mounted the horse and, whipping her near-unconscious body, set off toward Mikanda.
(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)
Please consider supporting Bayabusco Translation @
bayabuscotranslation 