Some tens of minutes after Suimei and Lefille were reunited, the caravan set off without delay.
Their journey was off to a good start. If the rest of the trip could continue without any unwanted surprises, that would be fantastic.
What was left to them now was to make their way to Kurand while keeping an eye on the caravan. When it came to how far they had to travel, Suimei had already investigated the matter thoroughly beforehand.
Traveling between Mehter and Kurand was roughly a six or seven day trip. Due to the proximity of the capital city Mehter to the western border, the time it took to travel between these cities could still be seen as relatively short. Nevertheless, for a child of the modern era such as Suimei, walking for an entire day was fairly rough going.
During this time, they’d follow the stone road through forest and plateau, mountain and basin before eventually reaching their destination.
For the trip, Suimei had been positioned at the rear end of the caravan.
Those more worthy of trust – veterans of the guild and career mercenaries – led the way while Suimei and the others were responsible for keeping watch over the cargo.
Because human lives were seen as the priority, they’d been informed that were something to occur, they were to prioritize the safety of the wagon drivers over the cargo itself. On a different note, Suimei was currently walking alongside Lefille, who had similarly undertaken the responsibility of protecting the caravan goods.
Perhaps owing to the earlier awkwardness, as the trip first began, Lefille mostly kept to herself, keeping an eye on the wagons, horses, and their surroundings, only occasionally breaking the silence.
Slowly but surely, however, because their ages were so close as well as the fact that they were colleagues engaged in the same task, conversation between them gradually grew warmer.
Accompanied by the gentle sounds of the horses’ hooves against the road, the turning of the wagon wheels, and the gentle breeze blowing across the plains, Suimei and Lefille chatted with one another.
“—And the Goddess Arshuna?”
“Ah, she is the creator of heaven and earth, the one who maintains the existence of this world. This is what the Church of Salvation teaches. She is the Most High, standing above all others.”
“I see…”
Suimei pondered as he listened to Lefille’s words.