Martial Elf

“Can we perhaps proceed with this trading expedition until the end?”

“Remil!”

“Ah.”

Kyle shouted in surprise, while Deadol chastised him in a stern voice.

For them, this trading venture was already a failed one.

All the carts carrying goods had been destroyed, many of the products were damaged and unusable, and not only were there fatalities, but the surviving members were all injured in varying degrees.

As seen in the recent incident with the wolves, this world still demanded that humans risk their lives merely to roam outside.

To depart without carts, burdened by injuries, and attempt to return to the original trading path would be a fool’s errand, even if one had two lives.

“Well… we stretched ourselves a bit thin by going into debt to start this trading venture. If we can sort out what’s left now, we might not profit, but at least we could break even…”

When I glanced at his face, he turned red and averted his gaze.

That was understandable.

The words of Remil, someone who had the eyes of a weasel, were predicated on one premise.

From their perspective, I was someone who had suddenly appeared and scared the wolf pack away with my mere presence.

Whatever measures I had taken, they probably deemed me capable of ensuring their safety.

However, I had chased off the wolves and treated their wounds, yet they were asking for a guard like a concession.

It’s like pulling someone out of water, then demanding they hand over their belongings.

No matter how thick-skinned a merchant might be, it was embarrassing.

“…In a death situation, we owe our lives to you and now can safely return to Pohelrn. Please do not make us feel ashamed any further.”

“Ahem…”

Other merchants turned their heads, awkwardly clearing their throats.

In fact, even Deadol, who said such things, seemed to be subtly hoping for that proposal, repeatedly glancing at me.

“Deadol, how far do you have left to go until you reach your target destination from here?”

“…If we walk briskly, about two weeks. However, given Bairen’s condition…”

“And how far is it to Pohelrn from here?”

“Roughly the same, but it would take a bit less time to get to Pohelrn.”

The first humans I encountered.

Risking their lives to trade, yet they still couldn’t avoid misfortune.

Fortunately, they saved their lives through my help, but they were on the verge of losing even more than before departing from Pohelrn, which would make Remil and the other merchants desperate.

And since I intended to operate in the human world, having allies was an essential condition for smooth results.

Remil and the other humans might not be the type to expect gratitude for their favors, but Deadol had been cooperative even before I helped their trading venture, so it wouldn’t hurt to owe him a kindness.

If I decided to help Deadol, I would end up helping the others as well.

If there was no urgent need to rush toward Pohelrn, taking a month to circumvent the current human situation didn’t seem like a major problem.

“Well… I can’t refuse that much.”

At those words, the merchants’ attention, previously distracted, focused back on me, but because they thought it too obvious, they turned their faces red.

“Is it really alright?”

“Mm. I don’t have any particular urgency. I want to see how humans live in various ways. I wouldn’t mind helping out while I’m at it.”

“…Thank you.”

I turned toward Bairen and spoke.

“First of all, he’s dealt with, but walking directly for a while will be difficult. The elf’s healing works well, but I honestly don’t know if it works well on humans, and his injuries are quite severe.”

“Since we need to make a carrying frame anyway, we can carve out small wheels to put underneath a plank and drag it along. Perhaps for larger carts, it wouldn’t work, but making something small should be manageable.”

Though that night had been a terrifying experience they wouldn’t forget, it seemed the merchants began to see hope, as they quickly ignited their discussions about plans for the following day.

I slowly turned my gaze toward the fire, enjoying the lively atmosphere of the night that had returned after a long time.

◈ ◈ ◈

Kyle woke up, blinking away sleep, and looked around.

The companions who had been gathered around the campfire sharing stories were sprawled out, having utterly exhausted themselves with the terrifying experiences of the night and leaving only a weak ember smoldering in the fire.

A deer, lowering its body and yawning as if bored, glanced his way before resuming its yawn and letting its neck droop.

…It felt somewhat absurd.

“Mm…”

As dawn broke after a long night, the horrors of yesterday flooded back.

Unlike the view in the moonlight, the campsite revealed a horrific scene under the sun.

Grounds soaked in blood, dark and clotted.

And seeing the pieces of flesh with yellow fat stained with dried blood, it made him feel nauseous.

Things he hadn’t fully grasped because of the fear the night brought were now powerfully present.

They were far too grotesque to continue staring at, so he kicked the ground to cover up the traces and used broken wooden planks to push away the remains, piling them in one spot and covering them with dirt.

As he worked, the sight of his companions lazily sprawled out annoyed him.

And though their clothes were tattered in various places, their state was in shambles. As he headed to the water’s edge to wash, he found someone else had beaten him there.

“Are you awake?”

It was the elf who introduced herself as El Araya yesterday.

She was processing the two martens she had caught, having removed their entrails.

While she soaked the meat in water to drain the blood, she was scraping the fat off the skin, having already peeled it with her knife.

‘…Her eyelashes are long.’

She had appeared dreamlike in the moonlight or campfire light, but in daylight, she looked unreal.

With straight brows and gem-like green eyes.

A perfectly formed, proud nose, lips like fruit.

And golden hair that seemed to reflect light from melted gold down to her waist.

With attire in colors he had never seen before.

The way she efficiently handled two beasts was so far removed from her appearance that Kyle felt as if his sense of reality had shattered and he was floating on clouds.

‘Oh…?’

Something throbbed in his chest.

Was he feeling unwell from the shock of the wolf attack and the death of his companion?

“What are you standing there for? If you’re going to wash, you should hurry up and do it.”

Before he knew it, Araya had finished her processing and was passing by with the meat and skins.

Kyle, gazing blankly at her retreating figure, snapped to his senses and began to wash his face.

As the cold water splashed against his face, the heat faded, and he regained his composure a bit.

“Get it together.”

While the mysterious elf who had chased off the pack of wolves had joined them, trading always meant risking one’s life.

Especially since he had lost half of his companions and had to carry the injured as well.

Kyle felt the touch of the salt pouch in his chest with his right hand as he returned to the campsite.

◈ ◈ ◈

However, contrary to Kyle’s resolve from earlier, the remaining trading journey was smooth.

Throughout the journey, there were no signs of beasts or monsters lurking nearby.

Moreover, their new companion was a capable hunter.

She periodically brought back small game or mushrooms and wild vegetables, and for Kyle, who had subsisted on raw onions while trading, it was much better than the food he had eaten in the city.

She meticulously managed the peels of the hunted animals, smoking and drying the skins, then making ropes from long leaves to bind them together.

Considering they were all only carrying burdens since they lacked carts, it was far more pleasant than when they were better equipped for the trading journey.

In fact, Kyle didn’t have enough goods to carry, so he often helped carry Araya’s bundle of skins.

During the journey, Kyle learned a lot about Araya.

Seeing her attitude, he initially thought she just appeared young due to her species, but it turned out she was actually just 10 years old. (For some reason, Kyle felt disappointed by that.)

She had survived an encounter with giants while making her way from the western lands, which no human had ever set foot in. (She claimed she apprenticed under that giant, but it honestly sounded like a lie.)

And she mentioned that she was born from the flower of the World Tree, the Mother Earth Goddess. (Although he thought it was unbelievable, Araya somehow made it feel plausible.)

So this capable and unique elf had joined the trading venture, and they reached their targeted village without much difficulty.

Upon arriving in the village, it was merchant time.

The companions, who once wept over their sorry state while gazing at the campfire, had quickly transformed into merchants.

Though the villagers expressed concern over their tattered condition and sought to take advantage of it to haggle prices, the resilience of the merchants, who had survived life-threatening encounters, was formidable.

After a myriad of disputes, they managed to sell their goods at slightly better prices than expected.

The pivotal role had undoubtedly been played by Deadol’s strong emphasis on the wolf pack’s existence.

“To get here, we faced a wolf pack that killed half our companions and caused us to lose a lot of goods! If you do not offer us fair prices, we won’t consider returning to this village! If there are no more merchants visiting your village, can you handle the consequences?”

As the small village couldn’t supply all essential goods, Deadol’s threat carried significant weight.

The village trader groaned but eventually conceded.

Though they had all suffered together, they celebrated their successful trading venture back at the accommodation.

Kyle exchanged 70 silver coins for a quantity of salt that would normally be worth two gold coins and a bundle of processed skins and dried herbs that would net him 40 silver coins in Pohelrn.

His wealth nearly doubled with that one trading journey.

As Kyle felt the weight of the silver coins in his pocket, he became momentarily emotional.

He took out five silver coins from his pouch and approached Araya, placing them on the table before her.

The other merchants, seeing this, began to take out their silver as well, and only Remil, glancing nervously, placed three silver coins on the table but, sweating under the piercing gazes from Deadol and Kyle, quickly retrieved two more coins to add to his contribution.

With Deadol now contributing to Bairen’s share, the total reached 30 coins.

Seeing a pile of silver coins before her, a smirk blossomed on Araya’s face as she accepted a pouch to store them.

“Quite an unexpected income. I will use it gratefully.”

“Now regarding the journey to Pohelrn, Bairen and I will rest here temporarily to recover from our wounds. Bairen’s injuries are significant, and I doubt he can endure traveling for a month like this. We may take longer, but we will surely return to repay the favor I mentioned earlier.”

“I don’t mind, but are you sure? Without my presence, you will be directly exposed to threats from beasts like the wolves.”

“I plan to hire hunters from this village for protection. Winter is approaching, and there isn’t much for hunters to do. This would be a side job.”

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