Not a barbarian warrior.

“Well… Th-Then I’m stamping…”

Lorena swallowed hard, signed the contract, and finally pressed her inked finger to make a thumbprint. When she lifted her finger, her fingerprint was clearly imprinted on the paper.

The contract was made in front of a notary. It couldn’t be undone now. Having crossed a river of no return, she felt her heart pounding.

How long had she stayed in this city? Now, leaving behind her comfortable nest, an endless journey finally lay before her. She couldn’t predict how dangerous and arduous it would be. But it was okay. Because she would be with Eugene.

“Thank you for the good deal. As written in the contract, please hand over the house keys within three days.”

“Th-Thank you…”

“Then we’ll be going now.”

After the notary and buyer left, Lorena received a heavy pouch in exchange for her thumbprint. It was filled with shining gold and silver coins.

“Hu… Huhu… Eugene, we-we can’t turn back now… Right?”

There was no trace of anxiety or fear in her eyes. Rather, they were filled with enthusiasm, passion, and anticipation.

“Yes. Now let’s go buy the things we planned.”

“O-Okay…”

She stuck close to Eugene’s side as they moved. The first place the two headed was Carlisle’s blacksmith street. Eugene had Lorena try on various types of armor.

From gambesons made with thick linen padding, to brigandines with iron plates inside, and even full breastplates hammered from solid iron. After trying these on in order, Lorena said in bewilderment:

“Eu-Eugene… Do I really have to wear this…? I’m a magician…? Not a warrior like you…?”

“You must wear armor and a helmet even if they’re heavy. If we didn’t have money, we might compromise with just a gambeson, but there’s no need for that now.”

“Hmm… Couldn’t we use the artifact I have…?”

“…?”

Lorena showed the bracelet on her arm. When she put mana into it, a translucent membrane covered her entire body.

“…What is this?”

“It-It’s a veil woven from mana… It can block a few arrows…”

“Really?”

When Lorena nodded confidently, Eugene looked at her unable to hide his surprise and said:

“…Lorena, can’t you make one of these for me too?”

“Um… Eugene doesn’t have the skill… You wouldn’t be able to use it anyway…”

“How much magical training would it take to be able to use that?”

“Hmm… Given the progress so far… About seven years from now? No, maybe ten years…?”

“…”

At that rate, it might be faster for Eugene to earn money and buy full plate armor. He shook his head and said to Lorena:

“…Alright. But we still need armor just in case. Iron is too heavy, and cloth is too weak for defense. Hmm… Even if it’s expensive, leather would be better.”

Following Eugene’s advice, Lorena bought a hooded coat. Perhaps because it was made of kelpie leather, famous for its toughness, it was as expensive as decent armor. She also bought a pair of boots with thick, cushioned soles and gloves to go with it.

Lorena’s hand trembled as she took out gold coins from her pouch. The shopkeeper quickly snatched the gold coins and bowed his head.

After purchasing the armor, the two headed to the market. It was to buy a carriage they would ride on their journey.

Having never purchased such an item before, the two had no idea what was good or bad. As they were contemplating for a while, someone approached them.

Had he just passed twenty? The man, still retaining a youthful face, approached without hesitation and kindly explained while pointing to a certain carriage:

“If you’re looking for something sturdy, this one would be good. Made with durable oak and walnut, it should be able to run on rough roads without much trouble. As you can see, the wheels are thicker than others. The waterproofing has also been done meticulously.”

Eugene, who had been listening quietly to the explanation, asked him when he finished speaking:

“…Ah, thank you. Are you perhaps the owner of this shop?”

“I’m not. But I am someone who has business with you, Eugene.”

“…With me?”

“Let me introduce myself first. My name is Dietrich. I’m a traveling merchant who goes around the city buying and selling goods. I have something I’d like to request from you.”

“I’m planning to leave this place soon.”

“I’m well aware of that.”

“How do you…”

“Didn’t you say farewell to people around you in advance? When a famous figure of Carlisle is leaving, people with sharp ears like me all know about it.”

“Ah.”

“There are traveling merchants with me. We’re looking for an escort to accompany us to our destination as we leave this city. The compensation will not disappoint you. What do you think?”

Eugene turned his head to look at Lorena beside him. She said to the merchant Dietrich:

“We’re going to Brugen… We-We need to go north from here, so if the direction doesn’t match, we can’t accept the request…”

“That’s perfect. We’re going to Eslan. It’s a city on the way to Brugen, so the direction matches.”

“Hmm… If that’s the case… What about the compensation?”

“Um… But who are you?”

Dietrich knew about Eugene but had never heard of Lorena, who had been cooped up at home all day. Realizing her mistake, she quickly introduced herself:

“I-I’m Lorena. Eugene’s companion.”

“…?”

As Dietrich made a questioning expression, Eugene intervened:

“She’s a magician. Her skills are as good as mine, no, in some aspects even better, so there’s no need to worry.”

At those words, Dietrich looked at Lorena with wide eyes. She slightly pulled out her staff from her bosom to show him.

“It’s alright. You don’t need to prove it here. Now, about the compensation-”

Just as Dietrich was about to propose an amount, the merchant selling carriages intervened:

“My lord, if… if you’re not planning to buy anything, could you please move over there?”

At those words, Dietrich said to Eugene in embarrassment:

“Ah, let’s take care of your business first. I was too hasty.”

Eugene’s group not only bought the carriage Dietrich recommended but also a suitable horse to pull it and various other things needed for travel. Then the three headed to Lorena’s house. Dietrich made an attractive proposal to the two:

“I’ll pay five silver coins per day. If we encounter monsters or bandits along the way, I’ll pay extra. This additional payment will start from at least ten silver coins. Of course, any loot obtained will all be yours.”

It would take about two weeks to get from Carlisle to Eslan. Seventy-five silver coins just for arriving without any incidents? Lorena thought this was a request they absolutely had to accept.

“G-Good…! That request, we’ll acc-”

“Wait.”

However, Eugene’s thoughts were a bit different. The compensation seemed too good no matter how he looked at it. This wasn’t an amount that mere traveling merchants could afford to pay. Moreover, even if they had the ability to pay, he had never heard of cases where five silver coins were given per day.

Eugene glared at Dietrich. His eyes were filled with deep suspicion.

“This isn’t compensation you’d receive for protecting mere traveling merchants. There’s always something in cases like this. You’re hiding something. We won’t accept the request.”

Dietrich was greatly flustered and hurriedly said:

“I was about to explain that part. First, would you look at this?”

He took out a small box from his bosom and opened it. Inside was a ring. A large ruby sparkled on top of an intricately crafted gold ring. It was clearly a luxury item of tremendous value.

“This is one of the most expensive items we deal with. Our carts are full of things like this. It might sound a bit odd to say this, but we’re not mere traveling merchants. We’re like walking gold. I didn’t propose high compensation for no reason.”

“I see… Then….”

“What you’re thinking is correct. Even before coming to this city, we’ve encountered many who coveted our goods. Because of that, many skilled escorts have died. I need someone like you. Someone with excellent skills and enough honor not to betray us with eyes turned by wealth.”

Dietrich explained in as much detail as possible how often and on what scale they had been attacked, what level of danger was expected in the future, how many escorts they currently had, and what their armament status was.

While Eugene was lost in thought with his arms crossed, Lorena couldn’t take her eyes off the ruby-studded ring.

“Ho-How much does this cost…?”

“For items like this, there’s usually no set price. You just have to hope to find the right owner.”

“Bu-But you must have some idea of how much you’d like to sell it for…”

“Well… To be honest, we should receive at least this much…”

Dietrich quietly wrote a number on his palm.

“Five… Fifty silver coins…?”

He shook his head at Lorena’s words.

“No way… Five gold coins…?”

At those words, Dietrich nodded and added:

“This is still talking about the minimum. By the way, you shouldn’t tell others about this.”

Just this tiny ring was worth five gold coins? Lorena nodded with her mouth still open in shock.

Meanwhile, Eugene, who had finished contemplating, looked at Lorena and asked:

“Lorena, what do you think?”

“I… I like it…”

“What?”

“This ring… Ah, no… The compensation and the content of the request… Everything seems fine…”

“It will be dangerous. Are you really okay with it?”

Lorena nodded.

She wasn’t scared at all. Although she was treated as a fool among magicians, she wasn’t so weak as to be easily defeated by mere bandits.

She was confident she could make such guys fall with just a few swings of her staff. Besides, with Eugene around, what was there to worry about?

Eugene thought a bit more even after hearing her words.

A request as soon as they left the city walls… And it seemed quite dangerous at that.

But it was worth trying. They had the skills cultivated in Carlisle so far, well-prepared armor, and even a magician accompanying them.

It was rare to find a job that paid this much compensation for a reasonably dangerous level.

Lorena had agreed, so it was just up to him to decide.

After thinking for a while longer, Eugene extended his hand.

Dietrich, greatly pleased, grasped his hand.

“I look forward to working with you until Eslan.”

“I’ll do my best for the money we receive.”