Chapter 232: Departure

“Mr. Helag, I’m Tinian, one of the managers of the Ruby Chamber of Commerce here in Nightfall City. The caravan will be ready to depart this afternoon. If you’re prepared, you can come with me,” Tinian said.

Helag had anticipated leaving within the next couple of days, so they were already packed.

They returned to their rooms to gather their belongings.

Reese reluctantly glanced at the room one last time before following Helag downstairs.

“I didn’t expect a grand knight to take on our mission. To be honest, the reward isn’t that high, and the journey is long. Usually, someone of your level would choose an easier task,” Tinian remarked as they boarded the Ruby Chamber’s wagon.

Helag smiled, “We’re new adventurers. The reward isn’t our main concern; we’re more interested in gaining experience.”

“I heard you recently registered as adventurers. We’re lucky to have found you,” Tinian replied.

Helag nodded, “Though it’s our first time as adventurers, we’ll do our best to ensure the safety of the caravan and its goods.”

The wagon headed north, arriving at the northern gate of Nightfall City, where the caravan had gathered.

The caravan was large, with many wagons carrying various goods.

Most of the cargo was meant for the elves of Strange Valley, who were important clients of the Ruby Chamber.

The goods were tailored to elven tastes, aiming to sell as much as possible to them.

Though elves were often proud and disliked humans, they were generous and rarely haggled over prices.

As long as the goods were good, they’d pay without hesitation, even at higher prices.

Business with the elves was highly profitable, and many caravans sought the opportunity to trade with them.

However, the elves had strict standards for merchants, only dealing with those they trusted.

The Ruby Chamber had earned the elves’ trust through years of reliable service worldwide.

Ladoye, busy directing the caravan, oversaw the loading of goods, ensuring everything was handled properly.

Spotting Helag and his group, he paused his work and approached, “Mr. Helag, your wagon is over there. There won’t be much to do unless the caravan encounters danger.”

“Understood,” Helag nodded, leading David and Reese to their wagon.

To conceal their identities as wizards, they pretended not to know magic.

They carried large packs, placing them inside the wagon.

The wagon was spacious enough for the three of them.

Reese sat on her knees, laying out a blanket, then glanced at David, “Sigh, no alone time with Helag…”

The caravan had only assigned them one wagon, meaning all three had to share it.

David, sensing the situation, offered, “I’ll drive the wagon. I won’t sleep inside; I’ll sleep outside, so I won’t bother you.”

Reese giggled, “Good, you’re smart.”

Helag chuckled at their exchange.

Reese, having recently tasted intimacy, wanted to spend every moment with Helag and wasn’t thrilled about David’s presence.

Poor David dutifully took the reins, becoming the wagon driver.

Originally, the caravan had assigned them a driver, but with David volunteering, it was no longer necessary.

Three hours later, the caravan was ready and began leaving the city in an orderly fashion.

The group consisted of over seventy people, including the caravan’s guards and about a dozen adventurers.

Helag’s group was among them, with Helag being the only grand knight.

There were only three knight-level adventurers, none particularly strong.

However, a few knights were enough for a caravan escort.

Caravans of this size were rarely targeted by bandits, who would be risking their lives.

Especially since this was the Ruby Chamber’s caravan.

Even if bandits succeeded in robbing it, the matter wouldn’t end there; the Ruby Chamber would surely retaliate.

Such incidents had happened before.

In the past, a Ruby Chamber caravan was plundered, prompting the Chamber to hire numerous adventurers and place a relentless bounty on the bandits.

Though it cost a lot of money, the Ruby Chamber had plenty of wealth.

Spending money to make a statement was always worth it.

Once out of the city, the caravan entered the monotonous phase of travel.

Helag activated his deep blue environment detection, constantly monitoring their surroundings.

He needed to ensure the caravan reached Strange Valley safely, avoiding unnecessary trouble.

After several days of travel, the journey remained peaceful.

The Ruby Chamber had taken this route many times and was familiar with it, so unexpected incidents were rare.

At night, Helag, David, and Reese sat by the campfire, eating and chatting.

Nearby, some caravan members were discussing Oberstein.

“Have you heard what’s happening in Oberstein?”

“Are you talking about Severus the Mage being captured?”

“A mage captured? How is that possible?”

“Crazy, right? What’s even crazier is that tens of thousands of monsters are attacking Oberstein. It’s only a matter of time before it falls.”

“Tens of thousands? How could there be that many?”

“Who knows? It’s like Severus, the guardian of the Norn Kingdom, being captured. Who would believe it? But it happened.”

“Good thing we’re far from there. Those monsters shouldn’t reach us.”

“Let’s hope not. I’m keeping an eye on the news. If the monsters come this way, I’m ready to run.”

“They won’t reach us. The Norn Kingdom’s border troops are strong, holding their ground against the monsters at Oberstein.”

“Human armies alone won’t be enough. The elves need to step in. If they do, those monsters won’t stand a chance.”

…

Helag’s group listened quietly to the conversation.

The news they discussed was from a month or two ago, and the situation had likely changed.

Helag knew the rumors of hundreds of thousands of monsters were exaggerated; there were only tens of thousands at most.