Chapter 39 (1/2)

Fortune Smiles Upon Them

Three hours had pa.s.sed since they explored the forest. With her newly revamped spells, Lavia ripped large monsters to shreds, while Hikaru collected the trophies, i.e. the proof of kill, from the creatures.

Hikaru's Mana Detection was extremely useful. He could now sense monsters on top of trees. Both of them gathered other materials as well. Reading the botanical picture book seemed to bear fruit as Lavia found plants in places that Hikaru failed to notice.

After gathering about the same amount as yesterday, they left the forest.

「I might get to rank E now.」

Hikaru was pleased. He'd spent quite a lot in buying equipment and paying for the information he got from Kelbeck, but he was sure he'd make bank from yesterday's and today's loots. Their Soul Ranks had gone up as well; one for Hikaru and two for Lavia.

How should I spend the one point… Detection Expansion was quite useful. Maybe I should put one more point on that? But expanding its range more than a hundred meters sounds pretty useless. I should just save it for now…

They were waiting for a horse by the side of the lake when a caravan of three wagons pa.s.sed by. Maybe they'll give us a ride, Hikaru thought as he activated his Mana Detection for no particular reason.

「What the…?!」

On the third wagon was a cl.u.s.ter of mana even though no one was supposed to be there. A Stealth-type skill. Back when Hikaru rescued Lavia, they hitched a ride on the back of a wagon. This person was doing that as well.

「Lavia, hide yourself and wait here.」

「Wha… What?」

Hikaru got up and made his way to the caravan. Jogging, as if hot on a person's heels, he talked to the man leading the wagons. Guards - two of them - ignored him, thinking he was only a kid.

「Mr. Merchant! Can you give me a ride to Pond?」

「I can, but it'll cost you. 150 gilans.」

「What?! A fast horse only costs a hundred! Make it 80!」

「120 gilans. Take it or leave it.」

「Ugh, fine, never mind.」

「I'm sorry, but I don't run a charity here. You can run all the way back to Pond, you know.」

With a grin, the merchant spurred his horse onward. Hikaru watched the caravan go. It required much effort to stop himself from looking at the cl.u.s.ter of mana at the back. The moment the third wagon pa.s.sed by him, Hikaru summoned the mystery person's Soul Board.

【Soul Board】Sarah

Age: 18 Rank: 39

9

【Vitality】

..【Natural Recovery】2

..【Stamina】3

..【Immunity】

….【Toxic Immunity】2

【Physical Strength】

..【Strength】1

..【Weapon Mastery】

….【Short Sword】2

….【Bow】4

….【Throwing】1

【Agility】

..【Power Burst】3

..【Flexibility】3

..【Balance】4

..【Stealth】

….【Life Obfuscation】2

….【Mana Obfuscation】1

….【Imperceptibility】1

【Dexterity】

..【Dexterity】5

【Intuition】

..【Instinct】5

..【Detection】

….【Life Detection】1

Bingo!

Hikaru almost yelled out loud. The cl.u.s.ter of mana - Sarah - seemed to be looking at him, but he quickly turned his back around as soon as he saw her stats.

It's Sarah of the Four Stars of the East. I'm glad I trusted my intuition. Her points on Stealth was less than I expected. Unken is way more skilled than her. She had Detection, though. But with only one point on it, the cloak Dodorono is making should serve us just fine.

A thought suddenly crossed his mind. What was she doing here? The caravan came from the direction of the royal capital.

Was she searching for the guy who stopped the carriage?

A chill went down his spine. Hikaru had asked Kelbeck for someone to stop the carriage during Lavia's rescue. The location was in the direction where the caravan came from.

Those women think there's something suspicious about the man who stopped the carriage. They're considering the possibility that Lavia escaped while the adventurers were distracted. Kelbeck said it's fine, but I'm not so sure now.

The worst-case scenario was they identify the guy, i.e. the merchant. Kelbeck's name would then come up if they interrogated the man. Kelbeck said he wouldn't sell out his clients, but they could find Hikaru's name if they looked into his connections. After all, Gloria sent him once to Kelbeck for a delivery.

I got to know what Sarah's up to by chance this time. Looks like Lady Luck is on my side. We should really leave this kingdom as soon as possible. Anyway, we'll enter the dungeon after I get promoted to rank E, then take some requests in Root Hubbard before moving to a town near the border. After that, we head straight out of the kingdom.

Jill's face suddenly popped in his mind. A receptionist who had an awful personality on the surface, but would push herself to get close to someone she could trust. A bit of a handful.

She'll probably resent me if I don't at least see her.

「Hikaru? I thought for sure you were getting on that caravan.」

Hikaru sat down beside Lavia.

「Let's wait for a horse. Someone hitched a ride before us.」

The ranked B adventurer, Sarah.