Having packed up our tent and other small items, we set off slightly after dawn.

Having been taught the basics yesterday, Neri gives a try at driving our wagon while Faris takes my role of scouting ahead on Blacky. As a lazy master, I get to sit back and relax.

It seems like today, we plan to reach one of the villages on our itinerary by noon so hopefully, it won't be as uneventful as yesterday.

At the very least, I'll get to have a proper meal for lunch I guess. Please let time pass by faster.

Suddenly, the wagon comes to a full stop.

"Master, sister Faris seems to have spotted something."

Waking me up from my inner grumblings, I turn to the source of the voice, Neri before looking further ahead for Faris.

I spot her gleaming silver hair that contrasts nicely with black fur of Blacky who is underneath her. She is currently motionless in the middle of the road atop a small hill, facing her back towards us with one of her arms up.

That's one of the simple signals we decided on with the Relentless Waves, a signal for spotting enemies of a low threat level to the caravan. Probably by now, everyone in the caravan should've spotted it and are preparing for the fight to come.

Doing as we previously discussed, Neri locks the wheels for our wagon before we both dismounts from our ride. The people from the Relentless Waves are likely doing the same except staying in their positions as the threat indicated so far is low.

Shortly after we got off our ride, Faris arrives beside us and swiftly dismounts, tieing Blacky to the wagon.

It seems horseback fighting is uncommon outside of armies as our horses are unarmored. With the magic along with the existing ranged weapons, the chance of our expensive rides being injured or killed is too great so it is common practice to leave them out of battle if we have the time to.

Even warhorses are trained to look for cover if no one is mounting them to increase their chances of survival, though few people target riderless horses as they are attractive loot as well.

"Master, there's at least a dozen of so kobolds hiding in the treeline 20 meters ahead."

Kobolds huh? From what I've read in the guild library, they're very similar to goblins except they don't procreate with other species so they aren't rapists. They're short like goblins and look like the result of cross-breeding between a rat and a dog in humanoid form.

"Is there anything else you've spotted?" A voice suddenly rings out from behind me.

I turn around to spot the liaison from the fourth nature mage division on his horse.

How in the world did I not hear him approach on a god damn horse...

As if to make fun of me, the liaison's horse neighs in my face.

"That's all I know from what I saw." Faris answers.

"Roger, I'll relay the news." The man curtly replies before dashing off with his horse.

With him gone, it's time to discuss our next action. According to the possible engagements we've discussed previously, our group will go ahead to exterminate the obstacle in our path.

Faris has declared we can do it ourselves when she decided on the low threat signal and I agree with her if there's only a dozen or so.

"Good job Faris, what do you guys think we should do now? Sneak up on their ambush by going around the treelines?"

"...It's better that we not." Neri says after a moment of deliberation.

"Why not?" I ask patiently, trying my best to not sound like I'm displeased with being disagreed with but genuinely asking for the reason.

"We don't really have a clear view of what's deeper into the treelines, there could be more kobolds somewhere we haven't detected and pincer us when we least expect it."

Hmm, she's right, that has been a weakness of our party we've realized. We don't have any good means of detection when our opponents are really trying to hide. While Faris's scouting ability is amateur at best and her unique magic only works when the danger is imminent.

Heading deeper into the treelines could mean placing our backs to the unknown.

"I think we should fight them head-on, continuing down the road." Neri voices.

"I agree." Faris nods.

"Okay, then let's do it. Stay behind me."

I form two shields of ice, facing one to each side of the road ahead and start walking down the road, up the small hill where Faris previously was when giving out her signal.

The two girls follow closely while being protected by my shields as we continue down the other side of the hill.

"Master, they're over there."

Watching Faris point at the two different directions, I'm helpless to attack with my attention directed at my two shields and can only continue to close the distance for my party members.

This is another weakness I'll have to address later, I can't consistently be a part of our ranged attack force when I'm working as the shield. I wish our next member will be a pretty girl skilled in detection and ranged attacks but I doubt I'll be able to find the best of both worlds.

Most scouts are melee fighters, dexterity enhancers who can sneak near to gather information from traces left behind and sound while being able to agilely dodge out of sticky situations that they land themselves into.

Unfortunately, Faris showed no talent in the tracking regard during her training, focusing more on her other repertoire of combat and trap detecting/disarming.

No one can be good at everything.

The kobolds aren't dumb enough to not notice that we've already realized their existence as they start coming out of hiding, with their archers firing futilely at my shields.

We dive toward the left group of kobolds, managing to reach them with ease.

Faris continues to stay near me to shield herself from attacks from the group on the right while throwing knives into the unsuspecting archers on our side of the road.

Having drawn close, Neri charges out of the protection of my shield and starts charging at their frontline fighters, equipped with decent swords and spears.

With us being too close for their archers to fire freely, I send the shield facing the right group straight at them to prevent them from approaching us to reinforce their allies.

Having freed up a slot to cast another spell, I immediately follow through with my previous attack, sending the most powerful electric ball that I can conjure in an instant, sending it straight into the ice shield flying at the charging kobolds.

The ice shield becomes electrically charged and slams straight into the vanguard of the right group charging at us, knocking them over and smashing the shield into pieces.

The debris from my ice shield shattering makes contact with some of the kobolds behind their vanguards, shocking the vanguards and part of their backline alike.

Making use of this opening, Faris rushes out towards the right group to finish off the kobolds who are immobilized while I fire off as many ice lances as I can at the kobolds further away before they can recover from the shock.

"Master!" Neri shouts out from my flank.

I turn to see Neri standing over three kobold bodies while pointing over to deeper into the treelines. Turning my vision to where see where she is pointing to, I see an extra wrinkly kobold in a robe, pointing a wooden staff at Neri.

At the end of the staff is the classic spell, a fireball half the size of a kobold and before I can analyze further, the fireball shoots off quickly towards its target, Neri.

Not needing to think, I send my remaining ice shield flying toward the flight path of the fireball while I fire off an ice lance at the kobold caster.

Thankfully, I timed it correctly and my ice shield slams into the fireball, melting a small part and shattering the rest from the impact.

My ice lance successfully makes its mark, landing squarely at the chest of the kobold mage.

Phew, this is the first time I've fought monsters with mages amongst them, I was totally caught off guard. Thankfully, the mage didn't seem to be high leveled, I'll have to be more careful in the future.

I turn my attention back to the battle, mainly firing off ice lances to suppress their remaining archers as the two girls mop them up.

The fight ends uneventfully and the girls proceed to collect their mana crystals after making sure there weren't any more nearby.

Instead of helping, I turn back to the caravan to check up on them and report the end of our battle.

I jog back and spot our wagon untouched, with our two draft horses and Blacky waiting docilely while a group of people is standing a distance away, by Mr.Lensly's carriage discussing something.

They spot me and wait for me to reach them as I walk over directly to Mr.Lensly and clear my throat to prepare to report loudly to ensure everyone will be able to hear me.

"We dealt with a dozen and a half of kobolds and there doesn't seem to be anymore nearby, we should leave quickly before other monsters are drawn over by the scent."

"Good job, the Relentless Waves also fought off an attack to our rear of about two dozen kobolds so that should be it from those critters. They aren't smart enough to plan any further so let us make haste and leave right away."

I nod at his words and start to walk back to my wagon until a slightly familiar voice shouting from behind brings me to a stop.

"SEE? They took so long to dispatch of a bunch of stupid kobolds, we really didn't need to hire any guards. We're more than enough to defend ourselves. I bet even my magic is way higher level than any of those weak adventurers."

I turn to see the green-haired girl, Sera, jumping out of the crowd to confront Mr.Lensly. She seems to be more gloating than confronting though.

The rest of the members of the fourth nature mage division, contrary to her expectations, all smile wryly and shake their heads as if to dismiss the small antics of a little child as they disperse to ready for departure.

"WAIT! DIDN'T YOU ALL SEE, THEIR MAGIC IS SO WEAK, EVEN I CAN DO BETTER. WHY DON'T ANY OF YOU SAY ANYTHING? I KNOW YOU ALL AGREE WITH ME!" Sera desperately shouts, seeing she has no support.

"Enough, let us start to depart," Mr.Lensly says tiredly.

I guess it's not something for me to worry about.

I ignore Sera as well and resume heading back to my wagon.

Not even five minutes pass and the two girls return with our loot, allowing us to resume our journey with me riding on Blacky this time.

---

Noon

We arrive on time at the first village on our itinerary.

After our first encounter, we fought two other times against goblins and kobolds of a smaller scale. I guess the goblins and kobolds are competitors in this area, thankfully, there weren't any traces of stronger monsters.

After passing through an area full of fields, we finally spot structures that represent civilization. Though the houses aren't tightly packed like in the cities, they are still neatly organized inside an area protected by log walls.

Most of the houses look similar, with the most notable structure in our view being the wooden sentry towers that I can't really attach the word 'tall' to.

Our small caravan makes our way straight to the house of the village chief, being guided by one of the villagers on lookout duty who approached us as we drew close to their settlement.

Likely to have already been notified, an old lady being supported by a young man outside the house twice as large as the others. Behind them are a middle-aged couple and a fierce-looking man that gives off the aura of a veteran.

Parking our vehicles at the direction of the village lookout, we start to dismount as I head over to where the old lady is along with Mr.Lensly and several of his aides as well as Vorn, the leader of the Relentless Waves.

Following etiquette, only the leaders of each party should head over in order not to overcrowd the discussions or overwhelm the host.

"Verda! I'm so happy to see you, how have you been?" Mr.Lensly intimately walks up to the old lady and gives her a warm hug.

"Glad to see you still kicking too Robert, though I'm not surprised considering how much money the merchant guild is willing to spend on you. Unlike you, time has been rough on my old bones in recent years, I doubt I have more than a decade left in me." The old lady replies in a warm tone despite the content of her words.

"Please, be more optimistic, I'm sure you'll be able to live much longer---"

"Enough about me, I've already accepted it. Don't you have some work to do first? We can catch up later, first allow me to fulfill my obligations as the village chief and allow me to invite you and your companions for a meal. We've already prepared places for you all to spend the night." Old lady Verda says with a smile while glancing at each of us.

The two men and woman behind her spread out at the village chief's words to invite the rest of the caravan who are standing by their vehicles, including Faris and Neri.

Following our hosts, we all enter into the large house and are guided through a spacious hall into a large dining room capable of hosting a small banquet. The furnishing may be simple wood but its simplicity emphasizes how clean and roomy the place really is.

Everyone isn't really uptight on the complicated formalities as we scramble to take seats liberally, sitting into our own social groups.

I learn from Vorn and head to find Faris and Neri and sit near the back of the table where I can avoid unnecessary socializing as I'm likely not that important of a figure here being a humble bodyguard.

The same three people working for the village chief then disappeared shortly before returning to serve us with food and drinks. There aren't any fancy dishes or wine to be served but a plentiful serving of bread and soup is provided along with a modest selection of juices and beers.

I keep the chatter to only between me and the girls for the majority of the meal, only responding politely to some of the members of the nature mages when they tried to make some small talk.

Right after the meal, we all assemble once more by our transports and are guided by the village chief's three helpers.

The couple entered into the carriage with Mr.Lensly while the veteran-looking man led in front of our own wagon, riding his horse.

We exit the residential area and enter into where the fields are, where the scenery turns green, with wheat growing as far as the eye can see.

I hold in the urge to sate my curiosity and leave the veteran alone in his job of guiding the caravan. Before long, we come to a halt and everyone starts exiting.

Without needing further discussion, Mr.Lensly and the other members of the fourth nature mage division all start to disperse in a practiced manner.

"What are they doing?" I ask the little dwarf to my side.

"They're spreading out to surround the field in preparation to cast their magic to improve the quality and accelerate the growth of the wheat field."

Contrary to my expectation, a manly voice replies to me. I look back to see the veteran who guided us standing nearby.

Seeing the surprise on my face, the man continues.

"Sorry to startle you kid. Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Leon, the head of security of this village."

"...Forgive me for my rudeness, I'm Aster and these are my companions: Faris and Neri."

Leon takes a moment to study us, resting his sights on Faris and Neri's collars before smiling brightly, patting my back and turning me toward the nature mages scrambling to their positions.

"They come to help us pretty often with their magic. Thanks to them, there's always plentiful harvest, allowing for cheap but quality food to be spread throughout the kingdom. So you should be proud of your job of escorting these fine people to come to our aid." Leon explains.

Why are you suddenly going all lecture on me old man? I don't think I even asked you about anything...

Is it even possible to always assure plentiful harvest anyways? That sounds pretty cheat-like.

"T--- If you'll excuse me."

Just as old man Leon is about to continue, the couple with Mr.Lensly gestures for him to come over, saving me from having to listen to his ramblings.

After a while, the mages start nodding to each other until Mr.Lensly himself receives affirmation from both mages standing a distance away to his left and right.

Mr.Lensly closes his eyes as the other nature mages do the same, likely casting their spell.

There aren't any special effects, anything flashy or noticeable around the mages as I stare on in anticipation.

Ten minutes pass by and I start losing interest but then, a hand pulls on my sleeves. I look down to see Neri pointing back to where I was staring before.

"Master, look."

I listen and try to discover what I missed as I carefully watch the mages for any movement. Seeing nothing has changed, I move my gaze to the field to study the green wheat stalks.

The moment I look over to the wheat, some movement catches the attention of my eyes right away. At the head of the wheat, it is slowly rising up and opening, like a flower.

I'm mesmerized by the phenomenon and can only stare quietly at what is unfolding before me.

Soon, the color of the wheat starts to change, turning from the immature green slowly towards a crisp light yellow. A yellow glow starts emanating from the field as the pale yellow starts to deepening towards a golden color of ripe wheat.

Is this really allowed?

The nature mages seeming to be proud of their work starts to congregate once more on Mr.Lensly. They take large strides while looking back at their work with a passion that you would expect a blacksmith look at their own creations.

Being none of my business, I can only stand at a distance with the girls and watch on, not able to listen in to their conversation from this distance.

Thankfully, their discussion isn't long and Mr.Lensly starts ordering the mages back on their vehicles except for Sera, the green-haired girl along with a middle-aged man.

The two draws near the field once more and uses a water spell to cleave a few stalks of wheat down before collecting it. They continue heading further into the fields to do the same in different places, returning with a small pile of wheat.

"What are they doing with the wheat? Not preparing for dinner right?"

Neri looks left and right to confirm there's no one else there and that my question is directed at her as Faris is just looking on, straight back at her in anticipation for her answer.

"...I'm not sure but I think they're collecting samples of their work to study later. Regular nature mages like them dedicate themselves to polishing their abilities to improve harvest as opposed to the combat nature mages who purely study ways to enhance their nature magic's fighting capabilities."

"That's right, they also need to check if anything has changed with the land here as the lands are fickle, it possesses different properties in different areas and even then it changes all the time." A familiar male voice resonates.

I look over to spot the veteran old man, Leon again. Where the fuck did you pop out from? And stop coming out randomly and surprising us please, would you...

And what the hell did he just say? Is this how they explain the soil's change in nutrients and composition over time? So magic is how they prevent the soil from being overfarmed?

Well whatever, it's not like I'm going suddenly become a professional farmer or something. And it seems like they have their methods in this world already so there's no need for me to become involved.

Thankfully, Leon doesn't stick around to continue lecturing as he has a job to do, to continue guiding the caravan.

The caravan spends the rest of the day repeating the same process with different fields, casting magic to accelerate their growth and taking some samples back to their wagons.

We finally finish the day's work and eat a meal together once more in the small hall earlier before they bring us to our arrangements.

I'm not sure about the place other people of the caravan are going to be spending the night at but ours is a simple but clean storehouse. It seems it's one of the extra storehouses they use to store the part of the harvest that they will be selling soon so it's usually empty.

It's not the best but beats having to camp outside with proper roof over our heads and with the village already having arrangements for night watch, I get to enjoy the entire night without having to tend to any other responsibilities.

"Faris, Neri, let's go wash up now that we finally have the chance."

"Yay, let's go quickly master." Faris cheers while Neri simply nods.

Another advantage of spending the night in a proper shelter is that we finally don't have to sleep in our armor.

I let the ladies walk in front as I let out a grin that I've been holding back.

Hurray civilization, hurray shelter!