Chapter 36: Blankets and Barriers

The next morning, before our departure, we went to purchase a carriage.

Since this was a ducal territory, there were places selling carriages—something we’d never even be able to see in an ordinary domain.

I headed toward the area on the edge of the territory where carriages were sold.

All sorts of ownerless carriages were lined up in rows.

“I’d like to see a carriage that can be pulled by two horses.”

“This way, sir.”

From among the lined-up carriages, they recommended three types to me.

The first was an ordinary square-shaped carriage.

It had seats where people could sit facing each other, and its size was just right for four people to sit comfortably.

Next to it was a carriage that looked exactly like the pumpkin carriages often seen in fairy tale books from modern times.

“It’s pretty…”

Jenny’s voice sounded as if she liked it, but it didn’t suit my taste at all, so I immediately shifted my gaze to the one beside it.

The last carriage was rectangular in shape, a little bigger than the two we saw before.

The only difference was that its height was a bit lower than the first one, making it impossible to stand upright inside.

“Hmm.”

I liked the third carriage the best.

The reason was simple.

‘Wouldn’t it be perfect for sleeping?’

Even if I couldn’t stand up, it was just right for lying down.

In the first place, my goal was to get a carriage that would serve well as a bed while camping, so nothing could beat this one.

I made up my mind right there.

“That will be 130 gold.”

Without hesitation, I handed over the gold coins on the spot.

After completing the transaction, the store owner hitched the horse we rode to the carriage for us.

They taught Jenny how to hitch it up instead of me, but it didn’t seem too difficult, and she quickly picked it up.

And so, we brought the carriage out.

At a glance, it looked ordinary, but its structure was unusual—there was no coachman’s seat, but instead, there was a space where the door could be opened.

If you sat there, it served just like a coachman’s seat.

On top of that, Jenny said she could drive the carriage, and indeed, she handled it skillfully.

There was no need to hold the reins for long anyway, as the two horses would follow the road on their own as long as we set the direction.

Now, all that was left was to buy the necessary supplies for the carriage.

Unlike when camping outdoors, I needed a warm and fluffy blanket, as well as some soft cushions to absorb some of the carriage’s jolts.

After a round through the marketplace buying all the supplies, and stocking up plenty of food, we finally set off.

Da-dak, da-dak.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

The carriage moved forward slowly, without any major shaking.

The two horses moved leisurely, following the road well even if you didn’t bother holding the reins.

We were moving—not too fast, not too slow.

If we had departed in the morning as originally planned, we could have reached the next village’s Inn and slept comfortably without camping. But since we had spent time buying the carriage and additional supplies, we ended up having to camp out.

“Well, this way, we get to test out the carriage right away. That’s not bad.”

I decided to enjoy the situation, seeing the upside.

Jenny and I prepared for camping, parking the carriage in a suitable open space that showed signs of other travelers having used it before—not a bad spot at all.

While Jenny gathered dry firewood and started a campfire, I walked around the area, using the Search Skill to confirm our safety.

Then, I used the Observation Skill and Gathering Skill to look for various herbs and edible plants.

Fortunately, I found a few herbs good for healing wounds, and a few others that were helpful for stamina recovery when brewed.

Once the fire was burning, I took out a pot from my spatial bag, set it on the flames, and added some meat to stir-fry.

When enough fat came out of the meat, I tossed in some vegetables.

Ssssss…

The aroma of meat rose thick in the air, and when both meat and vegetables were cooked, I took out some bread from my bag, split it in half, and stuffed it with the stir-fried meat and vegetables.

It ended up like a rough sandwich, and when I took a bite, it wasn’t bad at all.

“Hmm, maybe I should’ve learned a bit more cooking?”

For someone like me, whose only dish was kimchi fried rice, cooking was a challenge.

At least soup was easy to make, but eating it every day got dull, so I tried to change things up like this.

“It’s delicious!”

The one who enjoyed these changes most was Jenny.

For mercenaries, meals were always similar, but the food I made was a new experience for her, quite different from what she’d had before.

And I added a few herbs for extra health benefits, too.

After finishing the meal, we got ready for bed.

I walked around the area, setting up the Traps Skill along with the Alarm Skill.

I set them at regular intervals in all directions.

Then, I set up the Enhancement Field Skill with the carriage right in front of me.

Woo-oong.

With the sound that signaled the Skill activation, half of the Mana inside my body was instantly depleted.

Using the Enhancement Field Skill required a tremendous amount of Mana.

“Whoa, that’s incredible…”

I hadn’t expected it would consume so much Mana.

Luckily, my Mana recovery rate was good, so after a few hours I’d be fully recovered—but still, of all the Skills I’d used so far, this one definitely used up the most Mana.

But the effect was certain.

A transparent barrier enveloped the entire carriage, and even covered the horses tied up a little distance away.

It was at least three times bigger than the one the staff showed me before, so it was only natural that it used more Mana.

“Alright, alright.”

Satisfied, I climbed into the carriage.

Inside, large boards were laid across the seats on both sides so you could lie down.

On top of them were soft mats and warm blankets, and Jenny, in very comfortable clothes, was sitting on the blankets waiting for me.

“Come on.”

“Yes.”

We lay down together.

The fluffy mat and warm blanket were so very cozy.

Rustle, rustle.

We each had our own pillow, but before I knew it, Jenny had snuggled into my arms, and I held her comfortably as we drifted off to sleep.

***

I had no idea how much time had passed.

I was lost in dreams to the sound of insects and Jenny’s warm embrace, when suddenly, a loud noise startled me awake.

Kaaang!

Something sharp was striking the transparent protective barrier.

I sat up at once.

Then I opened the carriage door and stepped outside.

“Damn, what the hell…”

Astonishingly, the area around the carriage was surrounded.

Three knights were pounding on the Enhancement Field, a mage was chanting a spell a little distance away, and one more knight stood guard over the mage—for a total of five assailants.

Kaaang! Kaaang! Kaaang!

Each time their Aura-imbued swords struck, sparks flew and the protective barrier began to crack.

A dangerous moment.

I hurriedly called Jenny.

“Jenny! Jenny!”

“Yes? Yes—!”

She must have woken up from sleep, as Jenny answered in a startled voice.

Hearing the commotion outside, she quickly realized the situation, grabbed her weapon, and rushed out.

I didn’t move right away, but instead prepared Skills in both hands and waited.

The instant the Enhancement Field broke, I would go on the offensive.

Crack!

With the sound of glass shattering, the carriage and horses appeared in the enemies’ sight.

“Fire Wall!”

I quickly created a wall of flame in front of me, then immediately used another Skill.

“Call Lightning!”

Rumble!

In an instant, a bolt of lightning struck one of the knights directly.

“Guaaah!”

The fierce lightning ran from head to toe through the knight’s body.

No matter how much Aura he wrapped himself in, if you thought about how conductive that heavy armor was, it was as good as useless.

After confirming that one knight had died on the spot, I quickly prepared another Skill.

“Haste, Strength.”

I cast buff Skills on Jenny, then lunged forward.

“Skill: Dash!”

I shot forward in the blink of an eye.

Since Jenny had my buffs, I figured she could handle the two knights for a while, so I aimed to take out the distant knight and mage first.

“Ice Arrow.”

Seeing me rushing in, the enemy mage fired off a spell.

Whoosh.

Even though I was moving quickly, I easily dodged the oncoming arrow with just a tilt of my head.

“Got you.”

As I avoided the mage’s spell, the knight protecting him charged at me.

“Shield!”

Seeing the knight’s sword swing at me, I quickly raised a Shield.

Kaaang! Crack!

“Damn it—”

To my surprise, contrary to my expectation that it would block the knight’s attack, the Shield shattered instantly.

This knight’s sword was unlike any I’d faced before.

It burned with a brilliant, dense Aura, its presence overwhelming.

“You’re not an ordinary Aura User, are you.”

“You could call me top class.”

The knight answered my words politely.

Boom, boom, boom.

His Aura-blazing sword swung toward me.

“Wow, this is bad…”

If someone asked me what my most dangerous moment since coming to the Londinium Empire was, I would say it was right now.

If someone asked who the strongest opponent I’d faced on any battlefield so far was, I would, without hesitation, choose this knight standing before me.

“Die.”

The knight’s sword was incredibly fast.

He wielded a Bastard Sword with both hands, but being on the receiving end, it felt no different from facing a Broadsword with one hand.

That’s how fast it was.

The problem wasn’t just speed.

The Aura it held was so massive and powerful that, at every spot I dodged and where I’d just been standing, huge holes were gouged out.

This campsite was in a forest, so there were many large trees around, but he cut them down as easily as slicing through water.

Crash! Thud!

He’d already felled five trees with a single sweep.

Of course, I wasn’t just dodging.

Every so often, I used Skills to try and interfere with the knight’s movements.

“Grease.”

Making the ground slippery.

“Dig, Stone Edge.”

Opening pits in the ground, or making rocks shoot up.

But the knight dodged every obstruction effortlessly.

“Damn it, this is insane!”

The problem was, just dealing with this knight alone was already overwhelming, and on top of that, the mage kept targeting me with spells.

“Wind Cutter!”

The spells weren’t that powerful, but they came one after another, leaving me with no time to think about anything else.

And it wasn’t just me in danger.

The two knights fighting Jenny also seemed to be the toughest opponents she’d ever faced.

Even with my Skills boosting her strength and agility, she was barely holding them off.

I hoped she could quickly take care of them and come help me, but it didn’t seem possible.

I had to think fast and find a way to kill the knight and the mage.