They gathered branches of moderate thickness and dry tree bark, carefully stacking them before kindling the spark. Soon, the flames grew, and the firewood burned brightly.
"Oh~. The fire's ready in no time?"
Mau, returning with a pot filled with rice, approached Dallen and placed the pot over the prepared fire. As the red and yellow flames enveloped the pot, Mau grabbed a handful of spices from the wagon and sprinkled them inside.
"Let's use up all the leftover lamb from yesterday!"
Mau and Dallen bustled about, beginning the preparation of Nansaf. Mau took out the trimmed tender shoulder meat from a young lamb and added it to the pot. It was the lamb shoulder they had stored in the corner of the wagon, planning to use it for a simple meal to stave off hunger before settling in Tollu upon arrival. Large chunks of chopped meat went into the pot.
"Mau, take this. It's goat cheese."
"Oh~ Yeah! Gotta add plenty of cheese!"
With Mau's thick hand grabbing the cheese, pinching off small pieces with a fingernail and dropping them into the pot, the goat cheese slowly melted, blending with the meat, which gradually softened as it cooked.
Dallen, fetching a clay jar filled with fermented milk from the wagon, closed eyes and took a deep breath, savoring the savory aroma of the Nansaf.
As time passed and the Nansaf neared completion, Mau and Dallen sat at a small table set up beside the wagon.
"Kuhaha! Looks like it turned out great, Dallen!"
With a satisfied smile, Mau carefully scooped the Nansaf onto plates. The rice, cooked to a fluffy texture and tinged yellow from the spices, was topped with tender lamb.
Dallen sprinkled the fermented milk over the plated Nansaf and smiled softly.
"You know? Nansaf is a dish favored by the nomadic people of the southern deserts, Mau."
"Hmm... Really? Was Uncle Zaraman a nomad?"
"At least a descendant of nomads. In the desert, food is inevitably scarce, and the dry climate wears you down with all the constant moving. Even with such precious ingredients, they always cook in a big pot like this so they can host any guests who might drop by."
"So that's the reason! Then we'll need two pots from now on. That way, we can treat guests when they come."
Mau listened to Dallen's words while picking up a piece of meat and putting it in the mouth.
"Mmm~ This tender lamb is so soft, you don't even need to chew~"
Dallen also took a bite of meat, savoring it before exclaiming in admiration.
The rich aroma of the spices was followed by the full flavor of the lamb spreading throughout the mouth, with the harmony of rice and cheese deepening the taste even further.
Time passed again, and Dallen was brewing herb tea with a sweet yet refreshing scent.
The Muwa, with no hands and only wings, used mana to form ethereal hands, opening the teapot lid and lifting the teacup to place it on the table.
"I envy it every time I see it. The Muwa with wings and hands..."
"It's only pulled out when absolutely necessary. Using mana too often makes you tired."
Dallen said while flying back to the table and settling down.
Dallen extended wings, using magic to form hands again, lifting the teapot and pouring into the cup nearby. The fragrant aroma rising from the tea spread between them, and Dallen passed the cup to Mau. After taking a sip, Mau calmly savored the flavor.
"Mmm~ The tea tastes good, Dallen. You said this helps with digestion, right?"
"Yeah. This is tea my mother made by drying ten kinds of herbs and medicinal plants. It cures stomach aches and aids digestion. She always fills a small pouch with it whenever I set out on a trading trip."
The two sipped tea, easing the fatigue from their long journey. The breeze blowing by the wagon felt refreshingly cool, while their bellies warmed up, and the generously added birch firewood burned vigorously, warming their bodies.
"Then let's eat some more!"
Mau said, looking at the Nansaf left in the pot.
"That waydar!"
"Hmm? Is someone coming?"
Their brief moment of peace was interrupted as a unfamiliar voice echoed from afar.
"That way Karka! Smells delicious, smells like lamb!"
The voice coming from a distance. To identify the source of the sound resonating through the forest, Mau and Dallen turned toward the direction of the noise.
Three figures on horseback came into view. Among them, the leading Droko with red scales waved a hand in greeting.
"Hello there~! Dawi, Muwa!"
After the greeting, Nia dismounted and dashed forward with a powerful leap, closing the distance in an instant to reach the table beside the wagon where Mau and Dallen sat.
"Kkhkhum! Does this taste good?"
Sniffing around the table, inhaling the lingering warmth and aroma of the Nansaf, Nia asked the two.
"Uh? Hmm? It's a Droko... This is a dish called Nansaf... Wanna try some?"
Surprised by Nia's unbelievable speed in approaching, Mau stood up and served Nia a plate of Nansaf.
"There's enough for the rest of your group too, so eat as much as you want. Droko... Um... I don't know the name, so what should I call you?"
Dallen fluttered wings to rise from the seat, pulling out a chair suitable for Nia to sit on, grabbing it with two feet and setting it down while asking Nia.
"Nia. What about the Muwa? Tell Nia the Dawi's name too."
"I'm Dallen. That's my friend Mau over there. Are you heading to Tollu by any chance?"
"Ung. Karka said we have to go through Tollu to Damu."
Nia replied with a mouth full of Nansaf rice and lamb.
"All the way to Damu? Our destination's the same!"
"Karka? Must be one of your companions' names?"
"Uh~ng no dar. Karka's name is Gravel. And the other one is Master Iris."
After shaking the head, Nia turned and pointed at Gravel and Iris approaching the wagon.
Soon, Gravel and Iris also reached Mau and Dallen's wagon. Once everyone gathered, they shared the remaining food and herb tea, and Dallen pointed out the path blocked by birch trees, mentioning that help from Tollu would arrive soon.
"Since you came from the star side road, you must be from the Froikton direction. My friend Mau and I are coming from the land side road, from the Rathu Kingdom side."
"Yes. We were coming from Froikton. You two are heading to Damu as well? (Dawi and Muwa tribes call north star, south land, east sea, west moon...)"
"That's right. As you can see, we're merchants from Damu. We bring high-quality salmon oil from Damu to sell throughout the Rathu Kingdom, then take goods from Rathu Kingdom back to sell in Damu."
"Salmon oil... So salmon is abundant in Damu."
"Yes, plenty. If business goes well, we might take a few Azureflow Jades too... But mainly, we head to Rathu Kingdom with dried salmon fillets or oil boiled from salmon heads and tails."
Using mana to form ethereal hands, Dallen lifted the teapot and filled the teacups in front of Gravel and self, continuing.
"The salmon fishing festival in Damu is coming up soon, so we need to get these goods in the wagon there as quickly as possible..."
Dallen gazed blankly into the teacup and let out a worried sigh.
"(Come to think of it, do they know about the Damu merchant Benarr?) By any chance... Do you know a merchant named Benarr?"
"Benarr...? If it's Elder Benarr, I know him well. Probably every Dawi and Muwa in Damu knows the name. Mau and I learned trading under Elder Benarr. It's thanks to his help that we could buy this wagon and start our business."
Pausing for a moment, Dallen took a sip of tea to moisten the dry mouth from speaking too quickly, then continued.
"But why ask about Elder Benarr? Are you heading there to propose a new business deal?"
"Ah, nothing like that... But there's an item in his possession that I'd like to borrow."
"Hmm~ Well, as long as it's not an unreasonable request, he'll probably lend it."
"That would be fortunate."
Gravel smiled and savored the tea Dallen had poured into the cup.
-Kuuuung-
A tremendous roar echoed. It was loud enough to send ripples through the tea in the cups on the table.
"Hoo? What's that sound?"
Startled by the sudden noise, Dallen flapped wings to fly up onto the wagon and looked toward the direction of the roar. It was the side where fallen trees had blocked the path.
"The trees? Where did the trees go?"
The trees that had lain across the path were nowhere to be seen, and Mau stood in place, staring blankly at Iris standing in the middle of the road.
To ask what had happened, Dallen flapped wings again and flew to Mau's side.
"What happened, Mau?"
Dallen asked Mau, who still stood there with wide, dazed eyes.
"Over there... That human tribe lady..."
"Hmm? What did the Sarun-Ke do?"
Frustrated by Mau's inability to explain properly, Dallen raised the voice louder.
"Uh... Yeah... So that lady swung the sword like this... The trees, the trees went toward the river over there..."
Mau tried to explain what had just happened, mimicking swinging a sword in the air with a hand.
Just before Dallen flew to Mau to ask about the roar's source, the scene Mau's eyes had witnessed...
It was while Nia and Mau were clearing the trees blocking the path a bit to save time before the helpers from Tollu arrived to remove them.
Iris approached with quiet steps and stood before the trees obstructing the path.
Gently moving a hand to grip the sword firmly in its sheath, Iris told Mau and Nia to "Step back for a moment." then closed eyes, assumed a stance, and began concentrating mana.
Everything around fell into silence. A cool breeze gathered toward Iris, and the fallen leaves on the path moved as if being sucked in.
Then, as Iris's eyes opened, with a swift motion, the sword was drawn and swung in one breath toward the birch trees ahead.
The moment the sword in Iris's hand swung, a powerful energy exploded, shaking the surroundings. The slashing strike, laden with intense mana from the sword's tip, instantly split and shattered the fallen trees on the path.
The tree fragments, losing their form and scattering, flew in the direction the sword's tip pointed, swept away like in a storm toward the river on the right side of the path.
Splashing water sounds and the noise of trees flying across the river into the forest beyond echoed, and the birch trees that had blocked the path vanished.
Confirming the path was cleared without a single small fragment left, Iris slowly sheathed the sword. The sound of the sword entering the scabbard resonated, and Iris turned steps back toward where Gravel sat.
"The trees blocking the path are gone now."
Iris, walking to Gravel's side, spoke in a calm, subdued tone.
"Thank you, Iris. Thanks to you, we'll arrive in Tollu as planned today."
Setting down the teacup in hand on the table, Gravel stood and walked toward the path that had been obstructed by trees.
With the obstacle cleared from the path, Gravel, Iris, and Nia proceeded toward Tollu alongside the wagon driven by Dallen and Mau.
To better illuminate the moonlit path, lanterns were lit on the wagon pulled by Mooloomook, and the cries of the two Mooloomook spread around the road.
While driving the wagon, Mau struggled to explain to Dallen the astonishingly powerful sword strike Iris had demonstrated.
A bit further along the path, at Dallen's request, the group encountered soldiers from Tollu moving to clear the trees blocking the road, and after Dallen and Mau's lengthy explanation, the soldiers turned back toward Tollu.
And before the night grew too late, the group was able to arrive in Tollu.