It didn't take that long before Rayven started asking around the village square, and even checked the local tavern since they didn't care about his age anyway.
However, it was not easy to find someone who would want to escort him to a faraway city… He even visited the small training yard near the guard post.
Unfortunately, most of the villagers were either too old, too young, or simply uninterested in traveling that far. They had hunters and farmers in this village who were fit for long travels, but they couldn't leave their posts as well.
A few of them had even laughed at the idea of escorting a lone boy to a city nearly two weeks away.
Of course, Rayven also considered sending a message to his family—assuming they were still searching for him. But Dollen Village didn't have a messenger service. That was usually handled by merchant caravans, and none were scheduled to pass through for another week.
For now, he was on his own.
Still, he needed weapons. So he made his way to the blacksmith's workshop. It was a small stone building with smoke rising from its chimney, and as he got closer, he heard the clanging of metal echoing from within.
'Ahhh…'
As he stepped inside, the heat hit him like a wall.
The blacksmith working in the workshop barely glanced at him before returning to hammering a blade.
Rayven wandered toward the display rack, inspecting the farming tools, utensils, kitchenware, and a few swords and daggers.
Most were basic iron, with a few steel pieces behind the counter.
After seeing that, he turned his attention to the two women standing near the forge, chatting with the blacksmith.
One was tall with short auburn hair.
'A warrior? Maybe?' Rayven thought as he noticed how she wore her sleeveless tunic and leather pants, and her physique, which was toned and lightly scarred. She looked about twenty-five, and she had a scabbard with her, but not a sword.
It was probably the one being repaired by the blacksmith right now.
The other was younger, maybe eighteen, with shoulder-length black hair. Instead of a double-edged sword, she had what seemed like a saber instead.
Lastly, they both wore the same crest on their belts; it was a sword wrapped in ivy.
Rayven had no idea what that crest meant, but it was probably an organization that teaches sword arts, or maybe it was their clan's crest…
"Here… your swords are ready," the blacksmith grunted as he gave the sword he had just finished repairing.
"Perfect!"
The owner of the sword nodded in satisfaction and exchanged a few coins.
Then, before they could leave, the younger one's eyes lingered on Rayven.
"Hey," she nudged her companion with a smile… "is that a lost noble boy?"
The older woman smirked as he looked at Rayven's handsome appearance... Seeing his delicate skin, tiny figure, and physique that didn't seem to have experienced difficulty in life, they immediately guessed that Rayven was a rich kid of a son of a noble.
"Definitely looks like he fell out of a noble's portrait. What's he doing in a place like this?"
Rayven blinked, confused for a second... He heard their conversation and decided to just speak up to them.
"Uh. I'm Rayven." He introduced himself while trying not to look flustered. He didn't expect that they'd talk about him right in his face.
"Oh, you have such a cute name… Are you lost?" the younger one teased.
"Easy, Nara…" the older one said with a chuckle. "You'll scare the poor boy."
Rayven already had a bit of understanding about the folks in this town and how they communicated, so he didn't feel offended.
He cleared his throat and asked the question he had asked a dozen others.
"I'm headed to Hesa City. I'm looking for escorts. I can pay... a little."
He certainly planned to tip them if they really managed to help him reach the city, but he didn't want to appear to be loaded with money, as he might just get robbed.
With that in consideration, he thought that if he only showed his limited money, they'd probably not risk committing a crime.
"Depends on how 'little' your little is," said the older one.
Rayven quickly explained his situation, telling them he was lost and didn't have enough funds. Just that he was trying to reach the city and reunite with his family, and promised them that once the job was done, he'd be willing to increase the reward. He was even willing to give the carriage and the horse to them once he reached the city.
The two exchanged glances.
It doesn't sound bad at all, since they could also sell it for a profit.
"We're heading to the city anyway… There will be a sword competition and we're planning to attend it…" The older one said.
"If you need protection… I guess, we could use the company and the reward. I'm Miki, by the way. This is Nara. We're from the Laneson Sword Hall over at Veidra City."
Rayven had no idea about the Sword Hall, but he was quite familiar with Veidra City. It was quite far from here.
"Ahhh… You're probably not aware of the Sword Hall." Nara chucked, seeing Rayven's clueless reaction. Well, seeing how fragile Rayven was, it was normal that he was not interested in the Sword Art.
"I apologize. Is that a famous place? You must be strong if that's the case… Then, I won't have to worry about my safety." Rayven replied.
"Hehe… That's right… We also graduated with honors." Nara said proudly. "I graduated with... extra training."
"That means she failed twice…" Miki whispered loudly.
Nara scowled after hearing this... "I chose to take longer. For... refinement."
"Sure."
Rayven found himself grinning at their conversation... "How much would you ask for escorting me to the city?"
Kira thought for a moment. "Ten silver for both of us. You also have to pay for food along the way."
Rayven tried not to look too happy. That was affordable and much safer than traveling alone.
Now, he just had to worry whether they were slave traders or not.
But before he could learn more about them, Nara curiously asked…
"Are you perhaps… a Mage?"