In Sota's cart, the sound of snoring erupted like the roar of a bomb seconds after its explosion.
Sota was asleep atop the pile of hay inside the cart, his snoring disturbing everything in sight, until another sound erupted from his stomach, silencing his annoying snores.
Sota opened his eyes slowly due to hunger, quickly adjusting his seating and rubbing his sleepy eyes.
"Where am I?..."
Sota didn't realize what had happened until seconds later. He suddenly rushed from his spot, noticing that the cart was indeed moving. When he glanced at the driver's cabin, he found Takeshi sitting there, gripping the horse's rope so tightly that the horse probably wished for death rather than pulling this cart full of its own food.
"Are you awake? You were snoring loudly and even talking in your sleep."
A slight, forced smile appeared on Sota's face.
"Yes."
In the front, the sack given to them by Aaron, Eve's father, remained as it was, containing enough food for both of them, alongside the sack containing the money. Both were in their places, undisturbed.
"Takeshi… haven't you eaten anything since yesterday?"
When the two set off, not a single bite had entered their mouths; meaning, neither of them had eaten anything yet. Takeshi shook his head, replying sarcastically:
"The one whose stomach was screaming while he slept should be the first to eat."
Sota's face turned red with embarrassment from Takeshi's joke, who had barely managed to crack one despite his heavy psychological state. Sota crawled toward the sack full of food. Upon opening it, he was met with several delicious fresh fruits and vegetables, along with other bags containing cooked homemade food that could last for days without spoiling.
Sota pulled a bright red apple from it, took a large bite, turned his gaze back to Takeshi, and said:
"Did you know that Eldra village is famous for the quality of its vegetable and fruit crops?"
Takeshi loosened his grip on the rope, lowering his head slightly.
"That is good information. News hasn't been reaching me lately, so I didn't know that. It would have been a tragedy to lose that village…"
News hadn't been reaching him lately—the "lately" he referred to was the last five years he had spent alone, cut off from the outside world. Indeed, more than a day had passed since he completed five years of his life in the forest; as for his isolation, it had ended since he met Yamikaje.
Sota swallowed the bite of apple in his mouth, his smile gradually vanishing to be replaced by sadness and anxiety.
"Yes, if not for you, we would have lost it… If I hadn't stood in your way and insisted on searching for Eve's father, perhaps you would have found a plan to trap those damned slave traders instead of relying on luck…"
A tear broke free from his eye and slid down his cheek.
"If you weren't with a weak person who wanted to force his opinion on others, you wouldn't have had to rely on that small chance of survival. Now, I've delayed you from reaching your destination—and even made you drive the cart instead of me…"
Sota quickly wiped his eyes, which had filled with tears, then raised his head to continue:
"I couldn't control myself yesterday. I rushed to find Eve's father just because I didn't want to see anyone in the same situation as me… I never told you why a fool like me trades and ventures—"
Takeshi suddenly interrupted him.
"To search for your father? Isousha spoke to you about that matter."
Yesterday, when Takeshi met Sota for the first time, Orphen was with him, using the name "Isousha" as a disguise, as Takeshi believed. Orphen had asked Sota if he had managed to find his father, and the answer was no. From this conversation, which was etched into Takeshi's mind, he knew Sota's goal.
Sota folded his hands and continued:
"My father left us when I was young, and even now, I haven't understood why. So I want to meet him to ask why he abandoned us. I doubt he'd even recognize me… I just want to know the reason for his departure and show him the state he left my mother in—she went insane and now lives in a mental care home, and the money I earn barely allows her to stay in that poor facility."
He grabbed his head and scratched his hair vigorously, causing white flakes of dandruff to fly from his hair.
"But I realized I won't be able to find him as long as I couldn't even help you—in fact, I dragged you into a bigger problem…"
Just as Takeshi blamed himself and his excessive caution, which he called cowardice and fear, Sota blamed himself and his weakness. Both saw the other as the reason for the village's liberation. Takeshi pulled the rope slightly, causing the cart's speed to gradually decrease. He raised his head high toward the clear sky and said:
"I was the one who was of no use at the beginning… without you and that little girl, I wouldn't have done anything…"
Takeshi sighed, then smiled, returning his gaze to the road ahead.
"I threw all the blame on myself earlier too. If it weren't for you acting like a true hero and your courage, I wouldn't have moved either. If you hadn't spoken and addressed the villagers, I wouldn't have spoken either—"
Sota suddenly stood up, looking at Takeshi, causing his head to slam into the rickety wooden roof of the cart, falling back onto the pile of hay.
"Don't say that, Takeshi! You are the one who saved Eve and her mother, and you are the one who stood in the face of those bastards who want to steal others' freedom for money!!"
The cart stopped at the edge of the road beside a tall tree, seeking shelter under its warm, clear shade. Takeshi turned slowly toward Sota, a faint smile appearing on his face and a glint carrying a flicker of hope in his eyes, as he said:
"And without you, I wouldn't have done all this. This is what makes us human, merchant. We have flaws that others complete. My fear was countered by your courage, and your weakness was countered by my strength. Because you completed what I lacked and I did the same, we achieved victory and prevented many people from losing their freedom!"
Sota received the answer that restored the solidity of his shaken heart. He never expected anyone to call him brave, as he had spent his whole life afraid of getting into even a simple fight. His hope returned, and his grip on his dream tightened once more, as his faint confidence grew stronger, and his spirit became as tough as metal.
***
The sun slid in its circular orbit toward the western horizon, coloring the sky and earth in golden yellow, announcing the approach of its setting and the arrival of the dark night.
Sota's cart was traveling through the desolate forest heading south, with the sun on their right sinking below the horizon. Sota was sitting in the driver's cabin, holding the horse's rope with a gentleness forged by years of experience. Takeshi was inside the cart, leaning against the clean pile of hay, feeling the wooden wheel moving over the uneven, fertile ground.
They had covered a very respectable distance. At this rate, they would reach the city by the end of the next day or the morning of the day after.
"There are no Rivarg monsters in this area, right?"
Sota turned toward Takeshi as the sun vanished and darkness fell.
"Don't worry. Those damned monsters are only found in the center and east of the forest. I've passed this way more than five times and have never encountered a single Rivarg. In fact, I've only seen one in my entire life. However, I always get a bad feeling about this forest, especially since the horse always gets tired and needs to sleep at night… and so do I."
Takeshi moved from his spot toward the food sack and pulled out a fresh tomato. Before taking a bite, he spoke:
"So, I think we should camp somewhere, right?"
Sota turned his head forward, his cheerful features disappearing and being replaced by anxiety and fear, focusing on the path illuminated by the moonlight, which had ascended the sky—fortunately for them.
Since Rivarg monsters always move in the dark, moonlight significantly reduces their appearance—except for those monsters whose eyes turn deep red, signifying rage or excessive appetite. The weather was on their side, but anxiety and doubt still gripped them. Sota wiped sweat from his forehead, looking at his exhausted horse.
"I think the best time is now, and then we set off early in the morning."
Takeshi took his first bite of that red tomato, remembering the first sound he heard when he woke up.
'That is, if you can wake up…'
Takeshi opened his mouth to say something, but his words and the idea in his head vanished after hearing a faint sound in the depths of the desolate forest.
'This sound…'
It was a sound like the skittering of eight spider legs moving in a gathered swarm, sticking to the ground and pulling away repeatedly. Disgusting, nauseating sounds, yet terrifying enough to nearly push the heart out of the ribcage.
Takeshi moved and looked directly at Sota, dropping the tomato onto the hay, and screamed at him:
"Speed up the cart and don't stop!!"
Sota didn't understand why Takeshi was screaming, as he had never heard this sound before. This sound was carved into Takeshi's memory—he had heard it once recently, and here he was hearing it again now.
But the difference this time was that he had been alone when he heard it. It was, without a shadow of a doubt, the sound of a swarm of savage Rivarg monsters.