Chapter 19: Change in Bawo Town

The Xavier Merchant Association is just one of the countless merchants in the United Kingdom, unremarkable among them.

With 139 staff members, including 40 contracted security forces, their only caravan frequently travels between the City of Courage in the royal capital and the town of Chelen in the west, profiting from selling the local specialties of both regions.

It’s not exactly a fortune, but the income is still quite considerable.

Mr. Xavier, the founder and current president of the association, is an excellent businessman just reaching middle age. He possesses a sharp business acumen and crisis awareness, well aware of what to pursue and what to avoid.

Thus, he worked his way up from being an ordinary youth with nothing to his current status.

Now, Mr. Xavier is leading a caravan that has just completed its supply run from Chelen back to the City of Courage.

This astute merchant finds himself in a rather peculiar mood.

A few days ago, he sustained a minor injury while venturing out alone on the outskirts of Chelen, leaving him mobile but in a bind about how to return to the inn.

Just then, a beautiful black-haired woman in a white robe, resembling a priestess but without any holy symbol or mark, passed by, accompanied by a blonde girl who seemed to be her servant.

Mr. Xavier, with maxed-out social skills, immediately called out for help, and although the black-haired girl appeared somewhat annoyed, she ultimately lent him a hand.

It was really just a “casual” gesture.

From several meters away, she waved her delicate white hand, and astonishingly, Xavier found his leg wound miraculously healed.

Without a doubt, this was a powerful mage.

Then, they prepared to leave.

Strangely enough, Mr. Xavier, who usually avoids things beyond his understanding, called out to them once more, revealing his identity and expressing a desire to “give a small token of gratitude.”

The black-haired girl, possessing mystical powers, pondered briefly and surprisingly made a request to Xavier.

She and her companion wanted to borrow a cart from the caravan to travel with them, but they would separate in the Forgotten Land area midway, and it would be best not to expect assistance should anything happen.

Xavier naturally agreed, as he indeed just wanted to repay these two, and having two seemingly newly adult girls tagging along would have negligible impact on his caravan of hundreds—it was completely unproblematic.

At this moment, the two mysterious girls were inside an unoccupied carriage of his, seemingly engaged in something.

They were hardly interacting with the caravan members, appearing quite aloof, so even though Xavier had some interest in them, he couldn’t find an opportunity to strike up a conversation.

Oh well, perhaps they were just passing strangers. Since the girls clearly expressed reluctance, he, Xavier, wouldn’t press on—after all, he was a man with a family.

However, perhaps the gods decided to play a tiny trick on him; this journey, which he had traversed dozens of times, unexpectedly took a turn he never saw coming.

Just as Mr. Xavier fiddled with his abacus and account books in his carriage, a tall man clad in gray-black armor, with a scar across his eye, pushed aside the curtain and entered, sitting down directly opposite him.

“President, something’s off up ahead.”

Aornet, a former Ink Steel-level adventurer, had seen his small team disintegrate during a mission, with two members dead and two injured. Feeling helpless, he withdrew from the adventurer’s guild and took on the more stable job of a caravan guard.

He had begun collaborating with Xavier three years ago; this merchant association’s routes were stable and safe, and Aornet and the guards only needed to handle some pesky low-level magical beasts—they rarely encountered bandits, and the pay was decent, so he was quite satisfied.

But this time, the keen instincts of a former adventurer made Aornet scent danger.

“What do you mean by that?”

Xavier put away his abacus, his expression gradually turning serious. It was rare for him to see the typically composed captain of the guards looking so furrowed.

“This morning, I noticed we hadn’t encountered anyone coming from Bawo Town. I found it strange, so I sent a few subordinates ahead to investigate. Guess what?”

“Bandit attack?”

Aornet shook his head.

“They disappeared; none of them returned, and not a single warning signal was sent up.”

“Hiss…”

Xavier gasped.

The guards of the Xavier Merchant Association were trained by Aornet himself, reaching at least Bronze level, and the experienced captain wouldn’t send the weakest members into danger without reason.

Were they facing something even a Mithril or even Gold-level expert couldn’t handle?

No, considering what Aornet said—no signal was sent—there was a greater possibility they encountered something they couldn’t defend against, or couldn’t respond at all.

If that were the case, the strangeness of the situation was far beyond what a small merchant caravan could deal with.

But… it’s also possible…

“Let’s take a detour.”

Aornet offered a straightforward suggestion.

Xavier felt a bit conflicted. “But the food and water for the caravan are almost depleted. If we don’t resupply in Bawo Town, it’ll be tough to reach the next city, and those guards…”

“Listen, Xavier.”

The tall captain leaned in, both hands firmly on the merchant’s shoulders, earnestly advising him.

“Humans are fragile creatures. There are things in this world far smarter than humans; they may be rare, but they truly exist.”

“If you encounter a situation that defies understanding, the best course of action is to flee before you face it. Don’t hold onto false hopes; visible difficulties can often be overcome, but curiosity about the Abyss will only cost you your life—understand?”

As Aornet spoke with increasing fervor, Xavier grimaced in pain from the grip on his shoulder, patting Aornet’s hand, signaling him to calm down.

“…Sorry, I just remembered that incident.”

The scarred man slumped back down, revealing a bitter smile.

“It’s alright, my friend. I understand everything you said and comprehend your feelings, but perhaps this situation is not as terrible as you imagine?”

Xavier pondered the familiar route and terrain, proposing a compromise.

“Caution is crucial, but if we abandon our companions at the first sign of trouble, who would trust the Xavier Merchant Association in the long run?”

“Maybe your subordinates were just ensnared by something temporarily, unable to extricate themselves, or… thought it unnecessary to send a warning?”

“Alright, let’s proceed to that hill area just two or three kilometers from Bawo Town, utilize the terrain advantage to observe briefly with a long-range magic stone, and then decide the next course of action. What do you think?”

Aornet, now calmer after Xavier’s organized analysis and persuasion, realized he might have been overly sensitive; many past situations were misinterpretations leading him to inaccurate judgments.

And when faced with real danger, this clever merchant president reacts just as swiftly.

“Fine, we’ll go with your plan, but if anything arises, we must retreat immediately. I have an uneasy feeling.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

Thus, after much discussion, the Xavier caravan cautiously continued towards the originally planned destination—Bawo Town.

   

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