Loren had never done an escorting job before.
He believed that hiring an escort was something rich people of people of high status usually did.
He wasn’t sure if it was a fact, but his understanding was that those kinds of people would never hire mercenaries, who were violent and rough by nature most of the time.
Because of that, he wasn’t sure how escorting worked, and thought that Shayna would be put on a carriage and the rest of them would surround it. However, after seeing the three carriages, he realized that his a.s.sumption was incorrect.
“We get to ride in carriages too, huh.”
“If we walked we wouldn’t be able to get there in three days.”
The carriages weren’t that big, and looked more like carts used to carry goods and baggage.
In fact, Loren was astonished at the guild’s ability to ready their means of transportation, as almost all the adventurers had accepted the quest.
The only reason that almost all the other parties joined the quest was because of the event where the young adventurer had a quarrel with Loren. After being defeated, his party declined the quest.
Loren thought that there would be some retaliation from the members of the young adventurer’s party. Although he didn’t know what they thought of him on the inside, it seemed that they understood that anything was fine as long as no one died.
“Well, this is helpful.”
To Loren, who carried around a gigantic weapon, not having to walk was a good thing.
He did train and build his body to be able to handle the sheer weight of his weapon type, but not having to waste stamina was always a good thing.
“I can’t believe you’re able to march around with that on your back.”
“I got used to it. That’s all there is to it.”
Loren climbed into the carriage as he said that, but here a problem occurred.
There were seats on both sides of the carriage but when Loren tried to sit down, the carriage tilted over to his side due to the combined weight of him and the weapon on his back, and took up most of the s.p.a.ce.
“Only thing we can do here is have everyone else cram other side while Loren and I sit over here.”
The guild planned on having each carriage carry eight people, so sixteen adventurers on two carriages.
Along with the carriage with Shayna and seven adventurers to accompany her, there were a total of twenty-three of them partic.i.p.ating in the quest.
So if Loren and Lapis took over one whole side of the carriage, it meant that six others were going to have to sit across from them.
Although the weight balanced out, they would have to be cramped up.
The atmosphere was already not good, as iron rank adventurers had to give up their seats to Loren and Lapis, who were a rank lower than them.
“I’m really sorry about this. I’ve got no excuse.”
Loren bowed and apologized sincerely, knowing for a fact that this was his fault.
The other adventurers were taken aback at Loren’s sincere apology, after a moment seemed satisfied by it, and one of the older adventurers of the group spoke up.
“Can’t be helped.”
“Sorry. I owe you guys one.”
It seemed that the situation was resolved, but soon enough another nuisance appeared.
The red haired boy, who should’ve been riding on the other carriage, jumped onto the carriage Loren was on.
He must have guessed that this was going to happen and came over, and shouted at Loren, who was apologizing to the other adventurers.
“Hey low rank! Not only do you not know your place, but you’re causing trouble for the other adventurers? How much do you have to get in our way before your satisfied!?”
Loren covered Lapis’ eyes, which immediately charged with bloodthirstiness, with his palm, and even though the way he said it was a problem, what he said wasn’t wrong and he had no excuse for it.
The red haired boy seemed to know that as well, and opened his mouth to continue, but the older adventurer from before gave an angry shout.
“Shut up kid! This conversation is already over! Go back to your carriage right now!”
While the red haired boy stood there with his mouth wide open, not being able to respond, the other members of his party hurried over and dragged him back to their carriage.
While that was happening, Loren took the opportunity to observe the red haired boy’s party.
A woman with straight blonde hair wearing a magnificent full plated iron armor.
A brown haired girl with freckles holding a curved wooden staff wearing a dark navy blue robe.
A girl with blue, bob cut hairstyle wearing a white priest clothes and a crosier.
The red haired boy’s party consisted of the four of them.
“Is making a party with one guy and a lot of girls the trend right now?”
Loren recalled that the party that he went goblin hunting with was like that as well, and Lapis, still blindfolded by Loren’s palm, whispered back.
“The one that looks like a knight is Layla. The magician looking one is Ange. The priest’s name is Roll, and if I remember correctly she serves the Water G.o.d.”
“How do you even know all this?”
“I saw the register at the guild. The red haired boy’s name is Klaus, by the way. They are currently up and coming adventurers.”
“Up and coming…from where?”
If what Lapis said wasn’t just some sarcasm, it meant that the red haired boy named Klaus had a patron or something backing him up.
“For now it seems like the Adventurer’s Guild itself. I didn’t have enough time to investigate who sent him in, though.”
Lapis said she would continue her investigation later.
Loren couldn’t decide what to be more surprised at. Klaus, who had support behind his back, or Lapis, who just told him she would investigate the matter. In the end, he decided to stay silent.
“On a different note, the older adventurer right there is Broas, and is a veteran who has been doing this for twenty years.”
“Humph. You trying to say that even after twenty years I’m still stuck as an iron rank?”
“Of course not. Even out of the many iron ranks, only a handful of them manage to rise up to silver ranks. I’m impressed that you possess the skill to not have suffered major injuries and continued being an adventurer for twenty years.”
Loren was so surprised that Lapis had said something to another person that didn’t contain any sort of poison that he lowered his hand that was covering her eyes.
Lapis, who had recovered her vision, saw Loren’s surprised expression, grabbed his collar and started demanding an explanation.
The other adventurers looked at them and started to loosen up, while Broas crossed his arms and looked away.
“Hmm? Are you blushing?”
“Shut up… Just go sit down already.”
Broas gave a rough response to Lapis’ teasing.
Having a foul mouth wasn’t uncommon among adventurers, and Loren decided that Broas was a way nicer person than he looked and bowed his head one more time.
“Thanks for the help.”
“You need to shut up as well. Just keep flirting with that thing next to you.”
Broas waved his hand, signaling that the conversation was done, and Loren decided that pursuing the topic any further was impolite, so he stopped Lapis from saying anything else and whispered to her.
“Ritz and his party are quite amazing, huh.”
“They’re incredible enough to send in copper rank adventurers into an iron rank quest.”
This meant that Loren and Lapis was there due to their influence.
It was quite painful for Loren but Lapis didn’t seem to be bothered at all by it.
“Making connections is a talent as well, you know?”
“I got it I got it. I got it so please calm down.”
At Loren’s cry of surrender, the carriages that carried the adventurers and the carriage that carried Shayna started moving.
“Hey. Doesn’t it feel kind of weird?”
Since the trip was going to take three days, it meant that they would have to spend at least two nights on the road.
But the drivers that the guild had hired weren’t trained to drive during the night, so they had to stop all the carriages in the evening and set up camp.
Loren said that as he got off the carriage and glanced at the carriage that Shayna was supposed to be riding on as it came to a stop behind them.
The two carriages that carried the adventurers ran in front and behind the carriage that Shayna was on, and Loren noticed that the driver of the carriage behind them looked unwell.
“Hey, you alright?”
As Loren approached the carriage, the driver was breathing heavily as he wiped sweat off of his forehead with a slightly pained expression.
“Did something happen?”
“No…nothing out of the ordinary, but I’m not feeling too well.”
The drivers that the guild had hired were healthy looking young men, but the one that was driving the carriage that carried Shayna looked like he was sick and was sweating a lot.
“Everything’s alright inside, right?”
“I-it should be fine…”
Although the driver stuttered, it didn’t look like he was trying to hide something, and Loren decided that he was really not feeling too well.
“Hey kid, what’re you doing?”
Loren pointed at the driver as Broas got off the carriage and walked towards him.
“The driver’s condition doesn’t look good.”
“What?… Hey you guys! Before you set up tent, get spread some sheets or something on the ground!”
Broas looked at the driver’s face and turned and shouted to who looked like his party members, and helped the driver get off the carriage.
As Loren was helping him, Klaus got off from his carriage and walked over towards him.
“What do you think you’re doing, low rank!”
“Lapis, can you go check inside the carriage? If I remember correctly this all the adventurers in this carriage should be women.”
“That should be correct. You can count on me.”
Lapis climbed onto the carriage and poked her head inside.
Meanwhile Klaus, who had been ignored, started bite at Loren.
“Hey you! Answer me!”
“Sorry but I don’t have time to deal with you right now.”
“What did you just say!?”
As Klaus started to get loud as Loren tried to shrug him off, he decided that he would have to make him shut up, one way or another. As Loren started to think of ways to do so, Lapis’ voice caught his attention.
“This is bad Loren! Please come over!”
“Move. Don’t get in my way.”
Loren shoved Klaus out of the way and walked towards Lapis, who looked panicked as she pulled her head out of the carriage.
Lapis held the cloth that covered the entrance up so that he could see inside.
The sight that Loren witnessed made him catch his breath.
“What the h.e.l.l? What in the world happened?”
Shayna, wearing traveler’s clothes, was there.
She was leaning against the wall of the carriage, soundly asleep.
There was nothing wrong with her, but what happened around her was what surprised Loren.
All seven female adventurers were there, but every single one of them was pale and covered In sweat, just like the driver.
Some were barely conscious in their seats, while some weren’t even in their seats, but lying down on the floor unconscious with their eyes rolled up.
It was indeed an abnormal sight, and Loren called Broas, who was tending to the driver, in a loud voice.
“Broas! Can I get some help here?”
“Why are you being so loud…whoa, what’s happening here?”
Broas looked inside the carriage and said in a hollow voice.
The other adventurers faltered when they saw what was happening as well.
Loren decided that there wasn’t any room to be considerate, climbed into the carriage, and started carrying the women out of there.