After many twists and turns, everyone managed to reach the final day of the instruction course safely. Our scheduled stay had come to an end, and all that remained was the return trip to Gimul. We spent the morning preparing for our departure, had an early lunch just before noon, and then settled into the carriage as it began to sway and jostle along the road we had traveled just days before.
"It’s already the fifth day, huh?"
"That went by pretty fast."
"And here I thought it would feel much longer."
The carriage assignments were identical to the outbound trip. I was sharing a ride with the same faces I’d seen on our way to the Plain of Poisonous Insects, but the group seemed to have bonded over the course of the training. On the first day, they had only spoken when prompted by Roche, but now they were naturally discussing the events of the past few days without any outside encouragement.
"Don't get too carried away now," Roche called out.
"He's right," Lucy added. "We might be heading home, but the instruction course isn't over yet."
The instructors' warning was fair. Even if the students were feeling relaxed, there was always the risk of encountering monsters or bandits outside the city walls. Chastened, the students obediently began to scan their surroundings.
They were certainly diligent, but their lack of experience was painfully obvious. Watching them grow so tense that they looked liable to exhaust themselves, Roche and Lucy both shared a wry smile, though they kept their thoughts to themselves. Regardless, a peaceful atmosphere filled the carriage.
The day passed without incident, and we arrived safely at our campsite that evening.
However...
"Roche-san."
"Yeah. Looks like we'll have company tonight."
The encounter occurred while we were unloading our gear from the carriage. I heard the sound of wheel ruts in the distance and looked up to see a horse-drawn wagon with a large canopy approaching. As it drew closer, the wagon slowed down and pulled up alongside us, keeping a respectful distance.
"Do you mind if we take the edge? Is it open?" the coachman asked.
"Yeah, not a problem," Roche replied.
The coachman exchanged brief words with Roche and began to set up at the far end of the campsite.
At the same time, Roche raised his voice to address the students.
"Attention! Everyone, I taught you the rules for using a communal campsite, didn't I? We aren't the only ones using this ground today. It’s fine to share, but don't cause trouble for others. If you've forgotten the protocols, come confirm them with me!"
The warning was meant to ensure the students didn't inconvenience the unaffiliated travelers, but the instructors were also subtly wary of the new arrivals. At campsites like these, bandits often appeared disguised as fellow travelers to prey on voyagers.
Their methods were varied. Some simply relied on brute force or numbers. Others struck while their victims slept. Some even approached with friendly smiles, offering wine or food laced with drugs. Consequently, the general principle at such sites was for travelers to interfere with one another as little as possible.
But a principle was just a principle, and there were always exceptions.
"Pardon me, do you have a moment?"
A man had stepped out from the wagon. He was slender and reasonably well-dressed, accompanied by another man who appeared to be a guard.
"What can I do for you?" Roche asked.
"Did you all come from that direction? If so, I'd like to ask about the road ahead—the terrain, monster sightings, and general safety."
"If that's what you need, our leader is the one to talk to. I'll guide you."
"That would be a great help. Thank you."
For a traveler, road conditions were a life-or-death matter. Stepping onto a dangerous path by mistake could be a fatal error. While it was standard practice to gather information in town before leaving, situations could change rapidly. Because of this, exchanging information between travelers was common enough.
"Leader, these gentlemen would like to know about the road," the instructor said, leading them over.
"Understood."
I left the talking to Roche, but I stayed nearby to watch the interaction for my own education. However, it didn't seem like Roche was doing anything particularly special. He kept the conversation concise, stripping away any unnecessary fluff and focusing strictly on the road conditions.
The exchange ended in less than ten minutes, and the two men returned to their wagon without lingering.
"...Ryoma, what do you think of those guys?" Roche asked in a low voice once they were out of earshot.
"I didn't sense anything overtly suspicious... but they looked like they could fight. Not just the guard, but the one who said he was a merchant, too."
The guard's combat readiness was expected, but the man calling himself a merchant also had calluses on his hands that suggested he was well-acquainted with a weapon. That said, his movements didn't seem particularly refined.
"Their prowess is probably on par with the guard's..."
In my experience, many bandits fit that exact description. However, in a world where monsters and bandits were a daily reality, it wasn't unusual for a merchant to learn self-defense rather than relying entirely on hired swords.
Thinking of the merchants I knew, I remembered that Pioro from the Saionji Company also had weapon calluses. It hadn't been worth mentioning at the time, but I imagined he had mastered at least the basics of the dagger. Even Serge from the Morgan Company, who didn't seem like a fighter, carried defensive magic tools.
So, calluses alone weren't enough to label them as suspicious.
"Did you notice something off?" I asked.
"No, I’m in the same boat as you, Ryoma. I don't think they're particularly suspicious yet. But the season is what worries me..."
"The season?"
"It'll be winter soon, right? From winter through spring—especially around the turn of the year—it's the social season for the nobility. Parties mean high demand for food, wine, dresses, jewelry, and luxury goods. Plus, many crops are harvested just before winter hits. It's the most profitable time of year for merchants, which makes it the most profitable time for the bandits who target them."
"I see..."
That made sense. Come to think of it, the end of the year was only a few months away. Back when I lived in the forest, I only thought of the seasons in terms of the temperature. I hadn't been very conscious of things like the New Year's season.
"Well, for now, it's best to stay on guard. Ryoma, you're on the night watch, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"I'm counting on you. Also, just in case we are attacked—how much experience do you have fighting bandits? Can you kill a person?"
"I'll be fine. I've taken down a bounty head before: Melzen of the Red Spear."
"I thought so. Your techniques are clearly suited for that kind of work."
It seemed Roche already suspected as much and was just confirming for the sake of caution. But I wondered what he meant by "that kind of work."
"Interpersonal combat," Roche clarified. "I don't know if your style was designed for it from the start, or if the old man who taught you was just that wary of other people. Looking at your fight with Howard, you fight more like a mercenary or a soldier than an adventurer."
"You can tell?"
"If you do this job long enough, yeah. Adventurers face all sorts of enemies, but humans and monsters move differently. If someone is good at monsters, they stick to subjugation. If they're good at humans, they do bandit hunting or guarding. I see specialized adventurers all the time, so I’ve learned to spot the signs. I had a hunch, but if you've killed a bounty head, that's more than enough. I'll be relying on you if something happens."
"I'll give it my all."
"Now, let's go over how to handle things if we actually are attacked..."
Since fighting as a group is a different beast than fighting alone, Roche shared a special tactic with me after we discussed our strategy.
That night, I took my position for the watch, fully prepared to intercept any threat.
"Time for the rotation."
"Thank you. Good work."
However, my shift ended without incident.
The next morning, I greeted the next instructor. "Good morning, Howard-san."
"Oh, morning."
I had considered the possibility of them striking during the deep sleep of dawn, but no attack came.
"Nothing happened after all," I remarked.
"It happens all the time," Howard said. "The fact that it's hard to tell who's a bandit and who isn't is what makes it such a pain. I wish they'd just dress up in an outfit that screamed, 'I'm a bandit!' It would make our lives much easier."
"...I feel like that would almost make me more hesitant, in its own way," I replied.
"Haha! Fair point. No bandit is going to walk around looking like that. But they might still try to jump us from behind on the road, so don't let your guard down. We're heading out as soon as everyone is ready. If you've got some spare time, Ryoma, go check on how the students are coming along."
"Understood."
My own preparations only required putting my gear into my Item Box, which I did in seconds. As I started my patrol, I ran into Wist coming from the water source.
"Good morning."
"O-Oh, good morning, Ryoma-kun. Are you on patrol?"
"Yeah, I finished my own preparations already."
"I see. That was fast."
"Wist, were you getting water and doing the dishes?"
He was carrying water skins for several people and a portable pot, so it was an easy guess.
"Yeah. And maintaining this..."
When he turned around, the massive shield on his back caught my eye. It was large enough to perfectly cover his torso—which was quite big for his age—making him look like a giant beetle from behind. He was also wearing limb protectors made of a glossy, insect-like material, which only added to the resemblance.
Now that I thought about it, Beck had been wearing armor of a similar material. But it hadn't been as solid as Wist's, so it hadn't left much of an impression.
"Your equipment has changed a lot since the last time I saw you," I noted.
"Yeah. I saved up for the shield while Jeff-aniki was teaching me. The armor was made from those Tunnel Ant shells you helped me get before..."
With the full set on, he looked quite formidable.
"So you decided to focus on defense?"
"Yeah... I have a short spear I can use with one hand hidden under here, but they told me I'm still too hesitant when I try to attack. But I have the strength, so I figured I could at least protect everyone with this... maybe. A little..."
He lacked confidence, but it was clear he was working hard to find a way to be useful to his team.
"Let's both do our best. Oh, if you're up for it, would you want to try working together again sometime?"
"What?! I couldn't possibly keep up with your level of work yet, Ryoma-kun..."
"No, I still take on miscellaneous tasks and odd jobs, too."
Even a high-ranker like Jeff worked with them as a mentor, so if they didn't mind, I thought it would be a good experience. Wist's rank was closer to mine than Jeff's was, and for me, it would be valuable practice in cooperating with others.
"Well, only if you feel like it. If the opportunity arises, I'd appreciate the help."
"Y-Yeah! I'd love to! I'll tell everyone else, too!"
"Everyone else," huh...
His natural use of the word stuck with me as I watched him walk back toward the tents.
"Ah, good morning!" I said as two other male instructors passed by.
"..."
"..."
They completely ignored me.
...I was starting to have serious doubts about my social skills.