While the mercenaries were busy pillaging, Sylas and Roderick stayed at the village chief's house. It was the best house in the village. After examining Roderick's wound, Sylas spoke up.
"The wound has almost healed, so it won't take long until you're fully recovered."
In fact, there was no need for medicine anymore. Just leaving it to natural healing would be sufficient for a full recovery in about a week.
"That's a relief. Now we can take you along, my lord."
Roderick replied with a noticeably brighter expression. He seemed to feel much more at ease after finding his prized horse and equipment while searching through the village. It was fortunate that the village chief had not been able to sell the expensive items quickly.
At that moment, Roderick seemed to remember something and turned to Gaiden.
"By the way, Gaiden, do we have a cart?"
"A cart?"
"We can't have my lord walking like this."
Gaiden looked at Roderick as if he were dumbfounded.
"Am I supposed to be a fortune teller? How was I supposed to know to prepare a cart before even finding my lord?"
"Well, that's true."
After all, they were searching for Sylas. There was no way to have a cart ready to drag around beforehand. However, Gaiden's true feelings were a bit different.
"Damn it, I was actually planning to make him walk."
Originally, he had intended to give Sylas all sorts of humiliation on the orders of the Countess. But now, it seemed they had to treat him with all due respect. The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt. Roderick uttered a comment that made Gaiden even more frustrated.
"There's no helping it. You have to get a cart."
"What?!"
"A cart, I said. We need it right now."
"Why do I have to…?"
Gaiden looked at Roderick in disbelief. But Roderick responded with a demeanor that seemed to ask what the problem was.
"I can't go myself due to my injury, and my lord is out of the question from the start. So you have no choice but to use the mercenaries to bring one."
"How am I supposed to pay for that? Do you think carts are cheap? "
"You could write a promissory note and let your lord know. He's not the stingy type."
"...."
Faced with such a reasonable argument, Gaiden found himself speechless. While Roderick was right, the thought of going through that annoying process was unappealing. After all, if he returned without fulfilling the Countess's orders, he would face her wrath, and he would have to bow to a bastard throughout the journey.
And now, on top of that, he was being asked to fetch a cart for the bastard to make his journey easier! Gaiden hesitated, looking uncomfortable, when Sylas, who had been quiet, finally spoke up.
"I'm fine with walking."
"Oh, would that be alright?"
"Yes, I might look shabby, but I wouldn't want to trouble you."
"...."
Seeing Sylas smile, Gaiden was at a loss for words. How could he refuse that? He couldn't just ignore it after Sylas's considerate words.
As expected, upon hearing this, Roderick glared at Gaiden.
"…I will go fetch a cart."
Under the pressure from both sides, Gaiden raised the white flag.
***
"Damn it, those mercenaries are just having a good time."
As Gaiden stepped out of the house, he gritted his teeth at the sight of the boisterous mercenaries. After going through the trouble of hiring them, they were just playing around instead of working. It was infuriating to see them plundering while giving him nothing, all the while chanting "Long live the young master."
"Hey, you there, mercenary! Come over here; I have some work for you!"
"Damn…"
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, sir. What can I do for you?"
One of the mercenaries, caught off guard, quickly hid his grim expression and forced a smile. Gaiden stared suspiciously at the mercenary for a moment before pulling a note from his pocket and handing it to him.
"Go to the nearest town or big village and get a cart… wait a moment."
As he was speaking, a scheme popped into Gaiden's mind. If things went well, he might be able to embarrass that unworthy bastard he disliked.
"What, sir? You want a cart?"
"No, not a cart. Get a pony from somewhere nearby."
"A pony?"
"Yeah, preferably a gentle one."
The mercenary, bewildered but accepting the note, nodded. He didn't fully understand why, but since it was his employer's request, he had no choice but to comply. Watching the mercenary walk away, Gaiden smirked.
'That guy has been running wild until now. Let's see how he handles this.'
There was no need to show any malicious intent. A few "mistakes" would embarrass him without raising any inquiries. Even if something went wrong, the bastard and Roderick wouldn't be able to question him.
***
The next morning, Roderick's eyes widened at Gaiden's suggestion.
"Teach the young master how to ride a horse?"
"Yes."
Caught off guard by the unexpected proposal, Roderick was puzzled. Horse riding was an essential skill for nobles. It was something that had to be learned whether one liked it or not. So why was he insisting on teaching it now?
"I told the mercenary to fetch a cart, but who knows if he'll find a suitable one. So, I told him to at least get a horse if he couldn't find a cart."
"If there's no cart, shouldn't we go elsewhere to find one?"
"Sir Roderick, we're not planning to stay in this remote place forever, are we? How much time would we waste just trying to find the right cart?"
"Hmm."
Faced with a valid argument, Roderick fell silent. Indeed, they couldn't spend over a month searching for a single carriage. If the supplies in the village ran out, the mercenaries would start grumbling too.
"Even if it's not a cart, a horse would still present a dignified image. As long as it's not for long distances, teaching him light riding should be enough."
"That's true, but..."
"If it really concerns you, he can ride the horse only for short distances, and we can find a cart in a nearby town. For now, let's at least teach him to ride, just in case."
"...All right."