章 233: She Sets Out Towards the Mountains
When Robin arrived at the study, Christian and Keith were already there, along with Jasmine. For some reason, Quinn wasn't on the scene. But, that wasn't important right now. Bastian looked up from his desk.
"I heard you received an answer?" Robin inquired.
"Yes....Even I'm surprised at the contents, really." Bastian sat back in his chair, looking both bemused, and puzzled at the same time.
"...They want to meet with you." He explained.
"Me? Well, that's fine, but how is this going to happen? Aren't you not allowed to reveal the whereabouts of their city?" Robin wondered aloud.
"That's because you will not meet with them in their city." Bastian explained, moving aside some paperwork to reveal a map. He pointed at a dot. "There's a mixed race border town on the edge of the elven forest called Boughton. There, you'll find an inn called the Arrows Arbor. You'll meet the gnome enchanters there, instead."
"Seems like everything is in order..." Robin nodded. "How far away is the elven forest from here?" She asked.
"Heh! it starts just over the other side of the mountain pass, and extends out from the entire mountain range. so, you could say that it's just next door." Bastian explained. "Boughton is about a day's travel through the pass."
"Oh? Another trading hub, perhaps?" Robin asked. "Will it be filled with merchants trading their wares?"
" Somewhat. However, I'd be cautious of any merchants you'd meet on the way, especially if they're not from Lave Mercantiles. I'm pretty sure that there are several merchants on that end who were in contact with the black merchant guild..." Bastian warned. This caused everyone to pause a moment.
Jasmine recalled that there were more than a few elf women among those she had rescued, and narrowed her eyes. While Bastian wasn't saying it outright, it was apparent that some underground slave traders had a base set up. Robin's expression became solemn.
"I've never killed a man..." She said slowly. "But if I encounter what I think you're talking about...then I very well might."
"No need." Keith shook his head. It was often enough that encounters with the underworld saw blood. However, he would rather his niece not being the one to spill it. "I'll strike first." He patted his blade.
Robin looked at Keith for a moment, and then realized what he meant. She looked away, feeling oddly emotional. For a moment, Keith had resembled her brother. It had been a long time since she had felt kinship with people other than her brother.
"Do as you wish." she said, with the tiniest tremble to her voice. Keith grinned. "Aye. Thank you for that~" He drawled in his northern accent, which was similar to an Irish man.
Robin frowned in thought. "Anything I need to be aware of inside the mountain pass?" She asked, just in case. Perhaps it was that habits were hard to change, but Robin approached travel in the mountains carefully.
" Not much, the passage walls are pretty sturdy, since they were hewn through solid rock. But be careful on rainy or windy days. Though my staff has never encountered it before, I hear there are rock slides from higher up the mountain upon occasion." Bastian recalled.
Robin looked down at the map as a sharp light glinted in her eyes.
'A rock slide in a passage hewn out of solid stone? Was it truly because of the weather? Or was it because...' She closed her eyes.
'...No. There's no need to overthink things, here. I'll just keep an eye out on my own.' She opened her eyes again.
"In that case, should we set out now?" She asked.
"... It's already late afternoon. With the day's journey, wouldn't that mean you'd be camping out in the pass?" Bastian asked. "It's not an issue for you to stay another night. Why the rush?"
"No....I just thought." Robin smiled roguishly. "It's best to finish this as soon as possible. After all, this is a dragon's commission. We may need to deal with a dragon's rampage if we're not quick about it."
Bastian paused. Her words...did make sense. Besides, taking into account any delays or changes that needed to be made in the design, the earlier they arrived, the better. He sighed, but fronted one last objection.
"You've done nothing but run yourself ragged helping people. Aren't you in need of a proper rest?"
"Heh! I've rested enough." Robin grinned. "Besides, this isn't goodbye forever. We'll stop by on our way back through. You'll be sure to have a nice welcome waiting for us then, right?" She said cheekily to Bastian.
"Of course. Nothing less than the best of welcomes for an old friend." Bastian agreed.
"You meant for a new friend." Robin shot a cold glance at Bastian.
"But I knew you befor-" Bastian replied, somewhat confused.
"YOU MEANT. FOR. A. NEW. FRIEND." Robin interrupted with a look that promised his ultimate demise. Bastian flinched, and backed down. Come to think of it, they really hadn't been friends back on earth. Being considered as new friends was probably more accurate.
"Fine, for a good friend, then." Bastian sighed and compromised.
"That's what I thought~!" Robin beamed a winner's smile. She had easily won the argument on all fronts. "Then, let's go! We leave as soon as possible!" She said excitedly to her friends as she charged out of the office.
"Is it just me, or is Robin a bit more....childish than normal?" Christian asked, watching Robin rush out gleefully, like a kid on vacation.
"Beats me. Perhaps, Robin's making up for lost opportunities in the past." Keith shrugged, with a somewhat doting smile. "But, that's still all right. As long as Robin's happy, I am content."
"Don't spoil your nephew the moment you find you have one~" Christian joked, as they headed outdoors at a slower pace than Robin.
"What do you mean? I have seventeen years of spoiling to make up for." Keith objected, as he sped up to catch up with Robin. "Currently, I am in a colossal debt to my nephew. I need to spoil Robin twice as much to make up for it~!"
"Huh? Wait, are you serious!?" Christian asked, shocked, falling behind as Keith passed him in the hallway. This was a new side of Keith that he had never seen. while Keith had his mischiefs, he had never allowed anyone under his charge to be spoiled.
When Christian emerged from the mansion, he saw that Robin had once more taken out the magic carriage from her storage bracer. She waved at Christian from the carriage door.
"Ah, there you are! Come on! Every one else is already ready to go!" Robin called. As they hadn't really unpacked anything in the rooms, everything was still ready to go. Moreover, Quinn had brought the soldiers' horses over from the Dwarves kingdom, so they were now mounted, and ready to follow the carriage anytime.
"I guess we can kill some time until our new suits are finished." Sir Raymond joked in the background.
"What do you mean 'kill some time'? We're leaving on official business! This isn't a holiday where you can decide where you wish to go!" Sir Daniel whacked Raymond backside the head as he scolded. "Man up, and stop pretending to be a lousy fallen aristocrat! We are the king's men, do you hear me!"
"I'm the only one left behind?" Christian asked, incredulously. Then he noticed Chelsea giggling.
Ah. That explained it. Chelsea and Liam probably assembled everyone else while they were in the study. Christian shook his head and chuckled, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
That was Robin for him: always moving forward, with neither regrets, nor hesitations.
Without any further delay, Christian entered the carriage. The door closed with a click. The carriage driver slapped the reigns, and the horses set off at a fast walking pace. As fast as they arrived, they also left, without parades or royal fanfare. The unmarked carriage pulled calmly away from town and into the lengthening shadows of the mountain range.
-----
Bastian sat at his desk with a frown. His hand tapped on the desk briskly as he thought deeply to himself.
"Are you worried about them, young master?" Fest inquired.
"....No. They can hold their own against most fiends. But, Fest...I may need to go on an extensive journey in the near future." Bastian paused as the tapping ceased.
"Shall I begin preparations?" Fest asked.
"No. not yet." Bastian replied. "Let's wait until that group returns before I set out."
"Any particular reason for the sudden need for travel?" Fest asked.
"At the heart of it, Lave Mercantiles is just a large merchant business." Bastian chuckled. "It's our business to travel everywhere we can in search of profits and trade. However, this time, I'm not leaving for trade, but to return stolen goods."
"Stolen goods?" Fest asked.
"The most important kind," Bastian nodded.
"Memories."
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