บท 5: 05Before Journey
— Next day —
The sky was painted with the softest touch of pink as the first rays of the sun were yet to peek from the horizon. The streets of Ashton were cold and empty. Except for dogs, who were probably fighting at some distance and the sounds of wind hitting hard against the bark of the giant trees, while their leaves danced happily along with the wind; no other sound could be heard.
At twilight, a wagon stopped in front of the Ashtide family. The guards were quietly filling the wagon with the wooden boxes, which were filled with ash fruits.
Few meters away from the wagon, five people were standing and watching the entire process.
"If you depart now, you can reach there within two days. Be careful on the way, though. Not only should you mind the bandits but also the beasts," Alvar warned Arthur and the Layman again.
Arthur nodded seriously while rubbing the hands in the cold. He was wearing a white shirt and black pants beneath the leather armor that had many stitches. He also had a single-handed sword in the brown leather scabbard hanging on the back.
The right side of Arthur was Layman. He was a sturdy middle-aged man with bulky muscles. He had brown hair and donned himself in the steel armor that had the Ash-tree symbol on the chest plate. It was the symbol of the Ashtide family. He held a spear in his left hand.
"Don't worry, Master Alvar. No bandit can steal the goods under my watch," Layman said with a determined look on his face. He had a stern face, and except for the determined eyes, it was hard to find any emotions on his face.
"I trust you, Layman. Also, take care of my reckless son. Even though I doubt he will burden you," Alvar shrugged and continued, "just in case, monitor him."
Arthur had an annoyed expression on his face when he heard his father's words, but before he could refute him, his mother's next words cut him off. "Kanha, be careful, alright? Mother already experienced the pain of losing you in the past, I don't know if my heart can bear the news if something happens to you."
Arthur wanted to refute her but refrained from doing so when he saw her worry-filled eyes. Looking into his mother's eyes, he smiled pointed towards the giant tree a few yards away from them. When Emilia turned her face to look at the thing he was pointing at, Arthur took the liberty to kiss his mother's cheeks.
Arthur's sudden kiss startled Emilia, but she knew that there was no use worrying.
"Humph! Why did you only kiss mother?" Ava pouted and glared at Arthur.
Arthur looked at his little sister and bent down on his knees so he was at her eye-level. He chuckled lightly and caressed Ava's icy hair.
She had inherited the color of her hair from her mother, and the color of her pupils from Alvar. Her long overflowing icy hair stopped right above the waist, now glazed with the soft glow from the twilight, giving it a soothing shade. She curled her lips and put her dainty hands on the curvy waist, shooting angry eyes at him.
"Here," Arthur kissed her on both the cheeks.
"That's more like it!" She squealed on top of her lungs. The look of dissatisfaction vanished immediately and was replaced with the brightest smile Arthur ever saw on her face. She then said, "Now, let's talk about the most important business."
"Business?" Arthur asked.
Ava nodded vehemently. She clutched the beast's parchment in her left hand tightly. She closed her eyes, started counting with her fingers, and said, "Ronnie's pudding, blueberry tarts, pumpkin pies, almond cakes, compotes, cream and fruits cooked in hippocras, and glazed doughnuts. Hmm... I think that's all for now."
Everyone except Alvar had gigantic smiles on their faces. All the dishes she had mentioned were noble cuisines. Thinking of his daughter's sweet tooth, and the price of each dish, he felt a pang in his heart.
"And?" Arthur asked although he got to the crux of the matter. Everyone here knew Ava's love for sweets, but he could not understand how the nine-year-old girl who had never left the village was aware of the many dishes.
"Bring me those deserts, okay brother?" Ava blinked innocently and smiled sweetly as she handed over the beast parchment that she was holding in her hand.
Arthur took the parchment and eyed it suspiciously. Sure enough, it was filled with all the dishes' names. She even went as far as to mention the quantity of each of them.
Arthur shook his head and asked, "So this is what you call 'the most important business', huh?"
"Hehe." Her cheeky smile amused everyone present.
"Where did you learn their names?"
"Library, duh!" She puffed her cheeks and answered as if Arthur was the biggest fool she had ever seen.
"You naughty girl! Do not take your brother as an example. He is a bad guy," Emilia glared at Arthur.
"Give me some face, Mom, okay?" Arthur said.
"…."
"…."
"What now?" Arthur's face darkened.
"Do you even have a face?" His father smacked the back of his head as he asked. He couldn't hide the smile tugging at his beard.
"What are you all laughing for? I have some face value, okay?"
This time, everyone burst out into laughter.
"...."
"That aside, no wine dishes," Emilia looked at Arthur and then Ava and continued, "especially, cream and fruits in hippocras is an absolute no-no!"
———
After a few minutes, the guards finished loading all the wooden boxes, and the Ashtide family bid them farewell. The driver had already mounted onto the seat and was now holding a whip in his right hand. The Layman tried to bend his giant-like body and squeezed himself into the wagon.
"Young master, wait!!" A young lady's voice stopped Arthur from entering the wagon. Arthur turned around and saw Claire running towards him with a wooden basket. Claire halted before him, and panted hard, holding her chest with one hand and her other hand rested on her hips, as she tried to catch her breath to speak the next words.
"You forgot the food." Claire handed the basket she held in her hands to Arthur. She batted her eyelids and looked at Arthur and hoped that he would say something to her before their departure.
"Oh, thank you, Claire," Arthur said and passed the basket to the Layman.
"Enter the wagon, Arthur. You should leave before the first light," Alvar urged him.
Arthur nodded and bid farewell and squeezed Claire's waist, who was standing near him.
"Aghhh!" Claire shrieked. Her face reddened. She lowered her head to look at her feet and rubbed her hands together.
"What happened?" Emilia asked as her suspicious eyes fell on Arthur. She had a hunch it had something to do with her naughty son.
"I didn't~"
"Brother pinched big sister Claire's waist!"
-----
Lastgrove and Ashton were separated by over a hundred kilometers, which was not an enormous distance in the vast continent. One could easily travel back and forth in a few hours with the help of magic beasts.
However, the Ashton village had no beast tamers to tame magical beasts. Even though Layman could easily defeat the one-star magic beast, which was equal to the level-one enhancer, it was impossible to control them without the proper skill set.
The Beast taming skills were as scarce as hens' teeth. With the noble hall monopolizing most of the beast's taming skills, normal people were not even qualified to see the skills.
The Ashtide family had only a big village to gain noble authority. Not to mention, the nobles hated weak merchants the most.
"We will make a camp here tonight," Layman said.
Arthur and Layman already traveled for more than a day and stopped the wagon in an open space. The circular prairie was a suitable place to camp. They not only had an unrestricted view in the night but also had the brook running through the open space.
Arthur nodded as he thought it was an ideal place to spend the night. In an open grassland, they would have fewer chances to get ambushed.
After setting up the camp, Arthur, Layman, and driver Gath ate the food Claire handed over to them at the beginning of the journey. Claire specially prepared the delicacies when she learned that Arthur was going on the journey, and they were all his favorites.
Arthur had no intention of sharing his favorite food with them. However, as Claire gave the food to him in front of them, it would be rude to not invite them. He didn't want them to think that he was petty. Arthur grudgingly pushed the basket towards them to help themselves.
Arthur watched both with green eyes as they devoured his favorite food. Especially, Layman, he was hogging the food and gobbling them up so fast that anyone would think he was against the food.
He thought they would stop eating after taking some. But he underestimated Claire's cooking skills, and they ate like it was the end of the world.
"I-I Am going to practice with the sword," Arthur said.
"Oops… I finished everything. Do you mind that I ate my daughter's food, young master Arthur?" Layman said, stressing out the last few words.
"Why would I? If there is anything, I am grateful for you, Uncle Layman," Arthur smiled.
"Grateful? For what?" Layman asked. He deliberately provoked Arthur because he wanted to frustrate him. However, contrary to his expectations, Arthur said he was grateful, and that confused him.
"I am grateful that Claire did not inherit your genes." Arthur burst into laughter.
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