A New Road To The South

[Three Days Earlier]

That afternoon felt exceptionally peaceful. A cool transitional breeze drifted through the air, warm sunlight rested gently on my skin, and a cup of hot chocolate accompanied me on the back terrace. From where I sat, I watched Daisy as she braided flowers together with Lusserina.

Just as I was savouring that calm moment, a golden magic circle suddenly appeared in the yard—not far from where Daisy stood.

Noticing it, Lusserina rose to her feet at once. From within the glowing circle emerged two figures—Rima and the cat-man I had met at the banquet some time ago. The moment Daisy saw Rima, she ran toward her without hesitation.

“Mom Rima!” Daisy called out cheerfully.

“Hey there, beautiful! What are you up to?” Rima asked with a smile.

“I’m making a flower crown with Lu’s help,” Daisy replied proudly.

“I see. Then make one for Mom Rima, too,” Rima said.

“Okay!” Daisy answered before returning to Lusserina.

After noticing me, Rima and the cat-man approached the table. Rima sat down immediately.

“Go on, sit,” Rima said to him.

He glanced at me briefly, then turned his gaze back to Rima.

“It’s fine—have a seat,” Rima repeated.

Only then did the cat-man sit at the table with us.

“It’s been a while, Lady Luna. How have you been? Though technically, it’s only been two months,” he greeted me politely.

“Ah, yes. It has been a while. I’ve been well,” I replied.

My eyes shifted to Rima. I gave her a sharp look, and she seemed to understand its meaning immediately.

“Alright, go ahead and introduce yourself,” Rima said.

The cat-man nodded.
“My apologies for the late introduction. My name is Clive. I’m a Rank-B adventurer and a member of the Niranthea Intelligence Agency—BIN for short. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, bowing slightly.

Intel? He’s a spy?!

“Luna… Lunaria Oberyth,” I replied with a slight nod.

Once again, I looked at Rima, silently questioning why she had brought this man here.

“Lun,” Rima began, “do you remember when I asked you to accompany me south—to Niranthea?”

“Yes. I remember. You wanted me to come with you,” I answered.

“That’s right. And Clive will be our guide,” Rima added.

“I see…” I lowered my gaze to the table for a moment. “Alright. I’ll go with you.”

“Oh, and since you enjoy adventuring, we’ll be using public transportation,” Rima added casually.

[The Night Before Departure]

That night was quiet. There was no rain, nor any snowstorm. We enjoyed Lusserina’s home-cooked dinner as usual.

“Luka… tomorrow, Mom and Mom Rima are leaving. Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” I asked.

“Mm!” Daisy nodded softly. “You go ahead, Mom. I’ll stay and take care of the house,” she said confidently.

“Lun, you’ve asked her that several times already,” Rima said gently. “There’s Abi and Lu here, not to mention Putih and the others. Daisy will be just fine.”

Even so, a lingering unease remained in my heart.

The next morning, after saying our goodbyes to Daisy and everyone else, Rima and I flew straight to the capital, Nuzantra. We headed to the city’s southern gate, where Clive was already waiting alongside several caravan passengers. After exchanging greetings, the caravan departed from the capital.

[On the Road]

The rhythmic pounding of horse hooves, the creaking of turning wheels, and the gentle breeze accompanied our journey.

There were two routes to the Kingdom of Niranthea. One went west, passing through the city of Barqa before heading south. The other led straight south from Nuzantra, through several small towns and then the large municipality of Ishvathar—the former capital of Lemuria. We chose the southern route.

After a week of travelling through various towns, we finally arrived in Ishvathar.

Its scale took me aback. The city was vastly different from those we had passed through before. Massive walls towered around it, and once inside, the streets were lively and bustling. Wide stone roads stretched ahead, lined with two- to three-story buildings—no less impressive than the capital of Nuzantra.

“That…” I murmured.

“Oh, that’s the former royal residence from before the capital was relocated,” Rima explained. “Now, Ishvathar Castle has been turned into a tourist attraction. That’s one of the city’s main draws.”

We spent the night there and continued our journey the following morning.

[The Following Day]

After breakfast at a modest tavern, we departed through the city’s western gate. Since we were using public transportation, we rode in a carriage with other passengers.

Five horse-drawn carriages moved together. The journey was smooth and uneventful—we didn’t encounter a single monster. The atmosphere was calm, filled only with the sound of wheels and hooves.

Several hours later, the sun stood directly overhead.

“We’ll stop for lunch at the open field ahead,” the coachman announced.

It’s already noon, I thought.

An hour later, we arrived at a wide clearing by the roadside. Everyone disembarked. Only then did I realise that just two of the carriages carried passengers—the other three belonged to merchants, escorted by adventurers.

As everyone searched for a spot to eat, I seized the opportunity to take out my picnic set from spatial storage.

A floral-patterned mat spread across the ground, followed by three woven rattan baskets. From them, I laid out an assortment of food—egg sandwiches, meat-filled rice balls, risoles, fruit tarts, slices of cake, along with refreshing drinks like lemon tea and fruit juice.

Before long, attention turned toward us. People glanced our way but said nothing—until a small child couldn’t resist staring. The child’s parent quickly hushed them, afraid of seeming rude.

I simply smiled and invited them to join us.

One person became two, then more, until we were sharing a large meal beneath the shade of a tree, accompanied by a gentle breeze.

Just as the atmosphere grew warm and relaxed—

“It seems we have company,” Clive said quietly.

“They’ve grown impatient.”

Company? Impatient? I wondered.

Before I could process his words, several figures emerged from the forest and surrounded us. Their appearance was rough and unkempt—clearly bandits. Weapons were drawn in their hands.

“Hand over all your valuables… if you want to live!” one of them barked.

[One Day Earlier]

Since it was already late afternoon when we arrived in Ishvathar, we immediately searched for an inn to stay the night. After a brief search, we found a simple lodging near the western gate. We deliberately avoided luxury inns—according to Rima, they would ruin the “adventurer” atmosphere.

After leaving our belongings, we headed to a tavern for dinner.

Inside, the place looked like a typical medieval tavern. Wooden tables were packed closely together, hanging lamps cast a warm yellow glow, and the sounds of conversation mixed with clinking glasses. As it was dinner time, the tavern was fairly crowded.

We managed to find seats in one corner.

“Clive, what’s wrong? Feeling travel-sick?” I asked when I noticed how quiet he was.

“I’m fine. Thank you for asking,” Clive replied briefly.

“He’s not sick,” Rima chimed in with a grin. “He’s just enduring all the sharp stares from around us—sitting next to two beautiful women isn’t easy, you know. Hahaha.”

Only then did I realise it. No wonder I’d felt so many eyes on us earlier. The conversation ended when the server arrived with our food.

[Meanwhile…]

In another corner of the tavern, three men watched Luna’s group from the moment they entered.

“Look at that cat-man,” grumbled the short one. “So lucky, sitting with two beautiful women.”

“I’d do anything to be in his place,” added the ugly one.

The third man—the most intimidating of the three—grinned.
“In that case, how about we kidnap them tonight? Women that beautiful would fetch a high price.”

[Midnight]

The night grew late. Luna slept soundly, but Rima remained awake. Suddenly, she sensed something—subtle, yet unmistakable.

Hmm… I thought Clive was joking. Turns out they really did come, she thought.

Outside the room, several men moved quietly. Dressed in dark clothing like thieves, faces covered, weapons clutched tightly, one of them slowly tried to open the door to Luna and Rima’s room.

Click.

Huh? The door’s stuck? The man thought.

He tried again. It didn’t budge—almost as if something were holding it from the inside.

Irritated, he stepped back and kicked the wooden door with all his strength.

Bang!

The door didn’t move.

Before they could react—

A shadow shifted behind them.

With swift, silent movements, Clive subdued them one by one. Precise blows left them no time to cry out before collapsing unconscious onto the wooden floor.

Moments later, the door opened. Rima stepped out, her expression calm.

“Good work,” she said briefly. “When you said they might come, I thought it was just a possibility. Turns out it was real.”

“Thank you,” Clive replied. “Besides, with Lady Rima’s protective magic alone, they never could’ve gotten inside.”

The two of them looked down at the men sprawled on the floor.

“What should we do with them?” Clive asked.

“Hand them over to the authorities,” Rima answered without hesitation.

“Understood,” Clive said with a nod.

“Then I’ll leave the rest to you. I’m going back to sleep,” Rima said, letting out a small yawn.

“Leave it to me,” Clive replied firmly.

[Back to the Present]

Ugh… bandits again, I muttered inwardly.

“It looks like they’ve come to take revenge for their companions from last night,” Rima said casually.

“Huh? What do you mean?” I asked, confused.

“I’ll explain later. For now, let’s deal with this first,” she replied.

As if receiving a signal, Clive pulled on his black gloves. With a smooth motion, he drew two daggers from his back. Their metallic gleam caught the light as he took his stance.

The fight was inevitable.