On the Roads

It has been approximately a few hours or so after we departed from the Mercenary Union building to do the commission we accepted.

I, Yusof Harim and Mira are riding at the back of the cart while Luno is sitting at the front. The cart was being dragged by Aner, the boar which was Luno's pet.

We're riding on the paved roads, being on the lookout for the trolls. The trolls are our target for this commission as the official guild request said that the trolls are disrupting the passage of carts. However, we haven't seen any sign of activity for this for a while now. Clouds covered most of the sky and the sun wasn't directly hitting us anymore.

Luno was still focusing on the road and observing areas in front of her while me and Mira surveyed all the other directions.

I, who is at the right side of the cart, am observing the right side of the road, looking for any bizzare activities, which there weren't any. I turned around for a moment glancing at Mira who is sitting across me, on the left side of the cart, surveying the left side of this road.

"We've been going on for a while now. Are there even trolls here?" Mira asked with an impatient tone as she turned her head around.

"I don't know Mira-chan but the poster definitely said it was close to the southeast forest." Luno replied to her without turning her head behind. Mira then stretched her arms and spoke in a doubtful tone.

"We better not be misled..."

"Don't worry, we're not, this is an official guild request, right, they won't just put up a scam quest. And even if they did, I'll beat up whoever is responsible." Luno replied reassuring Mira while also making a scary remark.

As much as her words frightened me, I don't have a say in this situation because outside of the fact we're looking for trolls and this is an official guild request, I don't know anything at all. All I'm useful for right now is just seeing if there is anything peculiar happening in the surroundings, which there isn't any.

I sat on normally again and fixed my clothes that weren't in a good position due to the sword leash being too tight and me moving so much while sitting down. After I did that I lifted my head which brought my sight towards Mira that was sitting across me. She was also looking up and we made eye contact. It was really awkward between us since I made her act sullen with my question earlier today. Her face was her normal relaxed face but we're still looking at each other.

My face became stiff as I endured this awkwardness. I had to talk, somehow, but I don't have anything to talk about! I have been in this world for what? 2 and a half days? I definitely can't can't talk about things in the other world like anime or Malaysian traditional holidays because she'll think I'm crazy.

I had to cough up something somehow. With that determination, I opened my mouth and tried to squeeze out any voice from my vocal cords. But before I was able to do so Mira talked first.

"Yusof"

"A-ah, yes?" I replied stuttering due to being caught off guard.

"Where.. are you from?" She asked with a low voice. She didn't look at me straight in the eye when she asked that, is she shy? Well, I'm still basically a guy she just met after all.

"I...." Crap, now that she asked me that question, I didn't know what to say to her. Uh.. let's go with the Mikra answer route.

"I.. don't remember actually. I only remember waking up in the forest.. and being saved by you both when the Dark Beast attacked me." I replied unintentionally making a wry smile closing my eyes. I can't help but distort my face whenever I lie this much in a short period of time. I guess lying just isn't my blood.

"I see.." she replied, making a thoughtful expression.

Did my answer satisfy her? Did my face give it away? I'm not sure, I thought to myself as I awaited her reply while retaining my own expression.

"So.." After a while, Mira spoke again but this time with a concerned look.

"You.. if you don't remember anything.. that means, you don't have anything about this world too?"

"Haha.. Ahh.. No.. I.. barely know anything at all." I replied still retaining my expression, it didn't get worse because what I said wasn't a lie. I know just as much as a newborn about this world right now.

However my answer to Mira's question seems to have been a bad one. The shy and thoughtful demeanor from before became non-existent as her eyes fixed onto me with intensity and her concerned expression became stronger.

"How... How can you! What if one day you're alone again! How can you find food? How can you fight? How can you survive?" She scolded me with a strong voice. was able to feel the concern coming from it.

"I..." I was at a loss for words. In a way she was right. I'm alive right now because they arrived just in time to save me and they were kind enough to take me back to their home. I'm living right now, but it wasn't my decisions that made it happen.

If I am going to fend for myself in this world I will have to learn about it.

I was about to reply that I was going to learn about the world. However, before I'm able to open my mouth to let out my voice, Mira approached closer to my face.

"You need to study hard. You need to learn about this world. It's important for your future!" She said with an angry expression raising her index finger.

"I.. Y-yes." I replied as a drop of sweat ran down my forehead.

"Don't worry! Lucky for you, you have the best tutor you can find, Mira!" She said, puffing her chest while standing on her knees. Talk about self praise.

I closed my eyes, made a bitter smile and squeezed out a reply, trying my very best to not say anything else to hurt her feelings or earn myself another scolding.

"Y-yes." I can feel my eyebrows twitch.

Mira scolding me and me just replying yes reminds me alot like how my mother would get mad at me telling me to study. Outside I'm just closing my eyes in defeat making a bitter smile, but inside I am crying and screaming because of this situation.

"Mhm, mhm, that settles it. Starting now, I'll be your teacher in everything you need to know." Mira said, placing her hands on her hips nodding with a proud grin on her face.

I feel like this is an impulsive decision by Mira but I'm not complaining. I was going to ask Mikra about this world so I can survive in this line of work but this isn't a big problem I guess.

Shortly after Mira said that, the wheels of the cart ran over a huge rock causing a strong wobble. The sudden movements of the cart made me jump, but I was sitting down, making it easy to recover.

"Ahh!"

Mira on the other hand, who was standing on her knees when the cart ran over the rock, lost her balance and fell forward onto me.

"Kyaa!"

"Watch out!"

My body jolted up by reaction and my hands extended attempting to catch a falling Mira.

"Guh!"

I barely caught her by the shoulders, but my back isn't stable which made me unable to transfer any strength onto my back and legs to support her weight resulting in me falling behind onto the walls of the cart.

My back and legs were hit with light force from the fall and I closed my eyes from the slight pain. However it faded quickly, I shook my head to recover myself from the fall and opened my eyes to see how Mira is doing.

"Are you okay?" I asked, still shaking my head to recover. I opened my eyes to see if she was okay and the sight that I saw caused me to widen my eyes.

Mira's body was pressing onto mine. I failed to catch her because of my body's imbalance which resulted in her falling, but since I held onto her shoulders, I must've dragged her onto my body.

This position made it extremely clear to me that her body was tiny. It felt so fragile and her skin was smooth like a baby. Mira's face was still buried in my chest when I asked her if she was okay. Shortly after, she lifted her head.

"Yes.. I'm.. fine." Mira replied, her voice almost inaudible. Her cheeks were dyed red and her blue eyes became teary making them sparkle like diamonds. Her hair is a little messy after the fall.

This is a difficult situation. I might get painted as a pedophile if someone were to stumble upon us. Lucky for me no one is here except Luno.

Oh wait - Luno is here.

I'm finished.

"That was pretty rough, are you two okay?"

Speak of the devil, Luno, who was at the very front of the cart, spoke as she turned her body to check on our situation. Needless to say she saw us both in this embarrassing position.

"W-w-w-what are you two doing?" She screamed in a flustered manner. She reacted in the normal way someone would react looking at this.

"Ah! Luno! Uh... Mira lost her balance and fell on me!" I was frantically moving my hands with my face showing clear panic trying to explain what happened to Luno so she wouldn't misunderstand and tell anyone - especially Mikra, about what I definitely did not do to his daughter.

Mira who was also embarrassed quickly recovered herself and distanced herself from me to the left e. Although she already did so, her expression did not turn any less flustered.

Luno noticed this, and made a thinking expression for a brief moment. I swallowed my saliva, I can't shake off this feeling she piecing together some sort of conclusion. She raised one of her eyebrows and grinned looking at me.

"Looking at Mira-chan. It seems like it's more than just 'losing her balance and falling on you'." She said with a smug voice.

"Nonono, I'm telling the truth that's all it is!" I replied in a panic. This is the exact situation I am afraid of. I have to persuade her so she won't tell on me. I don't want to be fired and evicted for something I didn't do!

"Mira-chan's face is telling me that there is more than just that." She was persistent, her smug expression and voice only grow even more. It was the same for me as I became more frantic in trying to defend my good image.

"That is a misunderstanding!"

"Oh? Are you sure?"

This situation continued for a while until we heard quiet sobbings to our sides. We stopped our banter and looked at the side at the same time. We saw Mira's tears coming out of her eyes while she held onto her hair with her right hand and moved her hand around the floor cart with her left.

"Where is it.. where is it." She said with her voice cracking.

"What's wrong Mira-chan?" Luno asked.

"My... ha..pin.." She replied in a voice near inaudible. I couldn't really make out what she said.

However, Luno's eyes widened as she knew what she was talking about and quickly turned back to the front and stood up.

"Aner! Stop!" She raised her voice.

*GRUNT*

Aner stopped his movements shortly after hearing Luno's command. Luno came into the back, crouched and approached Mira in a gentle manner.

"When did you lose it?"

"Around.. when I fell down.."

"Ah.. so it's still around here.."

Luno placed her hand under her chin making a serious face, her eyes still opened wide as her sight kept moving all around the floor of the cart in order to find it.

"Yusof. Stand up." Luno said. There was no hint of her usual demeanor in that voice which screams at me that she is being dead serious.

I stood up, not replying to her. Wasting no time, she immediately began putting her hands on the floor of the area I was sitting down. Not long after, Luno appeared to have found something close to the place I was sitting.

"Oh! Here it is!" She exclaimed. Her happy tone and expression returned as she lifted the object that she found.

It was a yellow hairpin.

Luno turned to Mira and clipped the hairpin on her hair, under the first one. Mira was still sulking and didn't resist it.

"There there Mira-chan, you don't need to be sad anymore, okay." Luno spoke in a soft manner, trying to cheer her up.

Mira only nodded, her eyes still watery. Luno smiled and patted her head.

They look just like sisters.

After a while, Luno lifted her head and looked at me with a stern expression.

"Apologize to Mira-chan. You made her cry!"

Eh! Eeh! It's my fault? Hold on! Think of what just happened. Mira was standing up on the cart with just her knees and when the cart ran over a stone she was about to fall. You just caught Mira when she was falling down and her hairpin fell off in the process. I am absolutely sure that I am not responsible.. actually I dragged her on me on the fall course which is the trigger of this situation so I might actually be somewhat responsible.

I gulped my saliva as I looked at them and opened my mouth.

"I'm so-"

"You don't need to Yusof. It was my fault. I shouldn't have stood up like that on the cart." Mira interrupted me, her voice was normal, she wiped her eyes with her sleeves one last time and looked up at Luno then at me.

She was making a strong expression, instantly moving on from what happened. Normally, I'd also just drop it here because the person I supposedly wronged didn't think I wronged them. However I know I have a share at fault here for startling her with sudden touch so I still proceeded to apologize.

"No.. I'm sorry too, for dragging you suddenly like that." I bent my body slightly while scratching the back of my head and spoke in a respectful tone.

"I'm sorry too." Mira replied.

"Well.. now that's settled, let's continue." Luno who observed us making up returned to her usual cheerful self and stood up.

"Still.. we're already far from the Kingdom.." Luno lifted her face and gazed at the road where we came from, I unintentionally followed her actions and also turned my head and noticed that the Kingdom which was government built upon a hill is no longer in sight. We have gone really far.

"Let's just keep moving a little more. If there isn't anything, let's just go back, it's going to get dark soon." Mira said as she fixed her hair.

Luno was about to go back to the front seat and I was about to sit down again when suddenly I saw a human figure in the distance, approaching our direction.

____________

"HELP! HELP! ANYBODY? HELP!" The horrid screams of a man can be heard even from this distance.

His voice came into Luno and Mira's ears. Luno deployed her sword from her hip and jumped down from the cart. Mira stood up and lifted her staff, pointing it at the man approaching us.

I just followed their lead and pulled out my sword from the sheath behind my back and assumed a battle stance, which is just putting the sword in front of me. I am able to unsheathe it and wield it with one hand because it was extremely light.

"Be ready." Luno who was already on the ground at the frontline told us, we nodded in response.

"HELP! OH? FINALLY! SOMEONE! HELP!" The man saw us and raised both of his arms high in the air waving them as he ran at us, he seemed to be genuinely asking for help. Luno lowered her sword and ran towards the man.

"Wait! Luno! Don't just go ahead yourself!" Mira said as she jumped off the cart to chase after her. Looking at them going off, I also followed.

"HELP! HE-" The man who was running while waving his hands at us tripped on something and fell over. Seeing this, Luno ran faster towards him to help. Mira and I are barely able to catch up to her.

"Mister? Mister! What's wrong?" Luno crouched down to ask the man who fell down. A moment after she asked that me and Mira arrived at the man. I am able to see the appearance of the man.

He was wearing normal clothes, which was a little similar to mine, however they were dusty and had sweat all over it, it made him smell nasty. There were a few places his clothes were torn and there were injuries with blood seeping out of them.

Me and Mira arrived at his location and his condition was worse than what I observed from afar.

"We were.. on our way home.. when.. the trolls... attacked our cart.. My.. wife.. help her.. help her." He said, exhaling hysterically.

"Where?" Luno asked again with a serious tone.

He tries his best to lift his head and squeeze out words from his mouth.

"Go.. forward.. along the road.. you can't... miss it.. be... caref-" he was unable to finish his sentence due to his exhaustion and fainted.

"Mister?.. Mister?" She tried to get to him but he was already out cold. Shortly after, Luno stopped trying to wake him up and stood up.

"Mira! Let's go. Yusof! We can't leave him here, bring him to the cart." Luno glanced at us when she said that.

""Yes!""

Me and Mira replied in unison. Luno ran ahead and Mira followed shortly. I kept my sword and moved towards the man to lift him by his left shoulder. After stabilizing myself, I proceeded to drag the man towards the cart.

"There.. you go." I exhaled as I placed the injured man on the cart, he was still out cold. I climbed on the cart to fix his position so he would be comfortable. I observed his injuries to see if there are any severe injuries where I have to stay with him and tend them, luckily there wasn't.

I was about to jump off the cart to catch up to wherever Luno and Mira were when suddenly, the man regained consciousness. He held onto my ankle, his hands shaking as he spoke to me in a low tone, still in pain.

"Boy.. boy.."

"Yes sir?"

"Where are.. the two young ladies.."

"They went on ahead.."

"Oh no... Hurry up! You need to catch up to them! " The man suddenly lifts his body in a panicked motion. I crouched down in order to ease him.

"Sir! You need to rest!"

"Those trolls.. are stronger than the usual ones.. they are bigger.. much much bigger than the usual ones.... Oh... My wife..." He squeezed his words out with a sweat and tears flowing on his face.

Hearing this, I also broke into cold sweat. I'm worried for Luno and Mira. I didn't know the danger levels of anything in this world and I couldn't make any evaluation, which is why all I could do is pray for their safety. I shook my head and spoke to him calmly.

"Don't worry sir, we'll get your wife back, you need to rest."

"Be... careful!" He replied, his tone became calm again. I replied with a nod and tried to guide him back to a sleeping position. He is injured, and overexerting himself like this isn't good. I stood up and looked at him before catching up to Luno and Mira.

"I'll be off." I said to him one last time. He replied with a nod before closing his eyes to rest. After confirming that he is now resting, I proceeded to jump off the cart and ran forward. The man said that we can't miss where the place was, I wondered what he meant when he said that.

However after a while of running, I understood. There were wheel tracks that cut deep on the road and dirt leading into the forest on my left. It looked alot like if it were forcefully dragged in there. There were remains of broken wood on the ground and footprints that were perhaps twice as big as my own foot. I broke into cold sweat and gulped observing the footprints. The trolls must be twice my size, Luno and Mira saying that these are easy enemies suddenly felt like a lie after looking at this.

I remembered the man said that the trolls were bigger than the size they usually are; so the one's Luno and Mira said are 'easy opponents' were probably not this huge.

My eyes observed the tracks and it led me to a huge opening heading inside the forest. There were alot of trees that have been broken down, creating a pathway leading even deeper into the forest.

Luno and Mira already went ahead first, I promised Mirka we won't be doing anything too dangerous but right now I can't help but worry.

I stared at this sight in horror and hesitated to enter, but only for a moment, I snapped myself out by shaking my head furiously.

This is no time to be hesitating and feeling scared!

I steeled my determination, took out my sword and ran into the forest in hopes of catching up to them before anything bad happens.

____________

"You baffling idiots! You all couldn't even take care of a single person!"

"We already tried our best Relon, he was just too skilled."

"Skilled? You all have Dark Magic! He didn't even use his Magical Abilities. What if he did? We would've died in an instant!"

"Relon.. when I clashed swords with him.. I didn't feel any flow from him at all. He could be.."

"You imbecile! No one would raid us alone like that if they didn't have Magic Abilities! The Magicless are all weak! They can't stand a chance against any of us!"

"At least we still have the Control Stone. Wait, why are there only 3 of us?"

"We left that deadweight. Our mission is about complete anyway. All we need to do is to wait for him."

"You mean.."

"Yes.. Dermon"

"Is he coming? He's supposed to meet us at that old building, but we left it."

"He will come here. He knows, it was his order, after all."

"What if someone finds us again?"

"You're stupid. No one would find us here, but let's say someone is unlucky enough to find us, well, those 3 trolls over there will kill them. I already enhanced their physical abilities with Dark Magic, look at them, they're 10 times our size.. nothing can stop their frenzy now. Not even me. Which is why we're lucky we have this Control Stone. If we didn't they would attack us without thought."

"Huh.. they broke the trees.. that's a huge path they made. There's also a broken cart. Are you sure we have control over them?"

"Shut the hell up! stop asking all these questions! It's annoying!"

"S-Sorry."

"Grrrrrrrrrrr"

"The hell was that?"

"It was the trolls.. it looks like they detected something coming our way."

"Grr..GRAAAAAAAH"

*STOMP* *STOMP* *STOMP*

"… One just ran off.. why didn't you stop it?"

"I stopped the other two. Don't you see the stone?"

"I never actually seen you use it, so it oozes black when you use it."

"Yes, now shut up. You."

"Yes?"

"Follow the troll and see where it is going. Make sure you observe the troll carefully, not a single second off it. I want you to report what the troll did. If it kills anyone, tell me it all in detail, I need a good story after all this crap today."