Chapter 73: A soft sound

After the last Rank II monster fell, letting out nothing but a pitiful scream, Adam swung Repentance, and the blood on the blade spattered onto the ground, creating a small arc.

After that, a heavy silence fell, broken only by the sound of nearby tree branches and the nocturnal animals that were beginning to make noise.

The fight hadn’t lasted long; it was about three minutes—quite quick, given that they were Rank II monsters—but Adam was no longer a Novice Knight; he was now a Mid-ranking Knight.

Moreover, with the system’s help, his power was slightly greater than that of a knight of the same rank.

After shaking the sword, he felt the stares of the merchants and the guards, who stood motionless. He hadn’t said a single word.

One of the guards looked at the bodies… then at Adam.

“W-what…?”

Adam looked at the bodies and then at the guard. Without saying a word, he waited to see what the guard would say.

Finally, one of the men—a middle-aged merchant with a neatly trimmed beard—stepped forward and gave a hurried bow.

“My lord… You have saved our lives.”

Adam looked at him with a calm expression.

“You were just in the way.”

He turned around to go back to the carriage.

The man swallowed hard and looked at the monsters’ corpses.

“Even so… that’s not something just anyone could do.”

Adam didn’t answer. His eyes swept over the overturned carriages, the broken crates, and the wounded guards.

A relatively large caravan. These weren’t poor merchants.

“Where are they from?”

“From the city of Malic, my lord. We were on our way to Bretan to meet with the owner of the territory.”

Adam raised an eyebrow slightly.

Bretan was a fairly large city, home to several guilds of both adventurers and mercenaries, and it had a port for shipping goods to other parts of the continent.

That explained the quality of the goods.

“You’ve picked a bad time to travel.”

The merchant let out a nervous laugh.

“We didn’t think the monsters would come this far from the forest. Looks like we didn’t think that through, haha.”

Adam walked slowly between the carriages, looking at the merchandise. His fingers brushed against an open crate full of goods.

“Still, they don’t seem well prepared. Where are the other guards?”

He noticed the merchant lower his head and reply:

“I had hired some mercenaries, but when they saw the group of monsters, they abandoned us… and when it comes to fighting Rank II monsters, there’s not much we can do.”

“…”

That was exactly what Adam had feared when he sent the mercenaries: if they saw that the danger was too great, they would abandon everything to save their own lives. Though he didn’t blame them—if he were a mercenary, he’d probably do the same.

That was precisely why he needed them to get through this crisis and find the elves to find a cure for his father.

Adam pushed those thoughts aside. Then he spoke in a casual tone.

“The carcasses of these monsters are valuable.”

The merchants exchanged glances.

Adam continued:

“The skin. The bones. The claws. Everything can be sold for a good price.”

The bearded merchant nodded quickly.

“Of course.”

Adam turned his head toward the corpses.

“As their savior, it is my right to keep them.”

The man didn’t hesitate.

“Of course, my lord.”

Adam looked at him calmly for a moment.

“However…”

The merchant raised his head cautiously.

Adam pointed to the damaged wagons.

“They’ve lost guards, and the mercenaries they hired have deserted them. Their caravan is weakened. And there are still several days’ journey left to Bretan.”

He paused briefly to let his words sink in, then continued:

“Besides, monsters aren’t the only danger; there are bandits too—and they won’t be so kind.”

The merchant frowned.

Adam spoke in a calm voice.

“I’m heading to the city of Risthon. And my route goes through Bretan… I can escort you for a stretch.”

The merchant looked visibly relieved.

“That would be a huge help. Especially now that we don’t have anyone to escort us.”

Adam nodded slightly.

“In return, I’d like to ask you for a favor when we get to Bretan.”

“A favor?”

“That’s right. Just a favor. I don’t need your money or your goods.”

Adam looked at him calmly.

“What do you say?”

The merchant’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“We accept.”

A faint smile appeared on Adam’s face. It was exactly what he wanted.

Traveling alone for so long was starting to bore him. At least now he’d have some company… and someone to talk to along the way.

“Well, I hope we get along.”

…

Night fell slowly over the road.

The group had left the main road shortly before sunset and had settled in a clearing sheltered by a few tall trees. The wheels of the carriages rested motionless on the damp ground, while a small campfire crackled in the center of the camp.

The aroma of hot food mingled with the smell of burning wood.

The two guards were talking in hushed tones. Some merchants were checking their goods one last time before going to sleep. Others were resting.

Adam sat a short distance from the fire, leaning against a low rock. He watched the flames dance as the sky slowly darkened.

One by one, the stars began to appear.

The journey had barely begun.

Even so, that nighttime stillness felt strange to him. Moments like that… were rare.

Then he heard it.

A soft sound.

The strings of an instrument vibrated in the night like a whisper.

Adam lifted his head slightly.

A few feet from the campfire, sitting on a wooden crate, a young woman held a small stringed instrument in her hands. Her fingers moved gently across the strings as a peaceful melody began to fill the camp.

The conversations gradually died down.

Soon, the guards stopped talking.

Music filled the night air.

Then the young woman began to sing.

Her voice was clear and soft, like the wind sweeping across the fields at dawn:

“When night shrouds the path, and the stars fall silent, walk on, traveler, without fear, for the moon knows your destiny.

If iron stains the horizon and the wind brings old songs, remember that even in the shadows, new stars are born.”

The instrument’s final notes lingered for a few more seconds before fading into the stillness of the night.

No one spoke.

Only the crackling of the campfire broke the silence.

Adam gazed at the starry sky.

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