169 - - CHAPTER XII REQUEST FOR SECURITY

Erio-kun, Mya-chan ......!"

When Jörg, a peddler who knew them, saw Erio and Mya, his dark expression changed to a smile.

Jörg, a small, fat, middle-aged man with the appearance of a merchant, rushes toward them with a nimble movement that I have never seen before.

We've been waiting for you, Erio and Mya!　That package is this month's medicine!　Oh no, the medicines in this village have a good reputation, so they are really helpful. We will receive your package here. So let's move to a different place for business or rather consultation!

Jörg, who was a bit of a jerk, took the package and loaded it onto the wagon.

He called out to the Mohicans and asked them to guard the luggage, then pushed Erio & Mya, who had not yet responded with their approval, out of the way.

The destination was their new home.

Erio & Mya's parents died a long time ago in an epidemic.

At that time, their home had to be burned to prevent the epidemic from spreading further.

The farm was also sold to pay for their parents' medicine, so they became adventurers to survive.

Gimla and Wardy, who were already deceased but were in the same party as the adventurers, were the second and third sons and had nowhere else to go, so when they decided to leave the village as adventurers, they accompanied them.

Erio and Mya used their savings from their days as adventurers to buy a new house in the village, which they had vacated, and made it their home.

They gave Gimla and Wardi's share to their families and used the money to build their graves. From time to time, in their spare time, Erio and Mya would clean their graves.

A peddler, Yorum, forced his way into Erio and Mya's newly purchased home.

Although they were partly carried away by his momentum, both of them understood that he had something to tell them and complied with him.

When the door closed and the three of them were alone, the peddler Jorm explained the reason for the forced change of location.

After bowing deeply, Jörg cuts him off.

'I am sorry, both of you, for taking you out so forcibly and for barging into your homes. ...... Actually, I have a favor to ask of you two that I can't talk about in front of you ......."

A favor you can't talk about on the spot?"

Mya tilts her head cutely.

Peddler Jorgum starts his story earnestly.

I don't know if you two know this, but the danger level on the streets has gone up recently. Rumor has it that people passing through the streets are being indiscriminately targeted, and in some places villages are being attacked and burned to the ground. That's why the demand for adventurers has gone up. Thanks to that, we could only hire bad-patterned ones like them. ......"

Elio and Mya think back to the guards hired by Yorum.

All of them had mohawks for some reason, and they looked tough because of the sunglasses they wore. They also wore spiky leather clothes, and all of them were solidly built for their race.

This makes them very intimidating.

They were very ill-patterned, as Yorum said.

"To be honest, I'm worried about going to the city near the Duchy of Six with only their escort, ...... so I'm going to ask you two to come with me as my escort in anticipation of their skill and trustworthiness, please?　Of course I'll pay for the escort. I'll even color it for you!"

Certainly not something to talk about near the Mohicans who hired them as guards.

Erio and Mya look troubled in front of the merchants who bowed their heads.

(It takes about 10 days round trip to the town near the principality. That's about the same amount of time it would take for me and Mya to be in the village, but it wouldn't be a problem. ...... The most important thing to remember is that you can't just take any job that comes your way.　First of all, I've never taken a job as an escort, so I don't have any experience. ......)

It is not difficult to refuse, but if the peddler does not come, it will be difficult to purchase goods that are hard to find in the village, and information about the outside world will not be available.

There is no possibility that refusing the request will cause them to bend their navels and stop coming to the village.

Above all, they have known each other since childhood, and they buy medicines from us at a good price.

It was difficult for him to refuse the request from the standpoint of debt and duty.

Erio looked at Miya and she gave a small nod.

It seemed that Mya had also made up her mind to accept the request.

Erio scratched his head lightly and nodded as if he had no choice.

He nodded his head and said, "...... understand. I accept your request.

Really?　Thanks, that helps!"

But in case you're wondering, Mya and I are both retired adventurers. Please treat us not as escorts, but as companions - people who are going with you to a town near the principality.

It is a common practice for villagers to pay peddlers who are accustomed to traveling to accompany them where they are headed.

This time, Erio and Mya were paid to accompany the peddler Jorg at his request.

The reason for this arrangement was partly because they were no longer adventurers, but also to avoid destroying the Mohawks' reputation and the market by accepting quest work.

Jorgum agreed to this proposal with open arms.

By all means, let's go for it!　I'd feel much safer if you two would accompany me!"

I hope you don't expect too much from me," he said. Both Miya and I are new to escort work. ......

(KOKUKUKU!)"

Mya nodded repeatedly in agreement with her brother.

In front of the two of them, Jorm laughed with a distracted expression on his face.

'Still, it's really reassuring just to have two people who know each other and whose skills are so solid to follow us around. Not that I have anything against ...... them. I didn't feel alive the whole time I was with those Mohawk adventurers. ......"

After spending all hours of the day with these Mohawk adventurers, who are vicious in appearance and flamboyant in word and deed, Jorgum looks at them with a distant look.

He was really wondering when they would change their minds and attack him, and he was dreading the moment.

Later, Erio and Mya discuss detailed terms with Jorg.

Travel, food, and return expenses are all paid for by Jorg.

The cost of staying in town would be borne by Elio and Mya.

The cost of the escort would be a good sum, but Jörg drank it wholeheartedly, saying that he would not trade his peace of mind and life for it.

After reaching an agreement, Erio, Mya, Jörg, and the others returned to the carriage to talk to the Mohawk adventurers and to show their faces to the others.