Chapter 169 - Trip

Zaos wondered for how long he wouldn't have to work like that, but in the end, it made sense that he would have to complete that kind of sporadic mission. After all, he was supposed to follow in his father's footsteps, but he won't have to be that effective while his father is active and at his peak.

Although Zaos still didn't want to waste his time on that kind of job, he was in dire need of money. For that reason, he didn't blatantly refuse his father's job offer. The next day, he was supposed to meet the bookseller. So, he decided to spend the day organizing his things, and once he did that, he went to talk with Ameria and Drannor.

"I am going on a trip for a few days, so I won't be able to teach you," Zaos said. "Usually, I would recommend for you not to train while I am away, but since that is impossible, you should be really careful."

"Where are you going?" Ameria asked.

"My father asked me to escort a book seller to another town," Zaos replied. "Since the town where he wants to go is five days away, I won't be back for at least ten days."

"Did you already form your equipment to help on the mission?" Drannor asked.

"Yes, the members will be me, me, and me," Zaos replied.

Drannor and Ameria frowned when they heard that. It wasn't like they didn't know that Zaos was strong enough to work like a bodyguard by himself, but they thought that he was more cautious than that.

"Isn't that a bit risky, even for you?" Ameria asked.

"It might be, but it might also be a good chance to do some training," Zaos said. "Besides, I also need the money. So, this trip won't be a total waste of time."

"Come to think of it, I usually should pay you for these lessons, right?" Ameria asked. "Maybe if I had realized this sooner, the lessons wouldn't have to stop like this."

"It is fine, you don't have to pay me," Zaos said. "I would rather not be hired officially."

"Why?" Ameria frowned.

"Just a preference," Zaos said. "Anyway, if you have some questions to ask about the training, you can do it now while I am here."

Drannor and America couldn't help but worry about Zaos. That kind of decision was a bit too unexpected, even for him. Most likely, he was too stressed to think calmly about that kind of job due to the recent events. Still, now that he made up his mind and accepted the job, there was nothing that they could do. Drannor thought that he was helping him by being more annoying than usual, but his plan just backfired.

The next morning, after saying goodbye to his mother, Zaos headed toward the place his father mentioned where he would find the client. In the end, he frowned when he arrived at the place… it was Merkin's bookstore.

"You are… the young Zaos," Merkin said after frowning since he almost didn't recognize Zaos. "It has been a while; you seem to be well."

"So do you," Zaos said while looking at the closed shop and the carriage in front of it. "Shall we get going then?"

"Where are the other guards?" Merkin asked.

"I am the only one that I can trust with this job," Zaos said. "If you don't mind, I intend to work alone."

Merkin couldn't help but frown a little. While he heard the stories about Zaos's accomplishments, he didn't think that someone as young as him was enough for that kind of job. Thievery is rare in the kingdom, but considering that they were going to transport magic books and they are expensive, it wouldn't be weird if the chances of them being targeted were incredibly high.

"Are you sure that you accomplished this mission alone?" Merkin asked.

"It depends, do you want me to kill all the enemies if we were attacked, I can accomplish the mission pretty easily," Zaos replied. "If you want them to be captured, things might become a bit messier."

Zaos said that so easily that Merkin couldn't help but worry about his mental health. He seemed calm enough as usual, but he seemed too calm about the possibility of taking human lives… perhaps the things he heard about him weren't that exaggerated. Another thing that made him think that was the case was the big sword on his back.

"You got a lot of confidence in the North, huh," Merkin said.

"Just a little bit," Zaos replied. "I fought some thieves in the north, and they like to prey on those that don't have the power to fight back. Against that type of enemy, I am more than enough, even against a group of twenty or so."

"All right then," Merkin said. "If you think that you are good enough for the job, I will trust you. I will also decide how you should deal with the possible enemies. Well, let's get going. I can't let my shop close for too long."

After saying that, Merkin entered the carriage, and Zaos sat in the driver's seat to drive. Since it was early, they crossed the capital streets pretty fast. The number of carriages and people coming and leaving was still small.

Once they crossed the city gates, Zaos made sure to pick the map that his father gave him and then confirm the details of the path once again. He practically memorized the whole path during the night, but he wouldn't lose anything by being careful. Besides, he had plenty of experience using those since Elius taught him in the last two years.

Aside from the fact that Merkin asked a few things about life in the northern base, nothing happened during that day. If it were for Zaos, he wouldn't have stopped in a village to sleep, but since Merkin wanted a bed that doesn't move to the sides and the horses needed to rest, they were forced to stop at a village called Narma. Although the place was only thirty kilometers away from the West of the capital and seemed like a nice place, Zaos decided not to drop his guard.