"I have a bad feeling about this."
I couldn't help muttering to myself as I held the reins in the driver's seat. I looked up at the sky and saw that it was cloudy. It's natural to feel depressed in this kind of weather, but that's not all. I felt a chilly sensation in my neck and a minor numbness.
I can't help but feel that my instincts as a merchant are telling me something. However, peddling is a job fraught with danger. I can't just turn around and go back without any proof, though... Today, I am entering the Forbidden Forest and carrying goods to the Elves village. It's a regular monthly job, and it's a client that enables me to stock up on rare medicines.
"I've stocked up on more food this time, I hope you like it."
I think it's safe to say that I have carefully selected a number of products myself, but you never know what life has in store for you. A businessman should never say the word "perfect". This is a precious connection with the elves that other merchants envy, and I have no intention of giving it up because of my own mistakes.
"Mr. Doldold. I've been wondering for some time, how did you get so close to that elf?"
The strong man sitting next to me asked. He was the leader of the group of hunters I had hired. They are a group of four, skilled and polite among the hunters, who are generally fierce, making them the best choice for my guards.
"I guess I got lucky."
Elves are a race famous for their dislike of humans. I once rescued an injured elf child a short distance away from this forest, treated his wounds and sent him back to the village, and we have been in contact ever since.
At first, they were wary of me and almost detained me, but after a sincere discussion, I managed to get them to understand me. However, they were very misanthropic and it took a few years to get over them.
Now they are really friendly, and perhaps as a result of their closed life, they seem to be interested in the culture and tools outside the forest, and they are willing to buy items that I cannot sell in other villages, which I am very grateful for.
"That's strange. We should have been welcomed by now."
"Normally the guarding elves would come out, but something might have happened....You guys, be on the lookout."
The leader next to me turned and called out to his companion who was relaxing on the covered cart, and a wizard woman with a hood pulled up tightly over her eyes appeared.
"Mr. Doldold, would you mind slowing down a bit?"
" Understood."
I pulled on the reins twice and told the horse to run slowly.
She raised her wand and chanted a spell, then stared at the direction of the path. After a while she suddenly lowered her wand and let out a small breath.
"I have searched for the light of life, but no elves or humanoid lights are nearby."
The magic she just used is probably the "life sensing" magic. As I recall, it is said that a person's life force can be seen as colored light. It seems to be able to tell whether a person is a human or a monster by the color of the light, and it is a magic that has helped me many times before.
"Hmm, do you smell something burning?"
The other female hunter on the team, peeking out from the side of the wizard and sniffing the area, is a dagger and bow wielder, good at scouting and covering.
"Based on the direction of the wind, I'm guessing it's towards the...elves village."
I instantly understood what it meant. Today was the first day of the month. That meant that the [Temptation of the Evil God] had just ended. Could it be that the elves' village couldn't endure it?
I've heard rumors that monsters have been getting more active lately, but I don't think elves that have lived in this forest for a long time would be so easily defeated. No, I don't want to think that.
"Mr. Doldold, I suggest we turn back."
The leader expresses his opinion with a grim expression. He looked at the rest of the group and they all nodded quietly. As an employer, it would be foolish to put them at risk. As a merchant, I have to weigh the benefits and drawbacks. I am well aware of this, but….
"No, let's keep going, we need to find out what happened. It's possible that it's just an unfounded fear. If something had happened to the elves, they would need supplies. And if there's anything I can do to help, I'd like to do it...Sorry to be so unreasonable."
I bow my head, and a loud sigh reaches my ears.
"Mr. Doldold, please add hazard play."
I looked up and saw the hunters staring at me, smiling bitterly.
"Of course. You can count on it."
I've known it for a while, but now I'm convinced. I had hired the best hunters I could find.
"This is...."
The devastation left me speechless. The magnificent log fence that had protected the village was not intact. They were either burned down or torn down. The inside of the fence was also in a terrible state. The beautiful townscape that once harmonized with nature is now a shadow of its former self.
"Gentlemen, let's find out if there are any survivors! Let's get depressed later!"
We are not in a situation to be reminiscing about the past. If we don't move now, there was no point in risking our lives to come here.
"There may still be monsters left. Everyone, please pay close attention."
They probably didn't need me to tell them that, but they nodded. We went through the houses, which had lost their roofs and walls. Moving the rubble out of the way, I repeatedly asked, "Is anyone there? If there is, please answer me! If you can't answer, hit something to make a noise!"
I repeated this over and over, but there was no answer.... But there's a reason I can't give up. There were no bodies lying around anywhere. It's hard to believe that everyone is safe with this much damage.
The idea that they all ran away and evacuated, understanding the disadvantageous situation, popped into my head for a moment, but the large amount of dried blood on the ground and in the room negated that idea. There is no wreckage here, but I clasp my hands together and say a prayer.
"Mr. Doldold, should we move all the collapsed debris and dig out the bodies?"
"No, we must search for survivors first. I'm sorry, but mourning will have to wait."
I don't mean to taunt the dead, but we have to put the survivors first. We left the relatively undamaged house and moved to the center of the village. Suddenly, they put their hands on their weapons and their eyes became sharp.
"What's going on?"
"I think there's something coming this way."
The leader took a few steps forward and listened carefully. I almost rejoiced that they were survivors, but judging from their reaction, I should abandon that hope.
"The aura of life is...six or seven humanoid forms and one horse, I think. One of them is quite small and could be a child. If I get a little closer, it will become clearer."
It seems that she used your magic to find out who we were dealing with.
"Isn't the fact that there are children a possibility that they are survivors?"
"I can't say no...but their steps are steady. And I don't see any signs of a search for other survivors."
I see. If there are survivors, it's not surprising that some of them are injured. And yet, there was no sign of it in their steps.
"What do we do now? If we keep going, we'll run into them."
There was also the option of turning on our heels and running away. That would be the best way if safety was the top priority. If the opponent is not a survivor, it could be a group of hunters who just happened to stop by, or the Dark Elves, another race that lives in the Forbidden Forest.
Then there's...the culprit who attacked this village. I've heard rumors of brigands and noblemen who have attacked the elves' villages under the guise of monster attacks.
Elves are beautiful and long-lived. That's why they are popular as slaves. Human and subhuman trafficking is forbidden in this country, but legal in neighboring countries and other countries. If that was the purpose of the attack on the village, it would make sense for the wizard to have said earlier that they were small and could be children. In other words, it could be a slaver who captured a child elf.
"Gentlemen, if they were hostile, would it be possible to overpower them?"
"If that's what my employers want, I'll obey."
The leader smiled confidently. His friends didn't seem to have any complaints and gave him a small nod.
"Then please do so. However, if you think you can't win against them, retreat immediately. Life is the only thing that matters, you know."
I move back so as not to get in the way. The leader and one other person stand in front and move forward. After a short pause, we followed suit. We pass through the rubble of the houses and step into the plaza, looking at the target.
"What are you doing in my village Mr. Doldold?"
That voice, that figure!
"Oh, Miss Murus. You're safe! Everyone, please put your swords away."
Instantly recognizing who it was, I ran towards her. When I grasped her hand, tears spontaneously fell down.
"I was worried when I saw the village in such a state. I'm so glad you're okay, Miss Murus."
When I wiped the tears from my eyes and made eye contact with Miss Murus, there was a glint in her eyes.
"Don't worry everyone. This person is Doldold, a peddler who used to come to my village regularly to do business."
People emerge from the shadows of houses in response to her words. It seems to be a female priest and a family with children. We exchanged information with each other and learned what had happened to this village and what they were doing now.
When I talked to them, they told me that they were blessed by the God of Fate and touched by a miracle. There's a reason why I was able to accept it so honestly. I had already heard of several villages that had been blessed by the gods.
I had taken it as a rumor, but today, for the first time, I wanted to believe it. If that is true, then maybe this encounter is not a coincidence, but the divine guidance of fate. As a merchant, I wouldn't miss this chance. Besides...I'm a person before I'm a merchant.
–I want to help those who are poor and needy like me. I don't want to deny the pure feelings I had when I wanted to become a merchant.