The Frugal Mage-Chapter 190: The Danger

"Alright..." Stella said before she continued to process the papers. Soon, she stamped the form and slid it across the counter.

"Done. You’re on the roster. Just bring this to the western gate tomorrow, and look for Mr. Shrubs. He’s the leader of the Caravan..."

"Thank you!" Rayven replied.

As for Stein, he would remain in Hesa City for now. He had business to handle, negotiations, shipments, and a few quiet investigations of his own. Unlike Rayven, Stein wasn’t a mage. His battlefield was different, and they were all business-related matters.

Rayven then informed his friends, Thyruz, Miki, and Nara, about his plans.

All three were registered adventurers, and all three responded the same way...

"We’re in."

Just like that, they also visited the Adventurers Guild to be registered as part of the caravan’s escort and were made to take note that they were together with Rayven.

Stella was definitely surprised since Thyruz, an Arcanist or Tier 3 Mage, was willing to accept such a low-level mission with a cheap reward... Still, it certainly made sense if Thyruz’s main goal was only to visit Kesla city.

By nightfall, the team was assembled. Their bags were packed, their weapons were sharpened, and as for Rayven, he made sure that his system’s inventory or vault contained a lot of things he needed.

Tomorrow, they would leave for Kesla City.

And Rayven would finally meet the fiancée he never remembered.

***

The next morning, the western gate of Hesa City was already bustling.

Rayven arrived early, and it was still cold... Because this was a long journey and winter was coming soon, he decided to bring his cloak with him.

He then pulled it tight against the morning breeze, and he felt a lot warmer.

His group, Thyruz, Miki, and Nara, walked beside him, each carrying their own gear... At this time, the sun hadn’t fully risen yet, but the caravan was already in motion.

"This expedition is a lot bigger than I thought." Miki muttered after seeing the situation...

There were fifteen wagons in formation, their wheels were also reinforced with steel bands, and their tarps were tightly secured.

They looked so protected. She believed that even if they were ambushed, no arrows would could destroy these wagons.

Still, she noticed that each wagon was loaded with crates, barrels, and sealed containers, likely filled with trade goods, rare herbs, enchanted minerals, and other high-value resources bound for Kesla City.

Rayven’s eyes also scanned the perimeter.

Twenty escort warriors from the merchant company were around. They were quite obvious since they were wearing matching leather armor and wielding spears or short blades. They looked disciplined as well...

Then there were the adventurers.

Thirty of them, scattered in loose clusters. Most wore mismatched gear, some still half-asleep, while others were chatting loudly.

Just from their appearance, Rayven could tell at a glance that they were mostly Copper and Iron Ranks... A few had decent posture, but most were here only for the mission points and a safe source of income.

Rayven’s group stood out immediately.

Thyruz, with his mage robes and staff, drew glances from several warriors. Miki, on the other hand, had a sword tied on her belt and a bow and quiver on her back...

It was the same with Nara. She also had her bow slung across her back, and a short blade on her side.

Of course, they were both sword practitioners, but for this escort mission... Using a bow was actually a lot more useful.

Rayven himself wore no flashy gear, but his Silver-Rank badge was visible on his belt. For his Mage Robe and Staff, he kept them inside his inventory.

"Ah! You must be Rayven..." a voice called out.

A short, round man with a thick mustache and a wide-brimmed hat approached. His belt was filled with several hanging keys as well...

He looked more like a traveling security guard with those many keys than a caravan leader.

"Mr. Shrubs?" Rayven asked.

"The one and only," the man said, puffing his chest. "Merchant Guild liaison, caravan master, and part-time cartographer. You’re the Silver-Rank Adventurer, yes?"

Rayven nodded.

"Good, good," Shrubs said, glancing at the roster. "You’re leading Group Four. That’s your team and three other adventurers. You’ll be positioned near the middle wagons. Standard formation. If anything goes wrong, I expect you to act fast."

Rayven didn’t argue.

Shrubs turned to Thyruz and blinked. "And you’re... that Arcanist? Thank you for joining us, Sir. I feel safer now."

Thyruz gave a polite nod. "I just want to visit Kesla."

He didn’t bother explaining that he was only an Enchanter, not a combat-type mage. After all, he was still a Tier 3 Mage with a variet of tricks to fight against opponents of the same level.

Shrubs chuckled nervously. "Well, I suppose we’re overqualified today."

He clapped his hands. "Alright, everyone! Final checks! We roll out in fifteen!"

Rayven turned to his group. "Ahh... Let’s stay sharp. Copper and Iron Ranks tend to panic when things go wrong..."

This wasn’t a baseless warning. After all, he had seen their actions in previous invasions of beasts and they would really panic in some cases.

They had to put that into consideration for sure.

Thyruz smirked as he heard this... "I was hoping for a quiet trip. Let’s just pray that our huge number will scare any beasts or bandits."

Miki also nodded. "Well, if someone dared to attack us with our number, they must be confident or a bunch of idiots."

Nara just smiled as she also wanted a peaceful journey, but she knew that it would be impossible.

The caravan then began to move.

And with it, Rayven’s journey to Kesla City, and to the fiancée he never remembered, had officially begun.

*** 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Mhmm... The road wasn’t properly repaired yet..." Miki commented as she realized that the road’s pavement was still not fixed even after the beast tide.

Still, she couldn’t do anything about it.

At this time, wagons moved in tight formation, flanked by merchant guards and scattered adventurers. It was cold but manageable with their thick clothes...

Rayven walked near the fourth wagon, his group positioned exactly as Mr. Shrubs had instructed.

The first few hours passed without incident.

They crossed a shallow river, passed through a thinning forest, and entered a stretch of open terrain. The wind picked up slightly, but the skies remained clear.

Until the sixth hour when a snowflake fell...