Childhood Friend - Trip Abroad
“I’m sorry, but I can’t take you with me.”
Rejected again.
Leo wandered around the city in front of the border gate, searching for a merchant group to cross the border with, but was refused by all of them.
Crossing the border required strict inspection, and Leo, unable to reveal his identity, couldn’t pass through alone.
He was registered as a citizen of the Gaidan frontier, and it was illegal for a citizen to leave the territory without the lord's permission.
Demos Village was so small that as long as taxes were paid on time, even the lord didn’t pay attention.
Thanks to that, there was no risk of getting caught leaving the village as he pleased, but that was only possible if he didn't leave the country.
Leo naturally didn’t receive permission, and since he even committed murder and fled, there was no way to cross the border legally. A normal merchant group wouldn’t travel with an illegal immigrant whose identity was unclear.
This was a problem that was difficult to solve even if he registered as a mercenary. There were mercenaries with confirmed identities and those without, and mercenaries with unconfirmed identities could only cross the border if their mercenary group vouched for them.
Leo looked wistfully at the high gate in the distance and turned away.
‘So it’s illegal again…’
He had to cross the border through illegal routes.
He had no choice but to either cross the border avoiding the gate or pass through the gate with a bribe. The first method was dangerous. As expected, if he crossed the border illegally and encountered guards or rangers, he would be attacked.
After much deliberation, Leo chose bribery. This was safer, but bribing the gate guards directly was too expensive, so he sought out the back alleys.
A family involved in illegal activities would have a way to pass through the gate.
He stopped in front of a warehouse and called out a thug who seemed to have a high position. By now, he could pick out a boss-level thug at a glance, and true to his instincts, the thug treated Leo cautiously.
“Illegal border crossing… It’s not difficult to help. But I’ll have to charge you some money.”
“This is all the money I have.”
Leo scraped together all the money he had.
But seeing the few Silver coins in his palm, the thug laughed as if it wasn’t nearly enough.
“You don't have anything else to offer? Is that horse yours?”
“...That’s a bit much.”
“We'll give you a fair price for it.”
“You're crossing illegally anyway, do you really need to charge that much for just a guy extra? Give me a break.”
“Take it or leave it.”
At his blunt refusal, Leo had no choice but to make the deal. Instead, he insisted on handing over the horse after they arrived.
“Are you going to run away on the horse?”
“No. I’ll give it to you as soon as we reach the village across the border. I don't want to walk until then. Isn't it enough that I’m giving you everything I have? What am I going to do by running away without a penny? I have to sell the horse anyway. Since I don't have a permit, it’s better to get money from you than to sell it at a bargain price.”
“Hmm… Leave that two-handed sword too. Then I'll think about it.”
“...You’re ruthless.”
Leo grumbled as he unfastened the scabbard and handed it over.
“If you try anything funny after taking my weapon, you’ll regret it.”
“Ah, don't worry. We don't want to fight a guy with a two-handed sword on horseback. We don't deal in slaves either.”
“Good.”
And so, he fell in with the illegal arms smuggling gang.
Families that dealt in weapons had been booming lately thanks to the war.
This family from the Ohrun Kingdom also sold weapons, but they fetched a much higher price in the Holy Kingdom than in the Ohrun Kingdom.
This was because the Holy Kingdom bordered both countries at war.
So they transported the weapons to the side that paid more, which was, of course, illegal. The Holy Kingdom declared neutrality and banned the import and export of weapons.
But the families were rather grateful. The price skyrocketed as the country closest to the battlefield banned the import and export of weapons.
Even if it meant being sentenced to death, such things happened often in the world if it meant making money.
As long as they didn’t get caught.
A few days later, the family’s carriages, disguised as a merchant group, safely passed through the Ohrun Kingdom border gate.
The carriages were loaded with all kinds of weapons and armor, their wheels pressing into the soft ground, but thanks to the bribes, there was no inspection.
Leo rode alongside, pretending to be a mercenary escorting the carriages, even without any weapons.
[ Achievement: First Trip Abroad - Slightly increased movement speed near borders. ]
As the achievement popped up, Audi’s steps became lighter, and Leo happily stroked her mane.
Just one more day to the Holy Kingdom border gate, and once they reached the village beyond the gate, he would be successful. This family must have bribed the Holy Kingdom gate guards as well.
He felt relieved. He was reluctant to hand over Woody, but the thought of seeing Lena once he reached the capital lifted his spirits.
She would be surprised. He could already imagine Lena making a fuss, asking how he got here.
‘Should I call her ‘Priestess’ and bow when we meet?’
The thought of her waving her hands in embarrassment brought him immense amusement.
Leo had let go of his lingering feelings during his travels. Lena was now a good friend to him. It was pointless to even think about marriage in his situation, and he was glad that he didn’t hinder her dreams this time.
As he chuckled, reminiscing about his encounter with Lena, the caravan came to a halt.
Dozens of soldiers blocked the narrow road that cut through the vast plain.
“This is an inspection. Drivers, dismount and prepare for inspection.”
The caravan was thrown into confusion at the unexpected situation. A thug hurriedly tried to offer a bribe, but the soldier who seemed to be the leader coughed and didn’t accept it.
“Boss, what should we do?”
“...What else can we do? If we get inspected, they’ll confiscate everything and throw us in jail. There are only thirty of them.”
With the boss’s resolute order, the thugs disguised as mercenaries and drivers drew their weapons and stepped forward.
The atmosphere turned hostile in an instant.
“Surrender your weapons immediately or we’ll be forced to attack.”
The soldier in front warned, but the thugs didn’t listen.
They outnumbered the soldiers by more than double. The organized strength of trained soldiers was strong, but in such a small-scale skirmish, numbers were everything.
However, the smuggling attempt had already failed, so the caravan had to drive back the force in front of them and retreat.
‘I can’t turn back now…’
What bad luck this was. Leo anxiously bit his nails as he watched the thugs clash with the soldiers.
But the situation only worsened.
As a knight clad in armor emerged from behind the struggling soldiers, Leo lost the last glimmer of hope he had been clinging to.
A paladin in shining armor, bearing the emblem of the Holy Cross Church, raised his sword high and shouted.
“By the God! Remember these wicked souls!”
The thugs fighting the soldiers were terrified.
“What the hell! What’s a paladin doing here?!”
At the paladin’s cry, faint marks appeared above the thugs’ heads. The Mark of Holiness, a holy incantation paladins recited ritually before battle.
The mark only appeared on those who had committed evil deeds, making it easy for paladins to distinguish between friend and foe.
Naturally, the mark appeared on all the thugs, and the paladin showed no mercy to the wicked.
“Attack!”
At his command, the soldiers began to fiercely push back the demoralized thugs.
Observing the situation from behind, Leo immediately assessed the situation and grabbed Woody’s reins.
This was a fight they couldn’t win. It seemed like the paladin alone could handle half of the thugs.
So, it was best to escape while they were occupied.
Leo made up his mind and spurred Woody towards the bushes.
A mark was shining brightly above his head.