The carriage move peacefully without any strange events on the way, but that just make me uneasy. Usually if we travel with a carriage there’s gonna bandit and monster attack event right? Even I already prepared for such event, that’s why I retrain my illusion magic which I learned from grandma and bought many daggers, poisons, a (cool and though) leather coat plus a pair of (cool) pants, magic bag, and a sword just in case, which I bought from a shady old man in the back alley. I also buy other neccesities for escaping and traveling from the market. Even so, I’m still using my cloak from grandma to appear more cool and mysterious. All in all it took me 6 gold coins to buy all of them.

“Mister Goldberg is it okay for you to be inside a carriage like this? Won’t it be troublesome for you to act if there’s monster and bandit attack? I don’t think the escort outside is as strong as you.”

Hearing my question he stared dumbfoundedly at me and laugh hearthily afterwards.

“So that’s why you spacing out with dead looking eyes this entire time huh?”

Dead looking eyes he said. How rude

“You don’t have to worry about that kind of thing. Roads in Feldian kingdom are the most secure road in all of the continent.”

“The most secure?”

“Yeah, this kingdom main economic source is trading. Because of that all cities soldier always clear the surrounding area of bandits and monsters periodically.”

Miss Tiara explained as such while raising her finger like a teacher.

Heh…so that’s why huh. But just that alone won’t guarantee there will be not any bandit and monster attack at all right? In RPG game those guys are like coackroches, no matter how many you killed they will always appeared.

“you’re face saying you’re not convinced huh?”

My face? I thought I always maintained my poker face perfectly. Am I just overconfident-

“His face? I think his face is as flat as usual.”

“Shut up meathead”

-maybe not.

“Just think about it. In this country, everytime there’s report about bandit sighting close to the road the government will immediately dispatch subjugation troops. That made them need to relocate their base everytime they attack someone on the road which is troublesome. And if they operated in a forest, that won’t be profitable because people who usually visit the forest are hunters and adventurers, or herbalist gathering herbs. And those kind of people usually didn’t bring anything valuable with them.”

She’s right but still…

“Don’t worry if anything strange happen Shirley will inform us beforehand.”

Shirley?

“Ah you mean you’re other companion who sit on top of the carriage?”

Both of them gasp in surprise. What are you surprised about?

“I’m surprised you able to notice her.”

“Yeah, you’re really unexpected lad. I thought you’re just a normal guy”

Said both of them with dumbfounded look on their faces.

Well, I am a normal guy.

Talking about this Shirley person, I didn’t get to see her face clearly. She used a brown robe covering almost all part of her body. But the most noticeable from her is her eye and hair color which is the same as mine.

“What are you surprised about? There’s no way I won’t notice someone with an appearance scream ‘suspicious’ at a single glance like her you know? Not to mention her eye and hair color is the same as mine, of course I’ll notice her.”

Both of them just look at each other with wry smile on their faces.

“Ah, she has an ability to deviate people perception and attention from her you see, so if nobody told you she was there or she talk to you first usually people won’t realize she’s even there.”

“If we’re talking about appearance, you’re more suspicious than her, lad.”

Both of them said simultaneously.

Suspicious you say, you dare to say that my cool appearance is actually suspicious? Hmph! You guys just have no fashion sense.

But that ability really convenient, how can I get that I wonder? Wait, is it okay for them telling me this? This ability can be considered their hidden weapon after all. Well there's no harm for me so, who cares.

“Hey, Hart. What do you think about Shirley when you saw her?”

I just tilt my head in response.

Tiara revealed a troubled smile when she saw my reaction.

Actually I have an idea why she ask me that. She probably thought that we are actually sibling. But who knows, she probably just ask that because of how similar our eyes and hair color’s are, she might be have parents waiting for her at home for all I know, unlike me.

• • •

When the sun’s set, the carriage decided to stop at one of the campsite along the way. Mister Goldberg’s party, along with other passenger including me, disembark and prepared to rest for the night. When I taking out a blanket from my bag, I remember that I forgot to coated my daggers in poison.

Coating it in this place can bring many misunderstandings from other passenger. Better do it inside the forest, the escort said there’s no sign of any beast or monster after all.

With that I started walking toward the forest. But Tiara call out to me which make me hold my step.

“Hey! Where are you going?”

“Dumping trash.”

I started to walk toward the forest again leaving the confused Tiara behind.

•••

“He’s gone huh.”

“Leave it. You’re the one who told me that we musn’t pry into other people business earlier.”

Tiara just pouted hearing Goldberg’s response and got back to do her things. Suddenly Shirley call out to her with a flat voice.

“Tiara, can you give me some food?”

“Alright, wait for a bit.”

Tiara take out some bread and jerky and gave them to her.

Shirley is 4 years younger than Goldberg and Tiara, but if someone ask Tiara or Goldberg who is the strongest in their party, they would answer ‘Shirley’ without hesitation. Her skillful mastery of bow and dagger arts combined with her natural ability make a perfect combination for a sneak attack. Because of her ability Goldberg’s party able to dealt with many enemies in the past. The three of them are orphans without any backing so many people with bad intentions always target them in their early days. Goldberg met Shirley accidentally when he fight with some thugs in the back alley. He still remember how shocked he is when the thugs he’s fighting with suddenly getting stab from behind

“Hey Shirley, why are you suddenly wanted to be on the lookout?”

Shirley just fall into silent after hearing Goldberg’s question. Tiara who realized why  she fell silent decided to ask more.

“Is it because of that guy?”

She revealed a complicated expression Tiara when asked that.

“Do you know him? His appearance is quite similar to you after all.”

“I don’t know. I’m sure this is the first time I met him, but I just can’t shake off this feeling of familiarity when I saw him. Just who is he?”

“Who knows he might be actually you brother. He noticed you the first time we met after all.”

“He…noticed me?”

For Shirley that was a pleasant surprise. Shirley knew her ability to deviate other perception from her is useful for her work, but also a hindrance for her daily life because people rarely realized she was there even though she standing in front of them. So when she heard he realized her the first time they met, she couldn’t help but feel a bit happy.

“Yeah, we were surprised when he talk for confirmation about you as if he already know you were there with us when we mention you in our conversation.”

“What do you think if he is actually your family member?”

Goldberg asked with a teasing grin on his face.

“Family huh, I think…that would be nice”

In the forest.

“fuh… finally done.”

After about 1 hour , I finished coating my  daggers with poison and equiped 10 of them. 3 on my left and right thigh and 4 on my torso with the handle facing downwards, the rest are stored in my magic bag. Why am I equiping so many of them you said? Because that way I will
appear more intimidating, that way i can avoid as much trouble as I can. But because of my cloak not a single of them visible...

*rustle *rustle

“hmm!?”

I stiffened when I suddenly heard rustling sound from the bush.

I-is it a wolf? No…calm down, it’s possible that it was just a rabbit

I carefully walk toward the bush without making any sound as best as I can. But when I peered behind the bush, what I found isn’t wolf nor rabbit, but a little girl about 7 years old curled up while shivering with her face facing the ground, It seems she still not noticed me. The girl has a huge horn on each
side of her head like a sheep horn, just like the Draph race from a certain game.

Huge, I bet half of her weight is from those horn.

After observing her for a bit I decided to call out to her.

“Hey,what are you doing there?”

She’s jolted her body and looked up at me. When she saw my face I heard a choking sound coming from her and her eyes all full of tears. She’s keep retreating until her back bumped on a tree. She keep staring at me with tears running down her face and she seems to be... hyperventilating?

Wait a minute! Did my apperance really that scary!? She super hyperventilating there!

“H-hey, why are you-“

Before I can finish my sentence, she already passed out.

“Th-this isn’t my fault right? She’s the one who scared by her own.”

While muttering excuse to no one in particular I looked at the little girl. Ideally I just need to leave her here, that way I won’t have any burden on me but…

Sh-she’s cute!

Big round eyes, small nose and mouth, chubby cheeks that make people want to poke it, and white hair down to her shoulder, she looks really cute. For your information I’m not a pedhopile, I have a normal taste in women, but seeing this girl make me wanted to pamper her, just what is this feeling?

No, control yourself Hart Ravenhair. You gonna need to buy her neccesities and food if you decided to bring her with you. With the money from the prince you can live for at least 10 years without working if you alone. But if you take care of her you probably can only live without working for just 8- no considering she is still a child, probably only 6 years or worse maybe 4 years.

“Yeah that’s right, it’s just a waste of money.”

•••

At the campsite Goldberg and his party members surprised seeing me come back with a little girl in my arms.

“Just what are you doing? Who is that girl?”

Tiara asked with eyes full of suspicion, Goldberg and that Shirley girl along with the people around the campsite has the same look on their face.

Just what am I doing I wonder?

“I don’t know. I just found her shivering in the woods after I take care of my business and decided to bring her back.”

“Just what is that bussines you talking about since earlier?”

“Taking a sh*t.”

Some people who still in their meals sent uncomfortable glares toward me while Tiara and shirley speechless as if they didn’t expect a guy would tell a woman something like that so straightforwardly.

You guys the one who ask me, so why are you have that look on your faces?

I sat around Goldberg’s party and take out a blanket from my bag for the girl to sleep on. I sat beside the girl and silently eat my food. Because I live in the slum for many years what I ate is pretty much garbage all the time, so the ration I bought previously tasted unexpectedly delicious.

“Hey lad, what are you going to do with her?”

Goldberg sat beside me while munching his meal.

“I’m gonna blunt with you, but you don’t seem like someone who care about other people that much, let alone trying to save them.“

He’s right. There’s no merit for me taking care of her, normally I’m just gonna leave her in the forest and let her get devoured by beast for all I care. But everytime I thought about abandoning her suddenly I can’t move and I felt chill all over my body.

It feels as if something threaten me to not abandon her. It’s an unpleasant feeling.

“Well, I already brought her back with me so I’m just gonna take care of her. It’s not like you people gonna bother helping her.”

I said while gazing to all the people at the campsite. Almost everyone avert their gaze while some people don’t. Some of those who don’t are people who busy themselves with their thing and three people who staring at the girl with expression full of greed not bother with what I said. And all of them seems to be in the same group

“Oi.”

The three of them jolted and met my gaze when I call out to them with a low voice.

“Don’t try anything funny.”

The three of them immediately averted their gaze while shuddering.

Hmm…it seems my intimidation skill is effective. If there were status panel in this world, I bet I have my intimidation skill almost maxed out. And after that I go to sleep next to the girl.