Chương 20: Chapter 19: Orc Bandits

'I will fucking kill them!' I cursed loudly in my heart as I adjusted myself for the hundredth time. It had been just an hour, and it had already felt like hell. My shoulder was already sore from being hit by the shifting wooden box that was latched beside me. The constant rocking of the gravel road made it even harder to read from the book in my lap. The driver had activated his skills, but they were useless due to his low level, and this carriage wasn't much better either. They had done this intentionally.

Not only had they sat me in the worst carriage, but it was also driven by a low-level young driver. There is not the slightest comfort I could feel through it. I would have brought my carriage to this side if I had known they would stoop this low.

"Master Remus, take this; it might help," Brian said as he took a small, thin pillow from his back and gave it to me.

"Thank you, but please keep it; I don't want to trade your comfort for mine," I declined, despite wanting to take that small pillow from him.

"It is no bother, Master Remus," he insisted, and I took him at his word without hesitation.

"Thank you, then," I said, taking the small pillow from him and placing it between my shoulder and the wooden box; it felt good when the solid surface no longer hit my shoulder. After a few hours, the journey became uncomfortable. The small pillow provided more relief than the skills of our low-level driver. I passed the time by reading, talking to Brian, and massaging my head, which hit the wooden box quite hard when the carriage wheel went over the rock.

The scenery also did not help my mood; it was a dry wasteland. The green patches appeared occasionally. They were as small as a few meters, and the largest was a few miles, but compared to the whole wasteland, they were akin to drops of paint thrown on the canvas. It felt good when the carriage stopped for a break. They had been moving for four hours, and many people, including me, needed to relieve themselves.

I also used the opportunity to stretch, which helped me a lot with cramped muscles that returned after we resumed riding. Two hours after the first break, we took another break—a lunch break. The bastards didn't even invite me for lunch; they just sent it, and it was cheese and bread with a small pickle, the same lunch the guard ate. I ate with my guards and Brian. No one could see the slightest bit of anger in me. I am happier with them than with my family, who are snakes.

After lunch, the carriages began to move again, and I was again stuck in a tiny space. I wish I could ride, but there were no extra horses. Soon, it was evening, and we continued before stopping at a mile-long green patch called Sard. It was a grassy area with trees, and if one did not look at the wasteland surrounding it, one would not feel like they were in a wasteland.

"Master Remus, this is your tent," said the guard, handing me a worn-out tentthat was torn in many places and had patches attached. Though bullies have limits, my uncle and brother did not seem to have any. They gave me a tent that was even worse than the tent for guards.

"There is no need; I have brought my personal tent," I said, praising myself for making at least this much preparation. I still remember the day Edwin and my siblings took me to camp when I was seven; that night was one of the worst I had ever experienced, and I did not want to experience it again. The guard was a bit surprised but nodded and turned back. From the corner of my eye, I could see that he had gone directly to my brother. This book is hosted on another platform.

Read the official version and support the author's work. A few minutes later, my camp was ready, and dinner was served. I had the same dinner as the guards, while the three ate a sumptuous meal. They sat at the table while I sat in front of a small bonfire with Brian and a few others. I could see them looking at me and even heard the word 'bastard' spoken by many people. I am quite used to this, but that does not mean it did not bother me.

I have noted down everything in my mind; there will come a time when I will take revenge for every little insult. For now, I will bear it without saying a single word. I did not stay by the bonfire for long; after finishing dinner and a few minutes of talking, I went to my tent and slept. The journey had been tiring, and sitting in a constrained space caused pain all over my body. It would have been wonderful if I had a skill related to helpingothers, but I did not; I had to bear it like a normal person.

I fell asleep quickly, almost immediately due to how tired I was. Jonah woke me up before dawn; I readied myself quickly and even had some comfortable reading before we resumed our journey again. Half an hour after dawn, we began to move again. Our target was to reach the territory by afternoon. That wouldn't be a problem if we moved unhindered by anything like yesterday. The journey is slow, even by this world's standard; the cargo carriages move too slowly, but nothing can be done except bear it.

About two and a half hours passed when the abrupt change began to occur in the scenery. The wasteland begins to disappear, and greenery begins to appear; it is not green spots that appear now and then on the wasteland, but actual greenery. Nakar Forest is the largest fertile area in the Renwell Region. It is currently a forest, but that will change soon. The prince is quite clever. He created thirty-two baronies in a small area.

Each barony is nearly the same in size and they are baronies of kingdom standard, not the empire standing. Those are bigger. Even by the Kingdom standard, they are pretty small. The people will have to work hard to gain the class of Baron with such small lands; some might not even be able to get it. These baronies had not only provided the prince with immense wealth, but also with the subjects that would be loyal to him, with much less chance of getting swayed by others due to their distance from the mainland.

If things worked well, a trade route could be established with the merchant state of Oksall. There used to be one centuries ago. Not to mention the food they would provide for the city, the prince ordered new nobles to focus on farming. I heard it was one of his conditions before granting the title. Nearly all of the Renwell region is a wasteland, and most foods must be imported. If the baronies farm, they will supply the city's increasing population with food.

So, if the imports are cut for some reason, we can manage for a while without starving ourselves. After just twenty minutes of carriage travel, we have crossed the boundaries of two baronies. We did not have to travel through the baronies; the road was common, and anybody could use it. The prince had planned well and made a public road that could reach all baronies. Carriages moved through the rough road in the forest. Looking at the tracks, we saw that we were not the only ones who had come here.

A few Barons had already come yesterday and today, and half as many others come together in a few days. A few hours passed, and we took another break. We had come quite close to the barony. Lester had said it would take about two hours to reach, which was on time. Phweeee! I had relieved myself and was stretching when suddenly a sharp whistle rang through the camp. The relaxing atmosphere disappeared, and everybody became alert instantly.

The guards already in position became alert, with their weapons out and skills roaring. I also drew the rapier from my waist and strode toward the guards surroundingmy uncle, Edwin, and Madam.

"Move away," said a middle-aged mage as I reached the group; it couldn't help but surprise me. I looked at my uncle, Edwin, and Madam, who were in the centre of the group protected by the guards from all sides. To my utter shock, I saw them looking at me. Madam was expressionless, while my uncle smiled. Edwin was simply grinning. I've got my answer, which shocked me to my core. Even saying that would be understanding.

I knew they hate me and even schemed to get my share of the inheritance, but I thought their hate didn't reach the height, that they would want to see me dead. I thought that when our lives come into danger, we would help each other, forgetting our petty differences, but it seemed like I was naively wrong. At this moment, I understood that they had never considered me their own; to them, I was even worse than a stranger. My father was a million times better than them.

When the assassin attacked, he leapt to protect me. Letting me in the circle will cost them nothing but the space they already have. I stayed frozen there for a couple of seconds before a smile appeared on my face. I nodded at them and turned, acutely aware of people looking at me with pitying eyes.

"I hope you guys will protect me," I said to my guards, who were following behind me.

"We will not sacrifice our lives for you, but we will protect you to the best of our abilities," replied Jonah.

"That is all I ask," I replied with a smile. A few seconds later, I stood with my back against the carriage wall, with my guards in front of me, waiting for a threat, which I desperately hoped was a false alarm.

"Stay alert; orcs are coming," warned Lester as he walked out of the tree with his horse, dashing all hopes of it being a false threat.