Aras Auto-12

That's right, Ian's family was originally a merchant house...

Feeling a bit down after seeing the lost arm.

"Thanks to Taro-kun, I still haven't repaid the favor. How about coming to our merchant house as my first client? I'll give you a discount."

Ian smiles casually, as if it's nothing.

"Are you really going back to your family home?"

"Yeah, with this arm, I can't possibly go back onto the battlefield... No, it's not your fault at all."

With a solemn expression, he gazes at his missing arm.

"Really? You're serious about this!"

Rilka leaps forward in excitement.

Ian's offer is too perfect to pass up. Maybe I should accept it...

But Coil doesn't nod easily.

Before anyone realizes, he's stepped in front of Rilka.

"In our industry, it's a common saying that the sweetest deals are the most dangerous."

Rilka, who readily agreed, immediately freezes.

But Ian quickly smiles wryly and clarifies the misunderstanding.

"No, sorry for misleading you. I'm not trying to deceive you. The gratitude and the offer to lower the price are genuine. There's just one request I'd like to make."

"What's that request?"

It's simple. I want you to take me along with you in that carriage.

Here, Aras Auto is a country that stretches widely from east to west.

This town is located on the eastern side, where the capital lies. On the western side, farmland and mining sites are spread out, and there is a large town that trades goods from the western region and nearby towns.

According to Ian, there's a family-owned shop in that town.

Traveling that far requires covering a considerable distance.

While the area is relatively stable in terms of safety, it's not entirely secure—bandits, wild beasts, and even humanoid monsters have been known to appear.

Typically, people either hire mercenaries for protection or travel together as a large group for safety.

As I listened to Ian's story, doubts began to arise in my mind.

"Listening to Ian's story, it seems safer to join a stronger group than ours, doesn't it?"

"Haha, Taro, you've got a good sense of humor. Right now, among the group moving west, no one has sharper awareness or stronger combat skills than you."

I'm taken aback by that comment. Am I really that strong?

I unconsciously glance at my hands.

Rilka and Coil poke fun at me too. It's probably an overestimation...

In any case, the plan was settled, and Ian temporarily joined our group of three.

Beyond that, the road to the western town stretched across the Hōkana Plain.

On the plain, large-scale farms and underground mining sites appeared at regular intervals. At each location, numerous people were diligently working. These scenes were familiar from the original world—somehow nostalgic.

And, as expected, we frequently encountered bandits.

The endless, towering wall I'd seen in the city of Alasoot was, surprisingly—or perhaps expectedly—remarkably low, lacking any real purpose.

Because of this, wild beasts and bandits alike were caught every night by my scouting magic, then trapped by electric snares.

The method involved scattering iron cores in advance, then triggering a lightning spell the moment they stepped on them.

Thanks to a precisely adjusted voltage, they become paralyzed and unable to move.

It's essentially a stationary stun gun.

Surprisingly efficient and safe. The main drawbacks are disrupted sleep cycles and difficulty sleeping deeply.

The captured wild beasts are used for food, while the bandits are handed over to small guard units stationed at mines or farms.

With an expression full of delight, he took them in. They must have been captured by him...

Moving slowly, we arrived at a town located in the western part of Arasooto within a week.

The town itself isn't particularly large.

As soon as we entered the town, we were immediately headed toward Ian's family home.