As the night gave way, the morning sun began to sweep golden-orange hues across the desert horizon. With it, one by one, the men and women in the carts started to awaken.
Confusion was the first thing they felt, followed by anxiety and fear of an uncertain future. Memories of iron cages, violence, and humiliation were still fresh in their minds.
Whispers of fear began to rise, accompanied by panicked groans. Some men immediately grew wary, scanning their surroundings with wild eyes, ready to fight or flee.
Only after Karen explained that they had been rescued did the panic subside, replaced by disbelief that turned into overwhelming relief.
Once they realized they were safe, the emotional defenses they had built—suppressing all fear, despair, and pain to avoid drawing their captors' attention—finally crumbled. The pent-up negative emotions erupted powerfully and uncontrollably.
As a result, nearly everyone, men and women alike, released their suppressed feelings through tears.
The atmosphere in the carts turned into a space of collective emotional release.
Compared to the men, who wept silently with tears streaming down their dirt-streaked cheeks, the women were far more emotional. They sobbed uncontrollably, their shoulders shaking violently, some even calling out for their long-missed mothers.
"…"
Meanwhile, at the front of the lead cart, Charlie sat upright as the driver.
The sound of crying reached his ears, causing his grip on the reins to tighten slightly. He sympathized with their suffering.
"Byakko, increase your speed. Don't worry about the strain." Charlie ordered, gently flicking the reins in his hand.
"Roar!"
The mighty Byakko growled, its low, resonant voice filled with protest. As a noble Divine Beast Spirit, being tasked with pulling a cart like a common horse or donkey was deeply humiliating.
However, bound by its contract with Charlie, it had no choice but to obey. With one final annoyed growl, the White Tiger and its partner drastically increased their speed.
The wind howled fiercely. The desert landscape beside them blurred. Their speed now reached 200 km/h, an insane pace for an animal-drawn cart!
(Spirit Arts are so versatile,) Charlie thought with satisfaction, feeling the stability of the cart he was driving.
Normally, at such high speeds on a sandy desert, an ordinary wooden cart would shake violently or even overturn. Especially since its wheels were medieval wooden ones, lacking shock absorbers or rubber tires.
The reason this didn't happen was that Charlie had applied various enhancements through his Spirit Arts to every part of the cart.
He reinforced its structure, applied a light gravity field around the wheels to reduce jolts and friction, and created an invisible aerodynamic stabilizing layer around the cart to counter wind pressure.
There was even a subtle protective barrier maintaining a comfortable temperature and shielding the passengers from the harsh wind.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
A journey that would have taken days with an ordinary caravan was completed in mere hours, thanks to the White Tiger's insane speed and Charlie's magical stabilization through Spirit Arts.
The sun was still low in the sky when, in the distance, a small settlement came into view, located at the edge of the arid Kaois Desert.
Thanks to his Senrigan, Charlie easily located the nearest human settlement.
Though it was still early morning, the villagers, who lived off farming and livestock, had already begun their daily tasks.
The morning calm shattered when the bull-sized White Tiger, with snow-white fur and gem-like glowing eyes, appeared pulling a wooden cart.
"A monster! Run!"
Panic erupted instantly. The villagers fled in terror, assuming a monster was attacking their village.
"…"
Charlie controlled the White Tiger, stopping it just in front of the village's simple gate.
There, an elderly man with a white beard and a deeply wrinkled face waited, surrounded by several villagers wielding hoes and sickles as makeshift weapons. Apparently, the fleeing villagers had alerted the village chief.
Charlie dismounted the cart calmly, his hands raised to show he carried no weapons.
"Calm down! I'm an adventurer from Orario, Charlie of the Hera Familia. This is… my pet, Byakko. He's harmless."
Seeing his composed demeanor and introduction as an adventurer, the tension on the chief's and villagers' faces eased slightly.
Charlie then briefly recounted the story of the survivors in his carts—how they had been kidnapped by the Evilus and rescued by him.
"So, they're victims of those criminals?" The village chief asked, his face creasing with compassion. "What a pitiful fate."
"May they stay here temporarily? They need a safe place to recover, at least until they're strong enough to return to their hometowns."
At first, the chief seemed reluctant. His expression soured.
"Mister Adventurer, we deeply sympathize. But… look at our village. We're barely scraping by. Our land isn't fertile, and our harvests only just sustain the villagers. Taking in dozens more mouths to feed… that's too heavy a burden for us."
His reasoning made sense. Charlie could see from their tattered clothes and simple homes that the village was indeed poor.
Without much talk, he extended his hand. A pouch appeared from his Space-Time Cache. He opened it, revealing a pile of valis coins gleaming in the morning sunlight.
"This is ten million valis. It should cover their living expenses while they're here and maybe even help improve the village."
Seeing such a vast sum—equivalent to years of harvests for the small village—the chief's attitude changed dramatically. His hesitation vanished, replaced by an enthusiastic smile.
"Lord Charlie, of course! We, the people of Silver Oasis Village, will gladly take in our unfortunate brothers and sisters! They can stay as long as they need! We'll treat them like family!"
He quickly turned to the other villagers. "Come on, help them down! Prepare beds and warm food! Hurry!"
The villagers, previously fearful, now became welcoming. They carefully helped the weak and traumatized survivors off the carts, embracing them and guiding them into the village with comforting words.
(Money can't buy everything, but everything needs money.)
Charlie wasn't surprised or cynical.
To him, it was a fair transaction.
The money secured safety and comfort for the survivors, and for the village, it was a blessing that saved them from hardship.
It was a win for everyone.