Chapter 4: Arrival at the Port
Sometimes, the longest journeys start with a single misstep. And sometimes, it's the leader who walks blind.
The next morning, everyone was ready to depart.
There were 50 villagers in total, escorted by 10 guild members and guards.
For transportation, they used large wooden carts powered by mana—a unique fusion of old and new.
The design was similar to horse-drawn carriages, but instead of horses, a mana engine was mounted at the front, operated by a skilled driver.
There were five carts in total. Each carried 12 people, including passengers, a driver, and one guild protector.
As they left the village and approached the edge of the country, they saw a large guarded gate.
After verification, they passed through and continued on the road. About thirty minutes later, the group entered a dense forest.
"Everyone, stay alert," the captain shouted. "This forest is filled with wild beasts and venomous insects.
Don't drop your guard."
The air grew thicker. The trees leaned in. Insects buzzed in the distance.
Suddenly, a giant beast resembling a rabbit burst from the woods, leaping toward the third cart.
One of the guild members stationed there quickly blocked the attack with his sword, pushing the beast back.
The carts came to a halt.
Just then, a pack of four more rabbit beasts emerged from the shadows.
The same guild member who blocked the first beast tried to fight them off, but he was wounded by a sudden strike.
The captain drew his blade and stepped forward to join the battle—but before he could, the rabbit beasts froze.
They turned their gaze toward Samy.
A strange silence fell over the scene.
And then… the beasts turned around and bolted into the forest, vanishing into the trees.
Everyone stood in confusion.
The healer rushed in to tend to the injured warrior. Once the situation was under control, the captain ordered the group to continue the journey.
Shinra, walking beside Samy, glanced up at him. "What did you do to those beasts?"
Samy blinked. "Huh? Nothing. I didn't do anything."
"Then why did they run away after looking at you?"
Samy scratched the back of his neck. "Maybe they got scared of the captain. He was about to attack them."
"Really?" Shinra asked, not entirely convinced.
Samy just smiled and looked ahead.
After nearly twelve hours of travel, the group arrived at a coastal port. There was only one way to reach the neighboring country: by crossing the sea.
The captain led them to a local guild branch near the docks. "We'll rest here for the night,
" he announced. "Departure is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon."
They were taken to a massive guest hall where over a hundred beds had been arranged in neat lines.
Samy and Shinra chose two beds near the wall and placed their belongings down.
"I need to wash up," Samy said. "Come on."
As they walked toward the restroom area, Samy noticed the captain standing alone in the main hall, studying something.
"Go ahead without me," he told Shinra. "I'll catch up."
Samy approached the captain.
"Hey, Captain. You look pale. Something wrong?"
The captain looked up, startled. "No, I'm fine. Just… checking the map."
Samy glanced down at the paper.
"This isn't Nile Port."
"I know," the captain admitted. "After the beast attack, I got confused and took a different route.
We ended up at Raisen Port instead of Nile Port. We were supposed to head southeast, but we went directly south."
Samy stared at him.
"Wait… You're saying we traveled to the wrong port?"
The captain nodded nervously.
"Yeah. I didn't realize until we arrived."
Samy stepped back in disbelief. "How do you make a mistake like that on a cross-country mission?"
The captain lowered his eyes.
"It's my first time leading a departure mission.
I'm sorry."
"What's your guild rank?" Samy asked, his voice sharpening.
"B-rank. Class 1," the captain replied.
Samy's face twisted in shock. "They sent a B-rank Class 1 to lead a border mission?
Does your guild master not know the rules?
A mission like this needs at least an A-rank Class 3!"
The captain sighed.
"We're short on manpower. That's why I was assigned."
Samy rubbed his temples. "Okay… so now what?"
"Well," the captain said, "we can still travel by ship to the correct country.
But there's a problem."
"Of course there is," Samy muttered.
"Ships don't come to this port regularly. Only once a week. Normally the ship would arrive tomorrow… but I just found out it's been delayed by two days."
Samy's eyes widened. "What?! You've got to be kidding me!"
"I just got the news from the local counter," the captain explained. "You walked up to me right after. I was going to announce the delay after dinner."
Samy groaned. "You better. Because this whole group is trusting you, and so far,
you've nearly led us off a cliff."
The captain offered a weak smile.
"Go get cleaned up. I'll handle the rest."