Takeshi opened his eyes once more to see the shimmering moon occupying the clear sky with its white light.
Takeshi had dreamt of a nightmare again, which caused him to wake up. Three hours had passed since he fell asleep; his exhaustion had lessened thanks to this quick nap, but his hunger remained.
However, his pain had significantly decreased. As soon as he moved his gaze toward his injured hand, he found it wrapped in many bandages that made it look white, as if it were plunged into flour. Before he could process anything, he heard a voice near him.
"Are you awake, Takeshi? Maybe I woke you when I tied that bandage, I'm sorry…"
Takeshi quickly adjusted his seating.
"This isn't a reason that deserves an apology; rather, it deserves thanks. Thank you—"
"I didn't apologize for that reason… I wasn't of any real use in that chase where you did everything on your own—"
Takeshi raised his injured hand, which Sota had bandaged, and said:
"Who bandaged my hand, thanks to whom I will heal from my injury? Who drove the cart, thanks to whom we are in safety?"
Sota opened his mouth to say something, but Takeshi interrupted and continued his words.
"By seeing what I did, you can see the many mistakes I committed. I am the one who drove the cart to that slope and you are the one who saved the situation. I am the one who destroyed your cart, threw away part of your goods, and threw away our food, and here you are wanting to carry the entire blame!!"
Indeed, regret was gathered inside Sota's heart, but not as much as in Takeshi's heart. The latter remembered every mistake he made with extreme accuracy as if it had just happened. Instead of suppressing his regret, he wanted to show it in an encouraging way to Sota.
"I am the one who should apologize, I caused a lot of problems…"
Takeshi lowered his head and gritted his teeth in anger at the foolishness he had committed, saying:
"I'm sorry…"
Suddenly, Sota stepped forward, raising his hands, and said with wide-open eyes:
"Don't apologize, Takeshi! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be alive—honestly, I didn't expect you to be this strong and smart!"
'Intelligence? All of Takeshi's plans were built on two things: his haste and the haste of the monsters. Therefore, his plans were considered good, but there were better solutions than them.'
This was what made Takeshi's regret intensify in his heart. Takeshi raised his gaze toward Sota and said:
"I told you to take my share of that money… I know it isn't enough, but I will pay you back the rest—"
"Don't worry about this—"
Sota's voice was interrupted by another sound that erupted from his stomach and Takeshi's stomach. Both were hungry to an unbearable degree.
The problem was that they had no food and no water to drink. Another problem was that the area they were in usually had no animals, and not even mushrooms existed unless they were poisonous and rare. They also couldn't go back looking for the bag Takeshi had thrown… nor could they eat the horse's meat since it had become a partner in this journey.
This meant they had to set off now.
***
Sota had already fed the horse while Takeshi was sleeping. Even though it hadn't gotten enough rest, it was able to walk on its hooves again and pull that rickety cart. Takeshi and Sota envied the horse because it could eat hay, unlike them.
Minutes passed since they left their spot until they emerged from that empty, treeless area, which didn't even have a name. It was an injustice to an area of that size and breathtaking beauty, especially at night accompanied by the glowing moonlight.
They entered the depths of the desolate forest once again—the terrifying Fargrim Forest.
Minutes passed and became hours, and the cart was still moving very slowly toward the south with caution. Takeshi did not sleep, as his task was observation and guarding for fear of any threat from other Rivarg monsters. As for Sota, he was, as usual, driving his cart, his eyes barely able to stare ahead.
Yet, they struggled.
They struggled against exhaustion, hunger, and thirst. Since morning, they had only eaten a few bites of fruit or some food, especially Takeshi, who didn't want to eat much to save as much as he could.
And here, his excessive saving was another reason for his regret.
As for Sota, he was half-asleep. It was true he was following the correct path the whole time, but he wasn't exactly aware of where they were—meaning he couldn't determine their location, how far they were from the city of Galleon, or how long it might take to reach it. Both their psychological and physical states were extremely deteriorated, and the thin horse was no exception.
'When will we arrive…'
Out of sheer despair and fatigue, Takeshi kept moving the pile of hay inside the cart over and over again. Then he stealthily took out his bag and checked its contents to make sure everything was in its place. He then stared at the sky, specifically at the moonlight, where clear clouds suddenly appeared and covered part of it, making vision somewhat difficult.
But they had already grown accustomed to the darkness on this night.
"Merchant…"
Takeshi said, addressing Sota, who barely replied after seconds that almost became a minute.
"What do you need, Takeshi?"
"When will we arrive?"
Sota didn't answer at all, even though he was making movements from time to time to move the cart. Takeshi understood from Sota's silence that the answer was "I don't know," so he too remained silent and kept staring at the horrors of the dark forest.
Takeshi was barely able to notice that the trees around them began to decrease gradually and at a slow pace before the sun rose again to look upon a new day. Takeshi ignored the matter and kept staring around, ready for any unknown that might appear.
Suddenly, from the eastern horizon to their left, a faint, radiant yellow light appeared. Suddenly, that light spread to all parts of the forest, and the golden sun emerged from behind it, rising from its slumber.
Thanks to its bright light, Takeshi was able to notice out of the corner of his eye a tear that slid down Sota's cheek, who had suddenly frozen in his place. As soon as Takeshi turned to speak, he froze in his place too. After a few quick moments, Sota spoke, breaking the prevailing silence of the place.
"It is her…"
In the distant horizon before them toward the south, a black shadow barely emerged thanks to the light of the cheerful sun. Rather, it was the elongated shadows of constructed buildings. With every step the horse took, and with every second the sun rose in its orbit, its features emerged more and more.
At the sight of this view, despair and pain vanished for moments for Takeshi and Sota. They had finally approached their destination closely enough.
It is the city of criminals and gangs.
Galleon city.