Volume 4 Chapter 8 Day I Camp Setup
Al followed Leda's lead and cast the 'Light' spell to illuminate the camp. Leda, a seasoned caravan guard, placed the lights strategically thanks to her familiarity with the merchants. As they finished setting up, Captain Jonas summoned them before they could head back to Eric's wagon.
"Hey, young lady, the new guy seems to be working hard."
"Yes. We've finished placing the lights for the camp."
Leda stopped and looked serious. Al knelt beside her, remembering how he should act in front of a knight from his earlier mistake with Naresh in the city. They weren't fighting now; they were safe at the camp. But Captain Jonas, seeing Al kneel, just shook his head sternly.
"New guy, save that for Baron Hawthorne. This is the frontier; it could turn into a battlefield at any moment."
Hearing this, Al stood up and lightly bowed his head.
"Okay, that's good. I need you to set up lights in about 3 more places. I guess we have more magicians this time?"
Leda looked at Al. They had already set up lights in 15 places. It was still okay. Al nodded in response. Of course, Leda could light up too, even if it wasn't as long as Al's.
"Yes, it's fine. Where should I put it?"
When Leda asked, Captain Jonas pointed to a spot about 100 meters (�328 feet) down the gentle path leading to their campsite on the hill.
"Please put it around there. If there's light there, it's easier to watch for attacks. When we need to relight it at night, we'll send guards."
Hearing this, Al noticed that besides this path, the campsite was surrounded by steep cliffs and slopes.
"I thought using light on the hill might be dangerous, but maybe..."
Captain Jonas nodded vigorously at Al's question.
"That's right. Good observation. There are still many Barbarians around here. We're trying to lure them in with the light to deal with them. But there's no need to tell the merchants about this. Don't worry, we won't make any mistakes in security."
Captain Jonas answered calmly. They were planning to use the non-combatant merchants as bait to hunt Barbarians. Al felt a bit shocked but nodded. Fitz must have understood this and asked about the brightness and duration. For now, Al confirmed where the light should be placed while discussing the effective range of arrows from the hill, and then set it up accordingly. He also explained that the light would last until morning.
"You're pretty quick to catch on. You found the Sheep-Eating Eagle before us. I should report to Baron Hawthorne that the new apprentice is young but talented. If the young lady doesn't step up, she'll get left behind."
Al bowed and thanked him. Leda looked tense beside him. The two of them then parted ways with Captain Jonas and headed to Eric's carriage.
When they got back to Eric's carriage, dinner had already begun. Usually, people don't cook outside the border city to avoid drawing attention from Barbarians. However, this caravan had a fire under a tent and was making soup. They also had dried meat, soft white bread, and dried fruit.
"Wow, raisins! They're sweet and tasty. The bread is soft too."
Al took the meal from Lucas and leaned against the carriage, eating quickly. White bread and dried fruit were rare treats for him. In middle school, they had it sometimes, but as a child, he only got them once a year during festivals. It felt like a lucky year when that happened.
"Of course, it's only natural, you're a magician."
Leda sat on a wooden box taken from the carriage. Marcus and Lucas, who had already finished eating, were drinking from their water flasks and watching Al's reaction with curiosity.
"I'm from a poor noble family in the countryside, so I didn't have it easy."
Al smiled wryly as he spoke. His father was a knight, but their village in the mountains had little harvest. While eating, Al, Marcus, and Lucas shared their backgrounds. Marcus and Lucas were cousins--their mothers were sisters. All three were junior knights serving a viscount in Lester, a border city. They were in the same social class since none were firstborn; they all had older siblings. After finishing elementary school in Lester, they became apprentices under Eric. Initially, there were more apprentices, but most left due to a lack of talent for magic. Leda was the oldest apprentice in her 7th year, while Marcus and Lucas were in their 6th year.
"So, I'm one year younger than Lady Leda, and the same age as Sir Marcus and Sir Lucas. I wish I could grow a bit taller."
Al thought as he looked at the 3 of them. They were all over 10 cm taller than him.
"Well, just work hard and eat a lot."
Lucas said, giving Al's shoulder a light pat with a slight smile. When Al looked a bit disappointed, Leda, who had been quietly eating, stood up.
"Al, we are the first ones on watch. It's time to go. The guard team's command post should be near Baron Hawthorne's carriage."
Al realized that the first hour after arriving was almost over. He had gotten too caught up in chatting. He quickly used the leftover bread to wipe the bowl of soup before tossing it into his mouth and hurried to catch up with Leda.
"What do we have to do to help the guard team?"
"Let's keep watch. I'll support you with the Magic Missile spell. Since we only have one, we won't be very strong, but we can definitely take down a goblin."
Al almost corrected himself but thought it was fine.
"Got it. I'll go to the bathroom and catch up right away."
"Please hurry!"
Leaving Al behind, Leda quickly started walking.
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