Soon, noon arrived, and the carriage came to a halt at the side of the road, right in the shade of a massive oak tree. Noel looked around, made sure no one was hiding in the bushes or behind the tree before letting go of the reins. If she spotted anything weird, she would've given the poor donkey a whip and driven away at full speed.
She turned around and looked toward Roberta, "Are there any one nearby?" Roberta shook her head. "No, just a few rabbits, and a deer that had just ran away. We're safe. Let's rest here."
[Notice: Noel Cromwell has received 5 Merit Points for driving the carriage. Current Merit Points: 5.]
Just five points that seemed small, but two things were true. Noel wasn't a driver but a maid, so this wasn't her job, and she did like driving carriages, so this wasn't something she hated doing. The goal of those two rules was clear: To push a servant more toward doing the job they do best and reward them for pushing themselves.
The Merit Points weren't based on the difficulty or complexity of the job, but getting the Sultan's servants to work.
Leon looked at Noel for a second and smiled. "We'll talk later. For now, everyone should relax for a bit." She nodded and jumped from the driver's seat.
The elf children immediately rushed to jump out of the carriage, and the pregnant elf woman shouted at them. "Slow down!" She immediately looked back at Leon, who sat in the driver's seat. "I'll get them right away, Master Leon."
"It's safe if Roberta says that." He replied with a smile, and the woman immediately turned to chase the kids. The other elves who were walking saw the kids jump out and finally sat on the ground to rest. It's been an exhausting trip, but at least they are moving faster than before.
At their current pace, they should reach Drakegate by tomorrow noon.
Sara blinked and looked toward Roberta with a curious gaze, wondering how they could trust her word even though she didn't even get out of the carriage. Usually, people would send three to five scouts to comb the area before even daring to set camp. Bandits weren't the only problem, but monsters, poisonous bugs, and sometimes even undead appeared.
"How do you know?" She asked.
Roberta stared at her with a gentle smile. To Sara, that smile looked uncanny. To Leon, it looked terrifying. He was certain that for a second there, Roberta had thought of killing Sara to silence her. "If you strip and dance for us for a whole hour, I'll tell you. A secret for a secret, right?"
Sara backed away a bit, giggled, and then sighed. "You don't have to be that aggressive. I didn't say you have to tell me." She shrugged and pulled her bag from behind her. She didn't need anything from it, but just... was thinking of using it as a shield. Even with how beautiful and innocent Roberta looked, she was still scary, giving this feeling similar to that of a violent thug.
"I know you're using your skill, and I have to say that it's impressive. I bet many caravans would pay you a lot for being their scout."
Roberta stood, lifted her foot, and swung past Sara's nose, pretending to walk past her, but clearly showing that she could've kicked her nose out. "In some places in this world, you would get beaten for talking too much, especially about other people's skills."
As Roberta jumped from the carriage, Sara looked at Beatrice. "What's her problem?" Between all of them, Beatrice looked the tamest and easiest to speak to.
Beatrice giggled with a wry smile. "Well, she can be a bit difficult, but she isn't a bad girl. She just doesn't trust strangers that much." Beatrice then stood, patted dusted her robe, and jumped out.
As Sara was left alone, she sighed, picked up her bag, and looked around. This carriage... was just an old cart fashioned with a makeshift cover. It was better than nothing, but still shabby, and janky.
As Sara walked out of the carriage, she looked around. This wasn't her first trip to Drakegate, and she had camped in this same spot several times. The large oak tree blocked both the hot sun and cold rain. The nearby stream had a lot of fish. And the fact that the spot was on a large hill made it easier to spot any approaching monsters or bandits.
The three girls were already out of view, having gone to take care of their business. Some of the elves were still around, making a fire and pulling food out. Some were sitting on the ground and trying to catch their breath, and the kids were already playing, showing a horrifying level of energy.
It was a known fact that elvish kids had more energy than human or dwarven kids. Many suspect it's because of their long lifespan.
Leon himself was petting the donkey and giving it a bucket of water to drink from. Beside him, two elvish women were brushing the donkey's hair, making the poor animal feel like royalty.
"How is he doing?" She asked, and Leon smiled. "I've seen many horses and donkeys before, and this one is strong."
She approached, patted the donkey, and then looked at everyone else. "Say, is it okay if I ask something?"
"Yeah, I won't get angry." Leon looked at her with a smile, and she felt a cold shiver running down her back. "Did that elf woman earlier call you Master? From what I've heard, due to the elves' long lifespan, they see us humans as lesser creatures, like pets."
One of the elf women who was brushing the donkey's hair was the one to reply, and she had a smile on her face. "Master Leon helped us while having nothing for himself. He guided us through the forest, the mountain range, and got us safely here." She looked at the playing children. "Their feet were blistering and bleeding, but he knew what herbs to use. And... even got us healed."
Another one of the elvish women added. "We don't see your kind as lesser beings. We just don't want to be attached to those who would die so soon." She looked back at the pregnant woman taking care of the kids. "But we never forget those who help us. As long as we live, we'll do our best to repay this debt to Master Leon and his descendants."
Leon smiled as he looked at them. "Really, then I'm counting on you."
"Leon! I'm back." Roberta approached. "If you have some time, can you come with me for a few moments?"
After giving Noel her job, Roberta and Beatrice wanted their as well. This short break is the perfect opportunity for them to get it.