Maomao and the others headed to the next town as planned. It didn't take long to understand why there were so many bandits. The region was relatively green, with plenty of trees. If travelers had to pass through a forest, it would be easy for bandits to lie in ambush.
"It may look like nothing but grasslands and deserts, but Seisei Province does have forests."
The female escort showed the view outside the window as she explained. Though the words were directed at Maomao as well, Xiaohong it seemed to be consideration so that she wouldn't be left with nothing to do. The carriage ride was tough on a small child not yet ten. However, the female escort had laid down reed mats and placed bedding on top to reduce the swaying, making it possible to sleep at any time.
"Is it because the highlands are nearby?"
"Yes. Rain and snow that falls on the highlands comes out as spring water. Forests grow using that as their water source, and people settle there."
"Don't they cut down the trees in the forest?"
Maomao found it puzzling. In Kihoku Province, there had been so much high-quality timber that logging was actually prohibited.
"Trees that grow large enough to be useful as building materials are quite rare. Most are harvested for nuts and such, or treated as windbreaks."
"Then it's no different from an ordinary farming village."
Maomao said bluntly. Xiaohong tilted her head — it was hard to tell whether she found the topic difficult or was simply nodding along.
"I thought that if it was going to become a trade route, there must be something beyond just convenience."
"If that's what you're asking about, then here."
The female escort set down her book. It was a well-worn tome.
"The next town has a church."
"I see." Maomao nodded in understanding.
Religion and all that was something Maomao simply didn't understand. If anything, she was a pragmatist who didn't believe in things she couldn't see. She was convinced that gods and immortals didn't actually exist.
That said, she would never go so far as to tell someone not to believe in gods. If you had no other source of comfort, you needed something to hold on to, and sometimes that took the form of an idol.
In fact, several courtesans in the final stages of their illnesses had drawn their last breaths believing that a peaceful kingdom awaited them beyond death. Their ends must have been agonizing, but she remembered that their faces had held a certain serenity.
(As long as it doesn't cause trouble for anyone, that's fine.)
That was Maomao's way of thinking, but there were times when some people used that faith for malicious purposes. And there were those who were deceived by it.
Just like medicine, faith too could become disastrous when its dosage and usage were wrong.
That was how Maomao viewed religion.
During the journey, they had been on guard against bandit attacks, but they made it through safely.
"We should be arriving soon."
Rooftops were visible beyond the trees. The buildings were at least three stories tall.
"Is that the church?"
"Yes."
The female bodyguard was saying something to the coachman. The carriage stopped shortly after.
"We haven't arrived yet?"
Xiao Hong said, puzzled. The town was now in sight, but they still had quite a ways to go.
"I'll go ahead and scout the town first. Please wait here in the carriage, both of you."
"Will you be all right?"
Maomao asked the female bodyguard with a worried look.
"I'll leave the two coachmen with the carriage."
(That's not what I meant...)
A true professional in the field— so perhaps it was actually rude for an amateur like Maomao to be the one worrying.
"If there don't seem to be any problems, I'll come back. Please wait here until then."
"...What if you don't come back for a long time?"
At Maomao's question, Xiao Hong's eyes went wide as she looked at the female bodyguard.
"Don't entertain any foolish thoughts about coming to rescue me. Just run."
The female bodyguard said this with utmost composure.
(Even if you tell me to run...)
Maomao was not particularly skilled in martial arts. All she could do was hide among the trees and keep quiet.
Her only option was to ask for help from the two men who served as both drivers and guards.
(A bodyguard's pay really isn't worth the risk, is it?)
The money was good, but no amount of gold was worth your life. As guards, their reputation rested heavily on trust, so once they took a job, they had to put their lives on the line.
Maomao spread out the bag of crude medicinal herbs she had asked to be purchased, trying to calm her nerves. She divided some of them into smaller portions and wrapped them in cloth for easy access, tucking them into her robes as usual.
Xiaohong had noticed over the past few days that Maomao completely ignored anyone who tried to talk to her while she was handling herbs. With a look of exasperation, she began playing with her pebble toys.
*Ton, ton* — the sound of someone tapping on the covered wagon.
"What is it?"
"Pardon the intrusion."
It was one of the drivers. Of the two, he was the older one — a man in his forties with an unkempt beard. He had a gentle demeanor and, apparently having a daughter of his own, was quite considerate toward Xiaohong. The other driver was younger but, by contrast, gave a taciturn impression.
"It's nothing much, but I thought you might like these."
With that, he rolled something across — pinecones.
"Pinecones!"
Xiaohong's eyes lit up.
"Pine nuts!"
Maomao's eyes lit up as well.
"Do they grow around here?"
Maomao asked eagerly, and the driver — this kindly middle-aged man — looked slightly taken ab.
"Y-yes. There was a large pine tree right over there."
"Would it be alright if we went to gather some?"
"Um, as long as you don't stray too far..."
"Right then!"
Maomao leapt down from the wagon. Xiaohong followed right after her.
The two of them set about gathering pinecones with single-minded enthusiasm.
A quarter hour It must have been about a quarter hour later.
Around Maomao, the remnants of pinecones had piled into a small mound. She had no interest in the pinecones themselves, but she was very interested in the seeds inside them.
Pine nuts — in the world of herbal medicine, they were called haishōshi, songziren, and other names. They were highly nutritious seeds, rich in oils. Lightly roasted, they had a subtle sweetness and tasted delicious.
(They were small and hard to extract, which was the only downside.)
When it came to medicinal herbs, this level of effort was nothing to Maomao. Xiao Hong picked up the pinecones, and Maomao set to work prying off their scales one after another. Xiao Hong seemed to enjoy gathering them, but she pulled a slightly displeased face because Maomao started dismantling each one right after she collected it. Maomao noticed that Xiao Hong was only keeping the large, well-shaped pinecones in her pouch.
The older coachman was lingering around Maomao and the others, while another coachman was eating a meal up on the carriage.
Just as Maomao was thinking she still needed to extract the inner kernels from the collected scales, the older coachman tugged at her sleeve.
"Excuse me."
On the other side of the older coachman, Xiao Hong was being held in someone's arms.
"What's the matter?"
"......"
The coachman silently glanced toward the carriage. Someone was approaching it — a man, roughly in his thirties.
"I was told to come fetch you, that a messenger had arrived."
"I see. Understood."
The other coachman climbed down from the driver's seat.
It looked like an unremarkable movement, but in that very instant, the coachman lunged at the man who had come with the message and slit his throat clean through.
"⁉"
For a moment, Maomao couldn't understand what had just happened. The older coachman beside her was covering Xiao Hong's eyes and mouth with his hands.
"Into the depths of the forest."
The older coachman scooped Xiao Hong up under one arm and started running.
(Oh, I see.)
The female escort had said: "If there doesn't appear to be any problem, I'll head back, so please wait here in the meantime."
It wasn't the female escort who had arrived, but a messenger. That meant there was a problem.
With cold sweat prickling her skin, Maomao had no choice but to follow the older coachman.