A New Life in a Parallel World

Chapter 17, Troubles at the Border

When Lerris climbed up his carriage for the first time, he did not notice anything inside the carriage as he was looking back at the duchess, it was only when she was out of sight when he notices the interior of the carriage. Thankfully it was not gilded as most carriage used by nobles was, but the interior was designed mostly for comfort, and it was more spacious than his old carriage which is the one he took from Azad's farm almost a year ago. He was surprise to find the clock given to him by Master Tomek, sitting right next to the small chest that was filled with gold coin, given to him by the duchess. He had thought he had lost it along with his carriage that he lost during the last battle over a month ago. The leather backpack that he packs his clothes in that morning was also there, along with revolver rifle and his tattered old uniform. What he was wearing right now was his spare uniform, his last, to be exact. He had brought with him three set of uniforms, he had thrown the first one after the battle with the Count of Braga and Countess of Latsis forces as that one had gashes and cuts, from the wounds that he had sustained in that battle. The one that was sitting on top of the seat in front of him was the one that he used during the last battle, and he was surprised that somebody kept it for him.

Lerris looks out of his window again when they rode out of the palace grounds and into the city itself. The city looks impressive even when viewed from the inside of his carriage, and much more if you are walking the streets. The streets and avenues were wide, and not cramped unlike on some villages and hamlets that he had been through. Oil lamps dotted every side street, and the road was cobbled, that it reminds him of the old cities and town in Europe, particularly in Germany and Poland.

Looking back, he wondered if what would happen if he did not take the quest from the guild, or if he just sticks with his trade. He wasn't making that much money back then, not as much when he began hunting, that is, but still, in the most basic sense, he was able to make enough for his own needs.

He thought of Lydia and wondered what would she be doing right now if he had not taken her under his wings. She does not have much of a skill in any craft, his own sister tried to entice her on taking the craft of healing, she tried but she was not really into it. Her sister Lisbeth tried to teach her about sewing but she does not have the knack for it, she tried other craft as well, but either she loose interest or she does not have any aptitude for it. But despite all of it, the woman did have a aptitude when it comes to mechanical engineering and precision tools.

Then his mind wondered about his sister, even before, she was always telling everyone back at the farm that she wanted to be a soldier. His brothers tried to dissuade her, and so did his sister, and his aunt was silent about it, like she did with him. Eventually, even without him taking her under his wing, she would probably end up joining either the guards or the mercenary bands.

The last time he had talk to them, Lydia told him that she was content on working under him, and she enjoyed training those soldiers, but she prefers to hunt with him than fight wars under him. His sister on the other hand told him that she like to have a command of her own, as she was thrilled while watching him take command of the situation and led the battalion from one battle after another.

The whole experience was quite a challenge from start to finish, and after a long hard campaign, he decided that he will just sit back and enjoy the ride and marvel the scenery outside the window of his carriage.

They rode through the county at a slow pace, not that he minds it, stopping at every village and town they have come across with, mostly camping outside since they were travelling with soldiers. At one point, Lerris bought himself and the girls some horses, so they could ride along the caravan after they got bored inside their carriage.

On several occasions, he went ahead of the caravan to hunt, with either Emma or Lydia, or sometimes both tagging along with him, with a couple of guards trailing behind them. Often times they would manage to bring back a deer or an elk to their camp, where they would share it with everyone. That brings him back to the days when he and Lydia was still hunting. On one occasion, Lerris brought back several coyotes with him, where he let it marinate for several hours before cooking it slowly over an open fire. He offered them to the soldiers and his guards, and the only ones who were too eager to taste were the Hanunah, the rest simply shied away from it, all saying that they can't take the strong taste of coyote meat. They even grimace when he and the girls started eating it, but one of his guards decided to try it, mostly because she was probably fed up with the kind of food that they had. At first, his guard was skeptical about it, but when she got a taste of it, she quickly finishes the small serving that she took and help herself with another serving. The others tried his dish too and the next thing he knows everyone was having it. Some of the soldiers even ask him how he had done it, so he just told them how to cook it.