Death Guns In Another World

Chapter 2061: The Road to Velria

Saeko adjusted the strap of her travel pack as she followed the caravanʼs steady pace. The merchant—a shrewd but kindly man named Barin—preferred slow roads and lively marketplaces to instant travel through portals.

”Only big cities have them,” he had said with a dismissive wave of his hand. ”And besides, thereʼs profit to be made along the way. A wise merchant never skips a good deal.”

That meant five days on the road. Five days through villages, hamlets, and scattered waystations before reaching Velria. For Saeko, the job was simple: keep the merchant alive, keep the goods intact, and deal with whatever crawled out of the wilderness.

The first day was calm, the morning sun stretching golden across fields of barley and wheat. Farmers waved as the caravan rolled past, their children running barefoot to shout greetings. Saeko walked at the flank, her katana sheathed across her back, eyes ever-alert. The forest that hugged the roadside whispered with life—birds flitted between branches, squirrels darted along trunks—but she caught every twitch of shadow, every rustle in the underbrush.

By mid-afternoon, trouble found them.

A group of five bandits slipped from the treeline, faces wrapped in dirty cloths, blades glinting in the light. They thought themselves wolves. To Saeko, they were little more than desperate hyenas.

”Hand over the wagon!” one barked, his voice trembling behind forced bravado.

Barin paled, pulling the reins tight. ”Saeko…”

She stepped forward, calm as ever, her right hand resting on the hilt of her katana. The bandits sneered, mistaking her silence for hesitation. They rushed.

Steel flashed. A single step forward, a single draw of her blade, and the first man crumpled, his weapon clattering uselessly to the dirt. The others froze, their courage dissolving as quickly as it had come. Saekoʼs gaze was cold, unyielding, and they fled back into the trees without another word.

Barin let out a shaky laugh. ”Hells, girl… faster than I could blink. Worth every coin, Iʼd say.”

Saeko slid the blade back into its sheath, saying nothing. To her, it was work. To the merchant, it was a miracle.

On the second day, the caravan passed through the village of Trelwyn, a modest settlement clustered around a river crossing. Barin wasted no time in setting up trade. He bartered bolts of cloth for salted fish, exchanged spices for lumber, and charmed villagers with easy smiles and fair deals.

Saeko lingered on the outskirts, watching. Children stared at her with wide eyes, whispering about the tall woman with the sword. One braver boy approached, clutching a wooden toy blade.

”Are you a knight?” he asked.

Saeko knelt, her expression softening just slightly. ”No. Just a traveler.”

The boyʼs eyes shone. ”You look like a hero.”

She gave no answer, only rested a hand briefly on his head before turning back to the road. Words like ”hero” never sat comfortably on her shoulders.

That night, as the caravan rested near the riverbank, the forest stirred again. This time, it wasnʼt men—it was wolves. A dozen of them, lean and hungry, their eyes reflecting firelight as they encircled the wagons.

The guards panicked, but Saeko stepped into the ring of flame, drawing her katana in a slow, deliberate motion. The alpha lunged first, its fangs bared. One stroke—swift, precise—sent it tumbling lifeless into the grass. The pack hesitated, then attacked as one.

The clash was savage. Saeko moved like wind given form, her blade weaving arcs of silver through the dark. Every swing cut clean, every movement decisive. When the last wolf fell, silence returned to the camp—save for the heavy breathing of terrified guards.

Barin watched, awe written across his features. ”If you werenʼt here…”

”Youʼd be bones,” Saeko replied flatly, wiping blood from her blade.

By the third day, the land grew harsher. The road wound through rocky hills, the forests thinning into jagged ridges where bandits and beasts alike thrived. Sure enough, before noon, another ambush struck—this time more organized.

Crossbow bolts rained down from above, narrowly missing the wagons. A dozen raiders surged from cover, their leader clad in piecemeal armor, wielding a serrated axe.

”Kill the guards! Take the goods!” he roared.

The guards raised shields, arrows thudding against wood. Saeko dashed forward, closing the gap before the raiders could reload. Her blade sang, cutting through armor as though it were cloth. She parried the leaderʼs heavy swing, sparks flying as steel clashed.

He grinned at her, teeth yellowed. ”Finally—someone worth killing!”

Saekoʼs eyes narrowed. With a twist of her wrist, she slid past his guard, the katanaʼs edge drawing a crimson line across his chest. His grin faltered. One more stroke dropped him to the dirt, lifeless.

The raiders faltered, leaderless, and scattered into the hills.

Barin wiped sweat from his brow. ”Do you ever… tire of it?”

Saeko cleaned her katana, her voice quiet.

”Of killing? No. Of the need for it? Every day.”

By the fourth day, fatigue began to creep in. Even Saeko could feel it—the constant vigilance, the repetition of ambush after ambush. But Velria drew closer, and so did the thought of seeing Alex again, though she did not yet know fate was setting their paths on a collision course.

That evening, the caravan passed through a larger town called Eastmere, where Barin once again dove into trade. Saeko sat outside the tavern, sipping water, her gaze distant. For the first time in days, the road was silent, and yet her heart felt restless.

On the fifth morning, Velriaʼs distant spires rose on the horizon, glinting in the dawn. The caravan cheered—the end of the journey was in sight. But the road would not let them pass without one last trial.

A monstrous boar, tusks as long as scythes, burst from the underbrush, its bulk large enough to topple a wagon. The horses reared, panic spreading through the ranks.

Saeko stepped forward, planting her feet. The beast charged, the ground trembling under its weight. At the last instant, she slid to the side, her katana flashing in a precise strike across its throat. The momentum carried it forward, crashing into the dirt, skidding lifeless at her feet.

The caravan erupted in cheers. Barin clapped her on the shoulder, laughing.

”Velria awaits, and thanks to you, weʼll arrive with every wagon intact. By the gods, Saeko—youʼre worth ten men!”

She gave a faint smile, but her eyes lingered on the spires in the distance. Somewhere beyond those walls… Alex was there.

Unbeknownst to her, their paths were about to cross once more.