Ascension of the Monster Queen
Chapter 40 - 40: Caravan

Leaving the town was difficult for Nessa, and despite her trust in them, she was uneasy because of the dangers this world held, dangers they hadn't seen yet.

While walking along a wide road beside a river on her way to Mascra, Nessa smiled at Akio, who had shrunk himself just so he can stay beside her.

"Thank goodness we can ask for directions and have a map; we've been walking for hours; are you okay?" He looked at her when she asked.

"Don't worry, I am fine, my lady," He responded, and she patted him on the head. They then came to a halt and sat under a large tree, where she brought out food for both of them to eat.

Nessa looked at the water flowing in the river while eating, remembering the cycle of her previous life, not missing a thing except some of its food, which she knew she could bring to life in her town and wanted to do so when she returned.

After Nessa and Akio finished their meals, the girl sighed, stood up, packed her bag back, and lifted the wolf up in her arms and he looked at her.

"I can walk just fine," He said and she chuckled.

"You're so cute in this smaller form," She replied, and he lowered his head, not saying anything else as they continued on their way to their destination.

Nessa was still walking when night fell, and she became tired, but she knew they had a long way to go and she needed to get there without wasting too much time.

While walking, Nessa noticed a few armored men on horses passing by.

"Be careful," Akio cautioned as she pulled aside to allow them to pass, and she smiled nervously as one of the guys stopped and looked at her.

"Do you need some assistance, miss?" He asked.

"Uh... No thanks," She responded when he looked at her bag and her pet.

"Are you certain? We are a merchant caravan from the kingdom of Leosna, and we went to deliver a few items to another city; where are you going, miss?" He inquired, and she sighed.

"The kingdom of Mascra," She responded, and they all turned to look at her.

"You are walking there?" When one of the guys asked, she looked at him, then at the guy who had first approached her and he got off his horse.

"Leosna is the kingdom a long way before Mascra, you won't be able to get there on foot for a while, come with us to Leosna, you can take transportation from there then be on your way miss, I assure you, we mean no harm," He said, and she looked at Akio, knowing that she would take longer on foot to get to Mascra, and decided to accept his offer.

"All right, I'll come with you." He smiled and took her bag and placed it in one of the caravans, which she and Akio entered and sat down.

"My name is Ken, nice to meet you," He said. The guy was tall, muscular, seemed to be nearing his thirties and fair.

"Nessa, nice to meet you as well," She replied, and he smiled before mounting his horse and riding off again, hoping to arrive at the Leosna by the next afternoon.

"Why are you traveling alone to Mascra, Miss?" When she looked behind her, she jumped, then sighed as she noticed a wolf-like creature beside her.

"You are?" She asked and he smiled at her.

"I am a beastman, originally from a nation filled with beastmen, my name is Sikro," He said as she stared at his brown fur and he smiled at her.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Nessa," She replied.

"Nice to meet you, Nessa; have you seen many beastmen before?" He said, "You seem unfazed," and she smiled.

"Not really," She replied, "but I expect the unexpected if that makes sense." He chuckled.

"Yes, it makes perfect sense, I can assure you, these men mean no harm, they genuinely want to help," He assured her and she sighed.

"I appreciate their assistance as well, and to answer your previous question, I am going there on business," She said, and he smiled.

"I see, be careful there, that place is extremely dangerous, especially for a young lady alone," He replied.

"I'll heed your warning; are you a merchant?" He nodded when she asked.

"Yes, I have been for a few years," He responded.

"That's nice," She said and he sighed.

"You can say that, I wanted to do something more with my life, despite the fact that mixing humans and creatures like myself can be difficult at times," He replied, and she lowered her head.

"I understand," She said as she passed her hand on Akio's head and Skiro smiled.

"Is that your pet?" He asked.

"More like a friend and a guardian," She responded, and Akio opened his eyes and looked at her, then she smiled and he rubbed his head against her palm as the caravan came to a halt and Ken got off of his horse and then approached them.

"What's the problem, Ken?" Skiro inquired, and Ken sighed.

"The men and horses are tired, I don't think it's going to be good going any further tonight, so we'll camp here for the night and leave in the morning, is that okay with you, Miss Nessa?" Ken asked as she looked at him.

"You can just call me Nessa, that's fine with me, is there anything I can do to help you guys?" She asked and Ken grinned.

"Nope, you are our guest, there is no need for that, you just sit back and relax, there are a lot of them, and they can manage just fine, come on, join us for a hearty meal as well," He responded and she smiled as she stepped out with Akio when she saw the other men had started to set up a campfire and a few tents.

When they finished they all sat around the fire after feeding the horses, who had grown hungry and thirsty after a long ride.

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