A Heavy Undertaking

Barely an hour had passed since Shu's departure. He dashed the entire way to the border while covering a massive amount of ground. Every few steps, he'd vanish with a flash of light and appear extremely far away. It had been a long time since the lazy samurai moved with this much urgency.

Shu thought to himself while travelling. There was no way the king didn't know about his mission. This seemed to be a very important task that involved the partnership of two nations. Were they really going to trust him this much? He wouldn't be surprised if there were other people under the king at the meeting point. Either way, the answer would be revealed soon.

The sleepy man slid to a stop high in the sky. He remained standing as if there was a platform under his feet. After scanning the area for a moment, he checked his holopad.

"It should be around here." He muttered.

Shu took a step off the air and vanished once more. He kept his eyes peeled for any large convoy. Eventually, he noticed a suspicious clearing. The only problem was that it seemed empty. Weirdly enough, the grass was flattened like a huge weight was on it.

Something was off. He could sense a type of magic at play here. Upon landing on the ground, he kept his katana at the ready. His right hand stuck out in front of him for safety. Soon enough, an invisible barrier connected with his palm.

"You must be the Princess' chosen bodyguard. The Sword Demon, right?" A gruff voice spoke directly in front of him.

Shu frowned at the voice. Nevertheless, he nodded. It seemed like the right place. The young samurai couldn't help but tap the pommel of his weapon against the barrier a few times.

"Just give me a moment. Impatient much?" The rough voice called out again.

A few moments later, the barrier was dispelled. Two large carriages appeared before him. There were multiple figures standing in front of the vehicles. Some were sitting on the roof. Instantly, a swathe of energy washed over him. Shu immediately focused on the first carriage in particular. All of that energy was being emitted from there.

"Incredible isn't it? Those ores were a pain in the ass to excavate."

The sleepy man finally looked down to the voice. A small, muscular dwarf could be seen in front of him. He seemed pretty old. His beard almost touched the ground. It was Shu's first time seeing one.

"...When are we setting off?" Shu finally spoke. His distorted voice caught everyone's attention.

"Uh…right now, I guess. We were waiting on you. I'm Turd by the way." The small man announced.

"You shouldn't give your name to a damn human. They're all filth." Another dwarf commented from further away.

This one seemed much younger. He sported a mohawk and was glaring Shu up and down. Turd shook his head while walking away.

"Don't mind him, Sword Demon. Forg can be quite the handful. You should meet the others before we go." The old dwarf suggested.

While only two dwarves had spoken, there were at least fifteen of them. They were too focused on their work to bother him. Shu could see an elf woman in a lab coat. She typed onto a holographic screen that showed multiple graphs and analytics. The young samurai had only peaked inside the ore carriage and saw her.

The elf had short blonde hair and icy blue eyes. A pair of glasses rested on her face, giving her the aura of a cold scientist. She only glanced at the lazy swordsman before turning back to her work.

"Don't mind her. The only thing Myrrh cares about is research." A feminine voice spoke from behind.

Behind him was another woman with fiery red hair. She seemed much more approachable. Not that Shu was friendly looking either. A futuristic rifle hung from her back. It seemed to have multiple functions. That wasn't the best part though. Her breasts were…massive!

"Don't stare at my railgun." She joked. His line of sight was obvious.

"...Yo. I take it you're a fighter?" He finally responded. The woman smiled.

"Yup. I'll be helping you defend the convoy. Us humans should stick together! The name's Jina."

"A pleasure. I'm Shu."

"Hello, Shu. Your voice is creepy. Your face makes up for it though!"

"........."

The two conversed a while longer before moving to their positions on the roof. Another figure was already waiting on top. He was covered in armor and seemed extremely muscular. He ignored them with his arms crossed. There were no greetings.

"Hmph." He grunted.

"That's the close combat guy. I'm sure you two will be on the battlefield more than I." Jina explained quietly.

Shu frowned after seeing the two protectors of the convoy. They both emitted the aura of high tier gold, barely touching Supreme. It was a high level, but it still didn't explain how they made it through Nekrom. Whatever the case, it wasn't his business.

Turd approached the fighters. He waved his arms, getting the attention of those on the roof. The hustle and bustle was slowing down. This made it easier to spot him.

"We're setting off. Just a heads up, Sword Demon. The aura being emitted by the ore will attract a lot of monsters. Bandits and the like as well. We'll use a magic spell to help with the aura, but since we're moving, it'll only do so much." He explained.

Shu lazily waved his hand. He couldn't be bothered to care. Anything that approached would be cut down. Jina raised an eyebrow. It was only now that she looked him up and down. The young samurai hadn't let go of his sheathed katana for even a second.

"Sword Demon, huh? Is that your title?" She asked.

"...It's just a rumor." He answered with a yawn.

It was time to set off. The mana wheels began to turn, and the convoy started moving. There was a long journey ahead of them. Jarheim was located in the south, just like Laria. Hopefully they wouldn't run into any fanatics.