The old man unwrapped himself from the blanket, stretched, yawned, and farted hard. Then he looked at the still-burning fire and at me. A smile appeared on his face.

"Good morning, Miss Grey," he greeted me.

"Morning, sir."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Did you sleep at all?"

"No," I told him honestly.

"I see," he said nodding. "Thank you for keeping the fire going. My old bones will definitely appreciate it. How about a piece of dried meat? Unfortunately, I have nothing else."

After my nod, Scoresby got up from the ground to take something out of his wagon supplies for breakfast. I was grateful to him, but once again, I had his meat and water tested first.

When he served me dried meat, it was the first time he had noticed my wings and tail. His surprised expression amused me.

"Yesterday, I was wondering what a strange outfit you are wearing," said the old man, clearing his throat to hide his surprise. "I must be really old that I didn't notice it was your wings...and tail."

"Yes, tail," I said, waving the tip of my tail so I wouldn't reveal my lap.

"An unusual combination," he muttered.

I frowned and asked. "Have you seen anyone with wings and a tail?"

The old man smiled. "Not like yours. I met a couple of beastmen who have wings. For example, Avier has wings that grow from their backs. But their wings are larger than yours. Harpies have hands covered with feathers and serve them as wings. Every beastmen has a tail, but I've never seen one with a mammal's tail and wings."

I did not expect such an answer. A simple yes or no, would have been enough. Plus, I wasn't a beastmen, so none of them could look like me. I had no idea what I was. Was I still human? That lunatic was trying to make some kind of better human, so maybe I was Supreme Human? I definitely didn't feel that way, more like a mutant. Oh, like X-men, however, I did not have their uniforms.

Scoresby didn't wait for my answer and returned to his wagon, the contents of which he began to rummage through. While constantly mumbling, he emptied the contents of something in the wagon. In a moment, he returned with a piece of rag. Old dirty canvas sack.

"...as I said, I don't have much to give you. When I travel alone, I can do with little. I know this is just an old sack, but I thought you could use it to cover yourself up," he said.

"How?" I asked.

Scoresby didn't think that far. However, together we came to a successful solution when we cut a strip of fabric from the sack, which I tied around my chest. The rest in the form of a wide strip of fabric I tied around my waist, like men wearing towels, only shorter and with a knot over my tail. It was like having a skirt halfway up my thighs and going commando.

It wasn't the first time, but it was a different time and in a different world.

While I was dealing with my lack of clothing problem, Scoresby hitched up the horses to the wagon and was ready to go.

"What do you say?" I asked him about his opinion on my clothes with my hands on my hips and outstretched wings.

The old man smiled. "A little short for my taste, but it suits you, miss."

"I agree with you, I'd rather worn more too, but I'm grateful for this," I said.

Scoresby did not comment further. He knew it wasn't much, that it wasn't real clothes, and I didn't even want more from him. He didn't know that it was the first piece of fabric I had worn in the last year.

As soon as I sat down on the bench next to him, we drove forward. After the first few minutes in our journey, the bruises on my ass reminded themselves. It was immediately clear to me that this wouldn't be a pleasant journey.

But time was running fast for me, as is the case with things you are not looking forward to. I wanted to get to the city, hoping so much that it really would be Castiana. However, I was terrified of what would happen when I met its inhabitants, especially its rulers.

"Is there an army in town, I mean the Sahal army?" I asked Scoresby.

The journey was quiet, we hardly spoke at all, but I knew it was my fault.

The old man shook his head. "No, but Castina has its guardsmen."

"What are they like?" I asked.

"I know what you really want to ask, miss," Scoresby said, whipping reins to push the horses. "You want them to listen to you and punish your former master. I don't want to disappoint you and deliberately deprive you of hope, but you should be prepared for them not to do anything like that. They are the guardsmen of Castiana. Even if it were an army, they would not invade another kingdom's territory. It would only start a war. Although Sahal disagrees with the treatment of slaves in Arda, the empire cannot do much with it without a military confrontation."

Would that be so bad? If there were slaves like me in the whole Arda, would that be so bad? I know that war would cause suffering to many innocent people, but it would also prevent more suffering. But I couldn't be sure. It wasn't even my decision to make. How a slave like me could command an army.

"Will they at least listen to me?" I asked.

"Sure, they will," Scoresby said with a nod. "They wouldn't even let you into town without talking to you."

"Why?"

"You have no ID card. You have to prepare to be asked where you are from and what you are. But you don't have to worry, they will just ask. I know a few Guardsmen. They are nice people."

That didn't reassure me much. On the contrary, I began to consider whether the trip to the city was a good idea. Whether it was worth the risk. But I didn't have many other options. Without food and water, I wouldn't survive very long in the wilderness. I could still try to rob Scoresby, but that would put everyone who hunts outlaws on my tail. The closer we were to Castiana, the more this possibility was out of the question.

Then, when we went up the hill in the midday sun, and I saw a high-walled city in the distance, the thoughts of robbing the old man were gone. Instead, I wanted to run away immediately, fighting my instincts and emotions, which were trying to overwhelm my mind.

(ding) Indomitable Will (IV) reaches lvl 107

Yeah, that was my Class skill with the highest level. The skill without which my mind would have long since collapsed like a house of cards. It didn't matter if I was free right now. Such suffering cannot be forgotten without leaving a mark on you. Even now, I suffered. The strange system operating in this world confirmed it to me when my skill gained another level.

I was sweating from head to toe, my body shaking, and my heart racing as we reached the gate. The fact that there was already a wagon in front of us didn't help my nerves. When we finally started moving, I almost jumped out of the carriage and fled.

"Hello, Liam," Scoresby was greeted by one of the four guardsmen. "Shouldn't you have arrived yesterday? Marlen was worried about you."

"Nice to see you, Frank. This wagon has had its best years. I had to have the wheel fixed. Luckily I was still in Mitta, when it broke. It delayed me, but half a day," the old man told him.

Oh, so that was why he had to sleep halfway between cities. He didn't tell me, but I didn't ask him either. All the guardsmen's sight then fell on me, and I froze like a doe in front of the high beams.

"And who are you, miss?" guardsman Frank asked.

"I…." I was unable to speak.

"She's a slave from Arda," Scoresby said, for which I was grateful. "I met her at the bridge over the Traim."

"Another slave, Liam? When will you stop?" Frank asked.

The old man shrugged. "You know me when I stop working and stay home with Marlen."

"She would definitely like that," Frank said.

That made Scoresby laugh. "….Oh yes, she would."

"All right, miss, do you have an ID?" Frank asked me.

"…" I shook my head. I didn't have it.

"They should issue it to you in Mitta," he said, narrowing his eyes.

(ding) Indomitable Will (IV) reaches lvl 108

Shut up. I shouted at the system.

"I don't think she came through Mitta, but swam the Traim," Scoresby said for me.

"Is that so, miss?" The guard asked me.

I nodded quickly. "…"

"Interesting, what is the border guard doing?" muttered one of the guards, shaking his head.

"Miss, can I ask you to get out of the wagon?" Frank asked.

"You don't have to worry, Miss Grey. You're in good hands. Frank is a good man. I will vouch for him," Scoresby told me.

But it was easier said than done. I was just a bundle of nerves, my body was trembling, and when I tried to get out of the wagon, my bruised and stiff ass joined in. Were it not for my wings and tail's quick reactions, which helped me keep my balance, I would have landed with my face-first on the ground. Now I was looking at the wide-eyed expressions of the four guardsmen. It wasn't the best first impression I could make, and I definitely didn't intend to show myself that way.