Ad aspera

Unus gives away the remaining money and his helmet.
- Will that be enough?

-- That should be enough. Hey, kid, -- he calls out to one of the younger servants. -- Run to the old man in the stables and tell him to prepare horses for the guests. Decent ones.

The boy quickly runs off to fulfill the request, and Unus and Kotori follow at a leisurely pace. When they reach the stables, a pair of chestnut horses are almost ready. Even a side saddle for Kotori has been found. A man leads the guests to the horses, which are of medium age.

-- Hey, you! Go get water, we need forty buckets, -- the owner of the voice, a wiry old man in very dirty and out-of-season light clothing, continues to unharness the horses of some merchant, while the first of the stable hands disappears into the stable.

The journey takes about three hours and passes without incident -- only the guards at the eastern gate, who are familiar to Unus, give a casual bow and smile after the paladin. The road veers away from the main northeast road, and after leaving the lime-covered track, the horses have to trudge through the spring mud. The village itself, which appears to house about a hundred to a hundred and a half people, is unremarkable, neither particularly poor nor particularly wealthy, only there seems to be less livestock than one might expect. The deputy mayor bows to the newcomers.
-- So, you're here for the Naker's head? It's over there, by the pond, -- the peasant waves his hand towards the northeast.