Half the night had passed, and the carriage was still slowly rattling along the bumpy, muddy path beside the countryside woods.
The moon that had been in the sky was long gone, and no one knew where it had hidden itself.
It was probably only an hour or two until sunrise. This was the darkest time of day—and also when travelers were most exhausted and least on their guard.
Sure enough.
Inside the carriage, Annie was sprawled across several sacks of cargo, sleeping soundly with her little bear for a pillow. At some point, she had kicked off the blanket that had covered her and tangled it around her feet.
By contrast, Miss Clette was curled up in a corner of the carriage, properly tucked beneath an identical blanket. Her sleeping posture was perfectly peaceful; she looked every bit the well-bred young lady, raised with proper manners.
Come to think of it, that made sense. The father and daughter were driving a four-wheeled carriage pulled by four fine horses—a luxury vehicle that would have been top-of-the-line even centuries later. Her innocent, carefree manner and refined speech during their earlier conversation were proof enough that she had been raised in a good home.
As for Guts...
There wasn't much to say. The taciturn man had been worn down by life's hardships until he was becoming a little unhinged. He continued sleeping with his head bowed atop his greatsword, stubbornly maintaining a posture that let him spring into action at any moment. Like a paranoid man, he kept one hand beside the hilt, afraid someone would steal the several-hundred-pound slab of iron while he slept.
Likewise!
The old priest driving the carriage was yawning nonstop. He couldn't help dozing off as he drove, letting his four-horse luxury carriage roll merrily onward in