Chapter 57

On top of the black carriage.

"Huh...?"

Xavier, who had been sitting in the soft chair, suddenly furrowed his brow.

Charlotte, who had been following him lazily, turned her head.

Xavier's face, gripping the necklace with the gemstone, looked serious.

His sharp gaze. In contrast, his lips seemed to be forced into a smile.

It was the unique smile his employer showed when things were going in an unwanted direction.

After gripping the necklace and closing his eyes for a moment, he finally gestured to one of the hired men.

The tracking team, consisting of ten men including him, had not just been following the markers left by Kyle and Kenneth.

Pairs of hired men had been moving around the area, gathering information.

But it was only busy for them.

To Charlotte, it was just a series of tedious marches.

"...Go that way. Prepare accordingly."

As Xavier whispered, the hired men nodded and turned their horses to gallop away.

Charlotte, realizing that the direction they were heading was different from their original destination, finally licked her lips and spoke.

"Is there a problem?"

"Yes... Kyle and Kenneth have been ambushed."

"......!"

Charlotte's eyes widened instantly.

Her relaxed posture on the saddle straightened up.

Oleg, another direct bodyguard on the opposite side of the carriage, spoke.

"Was it the work of that swordmaster?"

"Unless there's another expert in this border region capable of taking them both out at once, it's likely. The king's words weren't entirely baseless. Additional losses due to my misjudgment... "

Xavier's voice held no trace of mourning or sorrow.

Only regret for the financial loss.

Oleg and Charlotte's reactions were no different.

They were merely hired by the same employer, not bound by any camaraderie.

Charlotte's face was even spreading with a sense of excitement.

The prey she thought was lost had returned.

"It's my turn to act."

She growled.

Xavier, who had been glancing at her tail standing up on the saddle, shook his head.

"No. We're heading to Naslan now."

"......?"

Charlotte's tail lost its strength.

Naslan was a city in the vicinity, a place they had no plans to visit originally.

She finally realized that the hired men earlier had headed to Naslan.

"Underestimating the opponent once is enough. Even if it was a fluke, there's no guarantee it won't happen again."

"...I won't fall for the same trick."

Charlotte said coldly.

Xavier nodded.

"Of course, I know your skills well, Charlotte. Oleg, you too. I trust you both. But a merchant never bets everything on trust alone. Now that we know the opponent isn't a novice, we can't overlook any risk."

"...What do you plan to do?"

Oleg asked.

Xavier shrugged.

"There are already other hounds chasing them. We need to unleash a stronger hunting dog. Chase them until they're exhausted. Fortunately... there are such hunting dogs in Naslan. Stupid hunting dogs who are now unable to move due to a foolish choice."

He smiled subtly.

A merchant's unique smile that evoked a primal disgust in Charlotte.

Thanks to his busy subordinates, he knew the situation in the nearby territories as well as the back of his hand.

It was an action taken out of concern that the prey might fall into the hands of the wrong people. If that happened, he would have to snatch it back from them.

The news of the knights dispatched by the king and the information gathered during the process were also in his possession.

The knights, enraged at losing track of Lucia Liurel, had been spreading bounties and hiring mercenaries in every town they passed through.

They were eventually detained by a lord's order, lured by the smell of money.

They had no justification for resistance after crossing the border.

In Naslan, they were now waiting for one of the lords of Vel Rond to capture Lucia Liurel.

Even if they were only used as messengers to negotiate a ransom when the time came, they wouldn't refuse Xavier's offer of salvation.

It would be the only way to wash away their humiliation and dishonor.

Charlotte said in a low voice.

"Ultimately... it's a drive hunt."

"There's no better way. Even the stupidest can be useful if properly controlled by a competent master."

"I don't want the prey to be killed by the hunting dogs."

"Don't worry. That won't happen."

Xavier took in the city that was beginning to come into view in the distance.

"Cutting off the prey's breath and claiming the spoils will be your job. This way, everyone will be satisfied, won't they?"

"......"

That's not my style. Not like you.

Muttering to herself, Charlotte didn't voice any more complaints.

The opportunity to unleash her suppressed savagery was enough to make her endure a little longer.

***

Even after changing horses, the group's speed didn't seem to have increased much.

The magic engraved on the armor was working properly, but the magic consumption increased exponentially as the horses galloped.

After a trial run, the magic stones lost their light in less than half a day.

It seemed at least three different types of magic were engraved.

The magic stones left in the saddlebag would last for about four days of continuous galloping.

The trackers from the caravan had undoubtedly been using magic stones like water to follow them.

So Ian decided to increase the travel time instead of the speed.

In fact, the mere possibility of a faster and longer escape in case of an emergency was enough.

Miguel added another suggestion.

"We've bought time and can travel longer, so let's take a detour here."

"How far?"

"If my memory serves, heading northeast will take us near the castle. It'll be fine if nothing happens, but if it does, it'll be chaos. So let's go around. The time we save can be used again, which should be enough."

"What if we're spotted in the middle and have to flee across the territories?"

"Exactly. Now we can shake them off. You can't fight forever. What needs to be avoided should be avoided. Once we pass here, it's abandoned land. It's full of dangerous areas, but it should be safer than here. ...I'm not sure if it can be called safe, though."

"You finally realized that people are more terrifying than monsters."

Ian chuckled and nodded.

He also needed time to recover his stamina and magic.

So, once again, a quiet and seemingly endless advance began.

Miguel on the driver's seat fiddled with the imperial crossbow, while Lucy, leaning against the back, played with her dagger.

Ian, in the corner, was making a handle with leather straps for the gray, shell-like material with thorns.

It was the venomous fang of the cave spider queen.

This was even a weapon that could be checked for information, containing a powerful 4-level paralyzing poison.

A 4-level poison could paralyze Ian instantly.

It could be used up to five times, and there was no way to replenish the poison.

It would be an excellent insurance against strong enemies.

After completing the dagger, Ian put the venomous fang into a subspace and turned around.

He then started packing food, bandages, and candles from the saddlebag into a small backpack.

Lucy, who had been watching his mysterious actions, finally turned her head to the driver's seat.

"Miguel."

"Huh?"

"What will you do after the mission is over?"

"Whoa! Spit quickly! Spit quickly!"

Miguel, who had been shrugging, quickly shouted and spat outside.

Lucy, not knowing why, followed suit and turned to him.

Miguel smacked his lips.

"If you say something unlucky, you need to spit quickly. It's a kind of warding off bad luck."

"Why do you do that?"

"Listen, Lucy. There are several things mercenaries should never say during a mission. Just saying or answering can bring bad luck, and in severe cases, death."

"Isn't that called a curse?"

"Almost the same. Many dismiss it as superstition, but believe me. Those who ignored it are all dead."

"Was my question one of those?"

"Yes. You asked if I would do something after this mission. Answering that question is like putting one foot in the afterlife. Similar phrases include going back to your hometown, having someone waiting to marry you, or having children waiting for you."

Miguel looked at Lucy seriously.

"You should only say these things after the mission is over. ...Actually, you don't need to know these things."

"Miguel seems to know a lot. Especially about superstitions."

"Like you think you're cursed, I do too."

"But my curse is real. So far, only three people, including my sister, have avoided it."

"You and that guy? What about Philip?"

"Philip... isn't that bad."

Miguel, laughing, nodded.

"Right. Anyway, that's what I mean. I never do anything that brings bad luck. That's why I'm still alive."

"...I understand."

Lucy nodded and leaned back against the seat.

"I was just wondering if you could stay with me if you have nowhere to go after dropping me off."

"Eh...? To the Temple of the Forge?"

"There are hired men there, too. I thought if I asked, Miguel and Mr. Ian could stay there."

Lucy added, looking at Miguel's side face.

"When I