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Chapter 62

"Not now," Ian replied, without taking his eyes off the cavalry.

"How long till we reach the river?"

"Ten minutes...? Maybe a bit less."

"Just make it to the bridge."

"And after that?"

"...We\'ll have to kill them."

How? Ian hadn\'t thought that far ahead. Everything had happened too suddenly, and there were too many variables for a detailed plan. But it was clear that using magic now wouldn\'t be advantageous. If the pursuers fled, there would be no catching them, and next time they\'d be fully prepared to face a mage. It would also tip off the Libra Trading Company that he was a mage before even setting foot in the Empire. So, the magic would have to wait until after crossing the river. And anyone who knew he was a mage would have to be eliminated.

"Got it. Then somehow... damn." Miguel grimaced as he whipped the reins.

The carriage began to slow down as the magic stones in the armor flickered.

"Why now of all times... please buy us some time," Miguel muttered as he precariously climbed onto the running horse\'s back. The magic stones needed to be manually replaced.

"It\'s not as easy as it sounds..." Despite muttering, Ian moved to the back of the carriage.

Lucy, hiding in the corner with her robe pulled over her, looked at him.

What\'s there to be sorry about? Ian smirked sarcastically and smacked the upper rear partition with the weight of his sword. The board, loosened by many passengers, fell off. It was the board added during the last extension. However, Miguel\'s head was still not visible from the outside.

Ian easily climbed onto the lowered partition and checked its sturdiness by rolling his foot over it. Then, he looked at the escort knights of the Libra Trading Company who had caught up to the Hiram cavalry. Black armor and helmets versus plate armor. The difference from the men they had encountered before was now clear. Although the craftsmanship of the plate and chain was similar, none had magic stones embedded.

Right. Even for a grand trading company of the empire, not all escorts can be equipped with magic armor, thought Ian.

Artificially created magical gear was, of course, incredibly expensive.

I need to be cautious of the ones with magic stones in their armor. Thinking this, Ian proudly gripped his Sword of Judgement. It was smeared with blood and oil but remained sharp.

"...?”

Then, someone emerged from among the knights. He had a large build and a bald head. He also had a tattoo of ancient runes under one eye.

Armor and magic stones gleamed on the armor, and a large double-edged ax was slung on his back. Ian reached behind with his left hand, pulling out four throwing knives from the void. He inserted three into the empty sheaths on his chest band, holding the last in reverse grip as he eyed the man.

"Boy, those are some fierce eyes." The bald man, Olek, chuckled and added, "I\'m Olek. A companion of Kyle and Kenneth, whom you killed."

"Did you come wanting to follow in your comrades\' footsteps?" Ian retorted.

He wasn\'t keen on chatting but needed to buy time since the carriage had slowed. If Olek chose to, he could easily catch up.

"I don\'t plan on that. I\'m not here for revenge for those dead guys. It\'s not my role to kill you. But..."

He pulled a boomerang, shaped like an inverted \'L\', from his waist. Darkly etched patterns flickered on its surface.

...A boomerang? Ian frowned just as Olek lightly flicked his wrist.

"I did want to try my hand at it."

Then, with a flick, the boomerang, spinning like a silver disc, flew straight toward Ian\'s face.

Clang!

Ian reflexively knocked away the boomerang, having not deployed his Whirling Barrier at that moment. The boomerang circled back through the air, returning to Olek\'s hand.

A magical boomerang, what the fuck, thought Ian.

"Ha! Not a bad greeting, huh?" Olek grinned and flicked his wrist again, but this time his target wasn\'t Ian.

Ian\'s eyes narrowed as he watched the boomerang curve past the side of the carriage. His body moved before his mind did.

Clang!

The dagger Ian threw collided with the boomerang, altering its trajectory and causing it to embed in the ground.

I didn\'t actually think that would hit.

As Ian blinked in surprise, Olek\'s exclamation followed.

"You hit that...? Ha! You have no idea how many gold coins you just flung away!"

It was a voice close to pure admiration.

What an annoying guy. Ian, clicking his tongue, turned back to the front, his brow furrowing.

Another rider was rapidly catching up to Olek, who had black fur. They had a face somewhat reminiscent of a feline. It was Charlotte.

"Didn\'t I tell you not to interfere?" She glared murderously at Olek, then turned her gaze up to Ian. Her orange eyes briefly curved.

Charlotte leaped from the saddle, twin swords shaped like fangs now in her hands.

What the fuck? Ian extended his sword and dagger in a cross just as Charlotte pounced on him.

Crash.

Pinned down by her, Ian was shoved back to the rear of the driver\'s seat. The crossed swords barely blocked the beastfolk\'s arms.

How is she so strong....

As Ian gritted his teeth, Charlotte, looking down at him with calm, undulating eyes, flicked her tongue, "Just so you know, you\'re mine."

"...Ha."

Another crazy one. Ian smirked.

Boom!

A small explosion tilted Charlotte\'s head to the side. At that moment, Ian kicked her in the stomach with a solid weight. Charlotte, not even grimacing, stepped back and turned her gaze to Lucy, who was glaring at her from a corner.

"Stay out of this, kid. I\'m not interested in you."

“You should be,” Lucy retorted, lifting a dagger from beneath her robe.

The dagger wasn\'t aimed at Charlotte.

"If you don\'t back off now, I\'ll end myself," Lucy said, pressing the dagger to her throat.

"What?! Are you out of your mind? Put that down now!" Miguel exclaimed in horror from atop a horse.

Charlotte frowned, "That wouldn\'t be an easy feat."

"I\'m confident I can do it in one go," Lucy added calmly, with her green eyes serene.

"So, this is why Larmut\'s after her," Charlotte muttered, looking at Ian.

Charlotte added, "Shouldn\'t you be stopping her? Your employer\'s threatening to kill herself."

"Charlotte! Get down from there!" Olek shouted.

"I\'m all for freedom of choice. Don\'t worry, Lucy. I\'ll make sure your revenge is done," Ian shrugged.

He added, looking back at Lucy, "I\'ll take care of the Libra Trading Company, and Larmut too, all of them."

"Ha...!" Charlotte let out a short laugh, then, as if she had never laughed, her expression turned cold as she spoke.

"It won\'t work a second time, kid. If you interfere again, I\'ll kill you myself. I couldn\'t care less what happens to you. Right now, I\'m just backing off because the fun\'s been spoiled. So...."

Having shot her warning, Charlotte turned her gaze back to Ian.

"Next time, let\'s fight to the end, Ian."

"...If that\'s what you want."

Charlotte jumped back, reclaiming her sword and landing atop the partition, her tail armor with claw-like blades swaying above her head. After a momentary glance at Ian, she leaped off the carriage.

Is she enjoying her own little hunt...? Just like in the games. Beastfolk really are out of their minds. Ian swallowed a hollow laugh.

In the games, beastfolk were a rare breed. Especially beastfolk mercenaries. They inherently possessed high stats and shared the common trait of not following orders well. The longer the battle lasted, the more they benefited from their wild nature, gaining bonuses to their stats. If one could make them obey, they would significantly aid in gameplay. But making them do so was no easy task...

"...Put the knife down," Ian commanded as his eyes met Lucy\'s, who had been holding the knife to her throat.

She finally lowered her arm.

"Good bluff. Well done."

"It wasn\'t a bluff."

"I know. So don\'t do that again. Unless you want it confiscated." Ian added coldly, then quickly cast his Whirling Barrier and climbed atop the partition. Charlotte was nowhere to be seen, and the black knights cautiously backed away.

Olek admired aloud, "Impressive. It\'s rare to see Charlotte fail on her first try."

Ian merely shrugged. The carriage\'s speed picked up again.

Olek, quickly catching up, shouted, "Listen, you\'re bound to fail anyway. The only reason I\'m so relaxed is that I can catch you whenever I want."

He added with a shrug, "Of course, there will be casualties in the process."

"So, what are you trying to say?" Ian glanced back and asked.

Olek smiled, "Let\'s stop shedding unnecessary blood. Surrender. In return, I\'ll pay you double what you were promised. And come work for the Libra Trading Company. With your skills, the leader would surely like you."

Big body, but a sly mind. Despite this, Ian appeared to ponder the offer.

"Not a bad offer. But paying double what I was promised won\'t be easy."

"Ha. No matter the amount, it\'s pocket change for the Libra Trading Company. I guarantee it."

"My fee isn\'t money."

"...?"

"I\'m after lives. Double that would mean two lives. Ah, right."

Ian indicated with a nod, "If you give me your life and Charlotte\'s, I might consider it."

At that moment, Olek\'s smile turned vicious, "You\'re making it hard for yourself, repaying kindness like this."

"I needed to buy some time."

The carriage tilted suddenly, and Ian descended into it.

"We\'re almost at the river."

As the carriage climbed onto a narrow stone bridge, Olek slowed down hastily. They had safely reached the riverbank. The narrow bridge caused a temporary bottleneck among the cavalry.

"I need to widen the gap a bit more..." Ian muttered, then pulled out a long spear from the pocket dimension.

It was the Halberd of Libra that Kenneth was using. It was a valuable weapon but too heavy and unenchanted for Ian\'s use, making it a dilemma. He couldn\'t use its ax blade or embedded magic, but its sharp spearhead was enough for now.

"I\'m not sure if this will work..." Muttering, Ian cast a Wind Blade on the spear and took a javelin stance. Aiming with his outstretched left hand, he threw the spear with all his might at a cavalry who was glaring back in horror.

Swoosh!

The spear, carried by the wind, spun explosively.

Thump!

The lance pierced through the cavalry, sending him flying backward and taking down the one behind him as well. Both were cavalrymen of the Libra Trading Company.

"...It worked," Ian murmured and glanced at Lucy.

"Keep watch. Call me if they get too close. It should be enough."

"Yes...!" Lucy hurried over.

Ian finally made his way back to the driver\'s seat, feeling his body ache. The continuous tension had left his mind feeling mushy. Yet, Ian still looked down at the bridge and the river. It was an ancient bridge, possibly a relic of an old civilization. The dark blue river seemed deep. It didn\'t look like something one could easily swim across, at least not in this weather.

"You\'ve had quite the journey. Ha, it feels like I\'ve crossed the threshold of the netherworld a few times." Miguel commented as Ian leaned back, looking visibly drained.

They had only managed a temporary escape from their pursuers.

"What\'s the road like ahead?" Ian asked.

"It veers off next to that forest. Used to be all open fields here, but now the path is obscured by trees on the inside."

"Right...." Ian gazed at the forest across the river.

The gray, bare trees stood tall and sparse. However, it was enough to block the view. And it eerily resembled a vision Ian had seen before.

This is similar to the illusion I saw before.

Except for the lack of snow on the ground, it was almost identical. Of course, desolate coniferous forests weren\'t unique to this area. But the possibility of a connection was there. Regardless, it was clear that something ominous lurked in that forest. Just looking at it sent a foreboding feeling.

"...Are you thinking what I\'m thinking?" Miguel suddenly added.

Ian tasted the air, considering his next move.

"I never thought I\'d say this, but your backup plan... seems like it might be the right time to use it," said Miguel.

"Into that forest? Can we even get in there with this carriage?"

"We won\'t know until we try. It should be doable, but we\'ll have to slow down. Which might actually be for the best since this is the last of the magic stones anyway."

Miguel gestured ahead, "That forest looks cursed, so maybe they won\'t follow us in?"

"Hopefully... but I expect they will," Ian muttered, rubbing his chin.

He then added, "Still, it\'s not the worst idea. It might even make fighting easier."

He looked up at the cloud-covered sky. It was impossible to gauge the position of the sun.

"If we can make it out before nightfall."

"That would be ideal, but if we keep to the road, things will only get more complicated."

"Then let\'s do that. But... I might have to get down for a bit."

"Get down? Even if you steal a horse, how will you keep up?" Miguel\'s eyes widened.

Surely, Ian knew the risks of getting lost in the forest.

"I\'ll figure that out. Just make sure you don\'t get caught. And try to emerge back onto the path toward the pass, without losing your way."

"Alright, if you say so."

At that moment, they had crossed the bridge. The river curved away, and soon they were obscured by the sparsely standing trees. The air felt heavier as they approached the forest.

Miguel, seeming reluctant at the sight of the woods, said, "We can definitely get in."

"Enter once the river is completely out of sight."

"...Got it."

The carriage slowed down. Not long after, the pursuit team crossed the river. By then, the group was already slowing down and turning the horses\' heads.

"Lu Solar, please watch over us," Miguel muttered sincerely, whipping the reins toward the dim forest.

When the pursuit team arrived, the carriage had already faded into the shadows beyond the forest.

***

"By Lu Solar... they\'re really going in there." The calvary of the Libra Trading Company lined up along the forest.

Jamie, arriving late, sighed at the sight, "Choosing suicide to shake off the pursuit."

The forest, endlessly stretching with its ash-colored trees, evoked a cursed feeling just by looking at it. Additionally, the numbers of the pursuit team had dwindled by nearly half.

"We will retrieve her before sunset. Enter."

That\'s when Olek entered the forest, followed by the cavalry of the company.

"Such a pity..." Jamie sighed at that moment. He then continued, "Those who wish to return, do so. We must retrieve the lady. And avenge the betrayal as well."

One of Agel Lan\'s royal guards spoke to the mercenaries before entering the forest. It was Jonathan. The one who had personally beheaded the leader of the Naslan mercenaries, ending the infighting among them. The casualties were severe on both sides.

"We can\'t go back like this. If we do, we\'re all done for...!"

"Fuck it... Let\'s go! Move!"

Naslan\'s mercenaries cursed as they rushed out following the knights of Agel Lan.

"You\'re not planning to return just like this, are you?" Ube shouted back at Jamie, his eyes seething with killing intent.

It was natural. Fewer than ten of his men remained. In contrast, the knights Jamie had brought had lost only one. They must have realized by now that they were being used as fodder. If they returned now, Ube’s standing as a mercenary leader would crumble.

Jamie didn\'t reply immediately, causing Ube to scowl, "Fuck, do as you please! We\'re going in!"

Jamie clenched his eyes shut. The Count’s orders echoed in his ears. He had executed his mission splendidly. As a result, his knights were among the most numerous of the pursuers, and the kidnappers were thoroughly exhausted. If they continued the chase, letting them whittle down their own numbers as they had until now.

...In the end, we might be the ones to laugh. The thought whispered to him like a temptation.

"Sir, shall we turn back?"

"...No."

Jamie opened his eyes and grasped the reins, "We\'re going in too."

None of the pursuing parties noticed.

...So they\'ve all entered.

That far away, perched atop a tree branch, Ian was watching them all.

They probably think nothing will change...

Ian\'s eyes, holding the last of the magic stones, cooled down.

But unfortunately, I\'m more accustomed to fighting in cursed lands like this.