Chương 17: Chapter 17: Someone Gets Stabbed in the Back Part 3
I headed straight for the captain of the guards. It was already late at night, or rather, heading towards dawn, and it seemed the captain of the guards was asleep. A guard on duty outside the tent stopped me.
"What business do you have?"
"I have an urgent message for the captain."
"Tell it tomorrow."
"…Did I not just use the word 'urgent'?"
"No, you did. But still, tell it tomorrow."
"...."
I whispered in a low voice.
"Are you saying to tell him tomorrow when we might all be dead?"
"What are you talking about…!"
The guard hesitated for a moment. It seemed he couldn't easily dismiss me, perhaps because I was backed by the temple's guarantee. Because I knew that very well, I stood my ground while staring intently at the guard. And after a short while,
"What's the commotion?"
Before the guard could ask, the captain emerged from the tent, apparently awakened by our conversation. He looked at me with sharp eyes.
"I'm sorry, Captain. This person is being utterly stubborn…"
I interrupted the guard and cut in.
"There might be ears listening. I'll speak inside."
The possibility of eavesdroppers seemed to alert the captain. He signaled the guard with a glance and then called me into the tent.
"…Come in."
"Thank you."
A lantern stood between us as a brief silence enveloped the space.
"What's the matter?"
"I've discovered traitors."
"…Traitors?"
"I went into the forest to gather seeds and branches for arrows. But instead of seeds and branches, I found traitors."
The captain's eyebrows twitched. With only two days left to our destination, things had been proceeding smoothly and safely. The sudden mention of traitors must have sounded out of the blue.
"They said a trap is set on the next hill."
"A trap?"
"Yes, a trap. And apparently, a wizard is involved too, so it's not something to be taken lightly."
"Why should I believe your words?"
"Among the mercenaries you recruited this time, there are two from Gronn."
"…Right. But what does that have to do with anything?"
"I overheard those two talking. They were speaking in Gronn tongue."
I glanced at the captain's face which still showed disbelief and spoke in Gronnian.
– How many times do I have to tell you? It's the next hill. The trap is set perfectly. Touch even a single twig and it's all over.
"What does that mean…?"
Since the captain couldn't understand Gronnian, I translated it for him.
"I said, 'How many times do I have to tell you? It's the next hill. The trap is set perfectly. Touch even a single twig and it's all over'."
"….…"
"…That's the conversation I overheard."
"Did you say there were two?"
"There are two inside our ranks. The rest will be waiting at the next hill."
"So, we're not in immediate danger of an attack."
"That seems to be the case."
The captain stood up, geared himself, and then opened the tent and gave instructions to the guards. He then looked back at me and said,
"What are you waiting for? Lead the way."
***
– Shi*t! How the hell did these guys figure it out?
– Shut up. It's all over now.
"What are they saying?"
"How the hell did these guys figure it out."
I translated the grumbling of the frustrated men for the captain.
The traitors were ridiculously easy to capture. They were already sound asleep and heavily drunk. They were quickly bound without a chance to resist, and after being doused with cold water, they faced interrogation.
From this, we learned that there was a trap set under the twisted olive tree at the top of the next hill. I asked them in Gronnian,
– Describe the trap in detail.
– We don't know the specifics of the trap! We haven't heard anything beyond that!
– So, shall we use you two to find out exactly what the trap is?
– Please! Our only task was to disconnect the carriage coupling after the trap was triggered!
It became clear that they really only knew of the trap's existence as all kinds of "threats" seemed ineffective.
Once the trap was triggered, their role was merely to unleash the horses tied to the carriages during the ensuing chaos, without knowing the details of the operation.
"It seems certain they don't know what kind of trap it is."
"Damn, we can't turn back now that we've come this far…"
The captain looked at me with a troubled expression.
"…What about this?"
"Hmm?"
"My guess is that the trap is likely either explosive or buried type. It's impossible to stop such a large caravan with just one or two arrows."
"What if archers are lying in wait?"
"That's unlikely. If it's where olive trees grow, there aren't any tall trees around the hill for archers to hide in. It must be either an explosion or a buried. And since there's a wizard involved, an explosion is more likely."
"Employing a wizard too. They're really determined."
"But now that we've discovered the trap, we have the upper hand. Instruct our wizard to prepare combat magic instead of defensive magic."
Usually, wizards in escort requests prepare defensive magic. However, the situation changes when the impending threat is already known. Our task wasn't defense but "overcoming" the threat. Therefore, defensive magic was unnecessary.
Now that we know about the trap and ambush, losing is not an option.
After a short rest in the carriage, I moved to the front of the caravan just as dawn broke. It felt different from the previous day, with my carriage, usually at the rear, now leading at the front. I handed the reins to El and climbed onto the roof of the carriage as usual.
"I'll signal you when I see the olive tree. Since we can't know the type of explosion until it happens, stay alert."
"Understood."
Unlike other horses, Storm with whom I've already bonded wouldn't be easily startled by the explosion. There wouldn't be a need to calm him like the other carriage horses, which allowed me to focus solely on surveying ahead.
As the highest point of the hill came into view…
There's the twisted olive tree!
The twisted olive tree came into view. I whistled to signal to the caravan behind that the "trap" was near, and El slowly halted the carriage.
I looked around slowly.
"…ha."
A laugh escaped my mouth.
As a druid, my eyes easily spotted the unnatural elements hidden within nature.
I took out my bow and arrows and whispered to El.
"El, whatever happens, don't lose hold of the reins."
"Understood, Master."
Faint lights were stretching out from the magic stones hidden on both sides of the road.
Those must be the triggers for the explosion.
I aimed at the stones and pulled the bowstring taut.
-Swiiish!!!
The arrow engraved with a spell cut through the wind and struck the magic stone.
-Bang
The magic stone shattered into pieces, scattering faint lights in all directions.
-Boom!!!
And then, with a blast far louder than the stone shattering, the explosion occurred just as I had anticipated.
-Whoosh!!!
Flames of immense intensity spread rapidly.
As expected, it was a fire-type attack.
I wondered whether to call it unremarkable or just lacking in creativity.
The cargo the caravan was transporting mostly consisted of weapons and armor made by dwarves, that is, items mainly crafted from metal. Moreover, since they were made by dwarves, they were unlikely to burn easily.
The attackers must have planned to sweep through the caravan with a fiery explosion, then pick through the remains once the flames died down.
"So much for their plan."
The flickering flames, having nothing substantial to latch onto, slowly dissipated. I quickly extinguished the flames that had caught on trees using [Breath of the Forest], and now what remained was…
"Damn, they've spotted us. Attack!"
It was the raiders.
They should have emerged at the choke point we were heading towards. Seeing that they were well-armed, I understood why they hadn't fled. They likely thought they stood a chance, even in direct combat with that wizard among them.
"Aila!"
– Grrrrr!
At my call, Aila instantly charged into the enemy lines, disrupting their formation. With the speed of the wind, she turned their ranks upside down and blocked their retreat. Using Aila to attack was a good strategy, but it would be too much for a young one like her to deal with multiple enemies.
Instead, Aila had been wearing a seed pouch with holes in its leash. While Aila was disrupting the enemy lines, seeds from the pouch were falling and scattering everywhere. I lightly jumped down from the carriage and touched the ground. At that moment, my magical power spread out and started searching for the scattered seeds.
– Pop!
– Pop!
– Pop!
It was [Plant Binding].
"U-uwaaaaah!"
"What is this!!!"
"Run, run away!"
Weeds and vines were growing wildly and at an incredible speed from beneath the feet of our foes. But that wasn't all. The stems and vines, growing densely, not only spread but also entwined around the legs of the enemies. Some of them realized this and tried to flee, but thanks to Aila blocking their retreat, not a single one could escape; their feet were all bound.
"Phew…"
With a light sigh, I turned around. The captain of the guards and the wizard were looking at me with stunned expressions.
"What are you doing?"
"..."
"Let's burn them now."
"U-understood!"
The wizard hastily grasped his staff and began to recite an incantation. Just like I said before, it was not a defensive spell but an offensive one. It was the same "Fire" spell that the raiders had used.
– Whoosh!
Unlike the raiders' fiery explosion, our fire magic worked exceptionally well. It was thanks to the combustible weeds, vines, and even the raiders themselves strewn across the empty road.
"…I've been working as a guar for over 40 years, but I've never seen anything like this."
The captain spoke to me with a voice filled with admiration, awe, and a hint of fear.
"These kinds of people should have their roots pulled out; that's my belief."
"Anyone can have that belief. What matters is the ability to uphold it."
"Are you praising me?"
"I am indeed. It's not an exaggeration to say that someone with your skills is very rare."
"Haha. You're too kind."
"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that you had taken down the raiders alone. I never imagined druids could be this powerful…"
The captain of the guards looked at me with a pensive expression.
…Why is he making me feel uncomfortable like this?
"You."
"....?"
"Have you ever considered joining the guards? I could put in a good word and possibly get you a higher rank."
"It's alright. I prefer being on my own."
"It's a waste of talent to work as a mercenary. You must know how exceptional your abilities are."
"Well, I do know, but…"
"Even the higher-ups might offer you excellent conditions, or maybe even a position."
"Hmm…"
"With your skills, you could receive better treatment than even skilled wizards…"
This man is really persistent.
Before it becomes more of a hassle, I should politely decline. While a position in the upper ranks of the Echaits Union wouldn't leave me worried about making a living, it would come with a lot of responsibilities.
In the first place, I need to focus on my quests, so getting tied up in the upper ranks would be inconvenient.
I looked at the captain with the utmost courtesy on my face and replied politely.
"I serve only nature."
Of course, that was a lie.
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