Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Someone Gets Hit in the Back of the Head (3)
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I headed straight for the escort captain's tent. It was already late at night—nearing dawn—so the captain seemed to be asleep as well. A guard standing watch outside the tent blocked my path.
"What business do you have?"
"I have urgent news for the captain."
"Tell him tomorrow."
"......Did I just say 'urgent' or not?"
"No, I heard you loud and clear. But tell him tomorrow."
"......"
I lowered my voice to a whisper.
"You're telling me to wait until tomorrow, when we'll all be dead?"
"What do you—!"
The guard hesitated for a moment. It seemed he couldn't easily dismiss me since I had the temple's endorsement. Knowing this full well, I stared him down without backing off. And shortly after.
"What's the commotion?"
Before the guard could respond, the captain emerged from the tent. Our conversation must have woken him. He fixed me with a sharp gaze.
"Sorry, Captain. This guy's being unreasonable..."
I cut off the guard.
"There might be ears listening. I'll explain inside."
There might be ears listening.
At those words, the captain seemed to catch on. He gave the guard a look, then beckoned me into the tent.
"......Come in."
"Thank you."
A lantern sat between us as silence hung in the air for a moment.
"What is it?"
"I've found a traitor."
"......A traitor?"
"I went into the forest to gather seeds and branches for arrows. But instead of seeds and branches, I found a traitor."
The captain's eyebrow twitched. We had just two days left until arrival. Everything had gone smoothly and safely so far, so talk of a traitor out of nowhere must have sounded absurd.
"There's a trap waiting at the next hill."
"A trap?"
"Yes, a trap. And since they've even brought in a mage, it's not one to take lightly."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Among the mercenaries we hired this time, there are two from Gron."
"......You're right. But what does that have to do with anything?"
"I overheard them talking. In the Gron language."
I glanced at the captain's still-dubious face, then spoke in Gron.
-How many times do I have to tell you? Next hill. The trap's all set. Touch one branch, and it's over.
"What was that...?"
The captain, who couldn't understand Gron, asked again, so I translated.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Next hill. The trap's all set. Touch one branch, and it's over."
"......"
"......That's what I heard them say."
"You said there were two?"
"The two inside. The rest will be waiting at the next hill."
"If it's the next hill, then we're not getting ambushed right now."
"That's right."
The captain stood, donned his gear, opened the tent flap to issue orders to the guards, then turned back to me.
"What are you waiting for? Lead the way."
* * *
-Damn it! How the hell did these bastards figure it out?!
-Shut up. It's already over.
"What are they saying?"
"He's asking how we found out."
I translated the traitors' frustrated words for the captain.
We caught the two traitors with ridiculous ease. They were dead drunk and fast asleep. Bound hand and foot without a chance to resist, they were doused with buckets of cold water and interrogated.
In the end, we learned there was a trap under a bent olive tree at the top of the next hill. I asked them in Gron.
-Tell me exactly what kind of trap it is.
-We don't know what kind! That's all we heard!
-Then maybe we test it on you bastards?
-Please! Our job was just to cut the wagon connections from the rear after the trap goes off!
Even threats didn't work—they really only knew about the trap's existence.
When it triggered, they'd release and hobble the horses while the caravan panicked. They were just lowly grunts who didn't know the full plan.
"They really don't know what kind of trap it is."
"Damn it, we can't turn back after coming this far..."
The captain looked at me with a troubled expression.
"......How about this?"
"Hm?"
"My guess is it's probably an explosion or pitfall trap. No way a couple arrows could stop a caravan this size."
"What if there are archers waiting?"
"No chance. Where olive trees grow, there are no tall trees around the hill for archers to hide in. It's definitely explosion or pitfall. And with a mage involved, explosion's more likely."
"Mobilizing a mage, no less. They're serious."
"But we've already spotted the trap, so we're way ahead. Have the escort mage prepare offensive spells, not defensive ones."
Escort mages usually prepped defensive spells. But knowing the threat in advance changed everything. We needed to shatter it, not defend.
'Now that we've uncovered the trap and ambush, we can't lose even if we tried.'
I caught a short nap in the wagon, then moved to the front as dawn broke. Unlike yesterday, my wagon—formerly at the rear—was now at the lead, changing the whole feel. I handed the reins to El and climbed onto the roof as usual.
"I'll signal when I see the olive tree. We won't know the explosion type until it goes off, so stay ready."
"Got it."
Unlike the other horses, Storm—already bonded with me—wouldn't panic much from the blast. No bolting or soothing needed, so I could focus purely on scouting ahead.
Then, as the hill's peak came into view...
'There's the bent olive tree!'
The telltale bent olive tree appeared. I whistled to warn the caravan the trap was near, and El slowly halted the wagon.
I scanned the surroundings carefully.
"......Ha."
I couldn't help but laugh.
To my druid eyes, the unnatural elements hidden in this natural landscape stood out crystal clear.
I drew my bow and arrow, whispering to El.
"El, no matter what, don't let go of the reins."
"Understood, Master."
Faint light stretched from magic stones cleverly hidden along both sides of the road.
That must be the detonator.
I nocked an arrow at the magic stone and drew the string taut.
-Screeeeech!!!!!
The shaman-engraved arrow sliced through the air and struck true.
-Bang!
The magic stone shattered, scattering faint light in all directions.
-Kaboom!!!!!!
Then came a roar dwarfing the stone's explosion—as I'd predicted, the blast erupted.
-Roar!!!
Flames surged with tremendous force.
'As expected, fire-based.'
Predictable, or lacking creativity...?
The caravan carried mostly dwarf-forged weapons and armor—metal goods that wouldn't burn easily.
They must have planned to sweep the caravan with fire, then loot once the flames died down.
"Too bad it didn't go according to plan."
The flickering flames had nothing to latch onto and faded slowly. I snuffed out the fires on nearby trees with [Breath of the Forest]. Now all that remained were...
"Damn it, we're made! Attack!"
The ambushers.
They burst from what should have been our path ahead. Heavily armed, I could see why they hadn't fled. With a mage, they figured they'd win in a straight fight?
"Ayla!"
-Grrr!
At her name, Ayla charged into the enemy ranks, disrupting their formation. She tore through at wind-like speed, then blocked their retreat. Attacking with Ayla would've been good, but pitting the young beast against numbers was too risky.
Instead, Ayla wore a seed pouch with holes on her collar. As she rampaged, seeds scattered everywhere. I leaped lightly from the wagon roof, touched the ground, and sent my mana flowing to the dispersed seeds.
-Pop!
-Pop!
-Pop!
[Plant Binding].
"Ugh, aaagh!"
"What the hell is this!!!!"
"Run, run away!"
Weeds and vines exploded from the ground at their feet, ensnaring legs. Some realized and tried to flee, but Ayla blocked the rear—no one escaped being bound.
"Whew......"
I turned with a light sigh. The escort captain and mage gawked at me.
"What are you waiting for?"
"......"
"Burn them already."
"R-Right!"
The mage fumbled for his staff and began chanting. As I'd instructed beforehand, offensive magic—not defensive. The same 'fire' spell the ambushers had used.
-Roar!!!!
Unlike their failed blast, our fire magic worked perfectly. Thanks to the highly flammable weeds, vines, and ambushers littering the empty road.
"......I've been with the escorts for over forty years, but I've never seen anything like this."
The captain spoke to me in a voice laced with awe, admiration, and a hint of fear.
"My creed is that scum like these need to be rooted out."
"Anyone can have a creed like that. What matters is having the skill to back it up."
"Is that praise?"
"It is. I've never seen skill like yours."
"Hahaha. You're too kind."
"It's no exaggeration to say you took down the ambushers single-handedly. Incredible. I never knew druids were this powerful..."
The captain gazed at me thoughtfully for a moment.
......Why's he looking at me like that? It's awkward.
"You."
"......?"
"Ever thought of joining the escorts? I could put in a good word with the merchants, get you into the elite unit."
"I'm good. I prefer working alone."
"Your talent's wasted on mercenary work. You know how exceptional you are, right?"
"Well, I know, but..."
"The merchants might offer great terms—maybe even a dedicated spot."
"Hm......"
"With your skills, better treatment than a veteran mage..."
This guy's serious.
Better shut it down before it gets more annoying. A spot in the Ekaitz Coalition's caravan means security, but way more commitments.
'Besides, I have quests to pursue—can't get tied down to the caravan.'
I met the captain's eyes with the most polite expression I could muster.
"I serve only nature."
Total bullshit, of course.