The Nobles' Greed
Thanks to the voluntary cooperation of informants embedded in the nobles' greedy circles, we managed to send them into the Water Realm without a hitch. Since Beatrice and Laserdon were waiting inside, they'd handle anyone delivered with their limbs bound, so I didn't worry about it. I simply moved on to the next destination, circling the assembly points to gauge the outside reaction.
No matter how stealthily we moved, relocating over a hundred demi-humans at each gathering site counted as a massive migration. In these chaotic times, such a procession was bound to draw the attention of unsavory characters. After visiting all seven assembly points over the course of a week and securing the demi-humans, I had a rough idea of which factions were targeting them.
If I looked closer, each category would splinter into smaller factions, but that was the broad breakdown. The criminal element could be handled by the demi-humans' own combat strength, but the other two groups were a different story.
After safely sending off the small, adorable beastkin—mostly small animal types—into the Water Realm, I sensed hidden gazes watching us from the forest. Judging by their stealth skills, they were first-rate assassins. I deliberately flipped them off with my middle finger, then sent the team guarding this spot to another location while muttering to myself.
I'd prioritized sending the weaker groups first, even if it made our route less efficient, because I was uneasy about leaving them exposed. The remaining demi-humans were individually strong, and with the adventurers backing them up, most organizations wouldn't dare touch them. Still, if the enemy got serious and sent their best...
While their average skill was a tier below, the Central region still had plenty of Gold-rank experts. The Flame of Doom alone had three confirmed Gold-ranks, and the Empire had over ten Sword Masters and Archmages. If they sent even one Gold-rank, our entire plan could collapse. Even without that, if they deployed elite troops, we might hold the defense but still lose a lot of demi-humans to kidnapping.
I nodded at Neon and Adela's words and confirmed that the hidden gazes had vanished. They were probably returning to their factions to report. Before they could, I summoned a few Ikelos to give them something to remember me by. The sound of hurried footsteps and stifled screams echoed through the trees. I smirked. At least half of them wouldn't make it back alive. The rest wouldn't return in one piece either.
Hoping the sight would serve as a warning to the others, I turned to the adventurer team guarding this location. With fewer sites to protect, the two teams that had been stationed here pulled out a folded map from their pockets and began discussing their next escort point.
While I sent the beastkin into the Water Realm, the adventurers responsible for guarding the other sites carefully chose their next positions. Fewer locations to protect was good, but it also meant the filthy bastards' attention was concentrating on the remaining ones. In a week, they'd have a decent grasp of the situation, which meant small-scale skirmishes could break out at several points.
As the adventurers scattered in their carriages, I moved to the next location as well. I rode Ikelos along the road and soon spotted a group of soldiers blocking the way. The moment they noticed us, they leveled their spears to obstruct our path, and a knight who appeared to be their leader stepped forward.
The knight had an oily look accentuated by a prominent mustache. He shouted in a grandiose voice.
Now who's this fresh idiot? By now, word should have spread that a large number of high-ranking knights had descended from the North. My curiosity about why he would still pull something like this made me stop.
The knight took my pause as a sign of confidence and raised his chin arrogantly.
Before he could finish, I swung my sword-spear and severed his head. The soldiers recoiled in horror at the sudden carnage.
I kicked the knight's head aside—he hadn't even realized what happened to him—and clicked my tongue. So he was just another noble drooling over the chance to kidnap demi-humans. I mentally added Viscount Derent to my kill list and looked at the now pale-faced soldiers.
The thoroughly terrified soldiers politely cleared the path. I mounted Ikelos again and headed for the assembly point.
The situation wasn't great. The fact that nobles were already running wild out of sheer greed meant rumors were spreading faster than expected.
If they'd been discovered while gathering at the assembly points, it would've been a disaster. I mentally applauded the informants for maintaining secrecy until we arrived and picked up my speed. Their part was done. From here on, it was the adventurers' show. If even one of the demi-humans we'd gathered got kidnapped, the name "adventurer" would weep. With that resolve, I headed for the next gathering site.
A force was launching an assault on the assembly point ahead.
The commander's shout made the men's eyes glow red as they charged. I narrowed my eyes sharply and assessed the situation. The number of regular soldiers was low; most were mercenaries. I could see subtle wariness between the people who seemed to be field commanders, and their lack of coordination suggested that several greedy nobles had temporarily joined hands to kidnap the demi-humans.
I clicked my tongue at the sight of them stupidly throwing numbers at the elf rangers who were holding the hill. These guys had just volunteered for community service. I'd seen enough. Without hesitation, I charged forward.
"Keep moving! Anyone who retreats will be executed on the spot!"
The field commander, Jesco, screamed until his throat tore, biting his lip with a nervous expression. As a renowned slave hunter, he'd taken this job at a count's request. Upon hearing that a large number of demi-humans were migrating, he'd drooled at the opportunity and mobilized every connection he had. One hundred elite troops and fifty private soldiers dispatched by cooperating noble houses, plus five hundred disposable mercenaries hired with his own money.
Even if the mercenaries were wiped out, as long as he broke the defensive line and captured a large number of elves, it would be a massive jackpot. His heart had been racing with excitement, but now that the attack was underway, their defense was proving far too solid.
Jesco clutched his head as he stared at the eight adventurers guarding the base of the hill. Normally, ordinary elves would have been overwhelmed by sheer numbers and their line would break, but because of those adventurers, his forces were only piling up corpses.
Ignoring the idiots shouting from all sides, Jesco recalled the rumor circulating in the underworld.
'The demi-humans living in the North have hired a large number of northern adventurers to evacuate their families to a safe place.'
Blinded by the prospect of a massive demi-human migration, Jesco hadn't carefully considered why they would risk such a large-scale move. Speed was everything in this business. By the time he'd heard the rumor, he'd already secured the nobles' cooperation. If he backed out now, it was obvious whose necks the nobles' blades would turn toward.
He'd charged in hoping for the best, but the mountain of corpses made his decision easy.
It hurt to lose the private soldiers and money he'd spent, but it was better than losing his life. If northern adventurers from other regions finished their work and joined in, his side would be the one getting crushed. Just as he was about to sneak away—
KWAAAANG!
A tremendous explosion suddenly erupted from behind their lines, followed by screams. Jesco instinctively realized things had gone wrong and tried to turn and flee, but it was already too late.
"Huk!"
A man was walking toward them at a leisurely pace, radiating overwhelming presence. Behind him, dozens of soldiers and golems were ruthlessly suppressing the elite troops he'd been saving. A few knights caught sight of the aura blade on the sword-spear resting on the man's shoulder and swallowed hard.
Jesco didn't know swordsmanship, but it seemed that ominous aura was the symbol of a Sword Master. Watching the knights break out in cold sweat and panic, he could only lower his head helplessly. Once a Master appeared, resistance was meaningless. Those bizarre creatures were stronger than the knights here, not weaker. How was he supposed to run?
He'd tried to grab a share and ended up facing death. This business had always been all-or-nothing, so he'd accepted it in his heart, but actually facing it brought a wave of terror. Still, he refused to die begging pathetically, so he closed his eyes with resignation.
The man standing before Jesco smiled brightly and patted his shoulder.
"Ah..."
Jesco instinctively understood what the man meant. Feeling the unusual pressure on his shoulder, he swallowed dryly, cold sweat pouring down his face.
I'm really fucked. Why the hell was there an official warlock? Weren't warlocks supposed to just do human experiments and cook up sinister schemes?
At the man's words, Jesco obediently knelt and clasped his hands respectfully.
As Jesco spilled every piece of information he had, the man looked satisfied. Seeing that expression, Jesco realized something with grim certainty. Every slave hunter and noble connected to this area was going to die.