The Mage's Shadow
The carriages of each respective group continued moving without pause. After walking for several hours, the time for a major rest finally arrived.
Major Rest Period Declared
"Major rest! Everyone, gather in front of Carriage 16!"
"Forward!"
I watched as the hired adventurers naturally gathered and sat near the campfire I had lit.
"These people... they're just sitting down now without even asking..."
Syucali clenched her fists tightly as she glared at them.
"Syucali, stop fooling around and start cleaning."
"Hii..."
Syucali pouted, her lips sticking out in clear displeasure, as she grabbed the broom.
"I'll endure this all the way to the end, if only for this cooking!"
"Me too~"
"So delicious~ So delicious~"
"As expected of the black-haired chef."
A large crowd had gathered in front of Carriage 16, buzzing with activity. Thanks to that, the number of hired adventurers thinking about deserting seemed to have been somewhat prevented, just as I had hoped.
"Damo, you should eat a lot too."
"Y-yeah... nom..."
Ever since that night together, Damo would shrink back and steal glances at me whenever our eyes met. At first I thought she was wary of me, but...
"She's completely smitten."
"Anyone who spends the night with Master ends up like that."
It seemed she had developed a woman's sense of shame. Syucali and Eos, who had experienced it first, looked at her with understanding eyes.
"How much farther until we reach the territory?"
"They say about three more days."
"Kidichi Territory... that's quite far."
The hired adventurers were sharing information and discussing the upcoming ambush. As expected of the people Isabella had brought, they weren't letting their guard down. Even without any explicit instructions, it was clear they understood the current situation and were staying focused.
"We should start preparing for a surprise attack soon."
"I know, I know."
With a traitor already among them, none of the hired adventurers believed there wouldn't be another attack. They exchanged opinions in a joking manner, but a deep seriousness underlay their words.
"It feels like we're being watched too."
"Stay absolutely vigilant. Especially right before the next major rest."
"Right. I'd aim for the enemy when they're most exhausted too."
"If you see the enemy, don't think about handling it yourself. Scream first. That's the most effective thing you can do."
Those gathered around Carriage 16 shared information and kept thinking about the dangers ahead.
"Gathering like this isn't necessarily a bad thing."
I nodded in agreement with Eos's words as she washed the dishes.
"So, how exactly will they attack us..."
"That must be their biggest headache."
The adventurers chewed on their meat while pondering deeply.
"It's tricky."
"Let's think from the beginning."
"The mage blew up Isabella's mansion."
The story started with the burned-down mansion. The mysterious mage, Margaret. She was primarily a fire mage, and her goal had been to burn Isabella's residence to the ground.
"It probably wasn't just about burning the mansion."
When I offered a different perspective, the other hired hands nodded in agreement.
"It was an indirect threat against Isabella. At the same time, it would have put pressure on those close to her."
"And in fact, a traitor appeared."
"So were they targeting the repairwoman from the start?"
"In the end, yes, they were aiming for the repairwoman. She was the only one who could stop the carriages."
If I traced the events, the main objective seemed to be stopping the carriages to prevent resupply. If the carriages stopped, the territory war would continue as is. And they wouldn't have to use direct force against Isabella, so there would be no backlash.
"Then they'll target the carriages again this time."
Paula, the guard captain, spoke as she swallowed her food. I looked at her and asked.
"If you were a noble, how would you attack the carriages?"
"So far, it feels like they've been subtly checking Isabella. But now... since they're cornered, they'll probably strike the carriages with full force."
"Damn it..."
"Fighting nobles? That's insane."
Paula's answer sent a chill through the area in front of Carriage 16. They had only been hired to escort the carriages, yet now they were entangled with nobles and everyone present was facing the risk of death.
"...The mage who blew up the mansion will come again."
"It's almost certain."
Until now, the feeling had been more of a warning to Isabella. They hadn't tried to find and kill her directly; instead, they had touched the people around her. That meant even the hostile nobles couldn't treat Isabella recklessly. That's why they had targeted the carriages and the repairwoman.
But the moment we left the farming village, they must have decided she wasn't listening to the warnings. From the nobles' perspective, their patience would have run out, and they would resort to one final desperate act. As a result, they would burn all of Isabella's assets and eliminate everyone connected to her.
"Do you think we can survive this?"
"I don't think we can win in a direct confrontation."
The hired adventurers knew all too well the terror of nobles.
"But if there's no other way..."
"There is."
"There is?!"
At Paula's words, everyone turned to look at her.
"We have allies too."
"Ah!"
"That's right! We have a noble from the Kidichi family in the territory!"
Smiles appeared on the adventurers' faces. It wasn't a hopeless situation after all, so they breathed sighs of relief.
"On the second day, a knight is supposed to meet us at Kidichi Hill."
"A k-knight!"
"A knight could stop a mage."
The knights who protected nobles and their families. They said one knight was worth a thousand soldiers. When I thought about noble swordsmanship, it didn't seem impossible. Even the blue-haired woman who looked like a knight apprentice had cleared a dungeon with her sword skills. If a true knight wielding noble swordsmanship was dozens or hundreds of times stronger, it made perfect sense.
"We just need to reach that place somehow."
"Huu..."
Reaching Kidichi Hill with the carriages. But there was an obvious problem. The mage. Since she hadn't appeared yet, she was surely waiting ahead to block the path.
"We need someone who can hold off the mage."
"Realistically, yes, black-hair."
At Paula's words, everyone broke into a cold sweat.
"We're in the middle of a territory war, and the Poila family probably couldn't spare many mages."
"Only a mage with no name or information would be moving."
"Exactly."
That would be Margaret. Even Isabella had said she didn't have any information on her and had spoken with her directly. She was the perfect assassin for the Poila family.
"We need someone who can buy us as much time as possible... Since the topic's come up, we should decide now."
Paula looked around with an apologetic expression.
"Damo."
"I don't know anything about mages. I'd be better off defending against other ambushes."
"Furiko."
"Th-that's difficult for me too... Especially against fire magic, I won't be much help... I'd be better off preparing for ambushes like Damo."
Everyone said holding back a mage would be too difficult. In truth, they were scared. Margaret's skill in destroying Isabella's mansion and then vanishing. They all thought it was beyond what ordinary adventurers could handle.
"Then... the only one who's actually met her is the black-hair."
"What?!"
Syucali shouted, glaring at Paula.
"Kang Seo-ja is an F-rank adventurer! And you're telling him to face that crazy mage? That's basically telling him to die!"
"...I'm sorry. But there's no other way."
"This bitch! You were planning to use Kang Seo-ja as a decoy from the very beginning!"
"..."
Paula pressed her lips tightly together and said nothing. Syucali grabbed her by the collar and growled.
"Ugh..."
"No wonder you threw such ridiculous amounts of money at us!"
"..."
"Is this how merchants use people and then throw them away?"
"Isabella has done nothing wrong. Curse at me and hit me until your anger subsides."
"You—!"
"Syucali, that's enough."
I stopped Syucali.
"Kang Seo-ja..."
Isabella wasn't present. She would probably explain it to me later herself, but it was clear Paula had taken the initiative and spoken first, fully prepared to take the beating in her place. It was the result of Paula's loyalty, wanting to lighten Isabella's burden. There was no one to blame in this situation. If I hadn't wanted this, I simply shouldn't have accepted Isabella's offer in the first place. But no one could live life doing only what they wanted.
"Understood. I'll hold off the mage."
"Kang Seo-ja!"
"Black-hair..."
"You..."
All the hired adventurers stared at me.
"Paula is right. I'm the only one who's faced the mage and know what kind of magic she uses."
"Even so, she's a 4-Circle mage! How could an F-rank adventurer possibly—!"
"I'm not alone, so it'll be fine."
Everyone else might think it was impossible, but I had one card up my sleeve. Eos, the only one here who still had some leisure. She was a mage too. And if she used water magic, which had good compatibility against fire, we should be able to buy enough time.
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Since we've been hired, we should do the job."
"This isn't just a job, it's risking your life...!"
"That's right. We have to risk our lives."
"Even so...!"
"Syucali."
I took the trembling Syucali's hand.
"I know how you feel. Thank you."
"..."
Only then did Syucali calm her agitation. Her trembling stopped, and she looked at me with watery eyes.
"I don't want you to die..."
"I won't die."
"How...?"
"We have you, and we have Eos. Our party won't lose."
"I want to stay with you for a long time, Kang Seo-ja."
"Then we just need to defeat the mage."
"It's not that simple..."
Having faced her directly, Syucali probably knew Margaret's true strength better than anyone. She knew the mage was far stronger than she had initially thought.
"We're not an ordinary party either. And that mage isn't an invincible being. She's just a person like us. There must be some weakness somewhere."
"...Ah."
Syucali's eyes widened as if she had realized something. If that variable existed, then Syucali's poison. If we could somehow make her drink it, the same scene might play out again.
"She'll be on guard."
"Then we'll make the next plan."
"No one's stupid enough to fall for the same trick twice..."
"She's not perfect alone, so there will be openings. And right now, we have one more person."
I looked at Eos.
"Trust me."
"...Yes."
Syucali nodded. And so, we accepted Paula's suggestion.
"If I come back alive, I'm going to squeeze a lot out of the merchant group."
"Understood."
Paula readily agreed to provide compensation. Just that response made me feel that she wasn't looking down on me, but actually acknowledging me.
Alright then... There's a lot to prepare if I'm going to fool a mage.
There was still time left until the major rest. I looked at the trees beside the carriage and drew my sword.
Benma's Carriage Crafting Technique