The Black-Haired Employee
-Bang! -Bang!!
"Th-that madman! A deranged mage!"
"This can't be happening!"
Flames erupted from the ground beneath the entire caravan, sending it reeling. Half the attacks missed, half struck true, yet the carriages kept hurtling forward.
"If it weren't for the black-haired one, we'd have been wiped out already…!"
Perhaps it was thanks to the protective gear he'd made. Even when struck by pillars of fire, the carriages refused to stop.
"That's not important right now! Look ahead!"
"Whoa! Wh-whoa!!"
The moment of relief was fleeting. A massive flame salamander materialized before them.
"A salamander?! How?!"
"It's coming for the carriage!"
"It's going to ram us! No! Nooo!!"
-Crash!!
Carriage Six was sent flying sideways. The horses pulling it died instantly.
"Damn it…!"
Those guarding Carriage Six rushed toward the wreckage.
"This is bad. The wheels are destroyed!"
The carriage itself remained intact, but the wheels had been smashed beyond repair.
"We need to report this immediately—"
"There's no time for that!"
"Right. We'll have to handle it ourselves."
The other carriages had no luxury to spare for the stranded vehicle. They pressed on, fleeing the pursuers and dodging traps alike.
"We'll repair the wheels first…!"
"Yes…!"
Carriage Six belonged to the repair crew. With the wheels—the most critical component—shattered, they decided to replace them immediately.
"We have spare wheels, but we can't attach them without Lady Benma…!"
"As if we didn't know that! We'll figure it out somehow!"
Most of Benma's carriages were made of wood. But any modifications or repairs required her specialized craftsmanship.
"Anyone here learn how to handle wheels from Lady Benma?!"
"…I was only taught how to install doors."
"I learned how to make it so people can pull the carriage if the horses die…"
"I know how to make auxiliary wheels, but not how to replace them…"
"This is the worst."
None of the assistant mechanics present knew how to change the wheels. Benma had never taught them the most basic and essential skill. After all, if only she could handle the carriages, she could keep squeezing money out of her employers. Her greed knew no bounds.
"This is the end for us…"
"Even so, let's try to fix the wheels as best we can!"
"Fix what?! Let's just abandon it and hitch a ride on another carriage!"
Chaos erupted among the crew of Carriage Six. Some wanted to give up; others refused to quit.
"Hitching onto another carriage won't be easy either…"
"Huh?"
One of the mechanics pointed behind them with a trembling finger.
"Masked figures!"
"The mage's lackeys!"
"They've already caught up?!"
The same pursuers they thought they'd shaken off near Carriage Ten were closing in again.
"Damn it!"
Several assistant mechanics grabbed their weapons and stood up.
"Do what you can to repair it! If it fails… we abandon the carriage and run!"
"Understood!"
Some clung to the tilted carriage, hammering at the wheels while others braced themselves against the approaching masked assailants.
"Not done yet?!"
"The wheel won't come off!"
"That crazy bitch Benma! What the hell did she do to this wheel?!"
"Benma, you bastard!"
The assistant mechanics cursed as they poured every ounce of strength into the task.
"It's no use… We should give up."
"Shit… Fine. We're abandoning Carriage Six!"
[Noble Swordsmanship]
-Slash!
It happened the moment everyone had resigned themselves to defeat.
"Guh!"
"Kyaaah!"
The masked figures collapsed with agonized screams.
"Someone's behind them!"
"Reinforcements?!"
The assistant mechanics' faces lit up with desperate hope.
"It's the black-haired one!"
"Wasn't he supposed to be hunting the mage?!"
"Hunting what?! He came back to die in our place!"
The sudden appearance of the black-haired man's sword strikes left the masked assailants no chance to resist. They crumpled one after another.
"Aaaagh!"
"Guhk!"
"R-run!"
Realizing they stood no chance against him, they abandoned their comrades and fled. As expected of bandits, their organization was weak. They weren't truly committed to this mission—not enough to risk their lives. They had only been forced to cling to the carriages because of the mage.
"Are you all right?"
I asked as the women welcomed me.
"We're fine!"
"How did you get here?"
Unlike the bandits, these repairwomen who had stayed to defend their broken carriage until the end struck me as far more impressive.
"There was a big explosion. I figured one or two carriages might have been separated, so I came to check."
"What about the mage?!"
"She's probably still chasing us."
"Th-that…!"
The assistant mechanics' faces turned deathly pale.
"We really should abandon the carriage and go."
"Exactly. Especially since we don't even know how to change the wheels."
"The horses are dead too. I agree."
At the mention of the mage, they decided to abandon Carriage Six.
"You just need to replace the wheel, right?"
"The other carriages are in danger too, but we still need to keep moving."
I nodded at their judgment.
"Then I'll change the carriage wheel."
"What? That's impossible."
"That's why we're stuck like this—we never learned the technique."
The assistant mechanics shook their heads at my claim. In this world where information was tightly controlled, unless the master craftsman shared her secrets, no one else could ever learn them.
But I was different.
"Don't worry. I already learned the technique while interrogating Benma."
"What?"
"Really?"
They looked skeptical, but that didn't matter. I just needed to show them.
"Keep watch around us."
"R-right!"
I crouched beside the broken wheel. Recalling Benma's crafting technique in my mind, I gripped the wheel with one hand and pressed the locking switch inside the dynamic mechanism with the other.
'Turn right once, pull… turn left twice, then return to the original position.'
-Rattle… rattle…
"Th-the wheel came off!"
"How is this possible…"
The assistant mechanic stared in disbelief, eyes wide with shock.
I tossed the broken wheel aside and turned to the one holding the spare.
"Hand me the new wheel."
"Yes!"
I took the new wheel and slotted it into the dynamic mechanism exactly as I'd removed the old one. Reassembly was simply the reverse of disassembly. The wheel slid in without resistance and locked firmly into place.
"Done."
"A-amazing…"
"That easily…"
The assistant mechanics smiled in sheer disbelief.
"The problem is… we have no horses."
"We can do that! People can pull it!"
"I see. I'll leave it to you, then."
Handing the carriage back to the repair crew, I drew my sword.
"I'll deal with that lizard. Use the opening to escape."
The massive flame salamander blocked the path ahead of Carriage Six. I didn't know the details, but it was clearly ignoring every other carriage and fixated solely on this one.
"I'll help. A salamander isn't an easy monster to handle."
"Then just cover us until the carriage gets moving. After that, follow it."
"Understood."
It seemed Margaret had summoned this salamander. The way it was blatantly targeting only Carriage Six suggested she'd located it through similar means. Or perhaps a traitor had already prepared a way to signal its position.
"I'm going."
"Huh?!"
I charged straight at the salamander first. It paid no attention to my approach, its gaze still locked on the carriage. That made my first strike land effortlessly.
-Slash!
"Eeeek!!"
Its flank torn open, the salamander leapt back to create distance, eyes now fixed on me.
'It's fast.'
Even after taking such a wound, its movements were anything but ordinary.
"Don't waste time—get the carriage moving!"
The assistant mechanics clung to the carriage, pulling from the front and pushing from behind. Without momentum, it rolled forward with agonizing slowness. It would need more time to gain speed.
"The salamander's mouth is swelling!"
The mechanic beside me shouted as she watched its face. Anyone could see it was preparing to spit something out.
"Stay away from me."
"Yes!"
The salamander's cold eyes shifted from the carriage to my face. It had marked me as an obstacle.
"That's right. Look at me, lizard."
Logically, I should have dodged whatever was gathering in its mouth. But if I evaded, the salamander would immediately charge the carriage instead.
'No choice.'
I pulled out a new flame-resistance potion from my pocket and downed it in one gulp. Sword in hand, I charged straight ahead.
"Th-that's dangerous!"
"Don't worry about me—just keep going forward."
"Black-haired one…!"
"Ugh… For a man to go this far…"
The assistant mechanics watched me rush toward the salamander with tears in their eyes.
"Follow the black-haired one's orders!"
"Don't let his sacrifice be in vain!"
The carriage sped down the road and escaped.
"Not that I plan on dying here…"
-Fwoosh!!
Whoosh!!
The salamander's massive breath engulfed the obstacle before it. Everything in front of it was swallowed by flames, as if erased from existence.
"Haa…"
Having burned away everything in sight, the salamander slowly turned its gaze. It spotted Carriage Six rolling away in the distance. With the obstacle gone, it began moving toward its target once more.
"Where do you think you're going, lizard?"
"Hrk…?"
The salamander reacted to the voice beside it.
"You're too late."
-Slash!!
The jet-black sword cleaved through the salamander's head.