Chapter 174. The Plains of Rest (2)
It had been five days since Caron and Leo entered the Plains of Rest.
"Caron," Leo called out.
"What?" Caron asked.
"You said if we blew the horn, a guide would show up, right?" Leo asked.
"Leo, isn't this what makes life exciting? The thrill of exploring the unknown, the unbreakable bond of companionship—" Caron said, but was cut off.
"Are we even going the right way?" Leo interrupted.
"How about a little trust in your companion?" Caron asked.
"The problem is that you are the companion," Leo said as he shot Caron a doubtful glare.
If he had to summarize the current predicament, the situation boiled down to the following:
One. The horn Caron talked about had turned out to be utterly useless.
Two. The Plains of Rest was, in every sense, true to its name. Even the beasts roaming these lands were more than capable of granting travelers an eternal rest.
Three. He had to cross this place with Caron.
Given these factors, there was only one logical conclusion: He could actually die. Leo genuinely believed that.
"...I should've written a will before I came here," Leo muttered.
And considering Caron's general lack of forethought, writing a will beforehand seemed reasonable.
"Okay, but is this really the right path? It looks correct on the map, but..." Caron said hesitantly.
"Where did you even get that map?" Leo asked.
"I sneaked it from the Pajar Sultanate. But there's something off about it... It's incomplete. The markings just stop halfway through," Caron said as he handed Leo the map he had been examining.
Leo studied it with a grim expression before letting out a long sigh.
Just as Caron had said, the map simply cut off in the middle of the Plains of Rest. Which meant they had no choice but to guess their way to their destination.
"The Eastern Great Forest is definitely east of the plains, right?" Leo asked.
"The regent said so, so it must be," Caron answered.
"This is insane," Leo remarked.
At this rate, they could just end up as some wild beast's next meal. There was no better word than 'stranded' to describe their situation.
In response, Caron smacked him on the back and said, "Don't worry about that. Back in the day, people called me the Human Compass."
"How many nicknames do you even have?" Leo asked.
"Too many to count," Caron answered.
In truth, Leo had somewhat anticipated this situation before the journey even began, because Caron had never been one for planning. Once he set a destination, he bulldozed his way forward, dealing with whatever obstacles arose through sheer improvisation.
If Caron lacked the skills to back it up, he would've died long ago.
"Just trust your younger cousin, alright?" Caron said.
After offering Leo some half-hearted reassurance, he exhaled lightly and surveyed the landscape. An endless expanse of grassland stretched before them.
If not for the various artifacts he had taken from the Magic Tower, this journey could have been a lot more difficult. At least they had brought enough provisions like food, water, and supplies to traverse the plains, all stored in his pouch of dimensional space.
And even if they did run out of food, the plains were filled with creatures to hunt—massive beasts nearly twice the size of those found elsewhere on the continent.
Water, at least, wasn't a concern. The artifacts from the Magic Tower could take care of that.
But still...
We need to make contact with the beastfolk, Caron thought.
To enter the Eastern Great Forest, they needed the help of the beastfolk.
Like the Southern Great Forest, it was forbidden to humans. Anyone foolish enough to enter uninvited would be torn apart before they could even retrieve their bones.
Meow.
"It'd be some work for you, Pluto," Caron said as he scattered Pluto in all directions.
It had been five days since they entered the plains, yet aside from wild beasts, there was nothing particularly notable in sight. If there was anything unusual, it was the occasional scent of blood lingering in the air.
"Why won't this thing work?" Caron muttered as he fiddled with the horn.
Adina had gifted it to him, claiming that as long as he blew it near the Eastern Great Forest, someone would always come to help. Yet no matter how hard he blew into it, the horn remained silent. Caron wondered what kind of condition had to be met.
"She said it was a treasure of the clan..." Caron muttered.
"What if you got scammed? You're always conning people, but did it never occur to you that someone might scam you?" Guillotine asked.
"Guillotine," Caron called out.
"What?" Guillotine said.
"Shut up," Caron ordered.
The tiger clan was known for being one of the most honorable among the beastfolk clans. They were strict about debts and vengeance alike, so there had to be another reason the horn wouldn't sound.
Just as Caron was mulling over the possibilities with Guillotine, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He began, "...Leo."
"Yes?" Leo responded.
"Hold still." Caron abruptly halted. He had sensed something through Pluto. Focusing his mind, he synchronized his vision with Pluto's.
Not far ahead, in a patch of reeds, a sizable force was on the move.
"Are they slave hunters?" Guillotine asked.
"Most likely," Caron answered.
They were heavily armed. Among them, there were five 5-Star knights, and there was even a 6-Star knight. Altogether, they numbered around twenty—a force strong enough to rival the knight order of a provincial city.
If a militant group was operating in this area, there was only one likely suspect.
"The Free City Union?" Caron muttered.
They were a coalition of city-states located north of the Pajar Sultanate. They were one of Pajar's key trading partners—and a place where slavery was still legal. There were even rumors that most beastfolk were trafficked through the Free City Union's underground market.
"This is interesting," Caron remarked. He hesitated, contemplating his next move.
If these men were from the Free City Union, there was a good chance they were hunting beastfolk.
Which meant...
"If we follow them, we'll run into the beastfolk," Caron said.
In other words, they could find the beastfolk that way. Slave hunters were, by nature, expert trackers. If they were moving this quickly, it likely meant they had already found their prey.
"This is what I call thinking outside the box," Caron said, then smiled as he severed his connection with Pluto's vision. He asked, "Leo, you were getting bored just fighting wild beasts, weren't you?"
"No... On second thought, I think I was fine being bored," Leo replied.
"Well, we're about to start a hunt," Caron continued.
"...What kind of hunt?" Leo asked hesitantly.
"A hunt for slave hunters. Let's see how they like being the prey for once," Caron explained, then grinned and nodded.
If things went well, this could turn out to be easier than expected.
***
The Free City Union was made up of several city-states, and among them, Noa was famous for its slave trade. Countless groups disguised as mercenary bands roamed Noa, but in reality, they were nothing more than slave hunters.
The Kshian Mercenary Corps, led by a 6-Star knight named Kshian, was no exception.
"Commander, we found traces of them," one of his men reported.
"Increase our speed," Kshian ordered.
"Yes, Commander," his men replied.
After issuing the command, Kshian swiftly scanned his surroundings. Hunting beastfolk was their main source of income, but this time, things were different.
We can't let them escape, Kshian thought, biting his lip as he recalled the order from Duke Halis, the Lord of Noa.
"Capture them at all costs. If you return empty-handed... Be prepared for the consequences."
This was no longer about profit. It was about survival. From the slave auction house his mercenary corps operated to the illicit arms deals conducted under the duke's tacit approval—Kshian's entire success in Noa could vanish overnight.
"Damn that bastard Duke Halis!" Kshian growled, clenching his teeth as he charged forward.
As one of Noa's top mercenary groups, the Kshian Mercenary Corps often handled the duke's dirty work. And this mission was simply another extension of that.
"Why the hell doesn't he manage his slaves properly? And now he dares threaten us?" Kshian said.
One week ago, two of Duke Halis' slaves had escaped. Kshian clenched his fists as he recalled the details of their identities.
One was a dwarf man and the other was a beastfolk woman. Both were highly valued by Duke Halis. However, the dwarf in particular had to be captured alive, because he had stolen a trove of blueprints when he fled.
Duke Halis was using the dwarf to manufacture weapons for war... Siege weapons, if I remember correctly, Kshian thought.
The Lord of Noa was a man consumed by ambition. His ultimate goal was to bring the entire Free City Union under his control.
The problem was that Kshian himself could become collateral damage in that ambition. He didn't even want to imagine the consequences if he returned empty-handed. Even now, there were countless rivals in Noa, all waiting for the duke's call.
Still, the situation wasn't entirely bad. All they had to do was catch the escaped slaves.
One thing about Duke Halis was that he always paid handsomely when a job was done right. If they captured the runaways, Kshian was sure that they would be rewarded generously.
And the chase was already nearing its end. At this rate, they would catch up within ten minutes at most.
"Commander! We have them in sight!" one of his men called out.
"Use the Acceleration Scrolls and capture them immediately. Kill the beastfolk woman if necessary," Kshian ordered.
"Hehe, wouldn't it be a waste to kill her? Can we have some fun first?" one of his men asked.
"Catch them first, then we'll talk," Kshian replied.
In the distance, two figures were running for their lives. They were a beastfolk woman with brown ears and a dwarf man who barely reached her waist. They were an odd pair, desperately fleeing together.
Unfortunately for them, the terrain was nothing but barren wasteland—no grass, no cover. Their silhouettes stood out plainly against the desolate backdrop.
"What an unlucky bunch," Kshian said, then clicked his tongue and gestured lightly to his men.
Whoosh.
A sharp hum filled the air as his subordinates tore open their scrolls and surged forward. The Acceleration Scrolls had cost a fortune, but their effectiveness was undeniable. The gap between the pursuers and their prey shrank in an instant.
"Just a little farther, and we'll be in the beastfolk's territory. Hurry up!" Kshian yelled as his eyes darted around anxiously. He had been so focused on the chase that he'd lost track of their surroundings for a moment.
Of all the beastfolk clans, those of the tiger clan were the last ones anyone wanted to provoke. The moment the mercenaries set foot in their domain, things would spiral beyond control.
Those runaway slaves had to know that as well. After all, the beastfolk were relatively tolerant toward non-human races.
But that was all. They never left their domain, and never meddled in outside affairs.
We just have to capture them before they cross the border and escape, Kshian thought, smirking as he watched his men charge forward.
But then...
Schwick!
"...Huh?" Kshian reacted to a burning pain that flared in his right arm, sharp and searing.
Frowning, he glanced down and noticed that his arm was missing. Where his right arm should have been, there was... nothing. His severed arm lay on the ground, cleanly cut, stark against the green grass.
Splat!
Blood spurted violently from the wound, the agony shooting through his spine and spreading like wildfire.
And in that instant, a voice, smooth yet chilling, echoed from the depths of his own shadow.
"You guys are an unlucky bunch. Why'd you have to run into me?" a young man said as he emerged, his azure eyes glowing with an eerie light.
Kshian shuddered involuntarily. The pain was excruciating, yet no scream escaped his lips. Something about the figure before him froze him in place, a suffocating killing intent pressing down on his entire being.
"I like trash like you guys. Want to know why?" The young man's voice sank heavily into Kshian's ears. "No matter how much I tear you apart, I never have to feel guilty."
The young man, Caron, grinned while lifting Guillotine with ease. He continued, "Now, let's start the interrogation."
Caron smiled—a slow, deliberate curl of his lips.
"Smile. They say it makes you happier."
It was a demon.
A demon was smiling down at Kshian.