From the moment the fight began until now, the vehicle had never moved. The four fully armed guards had also remained inside the carriage the entire time, never taking part in the battle.
The windows were covered with dark film, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.
You Yi sauntered over to the transport wagon. Reaching the door, he raised a hand and rapped on the window, then spoke in Wis'adel's still-youthful voice, sounding thoroughly impatient.
"Hey. The one in there. You still alive? Come out and talk."
No response.
You Yi waited two seconds, then clicked his tongue.
"So you won't take the toast, huh?"
He lifted his right hand and aimed the cannon at the window.
Boom!
The dark-red beam punched through the thick bulletproof glass, blasting a hole in it. From the point of impact, spiderweb cracks raced across the entire pane.
You Yi called into the carriage.
"Ready to talk now?"
At last, the door opened.
The client in the elegant robe stepped down from the carriage, his face pale, fear plain in the eyes behind his mask.
He glanced at the bulletproof glass that had just been pierced, and his throat bobbed.
"Y-you… what do you want?"
Folding his arms, You Yi used Wis'adel's still somewhat childish face to wear a look of scorn.
"What do I want? I should be asking what you want."
He stepped forward once. The client instinctively stumbled back a step, his back hitting the carriage door.
"From the moment we set out, you've been hiding in this turtle shell. It got that ugly out here, and your people didn't move so much as a finger."
You Yi pointed at the carriage. "So what is it? Were you scared they'd get hurt? Or did you already know there'd be an ambush?"
The client parted his lips, but no words came out.
You Yi kept pressing forward, the cannon now aimed straight at his face.
"What I don't get is this—on a job this dangerous, you hired only a handful of us? Against an ambush on that scale, did you really think that was enough manpower?"
"Or was it…"
He narrowed his eyes, voice turning dangerous.
"Were we just disposable bait from the start?"
The client's face changed completely.
His lips trembled a few times before he finally managed to speak, his voice dry and strained.
"I can explain…"
"Go on. I'm listening."
The client took a deep breath and slowly raised a hand to remove his mask.
Beneath it was a refined, scholarly face with a gentle air. Combined with the pair of horns on his head, he was clearly a Caprinae.
"My name is Oni. I'm a scholar from Leithanien."
"This mission… was indeed what you said. Bait."
You Yi arched a brow.
Oni's voice gradually steadied.
"The real escort team set out at the same time as I did, but in separate groups along another route. The actual cargo is of immense value. To guarantee its safety, I had no choice but to use certain methods. I hired you as the visible escort—to draw out any raiders who might be watching."
After hearing that, You Yi laughed, the sound full of meaning.
"Well now. For a scholar, you've got quite a lot of tricks up your sleeve."
Oni stared at her tensely, clearly terrified that this young-looking but terrifyingly deadly girl might blast him apart with a single shot.
"I… I can compensate you!"
He hurriedly blurted out, "Your payment—five times the original amount!"
You Yi said nothing.
Inside his mind, he asked Wis'adel, "Well? What do you think?"
Wis'adel had been watching quietly the entire time. When You Yi asked for her opinion, she answered as though it were obvious.
"Let him go."
"Hm?"
Wis'adel remained calm.
"This kind of thing is normal. What mercenary hasn't been screwed over by a client before? Once the money's offered, your life is part of the deal. He's even increasing the payment. That already makes him one of the better ones."
A great many mercenaries were lured by promises of rich pay, only to stumble blindly into missions far more dangerous than they'd been told. Countless mercenaries had died to that exact trick.
Of course, mercenaries weren't exactly helpless victims either. Plenty of them set their sights on their own employers—especially foreign smugglers and contractors. More than a few had vanished soundlessly on the road.
You Yi froze for a second, still not fully used to just how fierce local customs were here.
"You really are pretty open-minded about this."
"What else would I do?" Wis'adel shot back. "If we kill him, we won't get a single coin, and we'll also earn a reputation for breaking contracts. Leave him alive, and we walk away with five times the pay."
You Yi thought it over, then laughed.
"Fair enough. We'll do it your way."
He lowered the cannon and stepped back, giving Oni a little wave.
"Your sincerity has moved me. Five times the pay. Don't forget what you said."
Relief flooded Oni's face, and he nodded rapidly. "Of course. Absolutely!"
"Then the rest is yours to handle." Rolling his neck, You Yi closed his eyes.
Wis'adel suddenly felt dazed.
The sensation was like being locked inside a transparent space, only for that space to abruptly open and reconnect her to her body.
She lowered her head, looked at her hands, and clenched them a few times, confirming that control had truly returned.
She moved a little, but it felt off. When she hadn't been the one controlling herself, the strain hadn't been as obvious. Now, though, the soreness from all that intense movement began making itself known.
"Why do I feel kind of tired?"
You Yi snorted. "Seriously? I'm the one who did all that work while you just sat there and watched."
Wis'adel showed not the slightest embarrassment. Instead, she smiled.
"You helping me is helping yourself. No need to draw the line so clearly."
She lifted her head and looked at the still-sweating Caprinae scholar.
"Let's go. The sooner we get there, the sooner we get paid."
Two days later—
The convoy crossed the remaining stretch of the wasteland and reached a border town.
Calling it a town was generous. It was really just a somewhat denser cluster of crude buildings: a few taverns, a trading post, several warehouses, and a scattering of homes.
Oni's transport wagon stopped at the town entrance, and people quickly came out to meet them.
Wis'adel's gaze, however, immediately settled on the mercenary unit standing behind them.
There were seven or eight of them in total, dressed in all sorts of different ways, but every one of them had the unmistakable bearing of a battle-hardened veteran.
At their head stood a tall Sarkaz man with long dark-red hair tied behind his head. His features were stern, his gaze steady. A ridiculously oversized greatsword was strapped to his back, and one look at its size was enough to tell how heavy it must be.
Behind him stood a woman with long black hair and a cool, distant face. A short blade hung at her waist. She stood there with her arms crossed, and when she noticed Wis'adel looking at her, her sharp gaze swept right back.
Behind them were several more mercenaries who looked just as dangerous.
Wis'adel's eyes lingered on the tall man for several seconds. Even from dozens of meters away, she could feel the pressure coming off him. It was stronger than anything that cloaked man in the canyon had given her.
At that moment, You Yi's voice sounded in her mind, carrying a trace of surprise.
"Well damn. Isn't that Hoederer?"
Wis'adel asked curiously, "You know him?"
"Uh…"
You Yi paused, then said, "Not exactly. But he's a solid guy. He's got ideals. You should get to know him more in the future."
"Ideals?" Wis'adel's expression turned odd.
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