Chapter 9: Rapid rchant Guild (3)
It had already been nearly two weeks since the trading caravan had set out.
If they traveled just one more day, they would reach the entrance leading into the Ragnar Territory.
However, as everyone was exhausted from the grueling journey, they decided to take a short rest.
While everyone was resting, rchant Guild Head Tade was deeply lost in thought inside his tent.
At that mont, a voice ca from outside the tent.
“May I co in for a mont.”
“Co in.”
At his words, a man entered the tent.
He was from the Rapid rcenary Corps, a group that had been under contract with rchant Guild Head Tade for a long ti.
The man was the commander of that rcenary corps, and since the start of the trading caravan, he had been constantly monitoring the people on Benshi’s side.
The rcenary commander conveyed the suspicions he had felt to rchant Guild Head Tade.
“The rcenaries Branch Head Benshi brought along seem suspicious.”
“Let it slide, Commander.”
“We are rcenaries who place your safety above all else, rchant Guild Head. We cannot simply leave suspicious individuals alone.”
As those words suggested, the rcenary corps was an organization that placed absolute priority on protecting rchant Guild Head Tade.
It had already been ten years since they had begun working together with the Rapid rchant Guild through their connection with him.
During that ti, the commander had expanded the rcenary corps while taking charge of escorting the Rapid rchant Guild’s trading caravans.
Because he owed his current position to rchant Guild Head Tade, he was intelligent enough to understand that the rcenary corps could only survive if they protected and safeguarded him.
Looking at such a commander, rchant Guild Head Tade spoke in a low voice.
“I have sothing in mind. So please endure it, at least until we reach the entrance of the Ragnar Territory.”
“……Since you say so yourself, rchant Guild Head, I will endure it for now.”
“Be careful. The rcenaries Benshi brought along do not seem ordinary.”
“I will do my utmost to avoid any clashes.”
As rchant Guild Head Tade nodded, the rcenary commander returned to his original post.
Soon after, rchant Guild Head Tade looked toward the tent where Benshi was staying.
‘He will make his move before entering the Ragnar Territory.’
However, there was no reason for him to step forward first and clash with Benshi’s branch.
Without solid evidence, launching a preemptive strike would only put his own position in danger.
Above all, there was sothing he trusted.
rchant Guild Head Tade shifted his gaze toward Kyle and called out to him in a low voice.
“Young Master.”
Kyle turned his gaze at the call.
“What is it?”
“Will it be all right? The number of rcenaries Branch Head Benshi brought exceeds 120. We are at a severe nurical disadvantage.”
“Do not worry. All preparations are complete.”
Kyle, standing behind rchant Guild Head Tade, replied calmly.
It was a larger number than expected, but it still did not deviate greatly from what he had anticipated.
120 rcenaries deployed by the Sinoah rchant Guild.
And 50 rcenaries hired by Branch Head Benshi.
A total of 170 enemies.
In contrast, the rcenaries hired by rchant Guild Head Tade numbered around 130.
However, headcount was not a significant issue for Kyle.
‘They will realize just how great an arrogance it was to even think of making a move at the entrance of the Ragnar Territory.’
While Kyle remained by rchant Guild Head Tade’s side, Benshi, who had settled in another tent, was also facing the rcenary commander dispatched from the Sinoah rchant Guild.
“We will comnce the operation tomorrow.”
“So be it. But what about the surveillance on that knight staying by rchant Guild Head Tade’s side?”
“There is nothing noteworthy. He only remains by rchant Guild Head Tade’s side and seems to have almost no contact with the laborers or rcenaries in the caravan.”
“Sothing feels off. The Ragnar Family should be in a situation where they can hardly spare even a single knight to the outside.”
At Benshi’s uneasy expression, the rcenary commander lowered his head.
“I will continue monitoring him closely.”
“That won’t be necessary. His skill should not be that outstanding. At best, he would only be at the Exford beginner level.”
At the man’s words, Benshi shook his head and smiled with confidence.
A free knight.
Wandering knights who belonged nowhere and road like rcenaries.
Their level was not particularly high.
Even if they were qualified enough to receive the title of knight, they were not influential enough to affect the overall situation.
Moreover, he possessed forces that surpassed rchant Guild Head Tade’s in both skill and numbers.
“There is no chance the Ragnar Territorial Army will move, right?”
“There won’t be. We have not received any contact from the spies within the Ragnar Territory, but even if they move, they will not have a significant impact.”
“We must eliminate rchant Guild Head Tade and imdiately seize the Ragnar Territory. How much force is following behind us?”
“Three assassin units have been mobilized. Roughly 150 people in total.”
“Combined with the forces moving with , that should be sufficient.”
The personnel Benshi had prepared to seize the Ragnar Territory exceeded 300 in total.
With this number, he was confident there would be forces to spare even after everything was dealt with.
Even if the Ragnar Territorial Army moved, he believed he could grasp everything in his hands.
He considered this a battle he could never lose.
“Relay the ssage to the assassin units following behind us. Tell them to set up an ambush along the route leading to the entrance of the Ragnar Territory.”
“I will issue the order.”
“Good. If this matter concludes successfully, I will rise to a higher position. Therefore, we must succeed in this plan with all our strength.”
“There is almost no chance of failure.”
No matter how strong the Ragnar Territory’s military power was said to be, the assassin units mobilized this ti possessed a level of force far greater than those previously used by the Sinoah rchant Guild.
He had sched and prepared for a long ti to secure the Ragnar Territory.
With the single-minded conviction that failure was impossible, Benshi once again reviewed every part of the plan.
Ti passed, and before long it was the next day. The trading caravan that had camped finished packing up and completed its preparations to depart.
Benshi approached rchant Guild Head Tade and bowed his head.
“rchant Guild Head, all preparations are complete.”
“So there is one day left.”
“Yes.”
“Still, it is fortunate that we have co this far without any attacks from bandits or monsters.”
“It was a deal into which you put great effort, rchant Guild Head. Arriving safely at the territory was only natural.”
There was rit in having traveled along a route where neither bandits nor monsters appeared.
To prevent any loss of goods, rchant Guild Head Tade had paid close attention even to the route used to reach the Ragnar Territory.
Choosing a safe path, even if it ant arriving a bit later, had not been a bad decision.
“Let us depart.”
At rchant Guild Head Tade’s signal to depart, Benshi nodded and raised his hand.
“We will enter the Ragnar Territory within today. Move out!”
At Benshi’s order, the trading caravan set off, and the rcenaries lined up on both sides watched one another closely.
The rcenary commander escorting the Rapid rchant Guild narrowed his eyes and glared at the rcenaries of the Sinoah rchant Guild.
‘There is definitely sothing going on.’
Thus, the uncomfortable trading caravan continued.
While they pressed on with forced marches, taking only brief breaks whenever possible.
Kyle, who was advancing while escorting rchant Guild Head Tade’s carriage, had his gaze change.
‘The sll of blood.’
A sll that could never be erased, no matter how much one tried to erase all others.
Sensing the blood stench that felt like rot, Kyle looked toward the carriage rchant Guild Head Tade was riding in.
Debating whether to simply watch as they walked straight into the enemy’s jaws as intended, or to create a variable, Kyle soon brought rchant Guild Head Tade’s carriage to a halt.
As the carriage stopped abruptly, rchant Guild Head Tade opened the carriage window.
“What is the matter?”
“It is an ambush.”
At Kyle’s icy voice, rchant Guild Head Tade squeezed his eyes shut.
“Can you move?”
“I understand.”
As soon as rchant Guild Head Tade’s carriage stopped, Benshi, who had been observing the situation, sent one of his subordinates toward rchant Guild Head Tade.
“rchant Guild Head, why did you suddenly stop—”
Slash—
The mont Kyle drew his sword, he slit the man’s throat as he approached the carriage.
The man widened his eyes and clutched his neck with both hands, but it was far from enough to stop the blood that gushed out.
“Ghk!”
The man, writhing in pain, collapsed and lost his life.
Watching this unfold, Benshi’s eyes widened.
“What do you think you’re doing!”
Kyle ignored Benshi’s shout and slowly shook his head.
“The stench of blood is overwhelming.”
“And you think you’ll get away with this!”
“Stop the act and bare your fangs already.”
At Kyle’s calm voice, Benshi, flustered, looked toward rchant Guild Head Tade’s carriage.
“rchant Guild Head, what is the aning of this?”
Clunk—
At Benshi’s cry, rchant Guild Head Tade opened the carriage door and stepped out.
rchant Guild Head Tade stared at Benshi with cold eyes.
“I almost suffered without knowing anything. I do not know how I endured the past thirty years.”
“What are you talking about…?”
“Sinoah is a slave rchant guild, is it not?”
At his words, Benshi’s face twisted.
He had never imagined they would know.
Of course, he knew that the Ragnar Territory had sent a knight.
But he thought even Ragnar would not have grasped the full details.
‘Could it be… did those fools let it slip?’
The elders of the Ragnar Territory, with whom he had occasionally joined hands when necessary, suddenly ca to mind.
It was already suspicious that he had not been able to contact them, making him wonder if sothing had happened.
To begin with, it was strange that contact had been cut off with the spies hidden within the Ragnar Territory.
While Benshi was lost in thought like that.
“Are you turning your head?”
Kyle spoke in a blunt voice.
Benshi bared his teeth toward Kyle and growled.
“……You do not seem like an ordinary Ragnar knight. Who are you?”
At those words, Kyle dispelled the effect of the potion that changed his hair color.
The jet-black hair imdiately turned white.
Benshi studied the changed hair color closely, then suddenly widened his eyes.
Seeing Kyle’s altered hair color, Benshi’s eyes grew even larger.
“Wh-when did you return?”
The sacred presence of the Ragnar Territory.
There was no way Benshi would not know Kyle Ragnar, who had gone missing fifteen years ago.
“Recently.”
At Kyle’s curt reply, Benshi’s eyebrow twitched.
He had thought he had hidden everything perfectly.
That was why he had prepared this operation under the certainty that it would succeed without fail.
Yet rchant Guild Head Tade knew everything and had even brought Kyle along on the trading caravan.
Letting out a self-mocking laugh, Benshi soon glared at Kyle.
He realized he had been played, but since the plan was almost in motion, it was not a problem.
“Even with you here, the result will not change.”
“Will it really?”
Kyle refuted Benshi’s words.
No matter how many assassins he had prepared, Kyle was confident he would win.
A nurical disadvantage ant nothing to Kyle.
“Attack! Bring
the heads of that man and rchant Guild Head Tade!”
No sooner had Benshi finished speaking than the assassins disguised as rcenaries revealed their true colors and charged toward rchant Guild Head Tade.
At that sight, the rcenaries under rchant Guild Head Tade gathered around him.
“We must protect the rchant Guild Head!”
Confirming that the rcenaries had surrounded rchant Guild Head Tade, Kyle calmly walked forward.
“You moved far too sloppily. That is arrogance.”
Slash!
He severed the neck of one of Benshi’s people, yet not a single drop of blood stained Kyle’s sword.
Raising his crimson blade once more, Kyle thrust it toward the heart of an assassin charging at him.
The assassin, unable to even react as his heart was pierced through, showed an expression of disbelief.
But Kyle did not even spare him a glance as he pulled his sword free from the body.
“It is ti to end this.”
With those words, Kyle’s figure vanished in an instant.
The best way to deal with assassins.
Kyle concealed himself just like an assassin, but he hid his presence far more perfectly than anyone gathered here.
As a result, tension arose in the eyes of the assassins dispatched from the Sinoah rchant Guild.
‘At the very least, a special-grade!’
There existed ranks even among assassins.
If an assassin who had reached the Exford Level was referred to as first-grade, then from Exford upper level onward, they were called special-grade.
The number of first-grade assassins dispatched here was three in total.
The mont Kyle disappeared, they sensed it instinctively.
Slash—
Monts later, the head of an assassin who had been standing rigid with tension separated from his body and fell to the ground.
At that sight, one of the first-grade assassins shouted loudly.
“Gather in one place!”
Watching the assassins gather in one place at the command, Kyle muttered inwardly.
‘Idiots.’
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