Chapter 49
"Wow, that was incredible. Elena-san's magic, and Kai-san's sheer strength—sending the horse and rider flying! I've never seen anything like it!"
The owner of the spice wagon—Hans—exclaimed excitedly.
"We still haven't made it out of the forest. If we don't reach the monastery before nightfall, we'll be in trouble."
"Yes. But with all of you guarding us, surely nothing can go wrong."
Hans had been like this ever since we set out.
His face flushed and his eyes shining, he continued speaking in an excited rush.
We made the occasional sound of agreement as we pressed on through the dense forest.
The setting sun shone through the trees, casting a soft orange glow on the ground.
We quickened our pace to reach the monastery before its gates closed.
Fortunately, there seemed to be no further attacks for now.
Before long, the monastery's great gate came into view ahead.
The gate was still open.
—We made it.
After Hans explained the situation to the gatekeeper, we were readily admitted to the courtyard.
Every eye in the caravan turned toward Hans.
"Oh! You made it back safely! What a relief!"
The merchants hurried over one by one.
They were all glad to see Hans safe, their faces filled with relief.
But when they noticed the horse I was leading and the full suit of armor loaded on its back, their expressions changed.
"...What?! Were you attacked?"
"That horse, and that armor... Did you defeat the bandit knight?"
"That crow crest... Is that the Ravenstein knight the Duke put a bounty on?"
"Oh! What a splendid feat!"
The merchants all spoke at once, their cries of excitement and astonishment echoing through the courtyard.
"You lot really took down a bandit knight with so few people? No wonder Glen recruited you."
Bolf praised us, as if he'd completely changed his tune.
Surprisingly, his voice held no hint of ulterior motives or jealousy—only sincere admiration.
I couldn't help smiling at the unexpected praise.
"Oh! Were you introduced by Glen? Our leader certainly knows how to spot talent!"
The merchants' praise shifted to Glen.
"Yeah. You did well. We arranged the watch schedule among ourselves, so take it easy tonight."
There was still a hint of stiffness in Glen's voice.
—Naturally.
Glen was undoubtedly the one who'd cut the wagon's axle.
The only person who could have tampered with it yesterday was Glen, who'd been making his rounds at night.
He'd probably planned to leave the weakest guards with the sabotaged wagon.
He couldn't risk the entire caravan, either. He'd left a bare minimum of guards with the stranded wagon to fulfill his duty. There had been some losses, but the escort had been completed.
That must have been the plan.
Perhaps he'd approached us in Ennsburg so he could bring a sacrificial lamb into the caravan.
Glen's miscalculation was leaving us behind.
The rookie party that was supposed to be sacrificed had instead defeated the bandit knight. Glen must be panicking inside.
Bolf's remark just now had also shut down any excuse Glen might have made about not knowing how strong we were. It looked like he'd deliberately left behind a powerful escort.
Glen was clearly a traitor.
In that case, it was only natural that the Baron's family would seek revenge on Glen, who had betrayed them.
Now that we'd killed the bandit knight, an officially wanted criminal, there was nothing the Baron could do to us.
If he tried anything, he'd practically be admitting he was connected to the bandit knight.
Besides, an ambush wouldn't restore the honor the Baron's family had lost.
In other words, we'd claim the money and glory, while Glen would bear the Baron's family's grudge.
"Glen-san, can I talk to you?"
I left the circle of merchants and spoke to Glen, who was watching from a little distance away.
"What is it?"
"Do you think the Baron's family will retaliate?"
"They probably will. One of their relatives was killed, and their family's heirloom—the full suit of armor—was taken."
"Do you think we'll be safe once we reach Millheim?"
"Hm? Millheim?"
Glen tilted his head.
He was probably too overwhelmed by what had happened to think clearly.
I continued, steering his thoughts in the direction I wanted.
"The merchants said the Duke had put a bounty on him. Surely we won't be attacked in Millheim, under the Duke's very nose?"
"Ah... Yeah. That's right. Once we reach Millheim, we'll be safe."
Glen stated it as if trying to convince himself.
—I didn't know if we'd really be safe once we reached Millheim.
But when people are backed into a corner, they cling to any plausible hope they can find.
If I gave Glen an escape route, he wouldn't do anything rash.
I deliberately made no sign that I'd noticed the tampering with the axle.
Glen, the inside man, would remain unexposed and in his position as leader—and the Baron's side would see that for themselves.
That way, we could make them believe that defeating the bandit knight had been part of Glen's plan all along.
Once I saw the light return to Glen's eyes, I went back to my companions.