Chapter 37: An All-Too-Obvious Pursuer (2)

The carriage, which had been running deep into the forest for quite some time, gradually began to slow down.

The horses were growing exhausted—it was time to let them rest.

After calming the horses, Patrick pulled out some hay loaded in the back of the carriage and began feeding them.

Meanwhile, Raion stepped down from the carriage, glanced around, and muttered quietly.

“Detection.”

As his ability activated, a circular map spanning a 3-kilometer radius appeared before his eyes.

Detection not only sensed the presence of nearby enemies but also conveniently created a map to display them.

“It’s about time they showed up.”

At his quiet murmur, Jade approached and asked,

“Master, what are you looking at?”

Since Raion was waving his hand in the air at nothing, it naturally looked strange.

“The enemies are approaching. Let’s wait a bit.”

“Ah~ Is that so?”

Jade was about to brush off the short reply when he suddenly realized something odd.

“Wait. Did you just say enemies?”

“That’s right. Fifteen of them are heading this way. They’re probably following the carriage tracks.”

On the circular map that had appeared through Detection, fifteen red dots were closing in fast.

Judging by how directly they were moving along a straight line, they were clearly tracking them by trail.

“Then we can’t just stay here! Patrick, did you hear what the Master said?”

Agitated by Jade’s words, Patrick reacted in the same alarmed tone.

“Enemies? Who would come after us?”

“Not us. They’re after me. Probably assassins sent by Duke Alito. I expected them to move quietly, but they’ve decided to come openly instead.”

Fifteen people—it could only mean an organized assault.

Of course, if they were to claim later that the carriage had fallen prey to monsters or bandits on the way to Kanas Territory, that would be a convenient excuse.

“How many did you say there were?”

“The Master said fifteen.”

The only ones capable of fighting here were Raion, Jade, and Patrick.

Caldein was technically a magician, but he could only use defensive spells, so he wasn’t of much help.

While the others were busy talking, Raion noticed something peculiar on the map—a larger red dot among the rest.

“Does that mean this one’s the strongest?”

When he tapped the red dot with his finger, a tip window appeared before his eyes.

[Tip: A target selected through Detection can be confirmed using Specific Analysis.]

As prompted, Raion used Specific Analysis and designated the largest red dot as the target.

[Target Information]

Name: Calsios

Age: 33

Occupation: Deputy Commander of the Red Sand Mercenary Corps / Swordsman

Vitality: 321 / 321

Stamina: 1,030 / 1,230

Mana: 310 / 310

Abilities:

Swordsmanship Level 7

Horsemanship Level 4

Judging by the stats, he was roughly on par with Jade back when they had first met.

Of course, compared to now, those numbers were nothing more than a drop in the bucket.

“Jade, go deal with them yourself.”

“…Me, sir?”

“There are fifteen of them, but you can handle it alone. Just don’t kill anyone—subdue them instead.”

Jade’s face twisted with visible discomfort.

“No matter how capable I am, isn’t it unreasonable to face fifteen people alone?”

“You’ll be fine. They’re getting closer. If we stay put, they’ll reach us and put everyone else in danger. You’re really going to just stand here?”

“Fine! I’ll go!”

Giving up on arguing, Jade grabbed the sword strapped to his saddle and charged off in the direction Raion indicated.

Meanwhile, Patrick, looking uneasy, stepped up beside Raion.

“Are you sure Sir Jade will be all right on his own?”

“He’ll be fine.”

Jade’s physical abilities and combat skills far exceeded that of Calsios, the deputy commander.

Of course, subduing them without killing might be difficult, but Jade was clever enough to adjust if necessary.

“If you say so, Master, then I believe it.”

At that, Raion’s curiosity was piqued.

“Do you happen to know of the Red Sand Mercenary Corps?”

It was a name he’d never heard before.

“The Red Sand? They’re mercenaries from the Red Desert of the Edina Kingdom. Originally, they fought as war mercenaries there before relocating to the Canel Kingdom a few years back.”

“Are they strong?”

Calsios’s swordsmanship alone was Level 7—a solidly advanced fighter.

“They’re veterans who fought more people than monsters. They specialize in human combat. But… why do you ask, all of a sudden…?”

The sudden question made Patrick stare at Raion in disbelief.

Raion could only answer honestly.

“The mercenaries after me are from the Red Sand Mercenary Corps. Think that makes things troublesome?”

“They specialize in overwhelming a single target! And they’re infamous for using poison!”

Patrick’s eyes widened as he rapidly explained.

Even with Jade’s strength, facing fifteen seasoned mercenaries accustomed to real battlefields was no small feat.

Raion scratched the back of his head.

“I’ll go there myself. Patrick, stay here and guard this spot. If anything dangerous shows up, eliminate it immediately.”

“As you command. Please, be wary of poison when you get there.”

With that, Raion activated Detection again.

On the map, a blue dot was surrounded by a ring of red ones.

A battle had already broken out—and Jade was surrounded.

Some of the red dots had dimmed slightly in color, indicating that Jade had already taken them down.

Swish, swish! Swishhh!

Raion poured mana into his steps and accelerated sharply.

In an instant, he reached the site of the ongoing battle.

Clang! Clang-clang—!

At the center of the skirmish, Jade was desperately parrying a flurry of attacks with his sword.

Blood streamed from a wound on his right forearm—his movements had grown sluggish.

“Poison?”

Raion drew his sword and charged forward.

As he released a fierce burst of killing intent, the startled mercenaries of the Red Sand fell back in alarm.

Thud—!

Raion landed on the ground, and Jade exploded in anger.

“Master! How is it enough to say I’m sufficient when I’m alone! Besides, aren’t these the Red Sand Mercenary Corps!”

Jade also seemed to know the mercenary corps in front of him. If he realized Raion had known beforehand and hadn’t told him, he would have been even more furious.

‘I’ll have to keep it a secret that I asked Patrick.’

Raion looked at him as if he hadn’t thought of that.

“A dangerous mercenary corps, huh? Then I’ll handle them from now on. You rest for a while.”

“Ugh! How am I supposed to rest in this condition?”

Jade’s forearm had been bruised purple from the wound.

The Red Sand Mercenary Corps had used poison from the very start.

“Come here! Restoration(復舊)!”

With the spell, the color returned to Jade’s forearm and the wound eventually vanished.

“Better?”

“You even cured the poison?”

“It just all worked at once. More importantly, step back and stay out of the way.”

While the two of them spoke, a man stepped forward.

It was Calsios, the deputy commander of the Red Sand Mercenary Corps.

Calsios brought out a pre-prepared montage and compared it to Raion’s appearance.

His hair color, his eyes, his face—all matched almost perfectly.

“You are Prince Raion Canel, the Third Prince.”

“You chased me from the palace all the way out here to kill me? How much are they putting on my head?”

“We have no obligation to tell you that. We only need to kill you.”

“Hmm… they didn’t put up much gold, did they? So what are you doing? Aren’t you going to attack?”

At the light provocation, Calsios’ brow furrowed.

The dossier that came with the contract only stated that Raion had studied swordsmanship for about five years.

Of course, Calsios found that infuriating.

“What are you waiting for! Kill that prince at once!”

About four of them had already been taken down by Jade.

Of the remaining eleven, nine circled around Raion and lunged.

The real fight began then.

Raion rapidly used the Raizen-style swordsmanship he had learned from Jade and unfolded True Martial Art with his arms and legs.

Techniques supplemented by White Strike(白打), Hand-to-Hand Combat(手搏), and Shaking Kick(震脚) toppled the Red Sand mercenaries one by one in an instant.

All had been struck at vital points and found it difficult to move.

At the sight, Calsios and his right hand, Derek, hardened their faces.

They had never underestimated Raion.

On the contrary, they had even prepared poisoned blades to ensure his death by any means.

“Did even the client not know the prince’s true skill?”

Even Calsios might have found Raion’s displayed skill overwhelming.

But a contract was a contract.

They could not just run away and wait for another chance without consequences.

“Derek, help me!”

Five had fallen at the front.

Only six remained, including the two of them.

Raion stamped the ground strongly with Absolute Step(絶步) and charged first.

The distance between them closed in an instant.

Without giving Calsios and Derek time to react, Raion’s sword swung.

Smack! Thud!

The blade was suddenly reversed.

As a result, the back of the blade swept across both men’s bodies rapidly.

In plain terms, he had struck them like with a club.

“Ugh!”

“Gah!”

Raion slipped through the trees and cut down the remaining mercenaries.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

“…….”

Jade stared fixedly at Raion’s retreating back, too shocked to speak.

He had felt Raion surpass him sometime ago, but he had not expected the gap in skill to have widened this much.

“All done.”

Raion sheathed his sword and walked over to the fallen Calsios.

“Now that your assassination failed, going back to the Red Sand will not end well for you.”

His tone was full of mockery.

Calsios, unable to move because he had been struck in the vital area, heard those words.

“You’ll be able to move again after a bit. If you’d seen my skill, you wouldn’t have dared to chase me. But even if you return, you will not fare well.”

Calsios, still lying on the ground, opened his mouth with difficulty.

“W-what do you mean by that….”

“I don’t know who hired you, but I know who stands behind them. And that person will not leave you be.”

“W-what are you saying?”

“Well… I can’t be certain, but if it’s the person I think, then surely that will be the case.”

Raion finished speaking and turned around.

“Let’s go back now.”

“Aren’t you going to deal with those guys? If we leave them, they might follow us again.”

“They’ll soon realize it’s useless to chase us. Besides, they’ll be pitied now.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“For now, everyone will be worried, so let’s go back.”

Raion said that and ran back to where they had been originally. Jade sheathed his sword and followed.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep