Chapter 735
“Repeat after me.”
At Acrella’s low command, the caravan members who had been kneeling and bowing suddenly snapped their heads up.
They had just learned firsthand what it meant to be utterly helpless and beaten senseless. Each of them, their faces swollen and bruised, spat as they repeated the words with fervor.
“No matter what danger may come!”
“That’s right!”
“We will ensure the carriage reaches the capital safely!”
“Louder!”
“By any means necessary! We will not let the mages’ identities be exposed! Even if it costs us our lives!”
“Determined! Admirable!”
Acrella, who had been perched on a rock, smiled faintly and climbed down. The members instinctively trembled, eyes fixed on her every move.
She had struck them from behind dozens of times like that. On top of that, the golden magic circle wrapped their bodies tightly, preventing any movement, and delivered shocks so strong it felt like their limbs might burst.
Smack!
Just as expected, Acrella brought her hand down sharply on one man’s head—the same man who had called her a “crazy bitch” earlier. His face was swollen three times worse than the others.
“Let me say this again: we’ve placed a powerful curse on your bodies. I won’t bother explaining the fate that awaits if you screw up or fail the mission. But know this—whatever you imagine, the reality will be far worse.”
A pain so desperate it would make you beg for death. The members nodded repeatedly, tears welling up. What rotten luck to get caught by some devilish curse—what kind of suffering was this? They should’ve just gone straight into the capital without any fuss…
As their emotions spilled over in tears and sniffles, Acrella smiled with satisfaction. Besides research, she found this kind of external activity quite enjoyable. Very entertaining…
“Captain, a moment this way.”
Just as Acrella was about to let out a sly laugh, Tommy called her over.
Most of the mages had already swapped clothes with the slaves. They had burned all robes and outerwear marked with the Bariel insignia, so there was no problem there. But why?
“We don’t have many women’s clothes. Would you like to try one of these? This one should fit best.”
“Wait, I have to wear one too?”
“Of course.”
“I have the time.”
“Ian wore one as well.”
“…Give me the large size.”
Acrella sniffed the damp garment she was handed. So this was what it meant to be an honorable imperial mage—enduring every kind of hardship imaginable. She sighed as she looked at the mages dressed in slave rags soaked with sweat and grime.
“Why the sigh? I saw you having a good time just now.”
“Having fun? I worked my ass off trying not to get my hands dirty.”
“Still, you seemed to enjoy it, Captain.”
“Well, you have to enjoy your work, no matter what it is.”
“See? I knew it. Acrella is perfect for this kind of job.”
The mages whispered openly, prompting Acrella to pick up a rock. From experience, that was a warning. One more word and she’d throw it without hesitation.
The mages shut their mouths and quietly edged toward Ian. If possible, it was better to hide somewhere safe.
“…?”
Ian, crouched down examining the caravan leader’s ID, looked up in confusion.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, no. Is there any problem with the ID?”
“More precisely, it’s a pass. It seems to have been issued by the royal palace for a fee, but the date is quite old. Strange. Vanusa shouldn’t be an issue, though.”
“Then don’t worry, Ian. Nothing to be concerned about.”
“Yes, border inspections on the outskirts are easily smoothed over with a little bribe. I’ll make sure the funds are ready in advance.”
From where? From the pockets of the caravan members.
Ian nodded and stood, addressing the slaves who were still standing awkwardly.
“You’re lucky.”
“Ah…”
“Go wherever you want. I don’t care where, but it’s best to avoid the capital. If you must enter the capital, wait at least two weeks before moving.”
It sounded like advice, but also a warning.
The slaves knew well that distinguishing between the two was pointless. These were the ones who had freed them from slavery, beings far beyond their powerless selves. Absolute obedience was their only way to survive.
“Line up and take some food and a little money.”
“Th-thank you!”
One man, who had been watching nervously, suddenly dashed forward to express his thanks. He grabbed some dried meat, bread, wine, and a silver coin, then hurried up the hill. He feared Ian might change his mind or the caravan members might retaliate and change the situation.
“Thank you… but are you sure we can take all this?”
“These things mean nothing to us. And worrying about that is a luxury you can’t afford. Tommy, distribute it evenly and send them on their way.”
“Yes, Ian.”
“The shift change is at 5 p.m., so we’ll enter around 4:30. Prepare accordingly.”
Inspectors on the verge of shift changes always slack off. Ian knew this well and planned to use it to his advantage.
Vanusa, leaning against the carriage, held out her hand to Ian, signaling for the map.
“Once inside the capital, find the road leading to the small town. If you circle the square to the right, you’ll see a building with a blue sign. It’s managed by the family, so you can avoid the guards’ attention there. Let’s meet there.”
“Good. If you don’t arrive by 8 p.m., assume something’s wrong and send help.”
“Yes, I hope you get in safely. I’ll go ahead. Everyone, pass through safely.”
“Yeah, you too.”
“Captain Acrella, maybe stop beating the caravan members so much. What if the inspectors get suspicious seeing their faces?”
Acrella stuck out her tongue and replied cheekily.
“If they ask why the caravan leader beat them, just say it was for poor slave management. Don’t worry about the little things. Go on, get inside and take your seats.”
As usual, Vanusa shook her head in disbelief and jumped into the river.
Splash!
Vanusa disappeared beneath the water in an instant. She must be planning to move quickly along the waterway to the inspection station.
“But can’t Vanusa just follow the river and enter the capital without inspection?”
One mage muttered. A good point. Ian addressed everyone.
“There’s a spell detection device at the gate. Probably the same at the sluice.”
“Oh, what about the mana detection device?”
One mage raised his hand eagerly. They understood the spell detection, but wasn’t mana something different?
“Vanusa said there’s no specific countermeasure for mana detection, but who knows.”
A reasonable guess. The Bariel army was leading mages in an invasion. If they had any sense, they would have stripped the royal palace’s warehouses to install something to counter mana detection.
Ian conjured small Idgals in his palm and handed them out to the mages.
“Do not use mana under any circumstances. Keep your presence to a minimum. Once you pass the inspection, reaching the palace is easy. Understood?”
The mages saluted, clutching the Idgals. If necessary, they were willing to erase their mana traces completely to hide their identities.
“Yes, Ian. We will follow your orders!”
“Next!”
Squeak!
The line at the border inspection was long. Very long. Everyone was desperate to leave the capital because of the war, so what were these people thinking, trying to sneak in?
The inspector, worn out from a day of work, glanced at his watch a couple of times and grumbled. Thirty minutes left until shift change, and the replacement was always ten minutes late.
“Next! Are you deaf or what!?”
His tone was sharp.
He checked the pass and inspected the luggage compartment. It was full of straw. He grabbed a long stick and jabbed hard, pushing it in repeatedly. If someone was hiding inside, it could be deadly.
The carriage owner nervously rolled his eyes, then, unable to stand it, slipped a coin into the inspector’s hand.
“Come on, stop poking so much. It must be hard work.”
“Oh? What’s this?”
“There’s a little wheat. The last harvest was good, so we have some left. It’s wartime, you know. You understand if I want to sell it for a good price.”
The capital was full of rich, timid people. They were hoarding food and jewels in preparation for war. The owner hoped to sell at a high price.
Tsk! The inspector clicked his tongue but pocketed the coin and withdrew the stick.
“You people and your tricks.”
“Please, just this once.”
“Get lost. Next!”
“Thank you! Thank you!”
Without this side hustle, the inspector would have quit long ago. He lazily raised his flag and called the next carriage forward.
Squeak.
“Pass.”
“Here it is.”
“Caravan, huh? Are you the leader?”
“Yes, yes…”
It was a caravan he’d heard of a few times. The pass was fine…
“Oh.”
The inspector smiled slyly and shook his head. Damn, looks like I get to make some extra money again!
“The date on the transit permit stamp doesn’t comply with the revised law. Anyone who got it issued then has to present their national ID as well. Do you have it?”
“Na—national ID?”
“Do you have it or not?”
Money, do you have it, man! This isn’t the first time we’ve done this—why act so clumsy? You’re supposed to play it cool and hand over the cash right away.
The inspector shot him an annoyed look but soon sensed something was off.
“Wait, what’s with their faces?”
The caravan guards riding alongside the coach all had swollen, puffy faces.
“The slave overseer got a bit careless, so we had to discipline them. Nothing you need to worry about. As for the national IDs, we don’t have those, but instead, here’s something else…”
“Hey! Whoa! I’m not supposed to accept this.” He quickly stuffed the bundle of coins into his pocket and pointed toward the back of the carriage. “I’ll need to check inside.”
“Go ahead. It’s just a bunch of slaves back there.”
“We’ll see about that.”
It wasn’t uncommon for slave traders to smuggle contraband on the slaves’ bodies. Judging by the heavy coin pouch, they’d factored that in, but you never know.
Clearing his throat, the inspector peered through the rear window. Slaves slumped inside, buried in darkness. One, two, three, four… he muttered, counting heads.
“That pink-haired one’s eyes are shot. Selling someone like that’s just asking for trouble. Ha!”
“…Damn it.”
“Hmm?”
Did he mishear? The inspector abruptly stopped laughing and scanned the interior carefully, but nothing unusual stirred. Maybe the exhaustion was playing tricks on him.
He scratched his neck and was about to turn away, thinking he could let them pass—until he spotted a boy.
“Oh.”
Dust-covered and ragged, but strikingly handsome. Golden hair and shimmering green eyes that caught you instantly.
He turned to the caravan master.
“Are all these guys going to be sold as soon as they arrive?”
“Yes, that’s the plan. Is there a problem?”
“No problem. Just heard the market lady’s daughter’s been feeling lonely lately. Looks like there might be someone decent here.”
“Ah, well—”
The caravan master stepped forward, flustered. The inspector pulled out the coin bundle he’d just pocketed and made an offer.
“Think I could buy him with this?”
“Uh…”
Though the inspector grinned, the caravan master’s face froze in awkward silence.
What he didn’t know was that behind him, everyone who’d boarded the carriage was blinking wide awake in the darkness.
‘Damn it.’