CH426 Horse Merchant Expedition Caravan

***

It had been a week since Alex and his party left the Luxen Duchy. They were currently travelling through a neighbouring county under the false identity of a travelling horse merchant caravan.

According to Kron Belloc, though extremely rare, this was actually a legitimate profession on Verdantis.

Of course, such traders required proper identification. Fortunately, with Kron's familiarity with local systems—and the universal language of coin—they were able to acquire the necessary documents without much difficulty.

At the end of the day, regardless of plane or territory, men still lived for wealth.

And where wealth existed, so did bribery.

Thanks to the identification papers, the party was able to move through the county without attracting much attention—at least, not the wrong kind.

To properly maintain their cover, the group sold off half of their horse inventory along the way, keeping only the best ones for themselves.

Eleanor's sharp mercantile instincts left a strong impression wherever they went. Her confident negotiations, keen pricing sense, and professional demeanour made it even harder for anyone to imagine that this group of traders were the very same invaders, heretics, and heathens whispered about in recent rumours.

As they departed the latest town, Alex suddenly turned his gaze northward—towards the distant direction of Upper Barnsil Fortress.

After a full week of travel without encountering even the faintest sign of pursuit, Alex finally reached a conclusion.

'So… usurping a fellow noble's lands is more important than hunting heathens and heretics in the name of your deity.'

'That's good to know.'

For days, Alex had been prepared for a vanguard scouting unit to track them down, followed by a main force once their location was confirmed.

But nothing happened.

The most plausible explanation was clear.

Rather than chasing after them, the aristocracy of the Luxen Duchy was far too busy deciding the fate of—or outright swallowing—the Helton Barony.

The only other possibility was that Lady Helton had somehow managed to conceal the deaths of over five hundred men overnight, including her husband, Baron Leland Helton, and his four Gold-rank subordinates.

That, however, was almost certainly impossible.

Which meant the former explanation was the only one that made sense.

'Looks like the information Udara acquired is accurate.' Alex thought.

'The Juror Archbishop of Luxen and the Luxen heir-apparent have raised an expedition into the Great Berserk Beast Forest. That means both the Duchy and the Temple have bigger fish to fry than our little expedition band.'

Whenever higher nobility were away handling matters on a grand scale, the lesser nobles were known to behave like savage dogs released from their master's leash. Either they scrambled to secure their own interests—or they seized the opportunity to usurp the interests of others while the liege who could keep them in check was absent.

'We really picked a time to land.' Alex muttered inwardly.

Later that night, once the group had made camp in the wilderness, Alex gathered everyone and made an announcement.

"We can rest a little easier from now on," he said. "We can be fairly certain that no hostile force will be chasing after us anytime soon. In that case, we can begin making real movements on this plane."

A few among the group—Kavakan, Mogal, and several of the Fury crossbowmen—looked somewhat disappointed by the news.

They had only encountered a handful of weak idiots along the road. Fools who thought it was a good idea to try robbing a caravan bold enough to travel with strong, well-bred horses.

How those people never considered that such a group might be composed of powerful fighters—and then still chose to attack with their paltry strength—was beyond the expedition members.

Alex shook his head at his men's reactions.

Then he waved Kron Belloc over.

When the sole Verdantian native of the expedition approached, Alex spoke quietly.

"Tomorrow, you'll be leaving the party. I want you to return home and secure a path into the Celahan Empire through your father, just as we discussed."

He handed Kron a small box.

"When you meet your father, present the trinket inside to him. It will make the conversation much easier," Alex added.

Kron hesitated, then asked cautiously, "You're not planning to scheme against or harm my father… are you?"

Alex stared at him for a moment, then scoffed.

"Just how badly do you see me? How afraid of me are you?" he said flatly. "Man up. You're at least ten years older than me—start acting like it."

"I'm pretty sure no one would guess your age from your behaviour," Kron replied dryly. "Besides, age has nothing to do with it. You're the youngest person here, yet you're the leader—and pretty much the most intimidating person in the group."

"Intimidating?" Alex exclaimed in mock shock. "But I'm the calmest guy here. How can you say I'm intimidating?"

Kron Belloc didn't bother replying.

Alex chuckled, seeing that the fun was over.

"Jokes aside," Alex said, his tone turning serious, "this is an important mission I'm entrusting to you. Don't fail, yeah?"

"I'll do my best," Kron replied. "But my father is a stubborn and opinionated old man."

"Which is why you ran away from home to become an adventurer?" Alex asked.

"Part of it, yes." Kron nodded.

"Well, that ends now," Alex said calmly. "You're part of something bigger. And this is your first real duty to the cause."

Kron nodded again, his expression firm.

Alex patted the man's shoulder encouragingly before letting him return to his tent. It would be a long journey for him starting at sunrise the next day.

Alex turned back toward the campfire, his thoughts swirling as he considered the future of the expedition.

A small sigh escaped his lips.

He didn't like the fact that he didn't have all the pieces needed to plan a clear path forward. He was at a point where he had to grasp every opportunity as it appeared, rather than creating them himself.

It made him feel less like a player—and more like a chess piece in a game he wasn't even fully aware was being played.

It was an uncomfortable feeling.

Ahead of him, just as the group prepared to eat before retiring for the night, Eleanor spread out a large scroll on the ground and channelled mana into it.

Hum~~

A soft hum rippled outward, covering the campsite in a faint golden glow. Not only did the expedition members feel rejuvenated, but even the air around them felt cleaner, lighter—among other subtle benefits.

The scroll was the result of a joint project Alex and Eleanor had worked on back at the Enclave.

A reusable Healer Domain Grand Formation scroll.

***

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