“Clang! Clang! Clang!”
“The carriage convoy bound for Langard is departing! Those who aren't ready, hurry up!”
As the announcement of departure rang out, the post station instantly bustled with activity. People were busy checking their luggage or getting ready to board...
“Hello, here is my voucher.”
The staff member took the voucher, verified its authenticity, and then sized up the person in front of him.
The figure was completely shrouded in a black robe resembling a mage's cowl, with their face masked by a black cloth, and they carried two very long wooden cases on their back, though it was impossible to tell what was inside. Their muffled voice made it difficult to tell if they were male or female, but judging from their height, they were likely a child; after all, dwarves were rarely this thin.
“Alright, everything is in order. You may go through.”
The post station staff had seen plenty of eccentric people—there were at least seven or eight others in this carriage convoy wearing identical black mage robes! Thus, they had absolutely no desire to probe into the reasons behind the person's attire, and after merely verifying the voucher was real, they waved them through.
After entering the post station, the black-robed person carrying the two long cases did not hesitate and directly boarded the beast carriage they were scheduled to ride, their luggage having been loaded in advance.
Placing the two long cases into a corner of the carriage without minding the strange looks from the other passengers, the black-robed figure gently lifted a corner of the curtain to look outside.
Soon, she found her targets...
After watching the two board a carriage, Shulim carefully memorized the vehicle they were in, then let the curtain fall.
For the rest of the trip, I should avoid getting off as much as possible...
...
Upon learning that she had been targeted by an underground organization based in the Royal Capital and active throughout the entire Empire, Shulim had chosen not to just sit and wait for her doom.
She had immediately gone into the city to purchase a black robe that covered her entire body, used a black cloth mask to cover her face, and then bought two long cases to store her wand and her mithril sword. These two weapons would be far too recognizable if left exposed; if Zev caught so much as a glimpse of them, he would recognize them instantly.
Since she couldn't find a way to alter her height in such a short amount of time, her only option was to minimize her presence in crowds.
The reason Shulim went to all this trouble to join this specific convoy wasn't because she couldn't take one on another day. Dupor was a major metropolis, and there were carriage convoys traveling between it and Langard almost every day.
She was doing this to keep those two within her sights.
“Jingle~!”
The carriage convoy slowly rolled out of the post station, heading out of the city.
Soon, the bustling city of Dupor receded behind them, and a vast, open wilderness unfurled before their eyes.
Perhaps because this was a major imperial highway, troops and knight orders patrolled the area frequently. The convoy encountered virtually no danger along the way, making it incomparably smoother than Shulim's journey from Mente Town to Dupor.
As a result, most of the passengers in the convoy were very relaxed. Whenever it was time for meals and rest, they would get off to stretch their legs.
Only Shulim barely ever left her carriage.
...
Once again, Shulim let go of the curtain, which she had opened just a crack.
It was now lunchtime.
Since everyone else in her carriage had left, Shulim didn't have to worry too much about anyone noticing her strange behavior.
Outside, Zev and the scarred man had also disembarked, huddled in a corner far from the crowd as they ate.
With over half of the journey already behind them, those two still hadn't noticed Shulim's presence. They hadn't even considered that the target they were looking for was in the very same convoy.
This allowed Shulim to feel slightly more at ease.
Her relief was not because she hadn't been discovered, but because those two showed no signs of switching to other \"methods of transport\" midway through the journey. This was ideal; she wouldn't have to take greater risks to track them.
In truth, Shulim had numerous opportunities to eliminate the two during this period, but she chose not to. She knew that such a massive underground organization was bound to have its own network of secret contacts.
Shulim didn't know if the scarred man had transmitted information about her back to the organization after entering the post station. If he hadn't, dealing with them now would naturally solve her problem. But if he already had...
Eliminating these two would undoubtedly be tantamount to declaring war! When that time came, the unknown organization lurking in the dark would surely launch a ferocious retaliation against her, and she wouldn't even know where the threat was coming from.
Therefore, Shulim didn't make a move, nor could she.
She would simply follow them in secret, trailing them into the convoy, traveling with them to the Royal Capital, entering the city after them, and then...
“Using you to find your nest...”
...
...
On the horizon, a giant city, far grander than Dupor, with thousands of years of history and towering white walls, slowly came into view ahead of the convoy.
At the sight of their destination, the carriage convoy naturally picked up speed, and the passengers on board grew excited as they began preparing to disembark.
Before long, the convoy arrived at the gates of Langard. The passengers squeezed off the beast carriages and headed into the city. In the chaotic crowd, Zev and the scarred man slipped away without a moment's hesitation and entered a small alleyside street.
Completely unaware, they now had an extra tail behind them...
For about half an hour, the two kept twisting and turning through the alleyways. The surroundings grew increasingly desolate, clearly indicating that they had entered a lawless area.
At last, they stopped in front of a dilapidated three-story building. Scanning their surroundings to ensure no one was watching, they pushed the door open and walked right in.
Roughly half a minute later, a figure wrapped entirely in a black robe appeared outside the building.
Shulim stared at the tightly shuttered windows of the building before her, deep in thought.
“Is this the place...?”
Perhaps not.
“It's highly likely that this is just a safehouse. Returning directly to headquarters after finishing a job outside is a major taboo for members of underground organizations...”
“Let's confirm first.”
With that, Shulim stepped into a corner untouched by sunlight.
She began chanting.
“...Nature's Breath!”
“...Nature's Rhythm!”
“...Conceal!”
“And then—”
“【ᚹᚠᛓᛃᛖᛜᛖᚾᚠᚲᚢהᛤᛜᛚᛄᚪᛡᛏᛗᚠᚺᛜᛃᚾᚪᛜᚹᛚᚾᛡᚪᚠᛒᛜᛖᛄᚠᚳᛜᛚᚠᚲᛃᛜᛚᚱ】”
“Shadow Sneak!”
As spell after spell was cast, Shulim's presence and form grew virtually imperceptible. At the same time, the shadow at her feet seemed to liquefy, beginning to flow. She then slowly sank into the shadow below...
Inside the three-story building.
Zev and the scarred man, who had entered not long ago, were currently conversing with a one-eyed man.
“...You two weren't followed back, were you?”
“Hmph, when have you ever seen me mess up?” the scarred man retorted disdainfully.
“That's good, then!” The one-eyed man shrugged. “It's not that I don't trust you, it's just routine.”
“Gurgle~, gurgle~...”
While the three of them were talking, none of them noticed a patch of liquid shadow flowing in the adjacent room, from which a figure slowly stood up.
Rate on N.U.
