“What did you do with those guys?”
“I was planning to let them live for giving me information, but those guys just croaked on the spot. They are probably peacefully resting beneath the dirt now.” In other words, those two died from the aftereffects of torture and were in the ground. It was a terrifying story, but both Zich and Lyla remained calm. These two had gone through far too much to be shocked by this.
“Who was the perpetrator?”
“Even they didn’t know. They said a mysterious person with a heavily pressed down robe and a purposefully altered voice offered them the deal.”
“Is it the robed figures?”
“I don’t think so. I have been surveilling the city just in case they are involved, and I didn’t find any trace of them. I don’t think it’s the robed figures but a person who just wanted to conceal their identity with a robe. You know, it is not as if the guys we call ‘robed figures’ are the only ones who wear robes.” As Zich said, a robe was common outerwear for people traveling long distances or those who didn’t want their identities exposed. “Since they got the offer near the campsite of the Wolf’s Canine, I think there’s a high chance the perpetrator is within the mercenary group. The guys in the Wolf’s Canine think the same.”
“Do they have someone specific in mind?”
“The newcomers.”
Baffled, Lyla laughed, “Even though their long-term companions betrayed them for money, they are suspicious of the newcomers?”
“I told you. Trust from having spent a great amount of time together weighs heavily on the mind.” It was only ironic that these people held onto such trust even when a recent incident advised them to do otherwise.
“Still, I don’t think this perpetrator will be completely unconnected to the robed figures or Glen Zenard.”
“Of course. I think this incident actually proves that those guys are somehow connected to all this in some way.”
Lyla tilted her head, egging him on to continue.
“Think about it. The original members of the Wolf’s Canine trusted one another as companions, and these two particular traitors were so trusted by their companions that no one ever expected them to betray them. However, when someone is trying to get a collaborator to kidnap the children of the two leaders in the Wolf’s Canine, would they normally approach such people?”
“They wouldn’t.” The two traitors were the type of people that perpetrators would normally never collaborate with or approach.
“Of course, this made those two only more suitable for betraying, but if the perpetrator had approached people carelessly, their kidnapping plan would’ve been completely uncovered. Yet, inside the Wolf’s Canine, no one was aware of the plan except those involved in the scheme.”
“Then, that means the perpetrator had managed to pick out not just one, but two of the original members of Wolf’s Canine that would betray their group.”
“Yes.”
“And that can’t be a mere coincidence.” If anyone had such luck, they should quickly try out for world domination since everything would unravel according to their plans.
“Probably not. How do you suppose our perpetrator knew of those guys’ inclinations beforehand?”
“Maybe because they had watched them by their sides for a long time?”
“I asked the other mercenaries, and they said that those two traitors showed no warning signs or strange behaviors before. They said those two played with the children decently like the other mercenaries.”
“Then, could it be that the perpetrator knew of the future?” Lyla said jokingly, but this was exactly what Zich wanted to say.
“If that’s the case, then the perpetrator would’ve been able to approach them without any hesitation.” Therefore, there was a high possibility that this case had some connection to Glen and the robed figures who had knowledge of the future.
“What were they planning to do after kidnapping the children?”
“Even the kidnappers didn’t know the exact purpose for their actions. It seemed like they were just planning to take the children and hide with them for some time.”
“That means they weren’t really planning to do anything to the children. I suppose the perpetrator’s true intention was to create a situation where the children were kidnapped.”
“Probably. That’s why I am planning to go along with their schemes,” Zich said and pulled out a piece of paper. “They told me that the perpetrator told them to leave a piece of paper in a designated place if they succeeded in their kidnapping. So I plan to fulfill their exact wishes.”
“Won’t they suspect the writing? Like their handwriting?”
“Don’t worry. They wrote these letters themselves before they collapsed.”
“What if those guys were tricking you?”
“Do you think I gave those guys a chance to pull that on me?”
“There’s no way.” Although she didn’t actually see them, Lyla could clearly imagine the two kidnappers’ fear-stricken faces while they wrote under Zich’s commands.
“I can’t thank those two enough for their collaboration,” Zich muttered. Lyla thought she should never approach the graves of those Zich had killed with him.
‘They might really jump out of their graves from intense rage.’
* * *
The designated place to hide the kidnappers’ letter was located inside a forest that was a considerable distance away from the city. Not only was the area far away from man-made roads, but it was also near the Denest Mountain Range, so there was no trace of people. However, Zich looked at this place and thought it was quite a nice place. Since no one was there, it was a place where someone could work in secret. Although it was a good distance away from Pialu, it wasn’t so far that it would take a couple of days to return to the city. Above all, it was near the Denest Mountain Range.
‘They could have easily come here with the excuse that they had to survey the area.’
To detect the monster ambushes as fast as possible, Pialu sent a considerable number of scouts near the Denest Mountain Range. Zich had also used this excuse of surveillance to follow Dalton’s group. Zich looked around the forest. It was a wide and thickly occupied forest, but he didn’t enter it because there was no need for him to do so.
‘This is the spot.’ Zich looked up at a tall tree located at the farthest edge of the forest. As if it had been struck by lightning, one side of it was charred black and it was noticeable from even far away.
‘Is this the place?’
As Nedvill had told him, there was a small crevice under the tree’s roots. Zich placed his letter in this space. Then, he climbed up to a nearby tree branch and waited. Time passed, and, in the meantime, a couple of people passed by the side of the forest. They were all rangers that the city had sent out, but no one approached the forest. Then, Zich finally saw two people approach the forest’s edge. While heavily armored, these two surveyed their surroundings as they came closer and Zich could immediately tell who they were.
‘They’re mercenaries from the Wolf’s Canine.’
By their rough and lurking movements, it was easy to tell that they were the newcomers in the Wolf’s Canine. On the other hand, their sharp gazes indicated that they were ready to immediately react if they were ambushed. As expected of mercenaries in Wolf’s Canine, they were definitely veterans despite their awful personalities. Zich quietly watched their movements. The mercenaries looked around the Denest Mountain Range and forest with wary eyes and slowly headed towards the tree where the piece of paper was hidden.
‘That guy is…’ One guy looked familiar. He was someone who was highly skilled among Wolf’s Canine and proficiently fought in their most recent battle—it was to the point that he even caught Zich’s eye. ‘As expected, they took precaution.’
Someone of his level would be able to catch Nedvill and Shed if they decided to hide and try to find out the people who hired them. Of course, finding Zich was still beyond this guy’s expertise. He pushed his hand below the tree root that Zich slipped the paper into. Then, soon after, he pulled out a piece of paper with some dirt on it. He shook off the paper until all the dirt was wiped off and turned to his comrade.
Zich listened carefully to their conversation.
“Hey, I found it! It’s the item that the vice-captain told us to bring.” Vice-captain meant that it could either be Nick or Max. However, Zich thought that there was a higher possibility that this was from Nick since he was the one who had brought in the newcomers and covered for them.
“Is it a letter? What’s written on it?”
“Hey, hey! Leave it! I told you to not look at it!”
“Will it matter if we just take a quick glance at it?”
“How are we going to just glance at it when it’s sealed with wax! It doesn’t matter to me if you want to die, but don’t drag me in too!” The mercenary was curious about the contents of the letter complained, but he no longer pestered the other mercenary again. This was a wise decision because the contents of the letter were coded. So, even if they saw it, they wouldn’t be able to read it. They’d just lose Nick’s trust.
The mercenaries left the forest. They were not interested in their original mission which was scouting, but they keenly scanned their surroundings to find out if anyone was following them. Zich followed them, and the mercenaries headed towards Pialu. As they approached the city, things that Zich could use to take cover decreased, and the number of people also increased.
Moreover, since Zich was becoming more famous in Pialu, secretly following the mercenaries became exponentially harder. It had been a while, but Zich took out the invisibility artifact that Lyla had given him. He hadn’t used it so far since an invisibility artifact wouldn’t work on Glen and there was no need to use it to chase after Dalton’s group. However, it was a good idea to use it now since Zich planned to follow these mercenaries until they reached the campsite.
‘Til won’t be with them, right?’ With his skills, Til would be able to see through the artifact. However, he was on patrol duty around this time, and besides, Til was the poster boy for trust and hard work. He would not forget about his patrol duty. The mercenaries went inside the city. After the large monster ambushes began, Wolf’s Canine had moved their campsite inside the city walls. They used an entire square inside the city to set up camp. Zich carefully followed the mercenaries and infiltrated the Wolf Canine’s camp.
After they reached the campsite, the two mercenaries separated. Even though it was a surprising development, Zich calmly chased after the mercenary carrying the letter. He passed through the campsite and went inside a tent. Zich went as close to the tent as possible and listened carefully.
“I’m back!”
“Yeah. Have you found the item?”
‘It’s Nick’s voice!’ Was he really the criminal? Zich heard something crumple from inside the tent; it was the sound of paper flipping. He was sure that the mercenary had taken out the letter.
“It’s right here.”
“Good work. You can leave now.”
“What, you’re telling me to immediately leave after getting what you want?”
“Is there anything else you need?”
“You can’t even tell me those words while looking at me in the eyes! Ha, whatever! What can I expect from the vice-captain?” The mercenary spoke with displeasure, but his tone didn’t last long. Zich heard something get thrown inside the tent; there was the slight sound of metals clinking against each other. “Go out to drink with the other guy whom you went with.”
“Hehe! This is why I like you, Vice-captain!” It seemed as if the mercenary received some money, and his attitude completely changed.”
“As you know, we’re still in an emergency situation. Don’t drink until you’re drunk.”
“Do you think I’m a newbie? I also don’t get drunk from beer, so you have nothing to worry about.” The tent’s entrance fluttered and the mercenary went out with a pleased face. It seemed as if he was overjoyed at the thought of drinking. Even after the mercenary left, Zich didn’t depart from Nick’s tent. After hearing the sound of paper flipping, silence filled the camp. It seemed as if he was reading the letter.
After a short while, Zich heard, “Yes!” He definitely heard a low but happy voice from Nick. Zich also smiled happily. ‘Wow, I also feel happy that you’re feeling happy.’ There was nothing more to gain from spying any longer. Zich quietly left the campsite.