Linetta couldn’t be sure if their aunty commissioned people to assassinate them on the road to the capital.
It was just a blind guess that they couldn’t confirm.
However, if the wagon thief party had been a group of assassins, they would have caught up to them in the underground cave if they were truly their targets.
After all, their abandoned wagons near the streams were enough tracks to prove that they had taken refuge in their underground shelter. Despite that, the thief party took a wagon with the most valuable carcasses and went ahead.
However, suppose the thief party was assassins. In that case, they could have deemed it unfavorable to assassinate their target in the underground cave.
After all, there was only one entrance.
Furthermore, the unfavorable positioning would easily expose their presence before they could come close to their targets with stealth.
Whichever is the case, Linetta could only stay vigilant until she reached the capital. The only person she could trust was her sister, Lilias, and Vaan.
The person had taught her very valuable lessons that it was hard for her not to put her trust in him. Vaan was someone she could depend on.
“Vaan, can we talk for a bit?”
“Of course, my Lady.”
Shortly after, Linetta had a quiet conversation with Vaan regarding her concerns about assassins and her route to the capital.
Moving forward, the escort group reached the northern up of the Blackmoon Region unexpectedly smoothly.
Although they encountered a few Rank 1 and Rank 2 Dark Hellhounds on the road, it was a small issue dealing with such beasts in small numbers.
Linetta had been eager to test the attack power of her earth magic-imbued black spears. However, she ended up leaving all the Rank 2 Dark Hellhounds to Captain Rhys under Vaan’s recommendation.
Just like that, they reached the northern end up of the Blackmoon Region without encountering another Rank 3 Dark Hellhound.
The final stretch of the Blackmoon Region was an uphill climb until the ground levels with the two cliffs on the side.
Captain Rhys and the young warriors expended some effort to bring the wagon out.
Nevertheless, after the escort reached the top of the slope, they officially left the Blackroom Region. The bright sun in the sky welcomed them with its warm sunlight.
“We’ve finally made it out of death’s den. It’s good to be alive!” a young warrior rejoiced while bathing in the sunlight.
The other young warriors also took a brief break.
“That’s enough rest. Sunpeak Town is another two hours trip from here. If you keep idling, it’ll be dark by the time we arrive!” Captain Rhys hounded the young warriors.
Meanwhile, Vaan casually enjoyed the new scenery.
Having spent two years since his transmigration in Blackmoon City, he finally got to see how the Blackmoon Region looked from above.
Without the sun’s blessing, Blackmoon Region was undoubtedly a dark, gloomy, and barren place, a clear contrast to the brick-laden road and lively green forest.
The escort group continued the trip on the brick-laden road.
Before long, two other paths, found on either side of the brick-laden road, merged with it and became the main road.
Another wagon group of four people merged from the right path and headed towards Sunpeak Town alongside the escort group.
“Hey, brother. Impressive ride you got there.”
A stubby-bearded man shot up a conversation with Vaan, who seemed easier to approach than the two ladies, yet more important than the rest of the escort group.
Vaan’s eyes flickered subtly.
‘This person is quite selective with who he should talk to…’ Vaan mused.
“You didn’t just come out from the Blackmoon Region with your group, did you?” the stubby-bearded man continued.
Vaan flashed the person a glance and calmly replied, “And so what if we did?”
At the same time, Linetta and Lillias, who were riding the Earth Salamander with Vaan, turned their heads and scrutinized the stubby-bearded man.
They tried to guess his intentions.
“Hoho, easy there. I don’t have any ill intentions,” the stubby-bearded man quickly denied whatever thoughts they may have of him.
“I came from Redcliff City on the right side of Blackmoon Region. I don’t know what happened, but I felt the tremors last night. Such strong tremors must have driven the Dark Hellhounds crazy. You are all fortunate to have made it out alive.”
“Hahaha, that’s true. You have my sympathy,” the stubby-bearded man softly chuckled before asking, “Where are you all headed? Judging by your impressive mount, I’d say a rundown town like Sunpeak is not your final destination.”
“Why do you want to know?” Linetta interjected with a sharp look, causing the stubby-bearded man to feel intimidated.
“My apologies, my Lady. I’m not trying to pry into your business,” the stubby-bearded man said with a forced smile. “It’s just that I am heading to the capital. But as you can see, my group is rather small, and traveling anywhere is dangerous for a small group like mine.”
“Thus, I thought it would be safer to travel together if we happened to be heading to the same destination. No, even if it’s even partially on the way to our destinations, it would be great if we could travel together,” the stubby-bearded man stated.
“If you were so afraid of the dangers on the road, you should have just hired an escort group to protect you on the way.”
Captain Rhys inserted his opinion with a grumpy look after overhearing their conversation.
He disliked people who chose to risk their lives to save some money. It was bad business for escort groups, but it was also less business overall if the people died.
“Well… this brother speaks a lot of sense. I would very much like to hire an escort group to guide me to the capital… Unfortunately, my wallet disagrees with me,” the stubby-bearded man smiled ruefully.