“Nghh!!” I groan as I try to lift a box of cleaning supplies from the back of the party’s trailer.

“C’mon, 200+ pounds is nothing!”

Once again, I fail, dropping the box with a loud thud that shakes the entire wagon.

But the wagon keeps shaking.

That’s when I realize something’s wrong. The interior’s covered by a large sheet, so I crawl toward the back and lift the curtain.

My eyes widen.

We’re moving—fast—down a winding trail. To the right is wilderness. Below us, far down the cliffside, the mansion shrinks into the distance. Behind the mountains loom those enormous creatures, their silhouettes stretching into the clouds. But I’ve gotten used to them by now. It’s like watching planes go by.

Somehow, I stowed away without realizing it. Judging by the speed, we’ve been traveling for maybe twenty minutes, give or take.

Are they using Kalcifer?

Wherever they’re going, this might be my chance to escape. All I need...

I look at the ground whizzing by beneath us.

“...is to jump…”

Too fast. If I leap out now, I’ll break a limb or worse. I’ll have to wait. Maybe they’ll take a break to eat or something.

They in fact, did not take a break. For almost a day, they didn’t stop once. The constant swaying of the vehicle makes me feel nauseous, moving me side to side, so any chance of hunger is innately dispelled.

At this point, I’m just thirsty and want to use the bathroom.

Suddenly, and I mean, suddenly, the wagon stops, sending me backwards, towards the back wall, banging my head, then flying forwards outside the wagon, hitting the cold dirt.

My head’s spinning. I taste earth. I spit it out.

The darkness of a shadow belonging to an even darker person covers my form, like a dark cloud.

I close my eyes.

Great, I’m dead.

Perhaps she won’t execute me just yet. I then open my eyes, looking up. The view of Asa looks down on me, her face a blank. She’s wearing what I’m assuming to be her combat outfit, the long jacket trailing down her form, with the armor glinting in the sunlight.

“What are you doing here?”

At least try to act surprised!

“Ahaha! I was working so hard, I didn’t even realize I joined you all on this trip!”

She just nods blankly, then turns her head. “Navi.”

The footsteps that follow feel like death itself approaching.

Oh god, then the “Huh?” that follows.

If she comes over here, I’ll never escape! I need to make my move now, or I’ll suffer forever!

Exerting all the strength in my body, I push up from the ground, breaking into a sprint. My legs push me along the ground, however…

I’m snatched by the collar by Asakawa, who had not even required to change her body's position. The sudden halt puts immense pressure on my neck, almost cracking it.

“KH! Damn It!” I yell.

“Oh, so you tried hitching a ride to escape, Kaito the Slave?” Navi asks, her footsteps reverberating behind me. I hear another pair, presumably belonging to Kors and Arivia.

If I recall, Ms. Kaen stayed back, given that, well, the mansion isn’t frankly safe without her.


“Darn, if I had that remote, I would have shot at least 5000 volts into his back!” Arivia declares cheerfully.

I clench my fists. I was so close. If that was the case, I would have leaped out of the carriage earlier, broken bones and all.

“Lady Asakawa, please release him. I feel as if you are putting immense strain on his neck.”

She does just that, dropping me to the ground with a thud.

“Gh!”

I rub at my neck, my captors standing over me, one glaring into me, the other smiling like a puppy, the other indifferent, and one, despite possessing no face, clearly has some kind of worriedness displayed on his face.

“Well, what you reckon we do with him, Navi?” Arivia says, leaning forward, hands behind her back. Her face drops near mine.

The constant glare Navi shoots me tells me she’s still in the process of giving an answer. Her yellow pupils glint in the sunlight, piercing into my skin.

She looks hurt.

Did you… Did you really expect me to stick around? Just because I talk to you guys doesn’t mean I won’t book it the first chance I get..

If I say something like that, I’d probably get my head decapitated right there and then.

The forest goes quiet for a moment, the sound of my breathing unmistakable. The four stare at me, quietly.

Then, with a turn of her heel, Navi declares. “Kors, take him, we’ll use him as collateral if things get heated.”


With that order, the three began to head back to the carriage again. Lifting me up, Kors places his hands on my shoulders, dusting me off.

“I apologize, Sir Kaito, she’s quite the temperamental individual, but she means well.”

Yeah, yeah, typical character bullshit.

“Means well for a slave, my ass.”

We walk towards the back, and I sit back inside. Kors, presumably who would normally sit in the front, opts to sit inside with me.

I hear a crack of the reins in the front, and the skeletal sounds of Kalcifer as the wagon begins its route again.

“In the Kingdom of Soraya, there exists a law where if one is in debt to someone, owing their life to them, they may pay them any sort of compensation if the savior asks for it. However, if they cannot provide anything, they will be labelled as a slave…”


“What kind of sick rule is that?”


“...I can understand your plight. But almost none fulfill this law. However, what surprised me was someone as kind as Lady Highergald taking you as a slave. A typical savior of someone’s life would be kind enough not to demand anything, but a truly corrupt person would. Everything I have seen to this point of Lady Highergald indicates that she is a kind person.”


“Guess she was having a bad day,” I say, glancing outside the window. Arivia leans on Asa’s shoulder, while Navi has a tense expression on her face, holding the reins.

The carriage sways side to side, gently lolling my body.

“Whatever it was, I’m sure she had a good reason that benefits you as well. You yourself are a good person.” Kors says, his tone friendly.

My eyes travel downcast for a moment, before I smirk.

“Thank you, Kors, for making me feel a little better about working for the rest of my life..”

He nods.

Ah, now I feel bad about being sarcastic. Man, Kors is the best.

After a moment of silence, I ask, “By the way, where are we heading?”

“The Town of Varos, located just a few miles away. It’s a town known for being located right in the middle of a large supply trade in the Nyassereth province. The merchandise it receives from the Flora ocean, as well as the ores from the Goro Mountains, allows it to be a very prestigious village in terms of monetary gain.”

“Huh, so we’re heading towards a real city, huh?”

“No, unfortunately, despite the vast amounts of revenue the town generates, it has been taken under its newly appointed ‘mayor’, A man named Gorthro Villaides.”

“A real snotty bastard.” Navi suddenly says, from the front of the carriage.

“The guy’s a rat. He’s bought almost everything in that village—except the people. And knowing him, he’s probably working on that too.” She says, her eyes tense on the road.

Big talk coming from someone who’s essentially done the same to me, but I can see where she’s coming from.

“The people of Varos can no longer support themselves,” Kors says, his fist tightening. “They risk starving while Gorthro hoards wealth for himself.”

“Why.. Why doesn’t the government do anything, if there even is one?” I ask, my eyes traveling to his hollow sockets.

“Cuz they’re all greedy bastards that’d be willing to turn an eye to genocide if you pay them the right price.” Navi snarls. “There’s some good fruit, but the entire tree’s rotted away, holes all over.”

My eyes travel downcast.

“This is the reason we are travelling. Luckily, the townspeople have amassed an amount of money using all their funds to hire our services.”

Luckily? Would you not have saved them had they not paid you?

Also, when the word ‘services’ crosses my mind, Something shows up in my mind. When mercenaries have a target, usually they’d…

“Wait,”

“What exactly are you going to do once you reach Gorthro?”

The carriage goes quiet. Too quiet. Only the slow creak of wheels and wood.

The silence of killers.

The world is gone, replaced by a stillness too precise to be natural. Even the air forgets to breathe..

“Kill him, of course.”

My eyes widen, travelling from the two.

You can’t just kill someone like that, can you? There has to be some kind of rule that prohibits it; that’s basic human morality!

“Isn’t that illegal?! You can’t just murder someone, I’m sure you can talk-”

“There's no talking to someone as far gone as that! He deserves to die, that’s it. He’s been silencing everyone around him. Innocent people die just for speaking badly about him.” Navi states matter-of-factly.

“...”

I believe in objective evil, but I don’t believe we should become it to defeat it. If we answer murder with murder, we’re just fueling the same fire.

…Who am I kidding?

“...Ms. Highergald, that is not the law, I’m sure you know of it. If he is to attack first, we have the right to retaliate. But… he is a known fugitive in other kingdoms. Ideally, we’re supposed to arrest him.”

The girl named Navi Highergald narrows her eyes.

“I don’t know about you Kors… but I’m killing the bastard the first chance I get.”

With that, she closes the window, drowning out the sound from outside, leaving me and Kors the only ones alone.

I personally dont know much about this Gorthro, but I can assume from the reaction Navi had, he’s a total scumbag. And honestly, because I haven’t seen things myself, I can’t really get angry or hype to kill him. From this outsider's perspective, he’s just a person I hear people say bad things about. It’s not my fault that I have no resolve.

But if it’s possible, I’m sure there can be a better outcome than something as violent as death.

“Kors, if I can ask, who exactly is Gorthro? What’s with her reaction?”

Kors glances at the ceiling, the strange smoke rising from his skull shifting with his bodies movements.

“A tyrant, who only sees human rights as nothing more than liabilities. He only sees money and monetary gain. A man who has indulged in his desires to the fullest. He will do anything to gain the upper hand, stooping down to levels never thought possible.”

With that, silence.

The space is quiet once more. The distant calls of fauna mingling with the creaking of the carriage. My head rests against the seat behind me, swaying gently side to side. Am I really at fault for lacking motivation??

Well, it’s not like I’m going to be fighting with them. I’m just a slave.

This constant swaying is actually quite soothing. My eyelids slowly find themselves closing…

Suddenly, a sharp bump jerks me awake from the slow drift toward sleep.

I nearly jump, eyes snapping open.

Is that clashing? The sounds of metal striking metal ring out in the air. Kors is already outside the carriage, the door wide open.

Scrambling outside onto the dirt path, I stumble upon the scene of Arivia, wielding what seems to be a strangely shaped long sword, almost compact-looking given the assortment of lines running down its side.

What she swings it towards leaves my mouth agape.

A small humanoid creature, its back hunched grotesquely. It has no eyes or ears. only black, vein-like patterns crawling over its pale skin. Sharp spines jut from its back.

I can’t get a better look as its body is sliced in two, black ink spilling down the ground.

“What the hell are those?!”

“Goblins,” Asakawa says, her face straight.

“Pyraethon 42—Blight.” She cracks her index finger, and suddenly flames roar to life behind her, shaped by her will before blasting toward a group of the creatures.

“Those are goblins?!”

“You seem pretty confused, Mr slave!” Arivia teases.

“I mean, of course, I am! I expected the small, creepy green fellows with goat eyes and long ears!”

Arivia looks at me, confused, before parrying a blow, retaliating by thrusting forward, skewering a goblin.

These things are far too grotesque to be ordinary goblins. Their gurgling noises are more plant-like than animal, black and white like some twisted fungus.

The way Sable Veil is taking them out so easily makes me think these guys are the typical fodder enemies anyone can defeat. No, seriously, these guys are dropping like flies.

After about ten minutes, the ground is littered with goblin corpses. The party members don’t even look tired despite all the killing. Almost instantly, they settle back into their regular formation.

“Let’s get going, it’s almost sundown!” Navi calls out.

Wow, wasting no time, I respect it.


I find myself walking back toward the carriage. Now I'm certain with these guys around, I’ll be safe enough.

Passing by the corpses, I pause to study one. It looks almost like a doll—lifeless, yet unsettlingly real.

“Oi, Kaito, what the hell are you doing?!” Navi shouts.

“Investing points in my system!”

“What?”

“You know, like putting points in and getting stronger!”

“Are you insulting my years of training?!”

“Hah, never mind.”

I pick my body up with a sigh and keep walking. Maybe I slipped because of faulty footing, but I trip again, catching myself on a nearby tree log.

“Damn,” I wince, pushing myself up.

That’s when something catches my eye.

Where my hand brushed the log, a strange glowing symbol shines—a skull-shaped insignia, glowing bright white. I’m close enough to the carriage that I’d expect one of them to notice it, given how bright it is.

“Hurry up! We’re leaving you here!” Navi shouts, looking right at me.

But none of them notice the mark.

I glance back down and dust myself off.

Well, I’m gonna leave whatever that is alone. Nothing worth risking my life over. Probably tied to some thousand-year-old skeleton king or something