Apparently, the slave traders’ transaction would take place east of the city. In the abundant city, Flocia, if the port, bustling with people and goods, is its light, then the east is its shadow. Like the eastern part of the royal capital, it was a slum where the poor live.
We gathered members of the warrior corps and set up an ambush at the designated location.
It is now completely dark.
“I never thought we’d get this kind of information on the first day.”
Mia-san reached out from under her cloak and adjusted the hood that she had pulled down over her eyes.
Felix-san, dressed in the same attire, responded,
“Thanks to you, we were able to get ahead of them. I take credit for that, Rion.”
Nodding in response, I looked down over the vacant lot below.
Thanks to the advance intel, we were able to wait here for the slave traders’ exchange to begin. The warrior corps had split into teams of three or four, each taking positions on rooftops with good vantage points. My own team consisted of Mia-san, Felix-san, and me.
The appointed time is now drawing near.
Even at night, southern Flocia is astonishingly warm. The air is so still, so silent, that it made me uneasy.
I leaned toward Felix-san and whispered,
“…They must have realized by now that the river bandits meant to come here aren’t showing up. Do you think they’ll cancel the deal or move it somewhere else?”
“I doubt it. Their network is complex but that also means that they can’t easily change plans at the last moment. The first to notice anything would be their contact at the trading house. But we’ve already taken care of him.”
Currently, we are overlooking an abandoned workshop’s yard. Beyond the stone wall, a canal flowed by. The faint sound of splashing water echoed through the night.
Before long, two carriages arrived.
About ten people got out in total. A magic stone lantern was set down in the middle of the vacant lot, its pale blue glow dimly illuminating the surroundings. Men armed with axes and swords split into two groups of about five each, taking their positions.
As we watched, one of the carriage doors opened. Three people were dragged out. They were all bound and gagged. Even from here, I could see the handcuffs glinting faintly in the blue light.
“How terrible….”
The words slipped out before I could stop myself. But this is what it means to fall into the hands of the slave traders.
“…Rion, calm yourself.”
Felix-san whispered softly.
Our warrior corps cloaks blended into the darkness so we wouldn’t be noticed, even if we shifted slightly. And once the fight starts, our matching cloaks would also serve to help distinguish friend from foe in the chaos.
“The slave trade in Flocia has always been a mystery. To bring slaves into the city, they’d have to pass through either the city gates or the harbor. But there’s no way a group of bound and gagged people could get through inspection unnoticed.”
I tightened my jaw.
Don’t rush it. I told myself.
Felix-san’s calm voice reminded me just how valuable this moment was.
“That’s why just like the hidden tunnels beneath Alvis, there must be some secret route known only to them. If we can witness this exchange, we’ll uncover it. That alone would be a major breakthrough.”
A chill crept up the back of my neck.
We were finally close—close to the slave traders, to Ymir and the truth behind them.
“Shh”, Mia-san whispered.
“It’s starting.”
From the darkness, a man stepped forward, he clutched a ledger in his thin hands. His cheeks were hollow, and from beneath a brown cloak, a gaunt face is exposed. When he flicked the staff he carried, the dim light caught his sharp eyes as he stared at one of the pirate groups.
Judging from his presence alone, he had to be the overseer of the exchange.
One of the river bandits spoke, “Several are missing…”
“They were captured.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd at the overseer’s curt reply.
“Never mind. Let’s start. As promised, I’ll tell you about the escape route.”
He gave his staff another faint shake, glancing briefly toward the canal.
There were two groups of bandits—five men each. One side hefted a heavy-looking sack and handed it to the other. The men peeked inside, and they quickly made greedy grins. It’s clearly filled with money.
In exchange, the three bound captives were dragged forward and handed over.
—These guys… they’ve got some rare skills.
—This city’s our hunting ground.
—That global message pulled in every greenhorn for miles.
—As if any of them could ever become “heroes,” huh?
Those voices inevitably reached my enhanced ears.
I met Mia-san’s gaze.
“Rion!”
“Yes!”
We exchanged a glance—and leapt down from the rooftop.
I drew in a deep breath and shouted at the top of my lungs, “Stop right there!”
More than ten men turned toward me at once, their gazes slamming into me like a wall of pressure. In one swift motion, I drew my short sword.
“We’re with the Raven Warrior Corps! Surrender quietly!”
A ripple of panic spread through the enemy ranks. I could also feel their composure slipping.
The overseer clicked his tongue.
“Fireball!”
He hurled a blast of flame toward the mana lamp. The crystal shattered, scattering burning fragments in every direction. Thick, black smoke billowed out—
A smokescreen!
『Over there!』
The coin in my pocket trembled, and Solana’s voice rang out.
『The wall! They’re climbing the wall!』
Shoving the captured slaves aside, the bandits scrambled up the retaining wall that surrounded the abandoned workshop.
Wait, that’s—
“Head for the canal!”
As if mocking Mia’s shout, the slave traders leapt over the wall to the other side. We grabbed onto the wall and vaulted after them.
“Hehe! Just like we predicted!”
Mia-san flashed a grin, her sharp canine teeth catching the moonlight.
Down by the embankment, the men had stopped running.
Of course. The earlier panic had been nothing but an act. Three patrol boats were already waiting on the water, blocking their escape. The guards had them trapped—us behind, soldiers ahead.
“Thank goodness—”
The words had barely left my mouth when a scream tore through the night.
Under the pale moon, the surface of the canal bulged— and then a massive vessel loomed out of the darkness. It is heading straight down on the smaller patrol boats.
Mia-san’s jaw dropped.
“A longship!?”
At the prow of the warship, a dragon’s head was carved in menacing detail—its fanged maw seeming to roar at the night.
With a thunderous crash, the vessel slammed into the patrol boats, splintering them like toys. Had the guards been a heartbeat slower, they’d have been hurled into the water—or worse.
The slaver traders clambered aboard the oncoming warship and pushed off from the bank. The longship had to be at least ten meters long—massive compared to the small boats it crushed beneath its hull.
Those who couldn’t fit aboard seized what remained of the undamaged patrol boats and followed behind the Longship.
“Row!!!!”
At the overseer’s roar, oars struck the water in perfect rhythm. The boat was about to sail away from the side of the workshop!
We immediately sprint along the canal path, rushing after the escaping vessel.
“Wait, didn’t they have a bigger ship?”
Mia-san shouted, glancing back at the guards being pulled from the water.
“The canal’s wide. Neither the warriors nor the city guards could cover every route. And besides…”
Felix-san grimaced.
“The fact that they had a warship ready means the Eastern Shipping Bureau’s in league with the slave traders. In the capital and in Alvis, they courted the nobles. But in a merchant city like this, they’ve wormed their way into trade guilds and the shipping offices. How thorough of them.”
“Now’s not the time to praise them!”
Mia-san snapped.
The cobblestone path along the canal was uneven, fitting for the city’s poorer quarter.
From the gold coin in my pocket, Solana’s voice rang out.
『There is still a chance. We just have to catch that ship, right?』
“Exactly! If we do, we’ll find out where their base is too!”
We sprinted along the canal, chasing after the fleeing slavers.
The oars beat the water like wings, smooth and powerful—clearly, the river bandits knew how to handle a boat.
“We’re not letting them get away, right?”
Mia-san called out.
“I’m worried. At this rate…”
Soon enough, the canal would open up into a wide body of water.
Once that happened, the lake would be just ahead—if they reached it, we’d lose them.
“Felix-san!”
“We’re joining the pursuit!”
The raven warriors caught up from behind. Felix-san raised a silver whistle to his lips and blew a sharp signal, then traced glowing runes in the air. A surge of cold magic rushed toward the canal.
—It was an ice spell.
“Ice Edge!”
Frost burst forward, racing toward the fleeing ships. But the enemy’s mage—the gaunt overseer—countered with a wave of fire.
The clashing elements roared against each other, steam billowing skyward. The freezing spell lost its force, and before the ice could seal the canal, the two vessels slipped through the narrow gap between frost and wall.
『Rion, shall we intervene?』
Solana’s divine voice echoed in my mind.
But even gods have limits—she had fought for us just two nights ago, and tomorrow we’d be entering the dungeon of Flocia.
As I hesitated, the ships broke free into the wider channel.
“Haha! Farewell, then!”
The moment the overseer spoke, a shadow leaped into the night sky. It seemed to have jumped from a building along the canal. It landed on the back of the two fleeing boats. Amidst the spray of water, the shadow’s blade flashed in the blink of an eye.
Blonde hair fluttered in the night sky.
“Nils…?”
It was Nils—the swordsman who said he was pursuing the slave traders.
“Y-you guys…”
Our gazes met.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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