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When a sliver of dawn appeared on the horizon, the utterly exhausted caravan finally arrived at the midsection of Scavell Mountain.
In the distance, at the mountain's midsection filled with shrubs and meadows, a small river trickled down from the mountain. During the depths of winter, the river was completely frozen, and looking at the snow on the mountain and the white sky, it seemed like a river from the heavens had descended to earth. A High Mountain Fortress stood there, structured in two layers, appearing rather intimidating from afar.
"I hope this fortress welcomes us guests," Laine, riding his horse, said, feeling fatigued from the night battle and the nonstop journey through the night.
"Whether there's an owner inside or not, it's not our concern. We just escorted you here. Beyond this point, it's no longer our issue!" Gray Blade Billger, with dark circles under his eyes, left the group, taking the remaining dozen members of the Gray Blade Mercenary Corps in another direction.
The negotiations the night before unsurprisingly fell apart. The Gray Blade Mercenary Corps's asking price was exorbitantly high, too much for the merchants to accept. They demanded thirty percent of the profits from the sale of Sea Heart Stones.
Similarly, several Wandering Knights also demanded thirty percent of the profits.
After privately discussing with Mats, Oliver presented them with an answer: thirty percent of the profits from the sale of Sea Heart Stones would be evenly distributed between White Wolf Knight Laine and Councillor Teresa Trovik.
As for Gray Blade and those Wandering Knights, they wouldn't receive a single coin.
Since the Blood Axe Mercenary Corps was hired by Teresa, they wouldn't partake in the profit-sharing.
Facing money handed to him, Laine couldn't think of a reason to refuse. He vaguely felt that this incident might have arisen because of him. These Beastmen seemed well-prepared, more like they planned this attack rather than simply robbing a passing caravan.
Out of a Knight's sense of duty and mission, Laine felt he had enough reason to help Oliver and Mats complete this business deal. Even if he did nothing, he wouldn't face criticism, yet there were some lines he voluntarily needed to adhere to. Read complete version only at NoveI[F]ire.net
It's important to have boundaries in life.
"You all wait outside; Estelle and I will go in to take a look." In broad daylight, this fortress in the mountains appeared eerily quiet. The caravan members called inside multiple times but received no response.
With the fortress collapsing inward, many parts of the stone walls had already crumbled due to lack of maintenance, making the fortress seem unsafe from the outside. Thus, Laine concluded that bandits wouldn't settle here long-term, the forest itself wasn't considered safe, for if bandits were residing here long-term, they would at least have repaired the outer walls a bit.
As for whether this was a trap, Laine found it uncertain and believed they would only know once they went inside.
"Estelle and I will go in, Teresa, you wait outside," Laine instructed those outside, then he and Estelle headed towards the High Mountain Fortress, while the others camped and rested, waiting for news.
Teresa, with Amelia's help, dismounted with difficulty and found a place to sit. The female sorcerer looked unwell, her face pale as she leaned against a rock, though maintaining conscious awareness.
The weather today was very gloomy, the morning air slightly humid, and the breeze seemed to soak into their bones. Amelia instinctively shrank her neck, dressed in simple robes and leather armor, with brown tight leather pants and boots. Her eyes shone with determination, the cold couldn't make her retreat.
"Amy... lia?" the female sorcerer murmured unprompted to the female mercenary beside her, causing the latter's heart to skip a beat as she subtly tensed: "Lady Trovik, do you have any orders? Please speak?"
"No orders, I just find your name somewhat... special. What did you do before?" the female sorcerer forced herself to shift focus from her discomfort. She thought she'd rather have Laine carry her on the next leg of the journey than suffer through the jolting ride on horseback or in a carriage again.
"Me? I was a merchant's daughter before. During one of our trade routes, those damn Beastmen attacked our caravan. My father and uncle died in that battle, leaving only me. I knew selling all my family possessions wouldn't cover the losses, so I fled overnight and became a mercenary," Amelia recounted a common tale, and the female sorcerer paid no further mind, turning her gaze to Amelia's sword instead.
This female mercenary carried two swords: a rapier with a blade width of approximately 2.5 to 3 centimeters, used frequently, and another sword thickly wrapped in hemp cloth by the hilt and scabbard. It seemed larger, resembling a single-handed longsword, with its only exposed counterweight resembling a silver skull, much like Laine's sword.
"Your swords appear distinct," the female sorcerer probed further, "Why do you, like those Demon Hunters, carry two swords?"
Demon Hunters typically carried two swords: a silver sword for dealing with Chaos creatures, and a steel sword for anthropomorphic creatures, beasts, or... humans.
"This sword? This rapier is ceremonial, not used for combat. I grabbed it while fleeing. As a woman lacking a man's wrist strength, I couldn't wield those two-handed greatswords, so I simply used this one," Amelia whispered. "As for this single-handed longsword, it's my family's heirloom, reportedly once owned by a noble of the Old Empire. During His Majesty Ludwig's reckoning, it was confiscated along with their lands and titles, and my ancestor seized the opportunity to buy this sword at a high price. I don't know much beyond that. I took it when I escaped."