"You may be wondering why I requested you to assemble and kept you lingering for so long" The Count's voice sounded from outside the tent, and as he finished talking, the man entered.

But I did not pay much attention to him, but to the man that he had with him. After all, I haven't seen him before, which meant that...

"Before any questions are made, let me introduce you. Bron, from the 'Royal Sword' group" The Count continued while motioning for the man to come in.

Bron was slightly shorter than me, and had a normal build. Neither too muscular or slim, he looked pretty average. His face followed the same line, being one that anyone would miss in a crowd - Slightly round, with eyes on the smaller side, and stubble of light brownish hair that lightly covered his mouth and cheeks.

Finishing his looks, a head of short hair of the same brownish tone.

Except for the sword at his hip and a leather belt that looked expensive, his dress was also absolutely common. Maroon cloth trousers and a similar material shirt, covered with a verdant short vest.

As for his stats, well, he was an absolute average guy. Except for four things.

NAME (Type) LEVEL Deceit (Social) 16 Orientation (Adventuring) 15 Mapping (Adventuring) 15 Subterfuge (Adventuring) 18

Adding that he had several terrain like forest, urban, and plains from 8 and onward... Probably a scout? spy?

***

The following talks were extremely informative, at least for me. Still, after such a night my mind was feeling tired, and so I went with the easiest way available to me. In this case, resorting to Sepyre's gift of perfect memory.

Recording all the talks, which took all the remaining night would mean recalling every single word, and I loathe even the sheer idea.

But as I have to record the information I gained, let's do it in a shortened way.

The attackers were from some kind of group called 'Old Blood Society'. Or at least the four men from the last batch were. While the others should have been hired for the task. Not that it was possible to ask who hired them with everyone dead.

Their objective was indeed to kidnap the noble that was traveling incognito, and the Count's identity wasn't known to them. If it was, from Bron's words, the attack would have been far better organized.

Bron's organization was something akin to watchdogs for the nobles. And this 'Royal Sword' found out about the attack the previous day, dispatching Bron and several soldiers to prevent it.

Feeling that time was of the essence, Bron used three horses to get forward. And had arrived just around the moment that the Count and I began to act.

He had arrived just in time as to help, but only if we had been in the camp. And as we had moved out already, it took him a few minutes to orient himself, talk with the only people he could find - Kierra and Angelique, and then run after the Count.

And he found the Count around the same time I was trying to act cool and heroic.

Here the logical question would be why the fuck did the two of them did not help me. One responded by the Count with a laugh and the words "You had everything under control! And no gentleman should intrude when another is attempting to show off before a lass".

Question one, what part of my actions were to impress Gris?

Question two, since when trying to remain alive is showing off?

But the actual nail in the coffin for my sanity was the overall consensus on my actions...

"Smashing them with a wagon, outstanding!"

A few other things were discussed, but the main point was that the soldiers would arrive shortly, and then they will escort the Count towards his destination. Which surprisingly wasn't Megvuroz, but the Cadowden, the capital of the Kingdom.

As for the caravan, it will continue its path normally. But it wasn't like we could set out right away, with all the important characters taking part in this night's events. And the rest drugged with some kind of sleeping drug, one that would probably leave at least some side effects.

So after an analysis, Reuben decided that we would remain still for a full day.

In his own words - "It will allow the mess to be cleared, as well for all of us to rest. Not to mention that today is Prayer Day, and after such a night, it would be probably for the best to indeed commute with whatever gods protected us".

On the good part, since my actions were considered 'outstanding', no one mentioned that half of the mess was the wagon I wrecked. Not to mention moved more than a kilometer from the camp.

***

It was only around the time that everyone began leaving that I remembered something important.

"Bron!" I called while rushing right after him and the count.

"Yes, umm... Lindar?" He reacted right away turning around. The Count did so as well, with an exasperated expression all across his face. Still, any information should be valuable for the watchdog, shouldn't it? So probably I may be excused for my manners.

"I just remembered that I knocked one of the guards from Churg. Do you think he may know something about who paid him?" I quickly asked.

"You captured one alive? Where?!" Bron's expressionless face, at least until now, failed him and revealed some astonishment. I mean, even his eyes went all wide, so yeah.

"I do not know how alive he is, but he was definitively breathing when I left him. You probably did not notice him in the dark, but I left him between the wagons and the animals" After that, I quickly motioned for him to follow and began moving towards the place where the guy should be.

The Count and Gris, the latter seemingly overhearing or just seeing us leave in a hurry, both followed us.

It took us just a couple of minutes to reach the place, and the starting to poke sun provided enough illumination for moving.

But...

"Huh, where the fuck is he?" I could only ask while dumbly staring at the place where I had left the guard that had attacked me.

"Are you sure that you left him here?" Bron and the Count asked almost in unison.

"Yes" I nodded while pointing at the broken spear that I had thrown right next to the guy.

"How well did you bind him?" This time it was Gris and Bron asking the same question. Both had instantly assumed guard, slightly lowering their bodies and sharply looking around.

"It was dark so I can not be sure. Still, I used his belt to bind his hands to his legs, so escaping?" I began explaining while also looking around.

"Young man, use your Life Radar spell" The Count interjected. He was the only one that had no signs of being nervous or even on guard. He wasn't even looking around, simply standing there and now commanding.

"Oh, yes. Life Radar" I instantly followed the command and activated the spell (And why I did not think about it?). A few seconds later, I shook my head while saying that I could not count any extras.

"Hmm, did he escape? Or someone helped him to do so?" Gris asked the two most obvious questions. But as obvious they were, it was also the worst scenario possible. Even I could understand that a running around would-be killer was bad, not to mention if he had a helper.

"Look around" The Count again commanded, and this time he was the one to follow the command first.

***

Five minutes later, Gris shouted for us to approach a place a few meters to the right. It was almost behind the five tents group. As we did, she simply pointed at some leather strap stomped unto the dirt, and there was no doubt what was it. After all, dark or not, I was sure that the belt was made of leather.

"There are no signs of any scuffle around here" The Count said while looking at the almost untouched grass and dirt. Untouched except for a pair of footprints and a long line, like if something was...

"It seems that he was dragged here by someone and then released. But there was nothing going around when I reached the camp, so probably before" Bron said while examining the same tracks that the Count.

It seemed logical, except for one thing, that if he was right, then I would have seen someone moving in the constant Life Radars. Not to mention during the super version thanks to the orb.

I was just about to voice it, but before I could open my mouth, the Count began talking while pointing towards his sword. And he did it in a way that only I and Gris could see it.

"There is another rat around. Bron, what do you say?" But his words were calm, and he looked like if he was asking the correct question for the moment.

At this point, I would love to ask what the fuck was happening. The Count was speaking with Bron and distracting him (?), while Gris was circling and from what I could see, she was intending to place herself behind Bron.

I was an idiot, how could a professional guard or whatever he failed to see a bound body just a few meters from his path? Especially in a situation when he should have been extremely cautious. The girls told him about an attack and he was here to save the Count, supposedly at least. So how the hell he would miss something like this? Especially with that skillset?

Regretfully, my experience with the dark side of this world was yet too low.

"Yes, it will probably best to round everyone and run a check. The soldiers will take some more time, but we should be able to do it right now" Bron formulated a plan and began explaining it while looking at the rising sun as if checking the time.

"That would be sensible if we did not know who was the rat already. Gris, now!" The Count began talking in a lower tone, forcing Bron to even incline his head a bit, but the command for Gris was shouted. And not only did he command, but also acted himself.

*Swoosh*

His sword left the scabbard as if by the art of magic, appearing in his hand and slashing towards the nearby Bron. Gris also jumped from behind, unsheathing her sword.

"Good thinking, except that you two are by far not enough to deal with me" Bron made an impossible jump to the side, avoiding both the frontal slash and the one that Gris attempted right as she entered distance.

How the hell? I was sure of what I saw in his stats, he had nothing that said he was fucking superhero level.

Bron easily avoided several follow-up slashes that were sent at him from both sides. All while not even taking any weapon out. And weapons he did carry, as the scabbard at his side was not for decoration. Neither the two smaller scabbards on his belt (Daggers?).

Should I do something? And if yes, then what? My already tired and stressed mind began slowly churning. And it took more time than I would want to admit of thinking something practical.

"Low Illusion!" I almost screamed the name of a spell that I had not yet used since leaving Sepyre's space. The illusion could only make a single item, not bigger than one square meter and not farther than five meters from me. And it would be pretty obvious when looking at it closely. Still, with the swords flashing around and him dodging, it should work!

My illusion was a sword, one that looked identical to the Count's one. And it appeared near his own as well.

Two slashes, one illusory and one from a real sword coming from the same side but with a different angle. Maybe he could have noticed, if not for Gris going into a frenzy from the other side as well.

*Clash*

But even though it worked and the Count's sword reached Bron's shoulder, the only sound that followed was the one of metal against metal.

"Not bad, not bad. But it's time to finish playing" Bron was almost unaffected and worse, he was definitively furious at me. As far as I understood the darkened glance he sent towards my direction while continuing his dangerous dance.

And maybe he had some kind of plan, but regretfully, I also had one. Not the brightest one, but at least it was something.

"Floating Board" I moved forward and activated another of the unused spells, placing the thin magic board right below his sole and commanding it to fly up.

Technically the board was meant to follow the caster and serve something akin to a self-moving (Magic!) shopping cart, but it also followed a few basic commands. Limited to go up and down, probably for ease of placing cargo on it.

*Crash*

For whatever time it was during the last hours, my plan worked and the guy began falling back. He almost reacted in time, but the Count and Gris weren't there just for show. The former changed the direction of his attack and landed a blunt hit on Bron's torso, securing the fall. And the latter, Gris, jumped forwards like a panther, pinning the guy with her boot and placing her sword at his neck.

As for me, well, I just plopped down on my ass. I had used up all of my mana, and albeit it did not affect me physically, I almost felt that it did. After all, these consecutive events... were just too much for me.

Sepyre, next time explain that a fantasy world isn't what someone imagined it to be before offering a deal (without the possibility to decline) and just teleporting (?) someone there.

"Lindar, you deserve praise again. But it's probably best for you to leave now. Find Reuben and the mage, inform them of what transpired here. Then just... rest" The Count said while sheathing his sword.

Then he continued, this time speaking to Gris "Let me find something to bind him with and then we will go and have a nice talk"

"Will this serve?" I muttered something to make it look like I used storage and threw the rope I bought in Churg. It was originally in my bag and so unusable in the night events, but I placed it in my inventory before Reuben's tent meeting. They all know that I am a mage, so what's the need in keeping appearances now?

"Yes, thank you. Now go" The Count lightly smiled at me and asked me to leave, again. Not that I intended to stay for long anyway.

***

It didn't take me long to locate Reuben and Azar, with both of them remaining around the former's tent. They were engrossed in some kind of discussion, which I interrupted without even listening to the reason for it.

"Got it, we will go there. Lindar, go get the guards. Wilfried is near the wagon you used to smash the attackers and Rolf should be in near the well, where he was helping the other two dress their wounds, thankfully they are minor ones. Make them gather near the two wagons. The girls are there as well, so remain together until someone comes" Reuben asked me to gather everyone, but considering the overall situation, it seemed logical.

As he began moving, Azar also followed after saying "Kierra and Angelique are fine, but you should try and check on them"

***

About fifteen minutes later, the four guards, the girls, and I gathered near the wagons. From what I supposed, someone would update us on the situation.

An update was indeed needed, as from the time that has already passed, the others should be waking shortly. And except for me, no one else from this six knew of anything that was discussed in Reuben's tent, or about the incident with Bron.

But until nobody came to speak with us, the guards decided to rest for a bit. As for me, I followed Azar's suggestion.

"Are you two okay?" Finding nothing better, I asked most dully.

Receiving an equally dull, affirmative answer.

Kierra was a little bit stressed, at least that is what I attributed her slight paleness to. While Angelique appeared to be unaffected at all.

I could only be envious of the calm that the girls maintained. In truth, I was envious of everyone's calm, but the girls were outsiders to such things, almost as me. And even so, they were calm!

Seeing them acting like this, I could only inwardly give myself a slap and command to man up. The danger probably had not passed yet, and I, no one else, was responsible for the girls. Calm or not, they were still just 16 and 12 years old respectively.

"Everyone" I heard Gris's voice and turned around. She was calm as always, but she showed a small smile while looking at the girls.

Gris first made a quick rundown, which was basically that we were now missing three guards, two caravan hands, and one of the overseers. The sleeping beauties (her words, not mine) were examined by Azar in-depth, and he concluded that they would awake between the 3rd and 5th Fire hours. Thus, after looking at the almost fully risen sun, she concluded that we had about an hour before the first ones awoke.

"The drivers and hired hands should not give us many problems, but the guards from Churg may. Wilfried, Rolf, and Yond, you three make sure to disarm the guards before they wake up and stay near their tents" She commanded while nodding towards each of the three she named.

They began moving immediately, while she turned towards the last guard "Kalle, you are in charge of the drivers in the tent next to yours. Don't allow them to run around and make them stay inside"

"Yes Captain" He immediately nodded and started moving towards the three tents.

"Next, girls, I know that you are probably worried and tired, but we all need to eat something. Albeit I would prefer to not make you do..." She began talking while looking at the girls, but before she even finished, both of them nodded, and Angelique half-interrupted

"Don't worry big sister, we will prepare some food and stay out of trouble"

"Thanks, you two" She gently smiled and then turned towards me before motioning to follow her.

***

"There will be no more attacks and from what we found out, Bron was sent here on cleaning duty" As I followed her enough to be out of the girls hearing, Gris stopped and turned towards me. Her expression serious, she began explaining.

They found out, and I truly do not want to know how, everything from Bron. And he wasn't lying, as it just happens that the Count's pockets had even a lie-detection orb (Such things exist as well?). His objective was to check on the operation, which was nothing more than a noble kidnapping. He had no idea they would meet Count Gian, and neither that they would fail. So everything since his arrival was just improvisation.

"Thanks for telling me, but why?" I asked while trying to understand the reason for her to share everything that they found.

"Everyone, including me decided that you are by now involved enough to provide a different perspective. So what do you think, have we missed something?" She asked directly.

"I see..?" I muttered and began thinking.