Chapter 15: The Merchant Caravan’s Lady (1)

[There are two choices. One, meddle unnecessarily and snoop around. Two, pretend you didn’t hear anything and keep going.]

[If it were Naia, she’d definitely pick the first.]

[Hey, don’t plant weird ideas in the kid’s head.]

Zion chuckled lightly.

Even without her remark, his choice would have been the same.

“I’ll meddle a bit. There’s no harm in just hiding and watching, right?”

[With your personality, just quietly watching… ah, whatever. Do as you please. I’m not helping.]

Zion smiled again.

Though he said that, the moment Zion found himself in danger, he would do whatever it took to help him.

[Come to think of it, you don’t have a weapon.]

He recalled how he’d discarded his only longsword for a safe illegal entry.

It was an unavoidable choice but still a painful loss.

Though he had learned some magic as a noble’s refinement and hadn’t neglected Physical Training, Zion’s essence was that of a swordmaster.

Without a sword, he couldn’t even demonstrate half of his true strength.

[Look at that. The guy who can crush a goblin bare-handed in ten seconds is worried because he has no weapon.]

[Goblin? Bare-handed… ten seconds? Didn’t he only awaken a month ago?]

[Strictly speaking, it’s a bit different from awakening… Those people don’t seem to awaken their powers even after killing monsters. It’s just that he’s strange.]

Listening to this, Zion realized how foolish his worries were.

Taking down a goblin one-on-one was something only a royal family knight from a moderately strong nation could manage.

And that was assuming full armor.

Holding a child in one arm and killing goblins bare-handed was clearly a superhuman feat.

Seven years of persecution and humiliation, plus the trauma of fighting a cocatrice unexpectedly without preparation, had made him underestimate himself.

Zion could now subdue a fully armed bandit group bare-handed without a scratch.

“I’ve been worrying over nothing.”

[Good that you realized it. Arrogance is a deadly poison, but underestimating yourself is just as much a shackle that binds your feet. It’s important to assess your own strength accurately and objectively. Only then can you make the right decisions at crucial moments.]

Taking Frey’s advice to heart, Zion quickened his pace.

Frey watched him with pride, and Arcs, who was staring intently at Zion from beside Frey, smirked.

‘How doting. Anyone would think he’s his own son.’

Frey flinched at the voice, which pierced his mind without going through his ears.

This was close to the telepathic communication Awakened people learn by duty.

Naturally, Zion couldn’t hear those words.

Arcs, thinking it a sensitive topic, had been careful.

‘Usually, the guy talks nonstop without filter… what’s with the sour mood?’

‘I hope I’m just assuming things, but I’m worried what if I’m not.’

Frey scoffed and said indifferently, ‘You think I’d obsess over Zion the way I do over Naia? Do I really seem like that? Honestly, that’s a shock.’

Arcs’ eyes widened as Frey saw through his worries so clearly.

That level of insight meant Frey’s mind was more stable than expected.

‘Of course I obsess.’

But what came next hit Arcs like a slap to the back of the head.

‘Frey, you—’

‘Naia was my only family. And Zion is the only bloodline of Naia who ignored all our warnings, left alone for the demon realm, never showed her face until the end, and we thought she was dead. You tell me not to obsess? Say something that makes sense.’

Arcs was speechless, biting her lips with a sorrowful expression.

In contrast, Frey’s face was calm.

‘I will obsess all I want. I’ll teach him everything I know, pass down all my power and skills, and pour all my affection into him.’

Almighty Naia Alkoth, the great hero who saved the Earth alone, was too strong and too noble.

She was a perfect being from the start.

On that winter night when the orphanage was attacked by monsters, it was Naia who stabbed the orphanage director amidst the chaos, used his corpse and other orphans as bait to kill even orcs, and comforted and calmed Frey, who was on the brink of madness.

The media called them the strongest Awakened siblings, but Frey never once thought he was worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with Naia.

No matter how relentlessly he trained, it was impossible.

No one could equal her.

She knew neither defeat nor despair.

That was why she could selflessly sacrifice herself for humanity.

Zion was different.

Though he resembled Naia, unlike her, who was perfected from the start, he was a young boy full of infinite potential.

‘I’ll teach him so he doesn’t follow Naia’s path, guide him, and watch over him until the end.’

Frey spoke with unwavering resolve.

‘That’s what I, his uncle, must do.’

***

The source of the noise was several hundred meters off the main road.

As expected, it was a fight between human groups.

A fully armed group stood around wagons and carts, defending against a bandit group.

Behind them was a thick forest.

Zion stealthily detoured toward the forest, observing the situation.

About 40 bandits.

In contrast, the other group, likely the merchant caravan’s escort, numbered around 30.

Though the bandits had the numerical advantage, the tide was against them.

The 30, whether mercenaries or knights, held a solid formation, calmly repelling the attack.

They were inflicting cumulative damage with sharp counterattacks.

Above all, the presence of a Divine Healer among the caravan’s guards was significant.

A blessing, like a song, healed minor wounds and restored lost vitality.

Though there was only one Divine Healer, over time the bandits would lose their numerical edge and fall into disadvantage.

[No need to interfere unnecessarily. They’re highly skilled. At that level, they could probably deal with a small goblin pack on their own.]

Zion agreed at first.

But as he watched longer, a sense of unease grew.

‘The bandits’ behavior is strange.’

Despite being clearly outnumbered, none surrendered or fled.

Considering bandits are usually a motley crew without loyalty or comradeship, it was unusual.

On closer inspection, the bandits, when injured or exhausted, withdrew to the rear before becoming combat ineffective, conserving their strength.

It seemed their goal wasn’t plunder but to hold the caravan in place.

‘Definitely strange.’

‘There’s a high chance of a trap.’

The forest behind the caravan was the perfect spot for an ambush.

If a force many times larger attacked from front and rear, even the most skilled group would have no way out.

Zion sharpened his senses to detect within the forest.

Quiet breaths, voices, the smell of rusted metal armor quickly gathered.

The number was about 30.

“That’s quite a lot. They could be wiped out.”

‘If I don’t intervene, that’s what will happen.’

Frey sighed as if he had expected this.

The only relief was that no monsters were nearby and no one among the bandits posed a serious threat to Zion.

Frey said resignedly, [Just do whatever you want.]

‘Thank you.’

Zion broke from the shadows and ran to the rear of the caravan.

The archers supporting the guards from behind were the first to notice, widening their eyes as Zion drew his bowstring repeatedly.

Taking a deep breath, Zion shouted, “Ambush!”

***

“Ambush! The enemy is hiding in the forest!”

Yuria Alzred, responsible for the merchant caravan, felt every hair on her body stand on end the moment she heard the shout.

There had been strict warnings never to come out, but she couldn’t stay silent.

When she flung open the wagon door, another shout rang out.

“I’ll handle the ambush! Everyone else, suppress the enemy as fast as possible!”

It was a youthful voice, almost androgynous.

The boy who bravely dashed out from the forest to warn them looked surprisingly younger than Yuria by several years.

He was dressed in shabby clothes and completely unarmed.

A child facing a bandit group hiding in the forest alone was obviously nonsense.

Yuria hurried to stop him, but at that moment, the boy vanished.

“Wha—?!”

Yuria screamed dumbfounded by the magical spectacle.

The boy hadn’t disappeared but had sprinted into the forest at a speed Yuria couldn’t even perceive.

Immediately, a sound like an explosion and agonized screams echoed from within.

“Focus! The formation’s loosening!”

“B-But Captain, the ambush! What if Lady Yuria is in danger?!”

“If we can’t stop these guys in front, we’re dead anyway!”

A stir ran through the mercenaries hired exclusively by the caravan.

But the veteran leader, trusted by the Alzred Caravan for a long time, quickly restored order.

“The bandits are pulling back their wounded to conserve strength! We must overwhelm them all at once!”

After more screams from the forest, the boy who had dashed out shouted again.

This time, he held a thin twig in his hand.

The mercenary captain stiffened and carefully observed the bandits.

He realized the truth and immediately made a decision.

“Change formation! Let’s break their line! Show these bastards who they messed with today!”

The mercenaries stamped their feet and swiftly shifted formation.

This was a formation designed to ruthlessly annihilate the enemy, accepting some casualties.

It was a choice they should never make while guarding the caravan, but the captain trusted the mysterious ally who was relentlessly raising screams from the rear.

“Don’t let a single one live! Wipe them out!”

With fierce roars, the mercenaries charged.

The bandits, overwhelmed, hesitated and retreated.

No one had warned that this would happen when the order was given.

Before the bandits could escape, the line was broken.

Although it was a 30 versus 40 fight, the battle felt like 300 against 40.

Half-exposed from the wagon, Yuria silently watched the scene.

Blood and flesh splattered; shouts and death throes blended into a vivid battlefield.

Without realizing it, Yuria clenched her fists tightly.

‘Someday, I too…’

At that moment, a silent presence appeared beside her.

“You all are quite skilled.”

“HOT!”

Yuria screamed in a strangled voice, covering her mouth as she spun around sharply.

The boy was right next to the wagon.

Despite having dashed through the forest to fight the ambush alone, there wasn’t a single drop of blood on him.

When their eyes met, he smiled gently.

Though shabby in appearance, every expression and gesture carried dignity.

Yuria’s sharp eyes, trained as a caravan member, sensed that the boy’s origin was extraordinary.

“My name is Zion. Are you hurt anywhere?”

The boy didn’t say his surname.

There must be complicated reasons.

There were many questions swirling in Yuria’s mind, but the most important thing was to say her thanks first.

After briefly looking at his outstretched hand, Yuria resolved and clasped it with both hands, bowing deeply.

“I’m Yuria Alzred, responsible for the merchant caravan. Thank you for saving us.”