A Mage Reborn: Legacy of the Fallen Emperor
Chapter 74: An Unexpected Ambush

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: An Unexpected Ambush

The canyon was a suffocating world, dense trees and thick foliage blotting out the sky above. A man stumbled, his boot slipping on slick rock moss. The line of people behind him, a jumbled mess of bodies and baggage, went down like dominoes.

Thud!

"Agh!"

"Careful!"

"Damn it all, watch where you’re stepping!"

"Good grief... Hey, are you okay?"

The procession, a long, winding line, stretched out of sight. Most were caravan members, but a good number were outsiders, dependents who’d paid for safe passage to another territory.

"Can you get up?"

"Yes, thank you."

A man reached down, hauling a fallen woman to his feet. Her hair, pulled tight and covered by a traditional Hwan headscarf, identified her as Hwan.

A caravan guard, struggling to restore order, yelled, "Keep it moving! The congestion’s only getting worse back there!"

"Yeah, yeah, we hear you. Any clue when we’re getting out of this hellhole?"

"We’ve barely started. It’ll be a week, at least."

"Wagon wheel’s stuck! Someone give us a push!"

It wasn’t just people struggling. Boxes too bulky for the wagons had to be hauled with ropes. Caged exotic beasts, foreign furniture, and heavy loads of raw ore strained the procession to its breaking point.

The woman, Su, dusted off her hands, muttering under her breath. Damn it. I’m an idiot for getting my hopes up and eating that meat.

From now on, she would never, under any circumstances, eat any meat given to her by Kakan. Su set her jaw, her fingers toying with the Gula Powder hidden in her pocket. Two days had passed since they left the Hwan Kingdom, and she’d already learned the caravan’s rhythms.

We get three meals a day. And dinner is always a stew made by throwing in all the leftovers from the previous meals.

She’d even packed Yellow Scorpion poison alongside the Gula Powder, a guaranteed recipe for violent sickness. Her mission was to keep this caravan trapped in the canyon as long as possible. If they turned back, all the better.

"Sun’s already setting."

This close to the wilderness, darkness descended with frightening speed once the sun dipped below the horizon. The second-in-command checked his watch, clicking his tongue. At this pace, they might not make it out in a week.

"Alright! We’ll make camp here for the night. Get dinner started. Don’t wander off, and everyone find yourselves a spot to sleep."

"Ugh, I’m dead. Just... dead."

"Whose brilliant idea was it to order this? Gods!"

"Who else? Some no-name noble, probably."

A chorus of groans and complaints rose as everyone dropped their loads. Su, as a dependent, didn’t have a litter to haul, but the caravan members each lugged burdens as big as themselves, or even bigger.

"Excuse me..."

Su approached the cooking area tentatively. A massive pot was already brimming with the day’s leftovers.

"Can I help with anything? I know I’m just a passenger, but everyone looks so worn out..."

What she really wanted to say was, You expect people to eat this garbage?! But she carefully maintained a gentle, helpful demeanor. This was exactly why Kakan had chosen her.

’Kakan knows you are responsible. It will certainly be a cold and arduous task. Other warriors are too hot-headed to endure, but you are different.’

And besides, you’re the fastest runner in Cheonryu, aren’t you? It’s a solo mission, so if things go south, you need to run, not fight. I honestly can’t think of anyone else.

She had to have been insane. To fall for Ian’s smooth-talking and end up in this predicament. Getting to the Hwan Kingdom was one thing, but traveling with this caravan was a special kind of hell.

"Help? Hmm."

"Don’t worry about it if it’s too much trouble."

"Actually, could you hold this for me?"

The caravan member scanned Su skeptically, but he was clearly too exhausted to object. Besides, she looked a lot more useful than those louts over there scratching their crotches.

"Isn’t it heavy?"

"Not... not really. It’s a bit heavy, but I’m fine."

"Wait a moment."

Su smiled awkwardly, supporting the pot. The cooks gave her fleeting glances, but they were too busy bustling around, preparing the evening meal, to pay her much attention.

She did this smoothly.

She slid a hand into her pocket, retrieving the Gula Powder. With a practiced flick of the wrist, she dumped the contents into the pot.

The caravan member returning with the seasonings gave her a curious look.

"You can set it down now. You’ve been holding it this whole time?"

"Oh, dear."

You bastard... You told me to hold it!

Su fought back a grimace, plastering on a smile. The man remarked on her strength before stirring the pot’s contents with a large wooden spoon. The Gula Powder disappeared into the mishmash of a stew.

"Time to serve! Who’s on duty?"

"Hell if I know. Your turn again."

"You bastard! I starved last night!"

"I’ll do it. I’m not that hungry."

"Really? You will?"

Su eagerly volunteered, and the caravan member, though surprised, happily relinquished the ladle. The server only got to eat if there was food left over, so he wasn’t about to argue.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

"Alright, everyone, form a line!"

"Who’s that?"

"A dependent who joined us in Hwan."

Su greeted everyone with a warm smile, giving the pot a vigorous stir. Any lingering clumps of Gula Powder were meticulously crushed with the ladle.

"Hey, this is a bit bland."

"Does it? Here, try adding some of this."

She even offered extra Gula Powder to those requesting more seasoning, a display of remarkable nerve. The man sprinkled the powder into his stew and took a bite, his eyes widening.

"...This!"

Crap, did he notice?

"...Wh-What is it?"

"It’s perfect now. Thanks."

The man gave a thumbs-up and walked off. Su released a frustrated sigh, resuming her stirring. She needed everyone to be doubled over in pain if she was going to get back to the desert...

"Haha! Best meal I’ve had in days!"

"Anyone got room for seconds? Burp."

Oblivious to Su’s scheming, the sounds of laughter and satisfaction rippled through the forest. Awooo— It sounded like a wolf howling in the distance.

Mereloff Estate.

"Mama, I’m hungry."

"Here, suck on this. Don’t bite. Dinner will be ready soon."

At her child’s whine, the mother produced a long strip of dried meat. The child sucked on it, slurp, but the savory taste soon proved too tempting; he started to chew, crunch, crunch.

"Hey, I told you not to chew it!"

"Waaaah!"

The child burst into tears at his mother’s harsh scolding.

This wasn’t an isolated scene. It was the same in the neighboring houses, the ones across the street, the ones behind. The toll of the worst harvest in recent memory was heavy indeed. While foreign trade was their main economic lifeline, this was... unprecedented.

"We’re doomed."

"Tell me about it. Never seen anything like this before."

"Didn’t we have a situation like this last year too?"

"Not this bad. This all started when blood got mixed in with the river. Shouldn’t we demand compensation from Bratz?"

"Now, now. Haven’t you heard? Someone from among the Mereloff Estate residents tried to kill Ian. Because of that, relations are said to be very awkward?"

It was a catastrophic harvest. The food stores from the previous year, meant to stave off famine, were almost gone. And they couldn’t ask Count Mereloff for charity. Irritating him might just lead to higher taxes.

"I hear the Bratz folks say Gula is quite tasty..."

"You want to turn into an animal? I’ll gladly roast you myself then. Ha!"

"No, really. There’s an advisor there from the Imperial Palace, and even he eats it all the time. They say we’re just behind the times because we’re on the frontier. Up north, the royals and nobles are all gobbling up Gula."

"Are you a moron? You believe that?"

"That’s why they’re offering money for people to gather Gula."

"Well, I..."

He wanted to retort, but no fitting response came to mind. Not only were they paying for weeds, they were reportedly planting them everywhere. It all sounded like a wild rumor, especially since they were strictly controlling outsiders.

"Forget Gula, I just want that caravan to get here. We’ll be left with nothing but our thumbs to suck at this rate."

Everyone nodded in solemn agreement. When the caravan arrived, they could provide lodging and services in exchange for money and food. And with that money, they could buy provisions from the caravan itself.

Since this was an annual event, they would always look north towards the Hwan Kingdom when the cold winds started to blow.

Clip-clop, clip-clop!

Suddenly, a lone horse galloped down the village’s main thoroughfare. Judging by his attire and the banner he carried, he was clearly from another land. He pulled on the reins, addressing the estate residents.

"Which way to the main manor?"

"Take the left path and go straight up. Are you with the caravan from the Hwan Kingdom?"

"I am."

His expression was grim. The estate residents stopped him before he could ride off.

"What’s happened?"

"The caravan’s been stranded in the canyon. Everyone ate something that disagreed with them, and they’re all down with severe food poisoning. Even the healers are collapsing, so I rode ahead to get help. Now, stand aside."

The man spurred his horse towards the manor, seeking urgent assistance. The estate residents stared blankly after him, his words ringing in their ears.

"Stranded there?"

So, when would they arrive? If they arrived at all? Their anxious gazes turned towards Mereloff Manor.

Meanwhile...

"What? Say that again?"

Count Mereloff was equally incredulous, demanding the messenger repeat himself. A massive caravan of over a hundred people, all crippled by food poisoning?

"It appears the evening meal was the culprit. At first, only a few showed symptoms, but as time went on... more than half are completely incapacitated."

It must have been quite a spectacle. All those people collapsed in that dense forest. Mereloff stroked his beard, momentarily calming his shocked nerves.

"Tsk tsk. I told them to stop making that pig slop all at once!"

How could the Count possibly understand the realities of a caravan crossing oceans and treacherous lands? Food poisoning was a common enough occurrence on caravan treks, but it was rare for so many to be so violently ill. Usually, it was just a minor stomach upset.

"Regardless, send doctors immediately. Our medical supplies were exhausted in a single day."

"How will the treatment be paid?"

"The caravan members will be covered by the caravan itself, and the outsiders will pay individually."

"Where are they located?"

"About here."

"That’s quite a distance. I’ll have to double the travel fee."

Count Mereloff added greedily, examining the map the man indicated. It looked like they’d barely cleared the mountain range’s entrance.

"The caravan leader said to do whatever is necessary. Survival comes first. But we’ve also dispatched a messenger to the Hwan Kingdom, so haste is of the essence."

"Very well. Wait here. Steward!"

"Yes, my lord?"

"Summon all the physicians in the estate, except for those who have difficulty walking."

Shortly thereafter, the steward reported that he’d assembled the healers, and Mereloff dispatched them with a soldier escort.

The horses, carrying the doctors, filed out of the estate. The estate residents followed their retreating figures with heavy hearts.