The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 507: Volume 11: Misty Cage and Smoke Lock, - 19: First Glimpse of Clues

Chapter 507: Volume 11: Misty Cage and Smoke Lock, Chapter 19: First Glimpse of Clues

"Uh, our Mercenary Corps isn’t that large, you may have already known. In fact, we used to be a relatively powerful mercenary group in the Binos Tees region. You might have heard of our former name, the Black Rose Mercenary Group; we had a bit of a reputation within the Northern Alliance. The Dark Night Angel Mercenary Group is the new name we registered after something happened to our corps. More than half a year ago, our corps took on a mission to deliver a batch of processed timber to the Hulun Prairie. The task didn’t seem particularly special at first, but it brought our mercenary group to the brink of disaster.""

The Female Priest’s face showed a look of heartbreaking sorrow, as though she did not wish to recall the days gone by.

"Although the Hulun Prairie does occasionally see conflict, it’s not particularly dangerous for mercenary groups if they can stay updated with local developments. Since many in our group hail from the Hulun Prairie, we could avoid wars between beastmen and Mortals as long as we stayed alert. To be on the safe side, we sent over sixty people to escort the goods to the Hulun Prairie, but none of those comrades ever returned. They were ambushed by beastmen on the prairie, the cargo was looted, and all of them were sacrificed there," she said, dabbing her tears with a handkerchief and trying to appear stronger.

"If this had been a random tragedy, we might have been able to move on. The beastmen roam the Hulun Prairie freely and often attack our mortal caravans, but this mission was different. Our employer did not accompany us, and the beastmen’s assault was not a large-scale attack but a deliberate ambush on our only route. They knew our movements and timing perfectly—it was a targeted strike, a downright premeditated murder!" The Female Priest became visibly agitated as she spoke of this.

"After such a blow, our Mercenary Corps was on the verge of collapse, but the remaining members would not let such murder go unchallenged. Even if it meant death, we were determined to seek clarity and justice. The culprits underestimated our strength in the North. Havier was from the Hulun Prairie, and through various means, we discovered that the cargo we were transporting did not seem to be just the processed timber the client had initially requested. It seemed to be parts specifically made for assembling a certain facility. Moreover, the designated delivery location had no human inhabitants or recipients, which means that the cargo was intended to be seized by the beastmen all along, or to put it more bluntly, it was prepared for the beastmen!" Her expression became exceptionally calm as she spoke.

"Hmm, are you suggesting that the employer deliberately hired you to transport these goods to the beastmen, to avoid exposure and be able to conceal their identity in case of an interception? That means there must be a significant issue with this cargo. But if it’s just some so-called equipment parts, what could that be?" Komer mused before responding, "What are these people concealing with such secrecy and cruelty? Perhaps only by solving this riddle can we find the clues to those behind the scene."

The question raised made even Komer’s own heart stir.

He remembered that over a year ago, while still in Cyprus, Ilot had mentioned that beastmen had breached several castles and fortresses in the North using siege weapons, causing an extremely perilous situation which forced the kingdom to re-establish the Iron Cross and Blue Dove legions. Although the situation in the North stabilized later due to the beastmen’s withdrawal, the creation of these two legions also put significant pressure on the kingdom’s lords.

The downfall of Myron Duchy and the breach of Mycenae were also largely due to beastmen-controlled siege weapons. Yet, how the beastmen came into possession of such siege weapons, which could not have been produced within their ranks, remained a mystery.

Komer was certain that including the kingdom, all the nations within the Northern Alliance must have spent considerable effort investigating this mystery, but to this day, there is no clear explanation. One thing is certain: the beastmen could not have made such intricately crafted items requiring Magic Metal processing technology on their own—it would be almost harder than turning them into Mortals.

The origin of those siege weapons thus remained an inexplicable enigma, and many began to suspect that someone within the Mortals or to speak more precisely, within the Northern Alliance, had colluded with the beastmen. The calming of the conflict in the Western Alliance seemed to corroborate this, but without evidence, no one could say for certain.

After all, the beastmen are the common enemy of all Mortals. If they were to surge forth like a tide, it would spell disaster for every Mortal on the Northern Continent. No one would dare to play with fire so recklessly.

But hearing all this today gave Komer a premonition that the cargo might have some inseparable connection to the siege weapons the beastmen wielded. But why would they transport such items in this manner? If the beastmen got their hands on things through such ultimate means, there should have been issues long ago.

Seeing the complexity on the other’s face, Komer suddenly realized that the person must have some understanding of the details of the cargo, or they would not have shown such a strange expression. He hadn’t seen that the Mercenary Corps still had some influence over the Hulun Prairie, managing to approximate the situation of such matters; he became increasingly intrigued by this Mercenary Corps.

Each individual was distinctly odd, a Dwarf Warrior, Noble Priest, Giant Warrior, and even a Beautiful Female Assassin; even the Young Warrior was an expert from Binos Tees. Such a combination did not resemble the foundation of a small Mercenary Group at all, let alone the Black Rose Mercenary Group that had already disintegrated. Why then had these people fled to Prague?

Eve seemed to have forgotten that the two individuals in front of her had only just joined her Mercenary Group. Unconsciously, she had begun to rely on this Mage before her, impressed by his calmness and capability; she felt an impulse to hand over the heavy burden that had been pressing on her shoulders.

The heavy burden she had carried from the Hulun Prairie all the way to Prague had exhausted her. She also realized that the complexity and danger of the situation far exceeded the ordinary imagination. She even dared not share her suspicions with the other members of the group, and this immense psychological pressure made her feel unbearably oppressed and stifled.

"Eve, I feel like we may have already fallen into some kind of crisis," Komer said. "I’m not sure when Burianos was injured or who hurt him."

Komer seemed quite willing to take over the leadership of the Mercenary Corps. At least, his current demeanor had made both the Dwarf Warrior and the Mortal Warrior recognize the disparity. As for the female assassin, she consciously handed over the leadership after the Female Priest took the stage.

"Half a Month ago, they caught up to us in a forest in Selingers. We lost six companions in that combat, leaving just the five of us to dive into the river and escape. We don’t know how much longer we can keep running. Maybe Prague is the last stop of our lives."

A faint sadness appeared on the face of the Female Priest. Perhaps used to seeing life and death, the group’s expressions bore additional sorrow and melancholy, seemingly without the spirit to worry about it anymore.

Komer was inwardly startled; he had not expected the pursuers to be so relentless and daring as to chase them down to Selingers. Selingers was already in the densely populated southern plains of the Northern Alliance. The fact that they dared to strike there showed a determined intent to annihilate. Still, Komer was puzzled why, if the enemy was resolved to wipe them out, were these few targets spared?

Perhaps sensing Komer’s doubts, Eve calmly explained, "Burianos and I couldn’t have escaped, but two comrades from our Mercenary Corps traded their lives for ours. We were up against three Mages, two Assassins, and ten warriors. Burianos killed an Assassin and a warrior; another two warriors perished with our comrades. In the end, our companion used a space teleportation scroll to send us away, allowing us to escape by luck. As for Grace and the others, they left earlier and didn’t encounter this slaughter. We’ve come here in the hopes that the Mage Guild’s Roundtable Conference will be held soon in Prague, attracting the attention of many prominent figures, which might deter our pursuers."

"Have you encountered those people in Prague yet?" Komer asked with a nod.

"Not yet; I estimate they haven’t arrived in Prague at this time, but they won’t let us go. They will track us here," Eve replied, smiling suddenly. "I’m sorry, Reese, Grace did not tell you the truth. I apologize on behalf of the Dark Night Angel Mercenary Group, and you are free to leave now."