The night shifted into its latter half.
Except for those responsible for taking turns standing watch, almost the entire camp had fallen into a deep sleep.
It was at this moment that a stealthy figure approached the caravan's supply storage area.
“She” first carefully checked the surroundings to make sure no one was paying attention to this area, and then began to move.
“She” carefully rummaged through the supplies, only stopping when she opened several large wooden barrels and saw what was inside.
“She” looked around once more, confirming again that no one was paying attention to this area, before taking the next step.
“She” pulled a vial from her bosom, uncorked it, and poured its contents into the barrels. After pouring a certain amount into each barrel, “she” tucked the vial back into her bosom, gently replaced the lids, restored the rummaged supplies to their original state, and tiptoed away.
Once that person had gone completely out of sight, a group of figures suddenly appeared beside the supplies.
“What Chandler said was true; a spy from the bandits really sneaked in!”
“I'll go catch him right now!”
“Wait—!”
Chandler spoke up to stop them.
Hearing this, everyone stopped and looked at Chandler.
Chandler was the initiator of this operation, so the other caravan leaders naturally wanted to hear his opinion.
“Chandler, why are we still waiting? We caught him red-handed, why aren't we seizing him?”
Chandler thought for a moment, then turned his head to look at Shulim.
“Miss Shulim, you provided the information. What do you think we should do?”
Shulim thought for a moment, looked at the drugged storage water, and then raised her head to ask, “Mr. Chandler, does the caravan have an accompanying physician?”
“Naturally, we do!”
Chandler nodded and replied.
“Then, could we have that physician identify what kind of drug they used and what its effects are?”
“Oh? Miss Shulim, do you mean...”
Chandler's eyes narrowed slightly, having already guessed Shulim's plan...
Soon, the caravan members removed the inner compartments from the wooden barrels. Chandler had already taken precautionary measures upon learning that the other party might target the water supply.
The spy thought they had poisoned the water, but in reality, they had only poured it into the compartments containing a small amount of water. Most of the water was beneath the compartments and remained uncontaminated.
The caravan members disposed of the poisoned water, took a sample to hand over to the physician for identification, and then refrained from making any rash moves or arresting the spy, choosing instead to monitor them in secret.
According to Shulim's plan, they were in the open while the enemy was in the dark. If they arrested the spy, the bandit group would definitely be alerted and would certainly not make a move tomorrow. Given the bandits' nature, they wouldn't just give up on their target and might come up with some other underhanded tricks instead.
Instead of waiting for them to strike from some unknown place, it was better to keep this bait and fish in the open.
...
The next day.
Several of the caravan's leaders gathered the various adventurer parties, as well as the passengers who had stepped up to fight the goblins yesterday, publicly thanking everyone and promising additional monetary rewards once they reached their destination.
Everyone adjourned the meeting and departed “satisfied,” then began to eat breakfast.
In an inconspicuous spot among the crowd, a certain person's gaze remained fixed on the caravan's meeting place. Seeing these people emerge and hearing the contents of the “meeting” leaked from their conversations, they felt slightly more at ease.
However, it wasn't until everyone in the convoy, including all the adventurers, had eaten the breakfast made with the water provided by the caravan that this person's final shred of doubt was dispelled.
While there was still some time before the drug's effects kicked in, “she” quietly walked toward the edge of the forest.
“Where are you going?”
“Ah—?!”
That person was startled. Looking back with trepidation, she found it was a familiar little girl. Feeling slightly relieved, she spoke with a stiff smile, “I'm going to relieve myself in the forest. Do you want to come along?”
The little girl peeked at the forest ahead and said with some “timidity,” “I'll pass. I heard there are dangerous monsters lurking in there, so don't go too far.”
“Thank you for your concern, little sister! I won't go too far and will be back very soon!”
The middle-aged woman who shared the same carriage as Shulim said with a smile, then hurriedly walked into the forest.
Very soon... I hope you all really come quickly.
Watching the middle-aged woman's silhouette disappear among the trees, Shulim thought to herself.
...
Deep in the forest.
“You're here. Did you do as I told you?”
Just as the middle-aged woman arrived at the agreed-upon location, the bandit from last night was already waiting for her.
“I did as you said and put the drug in the water. This morning, I also saw them with my own eyes eat the breakfast made with that water.”
“Oh~ is that so?”
The bandit stroked his chin, not directly ordering an attack just because of the middle-aged woman's words.
“Hey, someone come here!”
Rustle, rustle!
The bushes behind him shook, and a lean man walked out.
“Second-in-Command.”
The bandit glanced at the lean man. “Go take a look and verify.”
“Yes, sir!”
The lean man responded and dashed toward the caravan's camp, quickly disappearing from their field of vision.
Not long after the lean man left.
“... I've already done as you said. Isn't it time for you to return my son to me as agreed?”
The middle-aged woman stared intently at the bandit's Second-in-Command before her.
“Heh~!”
The Second-in-Command snorted in disdain, but still said, “Don't be in such a hurry, we haven't confirmed it yet~! Besides, your son won't lose a piece of flesh if he returns a little late~! Hahaha~!”
“You—!”
The middle-aged woman's eyes were bloodshot as she questioned in anger, “Are you trying to break our agreement?!”
Hearing this, the Second-in-Command of the bandit group narrowed his eyes, his gaze quickly turning cold.
He stared coldly at the middle-aged woman.
“At this point, what are you talking about? Who was the one who partnered with us in the illegal slave trade in the first place? Do you even remember how many people you kidnapped yourself? Or do you actually think you're innocent?”
The middle-aged woman's voice faltered, but then she said with forced firmness, “Since you still remember that I'm your business partner, then why did you kidnap my son?!”
“Oh~! Did that happen~? Seeing that guy by your side back then, we thought he was a new piece of merchandise you got. Sorry about that, we took him without verifying~!”
“You—! You—! You are absolutely shameless!”
The middle-aged woman was so angry she was almost speechless.
However, the Second-in-Command didn't care at all, instead teasing, “Likewise, likewise~!”
Rustle, rustle!
A noise came from the woods.
The lean man ran back excitedly, shouting, “It's done, it's done! Everyone in the camp has collapsed!”
The Second-in-Command's eyes flared. “Are you absolutely sure?”
The lean man nodded repeatedly. “Positive! I saw several adventurers holding weapons and shouting anxiously in the camp, but with the way they were swaying, they probably won't last more than a few minutes!”
“Hahaha!”
The Second-in-Command burst into laughter, then threw his head back and shouted, “Brothers, we've got work! Get in there, all of you!”
Rate on N.U.
