The three youths stared at a man standing across the river. The man smiled, spreading his arms slightly as if asserting his dominance toward them. They raised their weapons, ready to attack if he dared to do anything.
But the man wasn't afraid of them. Despite the weapons aimed at him, there was no trembling. Moreover, he didn't even attempt to fight back by activating his Soul Weapon.
"Why don't you fight back?" Micah asked calmly.
"Because even if I did, it would be futile, wouldn't it? I know what happened in that village. The hundreds of Hamud soldiers, and the grand marshal."
The man glanced towards the skeleton hidden in the bushes.
"As a result, we, the subordinates of Lord Ingro, were attacked on charges of killing the grand marshal. It was painful..."
Now it was confirmed that the man was the one who killed the two soldiers and left their bodies for the scavengers living there.
"So you're Ingro's eye?" (Rudi)
"Exactly," he nodded, smiling slyly.
*Bam!
Suddenly and without warning, Micah fired at the mysterious man's head but missed. He did it intentionally.
"Micah?!" (Rudi and Lidya)
"There are two bodies here, and you alone. Should I trust you?! These two could be Ingro's eyes, and you killed them, then claimed you're the 'eye'!" Micah yelled angrily. With each word, he showed his distrust of the man.
This time was different from when they met Doris. This time his suspicion was based. The two bodies in the bushes could very well be the 'eyes', while the man in front of them could be a Hamud soldier.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!
The man clapped his hands, smiling gleefully. "Impressive! You (looking at Micah) even considered such a possibility. Just as expected from someone who slaughtered the entire Hamud army alone."
Micah glared. He felt the danger of the information from this man. It wasn't usual for Lidya and Rudi to see Micah trembling with fear.
Micah lowered his gun and sighed. He took off his sunglasses and looked at the man clearly. He nodded knowingly as if he understood the man across from them.
"You're really filled with information," Micah said with a sly smile.
"Of course," he nodded, bowing slightly, "if not, then we wouldn't be worthy of being called 'eyes.'"
"So, do you know what we want?" Rudi tried to steer the conversation back.
"Apologies for that, I am indeed filled with information, but I am not a psychic who can read minds."
It seemed their desire to go to the capital city's hall was still intact. With that, they could also conclude that the information obtained from the 'Eye' was limited to visual.
"So, what do you want?" he asked.
"Firstly, why didn't you introduce yourself? We have to call you, right? The author can't just keep saying 'that guy or the man' all the time," (Lidya)
(*Smiling)
"Call me Camel, that's my code name." As an Eye, he had to conceal his name entirely.
"Code name, huh?" (Rudi)
"All right, Camel... We want one thing, which is a way back home. And I heard that the hall in the capital city is a sacred place that might have clues about it."
Camel nodded, understanding Rudi's statement. "So basically, you're asking for entry to the hall? And as a bonus, you want information on how to return to your world. Not bad."
Camel whispered to himself, "So they're not from this world? No wonder (his smile became sharper)..." None of them heard his whisper.
"So, do you know if Igor can do it?" Lidya asked.
"If it's just granting access to the hall, it's too easy for him. So I'll use 'information on how to return to your world' as his primary request."
Camel didn't seem bothered by Lidya's mispronunciation of his master's name. From how he acted, it seemed his master's name was difficult to mention.
"Okay, then... What should we do first? Siege a castle? Raid a village?" Rudi anticipated crazy possibilities.
"Just as a start, Lord Ingro is saddened by his wife's capture by his brother in an underground cell in Sayejij city. So, I ask you to rescue his wife, Juno, and bring her to Burk City." (Camel)
"After gaining full trust from Lord Ingro, I'm sure he'll provide you with troops to help you conquer the entire village in this country." (Camel)
"After that, we go to conquer Sayejij City, and thus, the capital becomes the last defensive place of the Duke. His army's morale will surely be shattered, making our victory easier." (Camel)
Camel revealed a plan that was easy to say but hard to realize. Conquering a village takes a lot of time, and they are in a hurry. The plan didn't fit with the time they had.
"Is there a faster plan than having to conquer villages one by one?" Rudi asked.
They didn't care if the alternative was more dangerous and deadly, as long as it was faster. They were ready for anything.
Camel was slightly disappointed with Rudi's decision. His face wrinkled in annoyance, but his professionalism held him back from spontaneous cursing. "There is... But it would be very dangerous."
"What is it?" Lidya felt scared by Camel's flat yet suppressed annoyed tone.
"You have to conquer Sayejij City alone without the help of soldiers and me!" His words were like lightning in a storm. His overflow of emotion seemed to flow out of that sentence.
"I understand, so, along with rescuing Mrs. Juno, we also have to conquer the city, right?" Micah didn't seem afraid of that deal. He looked pleased and agreed easily.
"Are you sure?!" (Camel)
"Hmm," nodding, "the second plan is faster and easier for me." (Rudi)
If Rudi nodded, it meant the plan was set. They would rescue Mrs. Juno while carrying out their mission to conquer the city.
"Ahahaha (laughing madly)! You're really crazy! I admit it! Lord Ingro really judged you very well!"
"So, where is this city?" (Lidya)
"Near the border of Wijaya, you could say the city is stolen from that country."
Looking back at the map, Sayejij City was near Wijaya State. They didn't know where it was yet, but they had someone who knew where the city must be.
"Understood! We'll head there then!" Micah led them forward. "Hey, you! Camel, right? Come be our guide!" Micah stepped onto the other side of the river and grabbed the man's armor.
"Hey, wait! I said I won't help in this second plan!"
"Didn't we tell you we're not from this world? So you should understand that we don't know the way!" Rudi jumped across and walked behind Micah.
"Ah! You guys!"
"You might as well help..." Lidya approached the man. Suddenly her sweet face turned grim and terrified Camel beyond normal. "... You should be there as a delegation of your master, shouldn't you?"
"A-Alright! I get it!" The mysterious figure of Camel disappeared, replaced by a cowardly one.
Lidya's intimidation wasn't child's play when her opponent was a man.
With that, the three of them plus Camel walked towards Sayejij City to show their capabilities and gain the trust of the Count.