A couple of seconds passed until the white mist dispersed, but as soon as the gloom cleared, I heard Kurone's futile attempts to reach me.
"Krito... KRITO! CAN YOU HEAR ME!?" Kurone's voice penetrated through the dissipating fog.
"Yes, I can hear you. Why shout so loudly?"
"You let her go, what were you thinking?"
"We just talked with her. If we hurry, we can easily catch up."
"What are you even talking about? She's already two kilometers north of you, and I've almost lost her trail."
"That's impossible; we were just talking to her," I recalled the moment of her disappearance. "Could she have teleported from here?"
"Uh, that's unlikely," Kurone's voice sounded slightly annoyed. "It's more like you froze for a short time."
"Explain."
"For nearly half a minute, you didn't move or show any signs of life, and I got really scared for you. But then, you came to as if nothing had happened."
"Let's go back to the others; we won't catch her anyway," Asura nonchalantly sheathed her katana and headed towards the road.
On the road, our comrades had already disarmed the bandits. The trio captured earlier was tied to a tree, all of them young girls no older than fifteen, with either blue eyes or blue and white hair. Only the muscular man with scars on his face and messy black hair sat proudly on the ground, awaiting our return.
"And how did it come to this?" Asura walked towards the man, shaking her head in despair. "Hiren, maybe you can tell me how this happened."
"It was necessary for the clan's survival, Asura-sama," the term the man used for her meant "lady" or "lord" in the clan.
"That's right, Lady Asura."
"Maybe it's not over yet."
The girls tied to the tree whispered to each other quietly.
"You were my father's right hand, how could you allow all this?" Asura, in rage, raised the massive man with one hand. "Hiren, how could you let Yuki use that power!? You know she'll die if she continues!"
"She's the clan's leader, and the responsibility for not only her life but also the lives of her people lies on her shoulders."
"I've had enough of this nonsense!" Asura threw the man against the trunk of the nearest tree. "If you need sacrifices to preserve the clan, then I'm ready to be one! I'm the clan's leader, and you don't need to torture my sister anymore!"
"Heh, so you finally remembered your duties? Why didn't you think about it earlier?" The man sneered, emphasizing the last phrase.
"I wanted good things for the family. If I became a noblewoman, I could have reclaimed our lands and wouldn't have to submit to the baron anymore."
"However, you came here from the castle. That means he hired you and your friends to 'get rid of the bandits'?" The man smirked maliciously.
"I used that contract as an excuse to come here because I felt you needed help."
"Even if you say so," Hiren's tone became respectful again, "but what will you do about your companions? Will they simply give up a lucrative offer for your sake, Lady Asura?"
Despite his respectful tone, he tried to catch us off guard.
"They are my friends, and I rely on their support," Asura replied.
"But we won't be able to pay them even for simply leaving our lands without a fight."
"Hey! And what about the gold from the royal entourage?" Vina, who had just regained consciousness, tried to protest but immediately fell silent again.
"Haha, it seems you fell for that lie too? You're not the first ones to believe the baron. Although you are the most talented," Hiren said mockingly.
"What do you mean?" Katrina stepped forward. "I'm the Guild Master who accepted this contract. If you have evidence that the baron lied to us, we can reconsider whom to support in this conflict."
"Heh, even so, young lady," Hiren sneered, giving the princess a contemptuous glance, "you're clearly from a noble family. Why bother caring about commoners' lives? You'd better go back to your castle and continue your carefree life."
The warrior's words stung Katrina, but she wasn't as impulsive as before.
"I understand that you don't trust me, but all people's lives matter to me, regardless of their status."
"Well, if that's true, I still can't trust you."
"Let us meet with the clan leader; I can convince her!" Asura confidently stared at the man, but he only looked back at us.
"And how do you propose I lead a group of mercenaries straight into our hideout? You're asking for too much, Asura-sama."
"Then don't lead all of us," I interjected into the conversation. "Take only Asura, me, and Katrina. Three hostages, just like we have. If the negotiations go awry, you can exchange the three of us for your prisoners."
"Hmm," Hiren nodded to his companions and stood up from the ground. "Alright, young man, you suggested that. But promise that they won't fall into the baron's clutches. I'd like to see my proteges intact."
"Okay, Kat, are you okay with this?"
"Hmm, the prospect of being taken captive as soon as we arrive doesn't excite me, but if there's no other choice, it's fine," Katrina turned and appraised her comrades with a thoughtful look. "Grain, you'll stay as the leader. Don't worry; we'll be back soon."
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her too!" Hilda waved her hand, and I promptly cut off the haughty princess.
"And you should worry! Sit in the carriage and don't do anything unexpected!" I firmly settled Hilda into the carriage.
"Hey! Why are you attacking me as if I did something wrong?"
"EXACTLY!! The battle hasn't even started, and because of you, we lost two fighters!"
"Not my problem; you should have taken better care of your weapons," Hilda grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest.
"NO! It IS YOUR problem. You were responsible for the weapons and lost them. If you can't work with the team, there's no point in trying to fight with us!" I raised my voice at the fair-skinned princess, and she turned away with obvious resentment. She didn't say anything more but clearly harbored deep resentment toward me. "Alright, Grain, keep an eye on her too."
"And you all be careful," Grain waved to us, and we disappeared into the thicket.
Hiren confidently led us through the forest, periodically changing direction.
"Are you leading us in circles?"
"You are observant, young man. It's a simple precaution. If your friends decide to follow us, they might stumble into a couple of traps."
"I understand, but you don't need to worry about them. They trust us as much as we trust them."
"Well, well, you don't look like the mercenaries the baron sent before."
"So, there were others?" Katrina joined the conversation. "You mentioned them already, but how many groups has he sent after you?"
"You will be the, hmm, fifteenth group, and not the most numerous one. He hasn't sent anyone to us in the last week, and we hoped he'd leave us alone. But then you showed up and dragged us back into the battle."
"But you robbed the royal entourage carrying tax revenues. Naturally, he will send squads after you!"
"It's all a lie. We attacked the entourage, but it was already empty, there was no gold there, and the official was dead. The baron wanted to frame us so badly that he even resorted to killing a high-ranking official. If you had destroyed our fortress, he would have planted the remains of the gold there and presented it all as a clash with bandits."
"But why should we trust you and not him?" Katrina still doubted the words of the bandit.
"Why, in your opinion, didn't he call for help from the royal guard? After so many failures, it would have been easier to admit guilt rather than spend money on mercenaries."
The fact that he turned to Katrina for help now raised even more suspicions. The baron was clearly up to no good.
"And where are you taking us?" Asura asked cautiously, addressing her old acquaintance.
"To an old fortress, which used to be the home of our clan in ancient times. After the destruction of the village, it was the only place where we could hide."
"That's strange. I've never heard of it, and we were forbidden to go to this part of the forest."
As we progressed, the trees became taller, and the canopies denser. I sometimes noticed notches on the upper branches, as if made by throwing knives used by the attackers.
"Because this is the Shadow Forest. Only shadow warriors are allowed to enter here," Hiren confidently walked through the forest, avoiding all gullies and stones, as if it were his native home.