Night arrived, and under the canopy of darkness, some strange movements were afoot.
A caravan of goods trailed in the shaded world, with the ones responsible for them—the drivers of their respective carriages, and the watchers of the goods—performing their duties with absolute precision.
Their task was simple and straightforward, yet also enough to cause crippling anxiety.
A simple transportation of goods from one position to another; something the KariBlanc Group had engaged in numerous times.
They already had their specialized routes, and their transportation network was flawless.
At least, that was what they thought until goods started going missing and they found themselves unable to communicate with their couriers.
This downward spiral continued on until they stopped transportation altogether.
However, the current couriers had no fear that anything of that sort could happen to them now.
After all, they could all see the young lady who was with them.
She was in a carriage—one of the many being pulled by the powerful horses that were used for jobs like this.
The entire carriages were made using Enchantments, enabling them to be silent during transportation.
The horses could also be barely heard thanks to the couriers being experts that specialized in Skills like [Silence] and [Illusions].
In essence, unless someone intentionally sought them, and was incredibly powerful, there was no way they could be detected in the shadow of darkness.
The young lady that gave everyone confidence had pink hair and a cute appearance. She looked like she was in her early twenties; having a cheerful appearance that oozed nothing short of pure adorableness.
She had an oversized long-sleeved shirt on, with baggy trousers and simple shoes. She had no ornaments on—at least, none that were evident.
Her name was Yuri, and everyone within the KariBlanc Group knew her as the strongest warrior they had.
She was efficient and thorough, and contrary to what her appearance would make anyone assume… she was ruthless.
As if Yuri wasn't enough for the mission, there was one more person within the carriage.
This man made the couriers tremble in nervousness; forgetting the familiar solace that Yuri offered.
His presence was both reassuring and unsettling, and his silence made them shiver.
His name was Ralyks, and he currently sat opposite Yuri in their carriage as they sped through the darkness.
With these two guarding the caravan, their safety was a foregone conclusion.
… Or so it would seem.
******
"… And that's how I completed my first job. It was a little messy, but I managed to pull through."
"I… see…"
As Rey and Yuri sat in the speeding carriage, the latter was making small talk by referring to many areas of her life in an attempt to make conversation.
'Why? Why won't she stop?' Rey pondered within himself as he nearly broke his facade.
Still, he chose to endure.
"How about you, Sir Ralyks? When did you start this kind of work?"
'Why is she asking me stuff like this?' He wondered within himself as he looked at her cute, unassuming face.
Rey doubted that the KariBlanc Group put Yuri up to this, so it had to just be her personality.
'Any other employee would treat me with reverence, but it seems she doesn't understand the meaning of that.'
Rey also noticed that the girl could not pick a hint.
'I've clearly shown how I don't want to talk, yet she keeps bringing up topics.'
And as a teenage boy, he felt bad not responding to them at all. In the end, he would just give short replies, or try to make the conversation end.
'But she won't stop!'
The reason why Rey just didn't want to talk to Yuri didn't have anything to do with her current demeanor.
The young lady was kind, endearing, and downright interesting to talk to.
She was also very pretty, and Rey knew he could think of a million topics to discuss with her if he was into it.
But… he just wasn't.
'I don't think I can view her the same way after seeing what she did.'
The way she slaughtered people with a big smile on her face, and the way that expression of savagery could easily revert to this cute demeanor… it scared Rey a little.
Still, since she really wasn't doing anything wrong or completely out of line, he just decided to endure everything.
'I wonder how Alicia would look at me if she found out Ralyks and I are the same person.'
He didn't really know, but he had a feeling it wouldn't really be good.
'I better just hold off on telling her that information. At least, for now…' He nearly sighed under his mask as he looked at the girl he was stuck with for the night.
'All this wouldn't be happening if I could just teleport everyone to the target destination.'
Unfortunately for him, he couldn't.
'I guess I need to have been to the location first—or see it—
before I can use teleportation that way.
Plus, since he would be transporting so many people and items, he had to be extra careful with how he handled Spatial Magic.
'That leaves only this option. It's not so bad, though. At the very least, I can study one of the trade routes in person and have a firsthand experience of the way KariBlanc transports goods.'
So far, it had been smooth sailing. They had long passed Capital Territory, and their destination was about a city away.
"Sir Ralyks, you've still not answered my question. No fair…!" As Yuri grumbled slightly, Rey felt himself roll his eyes.
'Acting cute won't help you. Besides, what exactly am I supposed to say to your question?'
After narrating a bloody story to him, which involved Yuri cutting down all the enemies as if they were strawmen, she was expecting him no narrate a similar story.
'Well, I have none!' Rey knew he couldn't say that as Ralyks, so he considered what to say instead.
Then—
"Enough small talk. We have company.
—Rey sensed something that shifted his mood and tone instantly.
'Sweet! Saved by the enemies!'
Rey felt a tinge of gratitude for the approaching assailants.
They couldn't have picked the perfect moment to arrive.
"O-oh? I can't sense anything, Sir Ralyks!" Yuri responded, her face slowly resembling a professional.
"That's because they're still a distance off. Go tell the drivers and everyone else to be on their guard."
Yuri nodded slowly.
"Should we get prepared to stop?" Rey shook his head the moment she asked this.
"That won't be necessary. We'll deal with them while maintaining our usual pace—don't worry."
Rey didn't want any delays on their travels.
The estimated Travel Time factored moments where they would have to slow down or stop in case of enemy attacks, but Rey wanted to eliminate that completely.
It was already almost midnight, and Rey wanted to sleep as soon as he possibly could.
'I also have a busy day tomorrow, so the sooner this ends… the better for me.'
Thus, as he watched Yuri leave the carriage to speak to the drivers, Rey prepared himself for conflict.
'I just have to end things quickly, while also protecting the goods.' He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment.
"That shouldn't be too hard."