My Imra feels weaker than usual. I’m hiding my presence as much as possible, following Mirtha’s recommendation. Anyone without particularly sharp senses wouldn’t notice anything strange, they would simply see me as a ruby rank with unstable foundations or someone who has only recently advanced.
I present the card proving that I’m part of the convoy’s security personnel. The chief guard inspects it and assigns me a wagon and a seat. I head to my position quickly, only greeting a few people who seem friendly along the way.
I was able to feel several curious gazes at the beginning. They inspected me with their senses. Some of them were more reckless, using their Imra to probe me a little. After finding nothing interesting, they withdrew it.
I’ll let that lack of respect pass because I didn’t sense any malice in their Imra, and as soon as they confirmed I wasn’t anyone special, they stopped. I also don’t want to draw attention to myself by complaining about people simply investigating me.
The wagons are much larger than expected, several groups can fit inside without any problems. The most noticeable group is sitting diagonally across from me. There are four of them, two men and two women.
One of the men is clearly the tank of the team because of his armor made from some kind of metal and his large shield. Another appears to be a fast attacker because of the long daggers hanging from her waist. The young man looks like a long-range attacker because of the staff he’s hugging, and the last member is a girl carrying a greatsword. She seems to be the leader because she keeps giving instructions to the others.
The movement of the caravan puts everyone on alert for a moment. Most people are “relaxed” during the journey, sitting with their eyes closed or simply trying to pass the time with friends. I can faintly feel the Imra of some of them, they’re slightly nervous.
All of us know that an attack may come. No, we will be attacked at some point. I close my eyes and lower my black hood to avoid curious gazes. I’m the only person in this entire wagon who is alone, everyone else has at least one companion.
People became much more enthusiastic when dinner was delivered. Everyone seemed far more animated, and some groups even started talking with each other.
The slightly tense atmosphere completely disappeared when someone brought out drinks. Everyone began enjoying the journey a little more. So far, I don’t see anyone drinking more than they should.
I remain seated in my chair with my eyes closed, simply resting my head. I’d rather remain unnoticed for as long as possible.
“Aren’t you going to join us?” The mage from the four-person group approaches and sits beside me.
“I never found the opportunity, and I don’t drink very much.” I answer while opening my eyes slightly. It feels wrong to lie after getting drunk several times for no reason.
The mage, with black eyes, a small button-like nose, and equally dark long hair, looks surprised by my response. “Nobody’s going to invite you if you stare at everyone with that unfriendly expression and sit in a corner with your eyes closed. By the way, I’m Paulo. Nice to meet you.” He greets me.
I smile slightly. “I’m Emago. Nice to meet you too.” I use my alias just like I did in the previous village. I was tempted to use another name, but in the end I dismissed the idea.
“If you’d like, you can join my group. Those three people over there are my teammates.” He points toward where they’re sitting.
I think about it for a few seconds. It’s not a bad idea to stay here until something happens, but I’ll also attract suspicion if I refuse to interact with the strongest group in the wagon.
“I’d love to.” I stand up and follow him toward his group. There are already two small chairs waiting in front of the other three members.
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Once I arrive, everyone introduces themselves. The girl with the daggers is Isabel, the large man with the shield is Tierry, and the team leader is Maelli. All of them have black hair and brown eyes, which seems to be the most common appearance in this region.
“We don’t like seeing people alone, you know? We used to be very introverted ourselves, but by chance we ended up meeting each other. That helped build our confidence, and eventually we formed a team.” Maelli speaks while moving her hands animatedly.
“Yes, it was difficult at first... none of us could give clear orders or take charge until Maelli found the courage to become our leader. It took several years to get where we are now.” Tierry lets out a long sigh after finishing.
“Tell us a little about yourself, Emago. You don’t seem to be from around here.” Isabel asks. They’ve been telling stories and talking about themselves for several minutes already. It’s been entertaining and quite funny.
“I come from a small village in the Empire. Right now, I’m wandering from place to place trying to find a direction in life and surviving through contracts like this one. It’s not a bad life, I can’t complain.” I answer as naturally as possible.
“Alone? Isn’t that too dangerous?” Maelli asks.
“It comes with more risks and also some advantages. I like moving around on my own. I never have to argue with a group, I can simply go wherever I want.” I answer the energetic woman. She doesn’t seem like someone who was ever introverted.
“You’re right... sometimes it’s a headache deciding where to go next or which missions to take. Whenever we can’t agree, we flip a coin so there won’t be any resentment later.” She shows me a rather old bronze coin. “It’s a souvenir from our first successful mission. We won’t complain if something goes wrong.”
We continue talking for several hours, mostly about their missions. I focus on learning from them. They give me advice about monsters, places I should never visit alone, and I learn through their experiences.
I only talk about a few dungeon missions. I lie and say they were paid jobs. Every dungeon or monster stampede I’ve been involved in happened because I wanted to be there.
Maelli’s point of view:
The blue-eyed boy called Emago is much more reasonable than we initially thought. People as handsome and supposedly strong as him tend to be quite strange or egocentric. He’s very calm, keeps to himself, and never criticizes anyone.
My ability related to survival instincts keeps screaming that he’s strong. It’s difficult to believe because he doesn’t give off the typical feeling of someone superior, and Emago looks very young. I can’t doubt my ability because it has always saved me from the worst situations.
Paulo is telling the story of how we almost died trapped in a dangerous area. I remember that day, being surrounded by dozens of monsters while my ability showed me a path that seemed risky. In the end, we trusted it and survived.
Just before he reaches the part where we had to choose which route to take, I see Emago tilt his head slightly to one side. His brows are furrowed, and I can feel several abilities activating inside his body.
“Emago? Is something wrong?” I ask.
The moment I finish speaking, a faint sense of danger appears through my ability. It isn’t coming from Emago but from the direction he’s looking toward. Did he notice it before everyone else? Nobody else seems to have realized.
“We’re under attack! Prepare yourselves!” A voice echoes throughout the wagon. It belongs to the lead guard.
I can feel everyone grabbing their weapons and preparing to rush through the emergency exits. My team is ready to follow me, they reacted immediately. When I turn toward the seat where Emago should be, I realize it’s empty. A quick glance around confirms I can’t see him anywhere.
“Stay close to me and don’t separate. If you see Emago, let me know.” Everyone nods firmly at my words. It only takes us a few seconds to leave the wagon, and we’re met by something completely unexpected. A massive wave of powerful magical constructs of all kinds has already been prepared. The bandits had plenty of time to set them up.
“Fall back to a safe position!” I shout as quickly as possible. We don’t have enough time to react to an attack this sudden and powerful.
Before I can even take a step, I feel the air around us grow colder. Dozens of ice constructs appear in an instant. These spells look powerful and solid. The ice is slightly duller than normal, and currents of electricity run across its surface.
Most of the bandits’ spells are stopped by these constructs, only a few manage to break through. Several of the other ruby ranks do their part as well, stopping the remaining attacks with their own constructs.
“Who created those ice constructs?” someone shouts. Everyone around us begins searching for the person responsible.
“There’s someone floating above us.” Everyone looks upward and sees a man covered entirely in ice armor, wielding twin swords.
I recognize who it is immediately. I’ve been talking with him for hours until just a short while ago. Was Emago the one who did this? My ability wasn’t wrong, he really is someone powerful. Fear spreads through all of us when we feel a powerful Jurisdiction in the distance.