"When do you think the buyer is going to show?"
Yuri was standing in front of Rey as she asked her question.
The team had offloaded all the goods they were going to sell. They were all inside crates, and from the looks of it, there appeared to be a few dozen of them.
Rey didn't know what was inside the crates, though he was sure they would tell him if he asked.
'It's just better I mind my business.' He thought, now staring straight into Yuri's gleaming eyes.
He didn't know how to respond to her question. Was he supposed to say something like;
"Sorry, but your buyer might not show up at all."
That would be too tiresome to explain.
He cast his gaze on the many boxes and felt a bit bad for the KariBlanc Group.
'It looks like these goods will be worth a lot of money. They must have been counting on this sale being successful in order to gain some liquid funds.'
It was a shame things turned out this way.
'They're closing in on us now. I'm sure Yuri will be able to sense something pretty soon.' Rey's thoughts trailed as he continued resting his back on the carriage.
Just like clockwork, Yuri's bright smile slowly began to vanish as she took a few steps back and closed her eyes.
"Something's wrong…" She whispered.
For Rey, he had already known about this for some minutes.
He already realized there were people watching them since they entered the city. The watchers were well-hidden, but his [Greater Sensory Perception] made their efforts useless to him.
"Sir Ralyks, I think we need to gather around and defend the merchandise. Something feels off about this…"
Rey nodded, somewhat happy that the girl before him had taken the initiative for once.
He removed his back from the carriage and took a few steps forward.
"Agreed. Let's gather everyone."
******
The entire group was nothing more than ten.
With about five drivers and five members of the caravan who monitored the goods they were left in charge of.
Usually, when it involved goods such as this, the number of members expected was about triple the current size.
However, due to several reasons, this was the best approach the KariBlanc Group could take.
The ten caravan members were huddled together as a group, with Yuri and Ralyks in front of them.
The merchandise was also placed at their feet, so everything of true value was in close proximity. With everything safe and accounted for, one would think they would heave sighs of relief.
No… that was far from the case.
They all had distraught expressions thanks to Yuri's worrisome countenance.
None of them were expert fighters, so they couldn't sense the fact that a bunch of strangers were closing in on them from every angle.
They could only sense that their best warrior was uneasy.
"We've been surrounded, everyone." Yuri announced, plain and simple.
"E-eh?"
"Y-you mean…?"
"That can't be…!"
The KariBlanc Group always ensured that their lands had defensive barriers surrounding them, preventing intruders from venturing in.
The only way to get in without setting off any alarm was to have a proper tag.
As one would expect, the caravan had this with them, so they were able to successfully enter the clearing within the mostly undeveloped land.
As for the only other person who was meant to have a tag…
"It seems your buyer was compromised." Ralyks commented, his tone the epitome of calmness.
Despite the panicky faces of everyone present, he seemed to be the only one who was collected.
"The way I see it, there are three possibilities." Ralyks continued, his gaze specifically on Yuri.
"One; the buyer was forcibly intercepted by the enemy forces and thus, they were able to get the tag. Two; the buyer betrayed the KariBlanc Group for some other benefit. Third; the buyer was the enemy all along, or at least their agent."
The caravan members trembled as they heard this.
They had traveled for hours, experienced tons of danger, only for them to realize they the profit they were looking forward to most likely didn't exist.
The first possibility implied that the buyer was most likely dead. The other two possibilities made it certain that their buyer would not be purchasing their merchandise.
In essence, a massive loss for the group.
"A-are you sure they are enemies? The ones approaching us… I mean."
"Y-yeah. Maybe they are just the buyer's entourage."
"It… could be for protection and—"
A heavy sigh from Yuri, followed by a "That's enough," was enough to stop the wishful thoughts of the men present.
She turned away from the ten and settled her gaze on Ralyks.
"The KariBlanc Group audits their customers well before doing business with them—especially if it requires Travel." Yuri responded.
Her words practically implied that the buyer was a legitimate client, thus eliminating the last option entirely.
However, Ralyks didn't back down so easily.
"Do you, now? I don't remember being put under any scrutiny or audits; and I've enlisted transportation services too."
"You are an exception, Sir Ralyks."
The moment Yuri said this, a slight chuckle escaped the Dark Adventurer's lips, displaying his clear amusement.
"Fair enough. I'll take your word for it."
He gave a slight shrug and stared into the distance, where silhouettes had already begun to form.
"I suppose there's only one way to know the truth for sure."
About a hundred people in total appeared from seemingly nowhere, surrounding the caravan in a very large circle.
Standing in the direction where Ralyks cast his gaze was a tall and immensely muscular figure.
There was no doubt who was in charge.
His ebony skin glemed under the moonlight, almost like it was a gem in itself. His incredibly muscular upper body was bare open for all to see, while he wore long trousers and walked barefoot.
He also had long beads strapped around his neck, as well as earrings on both his ears.
The ground trembled with every step he took, almost as if he weighed the same as a mountain.
The man held a massive spikyclub in one hand, while his other hand stroked his long, bushy beards.
All in all, he resembled a barbarian who knew nothing but chaos and violence.
As his dreadlocks swayed back and forth thanks to the night's breeze, he grinned widely and announced his presence before the twelve who were trapped in the midst of him and his comrades.
"Hahahaha! Lambs to the slaughter!"
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Thanks for reading!
Maybe guess the identity of the giant man. If you guess right… I might do a mass release.
