Chương 14: Ryan Knows Nothing

A night passed without a single hitch. It seemed the scattered bandits were too terrified to return to their cave so soon. The next morning, when they returned to the main thoroughfare, they found their magic vehicle parked exactly where they had left it. The four bandits tied to the oak tree were still there, frozen into sheer numbness after spending a full night in the biting cold. Following their original plan, Maddie hauled the bandits into the back of the magic vehicle and drove straight to the nearest town.

There, she handed the cutthroats over to the local knight garrison and checked the vehicle into an inn's stables for safekeeping. With those errands settled, she purchased two horses and rode out to rejoin the group. The bypass route used by the bandits couldn't accommodate a four-wheeled vehicle; it was strictly a path for foot traffic or mounts.

Since several members of the Seki group had no idea how to ride, the two horses were reserved primarily for carrying supplies or accommodating anyone nearing absolute exhaustion. The young woman acting as their guide, Hera, possessed a remarkably sharp memory. She mentioned that throughout her captivity, she had been obsessively planning her escape, meticulously studying the terrain and secretly carving subtle notches into tree trunks at every resting point.

The hidden trail wound directly along the ridge of a small mountain range that straddled the border between the two nations. Hera explained that the bandits had disguised key intersections to make the path appear like a series of dead ends, which was why military patrols from both kingdoms had never uncovered it. The Seki women possessed an astounding capacity for resilience.

They marched continuously through the dense forest for two straight days, rationing their food frugally and sleeping around open campfires, all while keeping their spirits remarkably high. In stark contrast, Hale and Ryan found their endurance failing on multiple occasions, repeatedly having to climb onto the horses just to catch their breath.

"I feel like you guys didn't even need our help," Hale grunted, practically sprawling flat across his horse's back, deeply embarrassed by his own dismal physical stamina.

"If anything, I'm just slowing everyone down." Nali—the oldest woman in the party—offered a soft, polite laugh.

"We are simply eager to return home as quickly as possible, Mister Zale. But having your group with us is the only reason we can walk this path with peace of mind." Maddie, who was walking alongside leading the horse, offered a gentle word of comfort: "You only recently got out of a sickbed, Master. There is no need to push yourself so hard." Hera called back from the front, "We are making far better time than I anticipated. At this pace, we will reach the town before nightfall." Hale offered a warm smile.

"That's wonderful news. You'll all be back with your families soon." Catching the genuine warmth in his smile, Hera's expression stiffened for a brief second. Spotting the shift, Nali nudged Hera gently with her elbow, her brows knitting into a subtle frown.

"Save your breath for the trail, Hera. We still have more than half a day of walking ahead of us." They pushed forward without pausing, until the dense forest finally gave way to a clearing. Behind them, the official border checkpoints of the two kingdoms were visible in the far distance. They stepped into the border town of Lagan just as the sun began its final dip below the horizon. It was a tiny settlement, barely larger than a standard village.

The surrounding landscape was scarred and dilapidated, bearing the heavy, unmistakable marks of recent military conflict. The arrival of a large group along the main path instantly drew the attention of the locals. It didn't take long for the townspeople to recognize the women as the very same citizens who had gone missing weeks ago. What followed was a wave of tearful, emotional reunions. Watching from the sidelines, Hale felt a lump form in his own throat.

In his past life, no one had ever greeted his return with that level of unbridled joy. As if joining in on the celebration, the translucent system interface flashed open, notifying him that he had been awarded +15 Merit points for successfully returning human trafficking victims to their families. Combined with the bounty points earned when Maddie handed the bandits over to the garrison yesterday, his Merit tally officially bypassed the 100-point threshold!

Hale was practically vibrating with excitement to open the Item Shop feature, but before he could pull up the menu, Nali stepped away from her family and approached him. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"My family would like to invite your group over for dinner as a token of our deepest gratitude. We need a little time to assemble your proper compensation, and since it is already dark, please stay the night before making your journey back." Hale found her logic sound, so he happily accepted the invitation. Nali's family operated a small eatery in the heart of town. Though labeled a tavern, by the time the sun had completely set, the place was entirely devoid of patrons. The streets outside were equally deserted.

"Before the war, this place used to be bustling, but now..." Nali trailed off with a quiet sigh when Hale inquired about the local economy. Her mother emerged from the kitchen carrying two hot plates of food, muttering in bitter frustration, "War brings nothing good to anyone. I know the Berulans are vile, but what good does throwing fists at them right now actually do us? Ever since that man arrived in Seki, not a single good thing has happened to this country..."

"Mother!" Nali cut her off with a sharp, elevated tone.

"I just survived a nightmare and made it home. Let us speak of pleasant things."

"Right, right... I apologize. Come now, the food is served! Everyone, please eat!" Hale and the others took their seats at the wooden table. Seki tradition dictated that every individual received an isolated plate alongside a personal bowl of hot soup. The plate held mashed potatoes, hearty meat stew, and pan-seared fish fillets. The soup was a clear fish broth—exceptionally crisp and instantly warming to the core. A cozy, quiet dinner passed without incident.

Perhaps completely drained from the two-day trek, Ryan began nodding off almost the moment he finished his meal. Seeing the boy struggle to keep his eyes open, their hosts led them to a spacious guest room furnished with three pre-rolled floor mattresses—Seki commoners typically slept on padded futons laid over hardwood floors rather than raised beds. Maddie gently picked up the half-asleep boy, laid him onto a mattress, and pulled the heavy blanket up to his chin.

Once Nali's family members had bowed out and closed the door, Hale looked down at the soundly sleeping boy and chuckled softly.

"Man, this kid can sleep anywhere. Dropping off like a light in a completely foreign house..." Maddie turned to him, her face unusually solemn.

"Do you truly not realize what has happened, Master?" Hale paused, his smile fading.

"Huh? Realize what?"

"Ryan did not fall asleep out of exhaustion. They laced our food with a heavy sedative." Hale knew Maddie would never make a wild accusation without absolute certainty, yet the reality was hard to swallow.

"But... but you and I ate the exact same food, didn't we? I feel completely fine." Maddie lightly rubbed her forehead.

"Dragonborn possess a significantly higher natural resistance to toxins and narcotics compared to humans, yet I can still feel the lingering dullness in my nerves, which means they spiked my portion with a massive dose. Do you truly feel no physical onset at all, Master?" Hale took a moment to mentally scan his body.

"I... I feel a bit tired, but I assumed that was just physical fatigue from the road. Why on earth would they drug us?"

"I had my suspicions along the trail, but I could not confirm them until now," Maddie said quietly.

"They have almost certainly identified your true identity, Master." An icy chill shot straight down Hale's spine. Those women knew I was "Hale Wallace" from the very beginning? So asking me to escort them back wasn't a plea for help... it was a calculated trap to lure me back into Seki territory to be captured? Hale slumped down onto the wooden floor, a sudden, suffocating wave of anger welling up in his chest.

"But... I literally saved their lives. How could they return kindness with betrayal like this?" Maddie offered no reply. Right on cue, the faint flickering of multiple torches became visible through the window shutters. Hale crept toward the glass, straining his ears to catch the hushed voices gathering in the alley below:"... Are you absolutely certain it's him?"

"I am positive. His appearance matches the exact description, right down to the massive Dragonborn maid accompanying him. Though... his personality felt completely wrong."

"Wrong or not, we take no chances. The Royal Court has posted bounties for his head across every province."

"That harbinger of misfortune brought nothing but ruin to Seki. It's time he faced justice." Hale's single left fist clenched so hard his knuckles turned stark white, his body trembling with raw frustration. Maddie stepped up beside him, her voice low and dangerous.

"Shall I slaughter them all, Master?" Hale took a long, ragged breath, staring into the dark for a agonizing moment before shaking his head.

"... Let's just leave." Later that night, a sudden, roaring blaze erupted from the tavern owned by Nali's family, sending the entire town spilling into the streets in a chaotic frenzy. Her family managed to scramble outside completely unharmed, but their business and home were reduced to ash. A heavily armed mob of locals stood in a wide perimeter around the burning structure, brandishing ropes and weapons as if cornering a wild beast.

Yet, when two imposing figures stepped out from the wall of flames, the crowd froze like stone statues, not a single soul daring to make a move. One was a tall, lean young man; the other was a towering maid far larger than any normal human, cradling a sleeping boy in her right arm. Without uttering a single word, the figures mounted two horses tethered nearby—animals shifting nervously from the radiating heat—and galloped out of town, riding hard back toward the Berulan border.

When Ryan finally stirred from his deep slumber, it was already late afternoon the following day. To his utter confusion, he woke up tucked into a bed inside a comfortable inn in Berula, rather than on the floor of Nali's house in Seki as his last memory dictated. He repeatedly grilled both Hale and Maddie on what had transpired while he was out cold, but both maintained a strict, united front: nothing had happened. They claimed that after he nodded off, they simply decided to check out of Nali's house early.

Maddie had used her dragon wings to fly them in two separate trips across the border under the cover of night, bringing them back into Berulan territory ahead of schedule.

"Honestly, sleeping in a real bed is infinitely better than sleeping on a hard floor anyway. Don't you think so, kid?" Hale remarked casually, leaving Ryan staring back at him, entirely at a loss for words.