The girls had left shortly after noon. They needed to hurry if they wanted to reach the next city before nightfall.
Following far behind the dragon carriage, I couldn't help but marvel at the speed at which it moved—and marvel at the strength of my own body.
It wasn't just power; it was stamina.
I had been running at full sprint for over half an hour, keeping pace with Earth Dragons, and I didn't feel tired at all. My physical strength and endurance were comparable to a Mabeast.
We continued moving forward.
Even a layman could tell we had left the Royal Capital's security perimeter.
'If Capella wants to launch an attack, now is the time,' I thought, scanning the woods.
However, no attack occurred.
"So she really won't show up." I felt somewhat disappointed.
Either the Sin Archbishop of Lust didn't take the bait, or my information network was too slow. If she had shown up, I could have tested my [Plunder] ability again.
'Such a pity.'
Since Plan A (Capella) failed, it was time for Plan B.
I stopped running.
According to Loris's arrangement, when we were about two hours away from the capital, the "actors" she hired should be lying in ambush nearby.
I took out a signal flare from my pocket.
Whoosh!
With a sharp hiss, the flare shot up, leaving a clear trail of red smoke in the sky. It was the signal to attack.
As for whether the flare would be discovered by others? I didn't care. Once this operation started, there would be no second time.
'Now, all I have to do is wait for the chaos, then swoop in as the hero.'
I prepared to speed up and catch the carriage.
"Huh?!"
I frowned in confusion.
A similar signal flare appeared in the sky some distance ahead of me, deep in the woods.
'Why?'
When the arrangements were made, I didn't recall instructing them to respond with a signal.
'Did they act without authorization?'
My eyes flashed with displeasure. Regardless of whether they were improvising, as long as they completed the task, I would forgive them. After all, they were just disposable tools—low-level cultists Loris had found.
I headed toward the signal source.
"What on earth are those guys doing?!"
Ten minutes later, I stopped again, my annoyance boiling over.
The reason was simple: the attack hadn't started. The carriage was still moving peacefully in the distance.
'Was I scammed?'
Unlikely. Loris was thorough. The guys she hired weren't smart, but they were loyal to money (and fear).
So... disobeying my orders meant either their brains were malfunctioning, or something had stopped them.
"Heh heh~" I laughed out of sheer anger. "Fine. Let's see what excuse they have."
I entered the woods by the roadside.
I walked a few hundred meters toward the source of the second flare.
'These guys! Regardless of the reason, since things weren't properly planned, everyone involved must accept the consequences.'
However, the scene that came into view completely stunned me.
The clearing was a slaughterhouse.
The blood of dozens of Witch Cultists stained everything red.
As for the men themselves... some were lying in pieces, some were crouching in death throes, some were hanging from trees. Quite a few were missing limbs, severed by impossibly clean cuts.
This scene was stimulating, but a stronger emotion welled up inside me.
Anger.
'Holy crap! Who did this?!'
No matter what, these were tools I painstakingly found! Without them, my plan was ruined! If the carriage wasn't attacked, my runaway wives would just... leave!
I scanned the scene. I couldn't see the perpetrator.
Although the murderer wasn't visible, the wounds told a story. Clean cuts. Instant death. The person who killed them was definitely a master swordsman.
"Phew~" I let out a soft breath, trying to calm down.
'What should I do now?'
My plan was ruined. How could I get them to change their minds and come back? Should I find another group of bandits? No, it was too late.
"Damn it!" I muttered.
In the next moment.
A sharp sense of crisis pierced my heart.
My body reacted instinctively. I threw myself to the side, rolling over in a very embarrassing but effective dodge.
Zip!
A faint buzzing sound cut the air where my head had been a second ago.
The attacker continued their assault!
My expression turned ugly.
'Damn! Without a wife by my side, I can't use Lion's Heart indefinitely!'
Without a proxy heart nearby, I could only stop my own heart for about five seconds before I died. Activating invincibility now was a gamble.
But I had no choice.
I prepared to activate the Authority. Just a few seconds—endure the pain, wait for the opening, and kill them instantly.
But just as I braced myself...
The killing intent vanished.
The blade that was about to take my head stopped centimeters from my nose.
I froze.
Then, the attacker spoke.
"Tch~ You gave up so easily."
The voice was filled with relentless mockery.
"Are you just a big, strong guy who's actually all talk and no action?"
Hearing that extremely familiar female voice, a name subconsciously came to my mind.
I quickly turned my head.
Standing there, sword drawn, looking down at me with disdain, was exactly who I imagined.
Carol Remedios.
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