/CLIP/ /CLOP/
In a place where nothing could be seen aside from the white blanket that was hovering around the surface and those dense white particles in the air, there were the sounds of snow getting crushed under the nails of a horse.
"Slow down, my girl…. Slow down…"
With his hands slowly caressing his mount, Callius slowed down.
'This storm. Is this normal?'
I have been moving for three hours straight, and this storm is showing no signs of ending. If not for my [All Seeing Eye], I would have long lost their trail.
'We will see.'
Approaching the first physical trace, I have found in these three hours, I thought.
'These are traces. They made a fire here.'
Seeing the ashes and black marks under a small stone was the thing that came to my mind.
'But, they didn't even remove the traces. It seems they have yet to realize someone is following them. This is good.'
With that thought, I looked at the slight footprints.
'Looking at this right now, their footprints are a lot deeper than they should have been. Seeing the ashes, they should be here for around three or two hours at most, but the snow would have already covered their traces if they were not deep.'
Although the footprints were not that deep to notice with normal eyes, they were still deep for such a strong storm.
'That means they have a very heavy load over them. What is this they are carrying? Is it another sacrifice?'
Pressure.
It is a very simple physical term.
If the force is big and the surface is small, the pressure will be higher, which will make snow more compressed.
Therefore, either the surface should be small, or the force should be too big, which in this case is the latter.
'They are also moving a lot faster than before. Why did they increase their speed?'
'Should I take this as a signal and attack them right away?'
'We will see that.'
With that thought, I jumped over the Night again and started rushing while looking for traces.
****
"What did you say?"
On top of a cliff where a deep rift could be seen, there was a man talking with someone while observing a
"I am sensing a very special man from there."
Calling that someone was wrong.
It was something.
A weapon to be intact.
A weapon with a hideous aura that makes the person looking feel intimidated.
With its deep and dark voice, the weapon answered.
"What kind of mana?"
Looking at the carriage and convoy that was moving in the valley, the man asked.
Yes, there was a convoy of carriages that were traveling in the midst of this valley.
Although seeing the details was hard, the man was still able to notice them thanks to his sharpened vision and the strong sixth sense that he developed over the years as a fugitive.
"A kind of mana that would end our deal."
"Hmm…. Are you sure? You know our deal is up to the point when we can free you from your seal."
"I know."
"Then, how about you first fulfill your end of the deal?"
"I will, don't worry."
"Then…."
"After we capture that person. Right now, I don't have enough strength to give you the Demon Core."
"Hmm…."
"And it is not like you can't withstand my mind magic either? You have already done that before."
The man that was holding the weapon had a troubled look on his face even after hearing this.
It was like he was calculating the pros and cons of this event.
"We have already signed the mana oath; there is no need to be this stiff. Just make sure to lift the seal over me."
With his deep voice, the weapon answered.
"Then, what do you suggest? Attacking right away? I won't risk the life of my brothers without enough information."
"…. Are you serious now? We have come this far. I am pretty sure the blood of this girl will be enough. And you know better than me already that there are no people that would be able to go against you in that convoy."
"….."
"And, you also know that you need to lift the seal as soon as possible, or all those girls that you have brought with you will die. Do you want the business that you have tried so hard to build to get damaged?"
"Let me think for a moment."
The man said while putting the weapon on his back.
And then he left the cliff and went to the group of men that were waiting for him there.
"Brother, what did that bastard say?"
"Finn. Be respectful. It is not something you want to mess with."
"What! Now, you are defending it instead of agreeing with me!"
In front of him was a young man with smooth skin that was holding a sword.
"Shut up! How are the conditions of the products?"
"….."
"I asked you a question, dammit! Answer me."
Holding the neck of the man in front of him, he asked with his hands groping it tightly.
"Kurghk- T-they are fine, but they are affected…. Huk! By some sort of curse…."
With some interruptions, thanks to the hand that was holding his head, the boy managed to say.
/THUD/
"How long can they last?"
Throwing the boy to the ground, the man asked.
"I don't k-"
"I asked how long they could last. I didn't, did you know or not."
Looking at the man with deep red eyes shining, the boy lowered his head.
"I think they can last at most three days. After that, we won't be able to sell them any longer."
"I see."
"We need to rest. Arthur is also tired."
"Shut up. I am the one making decisions right now."
With his red eyes shining brighter, a crazed smile appeared on his face.
"We will spill more blood. Get ready."
"Wh-"
"I said get ready."
"Okay."
"At the end of this valley, we will interrupt the convoy."
pαndα---noνɐ1,сoМ That was the last thing he said before approaching a huge-looking monster that was carrying a bunch of girls with them.
"He has already gone crazy…."
Mumbling like that, the boy named Finn stood up, walking towards his other brother…
