Chapter 143: The Caravan

The wind began to rise.

Toby lifted his head and glanced at the heavy, dark clouds not far off. The howling wind swept past his ears, carrying a hint of moisture. From a distance, it gave the impression of an impending storm. A wave of unease washed over the middle-aged swordsman. He reached out and gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist, glancing back. The caravan was still moving forward steadily, showing no intention of stopping. Seeing this, Toby furrowed his brow before waving his hand. Soon, a soldier jogged over to his side.

“My lord, any orders?”

“A heavy storm is coming. Go ask the young lady if we should find shelter from the rain.”

“Understood.”

Upon hearing Toby’s words, the soldier nodded and immediately ran toward the black carriage at the rear. Toby sighed and shook his head helplessly.

Since Jane and Patilina had joined them, Delia had changed her mind. Originally, her plan was to lead the soldiers to investigate the site of the ambush on the merchant caravan to assess the situation. But after Jane and Patilina came aboard, the plan shifted. They contacted merchant guilds connected to the Pawood family, arranged goods, and disguised themselves as a caravan heading toward Ernst City. Clearly, the intention was to use the caravan as bait to lure the group of ogres into a trap.

Delia’s idea was somewhat feasible. Over recent days, continuous ogre raids had forced merchant caravans to avoid this route, preferring longer detours or even sea routes. Except for a few daring merchants willing to take risks, the once-bustling Golden Trade Route had grown quiet. In such circumstances, a large caravan would certainly attract the attention of those savage ogres.

However, Toby was skeptical. As a warrior with master-level swordsmanship, he understood all too well the terror and brutality of those beasts. He knew exactly what kind of people the noble mercenaries were—if it were just to suppress an armed rebellion, that might be manageable. But facing those ruthless creatures was a different matter entirely. For the young lady Delia to stake such a gamble was truly unsettling.

Fortunately, Jane and Patilina’s presence reassured Toby somewhat. Presumably, Delia felt the same, which is why she had resolved to use herself as bait to draw out the ogres.

Yet… as these thoughts crossed his mind, Toby glanced back and took note of the girls cloaked in capes trailing behind the carriage. They had met the caravan the previous day. According to Jane, these girls were his subordinates—elite warriors. But Toby couldn’t tell how formidable they really were. The girls wore battle robes and cloaks, wrapped tightly so their weapons were hidden. Toby had no way to assess their strength, but as a seasoned swordsman, he suspected their skills were limited. Seventy-some girls couldn’t make much of a difference. At the first sign of battle, they might just scream and flee. If they managed to hold their ground, it would be a miracle.

Shaking his head, Toby felt an inexplicable unease. This was not a good omen.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Delia was equally unsettled.

After all, the bait plan was her initiative. If it failed, the consequences would be severe. The great weakness of noble houses was the abundance of dissenting voices. Though her father was the head of the Pawood family, he often had to consider others’ opinions. For example, when Jane made his request, the family would never have agreed unless she and Toby vouched for his legendary strength—and the Starfall Fang held no real value. Moreover, many ridiculed Delia for the ongoing ogre harassment. Even now, bringing a hundred elite mercenaries was a desperate gamble.

Sighing, Delia glanced at Ligia sitting beside her. Sometimes, she envied Ligia. Though her life was humble, at least she didn’t have to navigate the endless pretenses of nobility, which left Delia utterly exhausted.

But what surprised Delia most was the carriage itself.

Jane despised hardship and loved comfort. So when he decided to join Delia in dealing with the ogres, he produced his own carriage. He invited Ligia and two maids to join as well, turning the journey into a leisurely long trip. Ligia gladly accepted. Had it been just Jane, she might have hesitated, but with the Pawood family’s backing, there was nothing to worry about.

Thus, inside the carriage sat Jane, Ligia, the two maids, Delia, and Patilina—six in total. A normal carriage couldn’t fit that many.

But Jane’s carriage was no ordinary vehicle. Though it appeared similar in size to a common carriage, inside it was as spacious as a Rolls-Royce. As an intermediate mage, Delia immediately recognized the effect of a spatial spell. This alone shocked her. To cast a constant spatial spell on a carriage was beyond just flaunting wealth—it was astonishing.

On the Klein Continent, spatial magic was not easily wielded. Even wealthy and powerful archmages generally only used such spells in their towers. The difficulty lay not only in the rare magical materials required but also in the scarcity of those who could perform spatial magic. For Delia, Jane’s carriage was like fitting a spaceship engine into an SUV—a baffling extravagance.

This also raised serious doubts about Jane’s background. Intelligence reports described him as a fallen noble. But how could an ordinary fallen noble acquire a carriage etched with spatial magic? No known magical guild specialized in such carriages. The only possibilities were that this carriage was a family heirloom imbued with magic or a private creation by a powerful archmage. Neither scenario fit the profile of a mere fallen noble.

Because of this, Delia’s understanding of Jane’s origins grew hazy. She suspected he might be the heir of a powerful, reclusive faction. She had read similar records in books, and Jane’s actions aligned with such a hypothesis. After all, an ordinary fallen noble might cultivate talents, but would not command such formidable subordinates or possess such treasures—just look at Cotton as a prime example.

If Jane knew what Delia was thinking, he would surely scoff. True, spatial magic was rare in the Prime Plane, but all magic on Klein Continent originated from the Demon Realm at the dawn of the First Era. For high-ranking demons, spatial magic was as natural as breathing. Even Jane could casually open dimensional rifts. A carriage merely enchanted with spatial magic was of little value in the Demon Realm.

At that moment, Jane was recounting to Patilina, Ligia, and the others the tale of the Thunder Son, who once dwelled on Eagle Plateau. It was a story from the First Era’s dawn, yet Jane’s narration made everyone feel transported back to the chaotic age of gods and demons, when heroes could move mountains and fill seas singlehandedly.

Even Delia listened with rapt attention. As a mage, her thirst for knowledge was innate. Though these were myths, Delia knew Jane’s words were more than mere stories.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

Suddenly, a knocking sound interrupted Jane’s tale. Everyone was taken aback, and Delia frowned. They had just heard how the Thunder Son, Ovga, defeated the Storm Queen and rescued the Star Maiden, Keri—and now this interruption spoiled the climax.

Soon after, the voice of a mercenary reached them outside.

“Young lady… we have something to report to you.”

“What is it?”

Glancing at Jane, who smiled without speaking, Delia clenched her teeth and asked.

“It’s like this: Lord Toby says a storm is approaching. Should we find a place to rest for a while?”

“Hmm?”

Only then did Delia come to her senses. She drew back the curtain and looked toward the distance. Soon, she saw the dark, rolling clouds. Lightning cracked through them, and the wind howled fiercely.

Clearly, a heavy storm was imminent.

“Very well. Find a safe spot. We’ll wait until the rain passes.”

With Delia’s command, the caravan sprang into action. The drivers hurried the horses into a nearby copse, then arranged the carts in a circle around Jane’s carriage, forming a natural barrier. Soldiers quickly spread raincloth over the convoy. Before long, thunder roared violently as torrents of rain poured down, driven by the fierce wind.

The rain was heavy.

In the blink of an eye, the outside world blurred. Raindrops pelted the glass windows relentlessly, obscuring everything beyond the storm. Fortunately, the demonic carriage was no shabby vehicle, so Jane and the others remained comfortably seated, unmoved.

“Make sure the raincloth is secure! Stay alert!”

Toby wiped rain droplets from his face and shouted orders to the soldiers to prepare. Yet, in the face of nature’s overwhelming power, there was little anyone could do. The soldiers’ main task was to keep the cargo dry. Only the noble ladies had the privilege to shelter inside the carriage.

As the first heavy downpour eased, Toby exhaled in relief. After confirming the horses had not gone astray and the goods remained dry, he wiped the rain from his face and looked toward the carriage. The luxurious vehicle stood steady, and the two horses showed no signs of distress, as if the thunder were no more than distant noise to them.

Moreover, Toby noticed the cloaked girls near the carriage had not scurried away like his soldiers seeking shelter. Instead, they stood tightly clustered in layers, resembling statues from afar.

He never expected these young girls to possess such willpower.

Watching this, Toby shook his head. Compared to them, his mercenaries seemed quite inferior. He wondered where that boy Jane had found these girls...

At that moment, as this thought crossed his mind, a low, almost inaudible roar drifted through the rain into his ears.

In an instant, Toby’s body tensed, and his right hand gripped the sword hilt at his waist.

(To be continued.)