Chapter 36: An All-Too-Obvious Pursuer (1)

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!”

The man’s companions tried to step forward.

At that moment, Patrick darted out and blocked their way.

“Calm yourselves. We have no intention of hurting that gentleman. However, since our lady has been wronged, we’ll need to hear an apology.”

At Patrick’s warning, one of the men shouted and lunged forward.

“What the hell are you barking about!”

Like the man from earlier, they all seemed to be quite drunk.

Patrick slowly shook his head at their words.

“It seems talking won’t work anymore.”

Even Patrick was now harboring ill feelings toward the man who had offended Monica.

Meanwhile, the others were also closing in.

The restaurant employees, seeing the increasingly tense atmosphere, began to fidget nervously.

Bang—!

Raion, who had been sitting quietly, slammed his palm down on the table.

The loud sound immediately drew everyone’s attention to him.

“How about you stop there? This is my first meal outside in a while, after all.”

“I apologize, Master.”

Patrick, who had moved beside him, bowed his head.

Normally, Patrick would have resolved this as calmly as possible. But with how loud things had gotten, even Raion found it strange.

“Is it so hard to handle this quietly?”

“With so many eyes around, it’s not easy. So I thought I’d provoke them a bit more, then lead them into the back alley and handle it quietly.”

The two exchanged their words in hushed tones.

Perhaps because that made the mood feel off, the men raised their voices even more.

“What’s this now! You start a fight and then start whispering like cowards?”

At their crude tone, Jade still held on to one man’s arm and spoke.

“How about you shut that mouth of yours? Unless you want to see your friend’s arm snap.”

Crack—!

With a sickening sound, the man screamed in agony.

“Arghhhh!”

Watching that, Raion finally spoke.

“Jade, let go of his arm.”

“Sir? But these guys…”

“I’ll deal with them myself. Let go.”

“Understood.”

Realizing what he meant, Jade immediately released the man and stepped back.

Raion rose from his seat and stood before the hulking man.

“If you don’t back down now, you’ll end up in a very unpleasant state.”

The burly man glanced over Raion.

He was about the same height as Jade, who had just twisted his arm, but looked leaner—easier to handle.

“You’re the ones who picked the fight first!”

The man’s huge fist swung toward Raion.

At the same time, Raion extended a lightly clenched fist.

When his fist touched the man’s abdomen, a tremendous sound erupted.

Thud—!

“Ugh, gah…!”

It had been a simple, almost effortless motion.

The men standing behind thought it looked ridiculous.

But the large man suddenly collapsed, catching himself on the floor with the arm he had been swinging.

Seeing that, Jade, standing behind Raion, clicked his tongue.

“Ugh…! He took that hit head-on. That must’ve hurt like hell.”

“Indeed. At that level, he won’t be able to eat properly for a while,” Patrick added with a sympathetic sigh.

Meanwhile, Dike, Monica, and Caldein couldn’t quite understand what had just happened.

“What… did the young master just do?”

All Raion had done was extend a half-closed fist.

Yet the man was in so much pain that he could barely breathe—it was baffling.

Of course, the man’s companions couldn’t understand it either, and fear began to creep into their eyes as they looked at Raion.

Patrick quietly explained,

“It’s a technique that channels mana into the fist. When the fist makes contact, the mana is released all at once.”

“Is something like that even possible?”

Mana usually served as the source of power—enhancing a knight’s strength or enabling a mage to cast spells.

That was how everyone had always used it.

Naturally, the technique Raion had used was utterly unfamiliar to them.

In truth, it came from a martial art of 21st-century Earth—Fa Jing, a power projection method used in Chinese martial arts.

Its formal name was the White Strike Fa Jing of True Martial Art.

With far more mana than most, Raion could wield the technique freely.

“It’s not something you can do just by hearing an explanation. That’s why neither Jade nor I can use it. Only Master can.”

Patrick’s expression was full of pride as he watched the young man—who had once been so childlike—demonstrate such power.

Of course, Raion didn’t notice their fearful reaction. He simply stared straight at the men’s companions.

“Do you still plan to keep picking a fight here? Or will you end it cleanly and walk away?”

The men, looking at Raion, thought he was no less—perhaps even more—dangerous than Jade.

One of them hurriedly supported the burly man and began backing away.

“We’ll leave. Please forgive us!”

He had realized the difference in level between himself and Raion was overwhelming.

After they left, Patrick naturally approached a restaurant employee and handed her ten gold coins.

“This is compensation for the disturbance we just caused.”

It was money the fleeing men should have paid, but since Raion’s group had let them go, Patrick covered it himself.

“I can’t accept this much.”

The female attendant, having witnessed the terrifying scene, was visibly trembling with fear.

“It’s only right that we compensate you. Please, take it. Also, the food has gone cold, so we’d appreciate it if you could bring us fresh dishes.”

Patrick gently but firmly pressed the coins into her hands, then went to stand beside Raion.

“The situation is resolved, so please have a seat. I’ve asked them to prepare the food again.”

“Well done. Then, let’s all sit.”

The restaurant’s atmosphere became completely quiet—so different from before.

The next morning, the sun rose.

The Red Sand Mercenary Corps, who had been traveling past Vaizen Fortress toward Malren, had come to a halt.

They still hadn’t found the prince’s carriage, even though by now they should have easily caught up to it.

Derek examined the situation, then asked cautiously,

“Could it be that they noticed our pursuit and changed directions completely?”

Of course, Calsios had considered that possibility as well, but there was an issue with that theory.

“That’s unlikely. The request was made to us after the prince had already departed. There’s no way they could’ve known about the pursuit.”

“But still, it makes no sense for the royal carriage to just vanish like this.”

That was precisely what puzzled Calsios the most.

So far, they hadn’t found a single abandoned carriage on their way to Malren.

All traces of the royal carriage and the four horses had disappeared completely after leaving Vaizen Territory.

The only thing they’d discovered was that a carriage of similar build and four horses had entered Vaizen Territory.

But since it didn’t bear the royal crest, they had ruled it out.

“If we’ve completely lost the trail, what should we do next?”

Growing anxious, Derek asked Calsios if he had any ideas.

After thinking for a while, Calsios finally spoke.

“The Third Prince said he was heading for Kanas Territory. For now, let’s go to Malren and find someone who can guide us along the route to Kanas.”

“And once we find them? Don’t tell me you’re planning to cross into Kanas and wait there?”

The Clamen Mountain Range that separated Kanas was teeming with monsters, from small to massive.

Even veteran mercenaries risked their lives entering that place.

Though skilled themselves, none of them were eager to stake their lives unnecessarily.

“Of course not. But if we can find the safest path into Kanas, we can set an ambush there. If they’ve already gone ahead of us, they’ll have no choice but to come through Malren.”

Calsios planned to wait for the Third Prince, Raion, in Malren.

“Understood. Then I’ll arrange for as many guides as possible in Malren. They might also be looking for one.”

“Good. Then let’s move out to Malren at once!”

Raion and his party left Vaizen Fortress at dawn.

Since then, they hadn’t stopped by any villages, instead camping outdoors each night as they continued toward Kanas.

From this point on, the plan was to reach Kanas in the shortest possible time.

Their carriage was currently en route to Malren.

While driving, Patrick turned to Raion with a worried tone.

“Master, if we’re to cross the Clamen Mountain Range, shouldn’t we stop in Malren and hire a skilled guide or adventurer?”

Anyone from the Canel Kingdom knew how dangerous the Clamen Range was.

The risk was beyond imagination, and even if they found a guide, it was doubtful anyone would agree to go.

That was why Patrick also mentioned the possibility of hiring an adventurer familiar with the route.

“We don’t need a guide or an adventurer.”

“Then… how do you plan to cross the Clamen Range?”

Even with a carriage, they would need to find a path with gentle slopes to make it through.

Raion’s answer, however, made no sense.

“We won’t cross it—we’ll simply pass through. I know the way well. Just head for a village called Filat, near the border between Malren and Praizen territories, right beside the Clamen Range.”

Raion said this as he handed over a roughly marked map.

“Understood. I’ll set our direction accordingly.”

Though still full of doubt, Patrick decided to trust actions over words and urged the horses faster.

Thanks to the rest they’d had at Vaizen Fortress, the horses were running at a good speed.

With proper breaks along the way, they could reach Filat Village—past Malren Fortress—before nightfall without issue.

However, as the carriage neared the area around Malren Fortress, Raion’s expression hardened slightly.

‘So they really came ahead and waited, huh?’

He had felt a faint gaze.

The owner of that gaze slipped out from hiding as soon as the carriage passed and hurried toward Malren Fortress.

The reason Raion could make such a prediction was simple.

It was because he had provoked Duke Alito after claiming his fief at the tournament.

Of course, Duke Alito wasn’t the type to be intimidated—but if he wanted to nip a potential threat in the bud, this was his perfect chance.

And the ideal moment for him to strike was now—while Raion was en route to Kanas.

‘At our current pace, they’ll probably catch up before long.’

Since the watcher had entered Malren Fortress, it was safe to assume that even more men were lying in ambush there.

The carriage crossed the plains near Malren Fortress and entered the forest once more.