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After all that, I secured salt from the third wagon.

Staring at the goods, I slapped my forehead. “Crap. My backpack has no free space.”

As I left with two salt jars in my arms, an old man’s sobbing stabbed into my back, but I didn’t care.

I carried what I’d taken to the cave where I’d placed my insurance, then followed the highway to find the next prey.

That was when I spotted an armed group coming from the Emeriade side, escorting a single wagon.

I instantly hid myself and began observing them.

‘Eighteen… as expected, it’s a mercenary band.’

Listening to their talk for a while, it seemed the mercenaries had gathered to subjugate me and were heading out—late as it was.

I heard them lamenting their shaky operating funds, but I understood all too well how troublesome specialists could be.

If there was a mage among them, I wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate them here.

Thinking that, I checked each mercenary as they passed—but their equipment was so shabby I stopped feeling the need to be cautious.

‘No mages. No magic reaction from any of the weapons. “Well-used” sounds nice, but ordinary metal isn’t a threat.’

On top of that, their wagon was in terrible shape.

They were practically a picture-perfect “cash-strapped mercenary band.”

If my memory was right, these types were one step away from becoming bandits.

A worsening security situation worked to my advantage in my conflict with Canaan.

“Then I’ll just leave them be,” I decided, and let them pass.

As an aside, bandits were already lurking around this area, and the small caravan I’d just taken salt from was attacked and wiped out.

Because that mercenary band came from the Emeriade side and testified they hadn’t encountered the caravan, they were treated as the culprits.

In the end, the mercenary band truly did become bandits.

Judging by the timeline, it was probably due to some accident—but getting suspected like that was still unbelievably unlucky.

Later, while I was hiding in the forest to ambush the subjugation force, I overheard their complaints and learned the story.

And because of it, the information that “Argos appeared on the highway” never spread, and I was left all alone… or rather, left all by myself as a beast, gloomily chewing jerky.

“I can’t let it stay like this,” I decided five days after the first attack.

Just hiding wouldn’t get me anywhere.

If the goal was to lure them out, nothing started unless I caused trouble.

So I carried out a second raid.

A reasonable choice, but I didn’t particularly want anything, and it ended without any meaningful gains.

Since the human casualties were only a few guards, it would probably be fine.

If this drew out the subjugation force, great—but it felt like it was taking too long.

So I spent another three days waiting.

A few times I erased my presence and went to check the frontline base where the subjugation force should be, but there was no movement, so I returned empty-handed again and again—until, finally, there was activity.

‘If I focus, I can sense the spirit sword’s presence too. No doubt about it.’

After confirming at dawn that the subjugation force had departed, I returned to my planned ambush point.

The battlefield I chose was a winding highway bordering the forest.

There was no slope, and the curve built to avoid a huge rock was perfect for splitting them.

I considered a night raid, but I didn’t want them lighting fires everywhere to secure visibility.

I had no desire for environmental destruction.

Winter was nearing, and the air already felt dry.

I really didn’t want a wide forest fire.

Those reasons were part of why, after thinking it through, I settled on this ambush point.

The rock wasn’t even as tall as an adult man, but it was long and massive enough to reliably block line of sight and movement.

I looked over my chosen point, nodded in satisfaction, and took throwing rubble and stones from my backpack, scattering them atop the rock.

Next, I found a spot to hide my now-lighter pack, hydrated, and put the last of my jerky in my mouth.

All that remained was hiding my baggage—and then I pulled out my new gear.

A pouch made by connecting belts.

Fighting with a backpack on would get in the way.

But not being able to use potions immediately was also scary.

This potion-only pouch, padded with cloth, solved that dilemma.

New equipment inspired when I made the apron—now was exactly the moment to debut it.

It could still be destroyed, but with less surface area, the chance of a direct hit should drop.

Plus, the pouch sat on my left, the side with my shield, so protecting it would be easy.

Now all I had to do was wait.

Or so I thought, but I’d forgotten the most important thing.

“…Crap. For human legs, it takes quite a while to get here.”

And this was a group of over a hundred moving together.

If anything, it might take half a day—and I grabbed my head at my own carelessness.

‘Well, it’s just me being bored…’

I made small mistakes like this more often than I liked.

With no choice, I put the backpack on and wandered around nearby.

By the time I’d explored until the sun passed overhead, I’d found several skeletons.

Joking, “Yikes, this place has terrible security!” somehow made time pass even faster.

Then I prepared again and waited.

Wrapped in leaves under the forest shade, I stared blankly at the highway when I saw something move.

I immediately used my zoom vision, but whatever I’d caught vanished.

‘A scout? Or a bandit?’

If someone might be nearby, I should use camouflage too.

I focused on sound and smell as well, searching for the vanished presence without relying on sight.

I kept my awareness trained for a while, but caught nothing, and tilted my head.

Just as I started feeling uneasy—“Did they figure out I’m here?”—I saw something moving again.

‘That’s… a horse.’

Not a wagon.

Someone on horseback was running along the highway.

I watched for a bit, then it turned back and disappeared.

Probably a scout, but did simply riding back and forth count as doing the job?

Just in case, I sensed for magic—nothing.

There was still time before the subjugation force arrived.

So I waited, thinking, and stayed perfectly still.

I wasn’t sure how much time passed before I reflexively searched for a clock and reached toward the backpack that was no longer behind me.

My hand cut empty air, and at the same time I realized my camouflage had been undone.

It didn’t feel like that much time had passed, but I’d clearly let my guard down.

I exhaled once, brushed away the branches and leaves covering my body, and used camouflage again.

A little later, something moved again at the far end of the highway.

The moment I confirmed it, I muttered, “Another horse?”

But unlike before, the horse that appeared carried a familiar pressure.

And then the group emerged—the one riding at the head was the spirit sword wielder on horseback.

‘Yeah… finally!’

This was exactly what it meant to have waited and waited.

I reined in my impatience and simply waited.

The subjugation force steadily closed the distance.

They were close enough that I didn’t even need zoom vision anymore, and the front would soon pass right by me.

But I didn’t let my guard down.

Any oddness in their expressions?

Anyone looking this way?

I observed carefully.

At last, the moment arrived.

The horse carrying the spirit sword wielder passed in front of me.

About fifteen meters away.

A distance I could close in a single leap.

But the man didn’t even glance my way as he passed—had he truly not noticed me?

The formation continued, and around the middle—protected from front and back—there was an obvious cluster of mages, along with supplies carried by wagon.

If I was going to strike, this was the only place.

Keeping camouflage active, I rose slowly.

There was a faint rustle of leaves, but that would vanish into background noise.

I picked up a stone from the ground and lobbed it high to the opposite side of the highway.

At the same time, I grabbed the sabre and shield I’d hidden, and held position, waiting for the subjugation force’s attention to break.

A few jerked their heads up at the sound of it striking a branch.

At the sound of the stone landing, most of them drew their weapons and turned their backs to me.

Immediately after, I kicked off the ground and leapt.

With sabre ready, I landed and swept horizontally, cutting down multiple mages at once.

I burst out to crush the troublesome ones with the first strike and lock the battle in my favor—and then I heard that voice.

“Couldn’t be more obvious.”

An old man leaning on his staff smiled quietly.

My feet still hadn’t touched the ground.