Elian's hand snapped back to his hilt. Skye froze. Zeph spun around, his twin blades already drawn in the dark.
The three Thieves stared at the dark tree line, their hearts raced fast. The rustle of dry leaves had been incredibly close—just twenty feet away. Yet, their highly trained biological radar registered absolutely nothing. The forest felt completely empty.
Slowly, the dense bushes parted.
A figure stepped out into the weak moonlight. It was Lexi.
She was not sneaking or crouching. She was simply walking back from a perimeter patrol, holding a small basket of wild herbs. Her leather boots crunched loudly against the dry grass.
Elian, Skye, and Zeph stood entirely paralyzed. Their eyes tracked her physical movements, but their Thief senses were screaming that they were looking at empty air. There was no Life Force. No passive Mana leak. Just a terrifying, walking void.
Lexi did not even look at them. She walked right past the three trembling Thieves, her face completely bored, and climbed silently onto the roof of the black carriage to sleep.
Zeph lowered his blades, his hands shaking violently. He looked at Elian.
"It's terrifying," Zeph whispered, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. "She can just appear right behind you and you wouldn't even know you were dead."
"No wonder the Blindhounds, which are biologically sensitive to Aura detection, were no match for her," Skye said, her hands trembling as the realization hit. "For them, Silent Shadow is invisible. She is their worst enemy."
Elian did not answer. He just stared at the carriage, entirely horrified by the living weapon resting on its roof.
The next morning, the sun rose over a completely different atmosphere.
The twenty-five Adventurers of the raid team stood in a perfectly straight line beside the road. As the black carriage prepared to depart, the senior Mage stepped forward and bowed at a deep, perfect ninety-degree angle.
The rest of the team instantly followed suit, lowering their heads in absolute, silent reverence.
Kian, standing in the open doorway of the carriage, gave a short, lazy nod and closed the door.
Mirelle clicked her tongue, and the heavy horses pulled the spotless carriage forward, leaving the bowing Adventurers behind.
An hour into the journey, Kian knocked on the wooden ceiling.
"Lexi," Kian called out. "Go find those sweet blue berries from yesterday. Bring a large basket with you."
"Understood," Lexi's voice drifted down. A soft thump echoed as she launched herself into the distant trees and left the carriage entirely unguarded.
Inside, Kian groaned. He pressed a hand against his lower back. He had slept for fourteen hours straight on the padded floor, and his back was incredibly stiff. He needed a proper seat with back support.
He opened the small door at the front of the carriage cabin and stepped out onto the driver's bench.
Mirelle, holding the heavy leather reins, jumped slightly. She quickly shifted to the far left side of the wooden bench to make room. Kian sat down heavily on the right side and leaned back against the wooden frame with a long sigh of relief.
They rode in complete silence for another mile until the dirt road suddenly expanded into a wide intersection. There were three distinct paths branching out ahead.
A lone merchant was walking past the intersection, carrying a heavy pack. When he saw the black carriage approach, he stopped.
His eyes locked onto the silver crest of the Feeble Soul shining on the door. He did not know exactly what the crest meant, but the sheer, intimidating design of the silver emblem made him instinctively step back in fear.
"You," Kian called out lazily, pointing at the three roads. "Where do these lead?"
The merchant swallowed hard, nervously adjusting his pack. "T-The left road, Milord... it goes toward the Imperial Capital."
Mirelle's large blue eyes widened. The Capital!
Her heart fluttered with a sudden, desperate hope. If we go left, I can finally go home!
Kian frowned deeply. "We just came from the direction of the Capital. Why would the left road lead back there?"
"It is a detour, Milord," the merchant explained, his voice trembling. "It goes to the Northern Border first, then loops heavily back down to the Capital. The road you came from was actually the fastest route."
Why would I ever go back to the Capital? Kian panicked internally. If I go back, the terrifying Branch Manager will instantly grab me by the neck and force me to take that suicidal Nomination Request! I am absolutely not going left!
"What about the right road?" Kian asked, keeping his face entirely stoic.
"That road leads directly into the territory of Earl Sterling, Milord," the merchant answered.
Kian completely tensed up.
Earl Sterling! Kian screamed internally. That is the exact client who issued the quest! That territory is currently swarming with a hundred illegal dark Mages! If I go right, I will drive directly into the center of a magical warzone! I will be melted into a puddle!
He looked at the three options. Left meant a forced draft. Right meant instant death by dark curses.
"We are going straight," Kian ordered flatly.
"Straight ahead," Mirelle repeated, hiding her deep disappointment. She snapped the reins.
As the horses pulled them past the merchant, the terrified man bowed his head and murmured a quiet warning. "May the heavens protect you. That road is entirely prohibited to cross... it is a road of monsters."
Kian did not hear him because he was too busy rubbing his aching lower back.
Ten minutes down the middle road, they encountered a huge wooden barricade blocking the path.
Standing in front of it was a heavily armored imperial knight. He was a big, muscular man with a thick beard and a stern, unforgiving expression.
Mirelle completely froze. Her breath caught in her throat.
An imperial knight, Mirelle thought, her small hands gripping the reins so tightly her knuckles turned white. If he recognizes my face, the kidnapping is over. I am saved.
But as she stared at the knight, a strange, heavy hesitation anchored her to the wooden bench.
Why am I not shouting my name? her young mind agonized. I should be happy. I should demand an escort.
She looked at Kian sitting casually beside her. Then she looked back at the knight. The outside world was a terrifying, chaotic mess
What if this knight was secretly working for the nobles who hired the bandit syndicate? What if he hand me right back to the kidnappers?
"Halt," the knight boomed, stepping forward. He did not even look at the dirty, blue-haired peasant girl driving the horses. "This road is strictly prohibited to civilian traffic. Turn around immediately."
Before the knight could draw his weapon to enforce the order, his eyes drifted to the side of the carriage. He saw the silver crest.
All the blood instantly drained from the knight's face. He stumbled a half-step backward, his heavy armor clanking loudly in the sudden silence.
Mirelle noticed the reaction immediately.
He is terrified, she realized, her eyes widening. A heavily armored imperial knight is literally shaking just by looking at the carriage's crest.
"I see," Kian said lazily, crossing his arms. "So I am not allowed?"
The knight swallowed hard, desperately forcing his courage to return. "Are you... are you perhaps Thousand Strings?"
Mirelle's ears perked up. There was that strange, terrifying alias again.
"Yes," Kian answered.
The knight clicked his tongue. His terror was quickly replaced by a deep, bitter annoyance.
The imperial knights entirely despised high-level Adventurers, viewing them as lawless, overpowered thugs who constantly embarrassed the military. But the Imperial Law was absolute.
"The law states you are permitted to enter restricted hazard zones," the knight grumbled, clearly unwilling. He turned and grabbed the heavy wooden barricade, dragging it out of the way. "Pass. But do not expect the knight order to recover your corpse."
Mirelle clicked her tongue, and the carriage rolled past the angry knight.
She kept her head down, completely tense, praying he would not look closely at her face. The knight simply glared at Kian the entire time.
He didn't recognize me, Mirelle thought, letting out a long, shaky exhale. He must be a low-ranking border guard who has never stepped foot inside the Imperial Palace. But... he absolutely knew who my master was.
She glanced at Kian from the corner of her eye. What kind of terrifying influence does this man hold? The knights hate him, yet they obey him. Even the imperial military is forced to open their gates for the 'Thousand Strings.' I made the right choice keeping my mouth shut. The driver's seat of this carriage is the absolute safest place in the world.
They traveled down the restricted dirt road for another twenty minutes. The trees began to thin out, revealing a wide, swampy valley.
Mirelle squinted. Blocking the road ahead were gigantic, hulking figures. They were five meters tall, completely devoid of faces, and entirely constructed from dripping, heavy brown sludge and thick stones.
Mirelle did not know what they were. But she knew they looked incredibly dangerous. She gasped slightly, her foot hovering over the wooden brake pedal.
Sitting beside her, Kian immediately recognized the creatures.
Mud Golems! Kian's soul practically left his body. His mind erupted into a chaotic, screaming panic. A whole herd of them! They are completely immune to physical swords! If one of them swings a muddy fist, it will shatter this entire carriage into toothpicks and crush my body! I need to tell the orphan to stop the horses! Turn around! TURN AROUND!
He drew in a massive breath, fully preparing to scream at the top of his lungs.
At that exact millisecond, Mirelle felt a spike of terror. She quickly looked to her right to gauge her master's reaction.
She saw his face. It was entirely stoic. He looked completely bored, staring at the five-meter-tall monsters as if they were annoying flies. It was the exact same expression Lexi wore right before she slaughtered the wyverns.
Mirelle's fear instantly evaporated.
He is not afraid at all, Mirelle concluded, a bright, confident smile spreading across her face. Of course he isn't. I don't know the story but they call him Thousand Strings. He can probably eradicate these walking mud piles without even leaving his seat.
Her misplaced absolute trust swelled in her chest. She remembered her earlier deduction. As long as I am sitting next to him, no one in this world can touch me.
Mirelle did not step on the brake. Instead, she stood up slightly on the wooden board and violently cracked the heavy leather reins against the horses' backs.
"Hyaa!" Mirelle shouted bravely.
With a violent jolt, the heavy carriage surged forward, rapidly accelerating directly toward the herd of gigantic Mud Golems.
Because Mirelle was actively driving, her boots were firmly planted against the footboard and her hands were anchored to the heavy leather reins. She was braced, easily absorbing the sudden momentum.
Kian, however, was not braced at all. He was sitting carelessly on the very edge of the bench, leaning forward to massage his stiff lower back. He was completely relaxed.
When the carriage aggressively accelerated, the wooden seat rocketed forward beneath him. Caught entirely by the laws of inertia, his upper body was violently thrown backward. His spine slammed hard against the rigid wooden backrest, instantly knocking the air entirely out of his lungs.
His eyes widened as he desperately gasped for a breath that refused to come.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Kian screamed internally, his hands gripping the wooden bench so hard he was getting splinters. Why did you speed up?! Are you completely insane?! You are driving us directly into their fists! STOP! STOP THE CARRIAGE!
He opened his mouth to shout the order. But his lungs were completely empty from the physical blow. Without any oxygen to push past his vocal cords, his voice entirely seized. Unable to make a single sound, his face simply froze into a stiff, completely blank mask of absolute apathy.
The Mud Golems turned their featureless heads toward the approaching noise.
Because they weighed several tons, their movements were agonizingly slow. They raised their huge, dripping arms, lumbering heavily toward the center of the road to crush the wooden box speeding toward them.
Mirelle sat proudly on the bench, the wind whipping her blue hair. She drove the horses with flawless confidence, entirely unafraid, waiting for her master to unleash a devastating, god-like spell to clear the path.
Beside her, the legendary underworld boss sat completely frozen in silence, sweating profusely, entirely convinced he was about to die because the blue-haired orphan sitting beside him was an absolute, fearless lunatic.