Ambush

Ian suddenly turned around and saw an arrow buried more than halfway beneath the fake merchant's left shoulder blade, near his heart. The man collapsed to the ground, his face deathly pale, scarlet blood soaking his blue brocade robe.

The fake merchant convulsed all over, but none of his companions paid him any attention.

"Catch him!" At Harui's command, his servants and the Salt Miners scattered nearby all pulled iron swords from beneath the salt sacks on the mule carts and swarmed into the woods beside them.

Then several free riders who had seemingly appeared from nowhere also chased after the direction from which the arrow had been fired.

Harui's eyes gleamed with excitement and bloodlust, and he had completely ignored Ian's presence.

But this was clearly no longer a good chance for Ian to ambush him, because several swordsmen disguised as Salt Miners had gathered around Harui, watching him warily.

Those Salt Miners were all mercenaries in disguise! He actually dared to hire mercenaries? He had some nerve. A flicker of barely perceptible surprise crossed Ian's face.

Then he realized that his plan had been disrupted.

Ian did not feel any lingering fear just because the fake Salt Miners had been exposed as mercenaries. Even if they were mercenaries, his original plan could still have succeeded.

As long as the mules and carts were not blocking the way between him and the entrance to the salt mine, he would only need a few seconds to rush out of the mine after suddenly killing someone, and outside the mine lay the Kingsroad.

So what if a few Mercenary Cavalry were hiding outside?

They rode nothing more than Riverlands horses. The white horse beneath him was a select descendant of the Dornish Sand Steed, famed for its endurance. Though it had traveled nearly sixty kilometers, it had mostly trotted at just over ten kilometers per hour, and it had rested for an hour and a half at noon.

Ian could clearly sense that it had not expended much stamina. In this condition, as long as he made it out of the mine, those Riverlands horses would not be able to catch him even if they grew wings.

Uh... forget the wings. Even a Battle Emperor's horse didn't have wings, so what was the point of giving them wings? Right?

In any case, those Mercenary Cavalry would never catch him.

Unfortunately, now... Ian looked at Harui.

The other player's sudden move had placed four highly alert swordsmen at that man's side. Ian had completely lost his chance to ambush him.

"What's going on?" Ian could only ask with feigned calm, pretending to be bewildered by everything happening.

"Oh, ser, you don't know." Harui's tone brightened with the appearance of his prey, and he no longer seemed to care about Ian's attitude. He had already hooked his fish, after all. Who cared if someone wanted the salt from this mine?

Surely not? Surely nobody would actually fancy the profit from a mere few bags of salt?

"I have an enemy who has been hunting me for a long time," Harui explained. He still did not suspect Ian's identity. "So I set a trap here. Don't worry, ser. I'll be leaving soon."

It was a reasonable explanation, and even if it was not, it did not matter. Someone else's personal feud, taking place in The Riverlands, was hardly any concern of a Lannister bastard like him. Harui's explanation was therefore casual.

As for whether the bastard believed him? Eat shit! I'm lying to you, so come beat me up if you dare!

"So you're the true owner of this caravan?" Keeping up the act, Ian still put on a look of great surprise.

"Yes, ser." Harui nodded with a smile, his manner contemptuous yet respectful.

Before long, a commotion rose up. The mercenaries who had gone to capture the assassin had returned. A free rider came galloping toward them, using a horse rope to drag a bloodied man in an ordinary short tunic.

The man was clearly a Brotherhood Hunter. Ian had no idea whether he had deliberately come to the salt mine to hunt merchants, or whether he had merely spotted Harui while passing by and rashly attacked.

Ian leaned toward the latter explanation. The guy had shot through the impostor's heart with a single arrow from over one hundred and twenty yards away, which meant he must have been some kind of archery master in his previous life.

Yet he had dared to act without first figuring out the situation completely, falling straight into Harui's trap. That suggested he was not exactly the sharpest tool.

The Brotherhood Hunter ran desperately, struggling to keep up with the rider leading him by the rope. But as the horse sped up, he finally fell to the ground and was dragged along, gravel grinding his body into a bloody mess and leaving a clear trail of blood behind him.

As the triumphant free rider drew closer, the wine stains in his beard gradually became clearer. Yet Ian's mood grew heavier and heavier.

He glanced at Harui again. The four swordsmen remained on guard. Like Ian, none wore armor, and Ian was not confident he could assassinate Harui under their protection and escape unscathed.

As another dozen or so mercenaries returned one after another, Ian knew he had completely missed his chance to assassinate Harui.

Maybe I should just forget it? He hasn't discovered my identity. I can leave alive simply by doing nothing. Ian began to lose heart. Even if the First Blood Mission was gone, with my disguise, I'll still have chances to wait for other merchants in Salt Town. As long as I can get four points, I'll have established myself in this world. Don't be too greedy.

But when he looked up, his gaze fell upon the Brotherhood Hunter, whose hands were bound and who was being escorted before Harui by two men.

Harui raised his dagger, but stopped just before plunging it into the Brotherhood Hunter's neck. His hand trembled slightly. He was clearly hesitating.

"Would you like me to do it for you, sir?" a mercenary asked.

"No, no need." Harui hurriedly shook his head. Do it for me? What a joke! If you do it, I'll lose two points!

But Harui held up the dagger, still unable to bring himself to stab down.

So you hesitate too? Ian smiled bitterly inside. So you're also a player from a law-abiding society, and naturally afraid of killing people.

As Ian thought this, his gaze fell on the Brotherhood Hunter again.

He was just this close to me. In that instant, a bold idea arose in Ian's heart—one so audacious that even he was surprised by it.

Less than two meters. Including the length of my arm and my sword, he's only one thrust away. Their attention isn't on me right now. As long as I draw my sword, I can steal this kill. I only need a reason!

Ian narrowed his eyes to slits. In his field of vision, only the captured player remained.