Chirp, chirp, chirp...
In the drizzling rain, an Ink Bird flew beneath the dim sky. It spread its wings over a carriage struggling along the muddy road, then, after flying for nearly half an hour, plunged into the Deep Forest by the roadside and landed on the shoulder of a man wearing a black rain cape.
"Have they arrived?"
Raising a hand to stroke the Ink Bird's little head, the cloaked man stood up, quickly walked to the roadside, and looked into the distance.
Of course, he saw nothing, but he was certain that the target he had been waiting for would arrive soon.
"A Three-Star Adventurer with the strength of an Advanced Bronze Knight. A fine prey indeed!"
The corners of the man's mouth curled up beneath his hood, revealing an excited smile—the smile of a hunter who had spotted his prey.
Then the cloaked man turned and coldly said to another, slightly shorter cloaked figure silently following behind him, "There are two targets this time, and both are worth quite a bit. Leave the little one to you. Show no mercy."
"Mm, understood."
The shorter cloaked figure nodded, and the voice beneath the hood belonged to a boy.
"This won't do. The road is too difficult, and these two packhorses can't take it anymore."
Night had fallen, and the carriage was moving slower and slower. John decided to rest for the night and let the packhorses, which had been traveling nonstop for several days, recover.
So he drove the carriage into a clearing in the grass by the road, untied the packhorses, and let them rest on their own. Well-trained packhorses would not wander far; they would graze near the carriage.
"Sigh... This weather is no good for making a fire. No hot food for us."
After