Two Ways

Sawyer went after target A while I went after target B. I went to the west while Sawyer went to the east. That was the general direction of the bounty, I hadn't read the target details yet. The target details were pretty much unknown to me, but the last vicinity was in the east.

I carried the tactical radio with me. We should keep in touch. As I rode on top of the horse, I read the paper that Sumia gave me.

The target was a merchant. What kind of merchant? Apparently, he was one of the illegal merchants that entered the Imperium Kingdom. According to the details, he sold items from raided villages. So, basically, I would be hunting raiders.

The bounty details were rather hazy. It is said here that I must be hunting down a caravan convoy. The merchant group always moved in four carriages with the lead carriage carrying the target.

The target was a male with a tall posture. The hair color of the target was grey, indicating that he was an old man. His eye color was black. He always used steel plate armor on the go alongside being accompanied by mercenaries consisting of archers, mages, swordsmen, and knights.

The mission would be only deemed complete if I managed to kill the target alongside retrieving evidence that he was dead. Sure, it couldn't be that hard, could it?

In my hands was an M16 assault rifle, but that was not the main weapon that I would use. In my back was the Carl Gustav M4 alongside 6 rounds of anti-structure/multirole munition for the maximum amount of damage to the convoy.

The hard part would be tracking down the carriage. However, I also had prepared for that. In my rucksack, alongside the ammunition, were first-aid kits and MREs. I could last for three days, at the very least.

Still, ambushing a caravan, what could possibly go wrong? I'd attack them from a considerable distance instead of going head-on. That would ensure the biggest advantage. Besides, I now knew what would the mages do if they found my position.

This was kinda lonely though, tracking down a convoy through the grassland.

Still, a route to a lifeless village such as Olbora shouldn't have any leftover tracks. I could use that for my opportunity. For 50,000 Arleum, no wonder why the quest was more of a nuisance rather than difficult.

I stopped right at a three-way junction. There was a sign. I walked to the sign. One road led to Olbora Village, and the other two roads led to two other villages. One was the Omora Village while the other was Bratdor Village. However, there was a distance to the sign.

"Fifty... Kilometers???" I commented.

Shit, it would mean I have to choose one of those villages or I'd be damned to spend weeks on this bloody road. I observed the road, and I scratched my head. Even it took me an hour to reach this junction.

Tire tracks filled the road going from Omora to Bratdor. Bloody hell, which village should I choose? Both were equally crowded with people, and why everyone didn't even bother to come to Olbora if it was located between two equally far villages.

So... Time to use the trusted black magic method. I grabbed a branch and put it in the middle of the road. The branch fell to the left, so, Bratdor Village it would be. Thus, I began the long trip toward the village.

"Alfie, how's your side?"

"Grim. How about you?" I asked Sawyer.

"Mission's complete. Target's dead, and I'm returning to the village with loot, at the moment," Sawyer said. I should have taken his paper earlier if it was the case.

"Well, good for you, listen, I might be gone for a week or so, do you mind starting the training?" I asked Sawyer.

"Sure, no problem, doc, they'll be as good as you want them to be," Sawyer said.

"Alright, it looks like I'd be exiting the comm range, good luck," I said.

"You too."

With that, I continued the journey towards the northwest. I'd arrive at Bratdor village tomorrow morning. Hopefully, I found the convoy along the way. If they were merchants, they wouldn't be hostile towards me. With that in mind, I galloped my horse.

The road towards Bratdor was pretty much the same. On the left, you got a stretching forest while on the right, you got a stretching grassland. The smell of plants entered my nose as the horse moved through the paved road.

Wildflowers were growing in the grassland. A bunch of white and red tulips was opening, giving away the beautiful sight for me on this very long trip. I didn't know what Bratdor village would look like, but it might be more lively than Olbora village.

It begged the question of why Olbora village was so unpopulated and so uninteresting. Strategically, its position was very good, but I didn't know much more about that. I'd leave that decision for someone else, to be honest.

Along the way, I finally met one carriage. I stayed behind the carriage, not trying to overtake it yet. I didn't know whose white carriage it was, but it looked owned by the nobility. Bottom point, I wanted to know who was inside the carriage.

I rode my horse right next to the carriage. I peeked into the window, a young lady was sitting down. Her gown looked expensive, with a pink color and a piece of very fancy jewelry to act as her hair ornaments, unlike my clothing which was functionality over esthetics.

"Commoner, move away from Baronness Ilma!" The driver of the carriage shouted.

I galloped my horse faster and left the carriage behind. Hmm, I'd probably do the same thing if a guy with a helmet alongside a recoilless launcher came in my direction. I'd tell him to scram from my VIP.

With the day going to turn into the night time. It might be better to set up a camp, sooner or later. I didn't want to be eaten by monsters or something, even though I brought a rocket launcher on the back of my body.