Chapter 30: Tense Confrontation

Celia’s heart finally settled a bit, though a trace of lingering fear surfaced.

She secretly rejoiced that her earlier decision to avoid a direct confrontation and take a detour had been the right one.

Celia had heard of the Commander of the Knight Order of the Rose.

Scraps of intelligence circulating within her tribe had pieced together an image of a powerful figure.

In truth, the Knight Order of the Rose was a well-trained elite force; they had simply been unfortunate enough to cross paths with Celia earlier.

Celia was confident in her own skills.

She would not necessarily falter in a duel or even against a small group of enemies.

However, if she were caught in a pre-planned ambush where she had to distract herself to protect Ilyas and Onyxia amidst the chaos…

She closed her eyes, banishing that overly risky hypothesis from her mind.

She knew she wasn’t certain she could lead them safely out of the border on her own.

And so, the caravan continued for two days along the dusty border roads.

The journey was tedious but relatively peaceful, traveling by day and camping in the wilderness or forest clearings by night.

With the merchant group as cover, they encountered no disturbances along the way.

However, that peace was utterly shattered on the evening of the second day.

As the caravan’s wagons were about to pass through a narrow valley entrance, the scouts ahead suddenly sounded an urgent bird-whistle alarm.

The entire merchant group instantly shifted into a state of high alert.

The pack animals were reined in, and the guards quickly converged on the front and flanks of the caravan.

Alarm bells rang in Celia’s mind.

She lifted a corner of the carriage’s side curtain to peer outside.

At the valley entrance stood a row of figures in neat formation.

There were about twenty people, all wearing matching silver-gray full plate armor that shimmered with a cold, hard luster in the twilight.

The Silver and Red Rose Emblem on their breastplates and pauldrons was clearly visible.

They held halberds or sharp swords, blocking the way.

Celia recognized them at a glance.

They were the Rose Knights, and a complete squad at that.

The lead knight flipped up his helmet’s visor, revealing the face of a middle-aged human male whose gaze swept over the slowly halting caravan.

He did not wear armor that differed significantly from the other knights, but his steady aura marked him as the commander of this intercepting squad.

Grom nudged his tall Giant Lizard mount forward, moving ahead of the crowd.

His usual boisterous smile had vanished, replaced by a more restrained expression.

“Which knightly lord is leading the way? We are the Green Leaf Merchant Group. We have formal transit documents and are carrying ordinary goods to the Border Outpost.”

The knight captain’s gaze swept coldly over Grom before moving to the massive line of wagons behind him.

“Routine inspection. Dangerous elements have been roaming the border recently. All travelers, regardless of identity, must submit to a search.”

Upon hearing this, the smile on Captain Grom’s face vanished without a trace.

A flicker of displeasure crossed his eyes.

When Celia had asked her vague questions earlier, he had already formed a suspicion.

Given the current situation, there was a ninety percent chance they were here for the passengers in his wagon.

‘Handing people over from my own caravan? Especially after I gave my word to Arian? Not a chance!’

Instead of following the order to have the passengers disembark, he urged his Giant Lizard forward a few steps.

“An inspection?”

Grom’s voice suddenly rose, carrying blatant distaste and provocation.

“This is the Green Leaf Merchant Group! We are genuine trade partners of the Elves, traveling on a trade route established by Elves and Beastmen! Since when did the Tiliano Empire’s knights stretch their claws so far as to manage someone else’s territory?”

With a wave of his thick arm, he pointed to the merchant guards behind him who were now on guard, including several tall Beastmen and Elves.

“On what grounds are you searching us? Just because of you twenty-some-odd tin cans? If you ask me, you’re the ones looking suspicious! Does a normal border patrol block the road in full battle gear? Show me your commander’s cross-border permit! If you can’t produce it, then get the hell out of my way and stop wasting my business hours!”

Though the blocking Rose Knights remained silent, their formation noticeably tightened as their hands gripped their weapons.

The lead knight captain’s face darkened, and his voice turned cold.

“We are performing our official duty to apprehend major fugitives. We have the right to inspect any suspicious party. Obstructing official business carries consequences you will have to bear.”

“Fugitives? We’re all honest businessmen!”

Grom refused to yield an inch.

“Stop trying to intimidate me with your titles! You want a search? Fine. Get an Elf or Beastman border official who actually has jurisdiction here to talk to me! Otherwise, based on this nameless ‘official business’ of yours…”

He let out a cold laugh, and his Giant Lizard let out a timely low growl.

“I’m not yielding the road today! What, you want to get violent? Give it a try!”

The atmosphere turned instantly hostile.

Although the merchant guards might not have matched the enemy’s elite martial prowess, they were numerous.

Having spent years traveling the borders, every one of them was a hardened veteran who lived by the blade.

Encouraged by their captain’s firm stance, they all drew their weapons.

The knight captain’s expression was grim as he looked over the merchant guards behind Grom, who clearly had the numerical advantage and high morale.

He then glanced at the carriage.

He knew it was highly likely that the targets were inside.

Usually, a merchant group would follow the principle of ‘less trouble is better’ and allow a search, perhaps with a few curses at most.

For them to be this defiant, there was definitely something wrong.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

He stopped wasting words on Grom and suddenly raised his right arm, making a gesture toward his flank.

A knight at the rear of the unit immediately understood.

He quickly pulled a strangely shaped metal cylinder from his saddlebag, aimed it at the sky, and pulled the fuse!

*Whiz—Boom!*

A blazing red flame shrieked into the sky, exploding into a conspicuous spot of light against the darkening heavens.

It was clearly visible even from miles away.

“Calling for backup?”

Grom’s pupils constricted, and he laughed out of pure rage.

“Fine! You want to see who can call more people?!”

How could he not be prepared?

Traveling through this lawless border region meant that dealing with various factions was part of the job.

There was no way he would not have a backup plan.

Grom suddenly turned his head and barked at a Wood Elf guard carrying a longbow, “Alai! Fire the signal!”

“Yes, sir!”

The Wood Elf named Alai moved instantly.

He reached back and pulled a Green Crystal Arrow from his quiver.

Without using his bow yet, he used his hand to rub the crystal against a specific spot on the arrowhead.

After a soft click, the crystal suddenly flared with light.

Alai drew his bow into a full moon.

There was no need to aim as he released the string.

*Whoosh.*

The arrow soared high into the air.

This was a signal used specifically by border caravans to call patrol teams.

Once an emergency occurred and this was used, the patrol teams from nearby watchtowers would arrive immediately.