Chapter 14: First Operation

A note was tied to the Black Hawk’s leg.

After removing it, the Black Hawk spread its wings and soared toward the direction of the Knights Order. It was already clear who had sent this hawk.

The note contained only one sentence: See you at the office tomorrow morning.

“Is there something you need?”

“Evelina has something to discuss with me tomorrow. Don’t worry, it’s not right now.”

After Lucas answered, Relia seemed to visibly relax.

Lucas knew Evelina would assign him tasks, but he hadn’t expected the first job to come so soon.

As for what the task was or how long it would take, he would have to wait until tomorrow to find out.

Right now, Lucas only wanted to fully enjoy Relia’s cooking.

Everything else was beyond his concern.

***

The next morning, Lucas set out quietly, carrying his saw spear and musket on his back, heading toward the Knights Order.

He gently knocked on Evelina’s office door, and a response came from inside.

Pushing the door open, he saw Evelina sitting at her desk, frowning as she read through some documents.

“Miss Evelina, is there something you need?”

“There’s a mission I want you to carry out.”

Evelina handed the papers to Lucas.

“This mission isn’t difficult; consider it a chance to practice.”

Lucas quickly skimmed through the document.

It was an intelligence report.

According to the Knights Order’s investigators, the Eight Sins recently captured a batch of slaves and were currently transporting them along a backroad near the royal capital to a nearby city.

“Slave trade is strictly forbidden in our kingdom, yet the Eight Sins continue this filthy business in secret,” Evelina said, resting her chin on her hands as she fixed Lucas with a gaze.

“According to the intel, this slave transport group is composed of five people. Bring back one alive, and eliminate the rest.”

With only five enemies to face, this wasn’t much of a challenge for Lucas.

“The Eight Sins are an atrocious transnational crime syndicate; their members have blood on their hands. Anyone caught is sentenced to death anyway, so it’s better to send them off right from the start.”

Evelina made a throat-slitting gesture with her hand.

“Follow my orders and finish this today, understood?”

Whether it was just his imagination or not, Evelina seemed like a completely different person when talking about matters involving the Eight Sins.

“I understand. What about the slaves?”

“Bring them back first. These slaves are special this time, so be sure to keep them safe.”

Lucas nodded and left Evelina’s office.

After double-checking the mission details, he found a horse and rode toward the destination.

“This should be the place…”

Lucas dismounted and verified the location once more.

Satisfied, he tied his horse deep within the forest and then climbed a sturdy tree with all fours, perching on a thick branch as he gazed into the distance.

He had no idea when the target would arrive, so Lucas rested his eyes against the tree trunk to conserve energy.

“Soon, soon. They’ll be here any moment.”

Distant voices gradually reached him.

Half-asleep on the branch, Lucas immediately snapped awake and looked toward the source of the sound.

A black dot appeared on the horizon, slowly revealing the silhouette of a prison wagon—likely his target.

As it got closer, it was indeed the slave transport, guarded by five people, matching the intelligence exactly.

What caught Lucas’s attention most was the cargo inside the wagon.

Several ragged young girls were locked inside, all with long, pointed ears.

A defining feature of elves.

This puzzled Lucas.

Elves were a scattered race, usually living in small, isolated tribes, and their settlements were notoriously well hidden.

They possessed some kind of unique power that made it impossible for outsiders to detect their villages.

Even if an outsider was right inside an elven tribe, they would be none the wiser.

So how did these slavers find the elves?

Most of the elven girls looked listless, their eyes dull and empty, as if they had given up hope of escape.

In contrast, the slavers were cheerful, loudly boasting about their haul.

Their voices naturally reached Lucas’s ears.

“This time we’re making a fortune. Catching so many elves, the boss will definitely reward us handsomely.”

“Elves… so rare to find. Too bad these are the ones the boss wants; he’s strictly forbidden us from touching them.”

“Don’t worry. After we make a big score this time, the guys can hit the brothel and have a good time, right?”

Lucas quietly memorized their words.

“Boss…”

It seemed clear there was a higher-up pulling the strings.

Evelina’s order to bring back one alive was probably to extract information about the mastermind.

That was the Knights Order’s job.

For now, Lucas prepared to act.

The slavers approached.

Lucas had planned to leap down from the tree and intercept them immediately, but upon seeing their weapons, he hesitated.

Of the five slavers, only the driver carried a knife.

The other four each wielded a musket.

That was troublesome. In a cold-weapon fight, Lucas’s saw spear had a range advantage, and his chainmail offered some protection.

But muskets were different.

The time it took to assemble and ready his saw spear was enough for them to pepper him with bullets.

Though primitive muskets, their close-range lethality was undeniable. His chainmail would not stop these firearms.

“Gotta change tactics.”

Lucas muttered to himself on the branch.

The transporters neared the tree.

Lucas mentally prepared his attack plan.

He decided that when they were right below, he would leap down and kill one before anything else.

Fixing his gaze on the approaching wagon, at that moment, his eyes met those of an elf inside the prison wagon.

The gray-haired elven girl’s eyes were different from the others who had given up.

In them burned a fierce desire to break free.

Moreover, when their eyes locked, Lucas felt as if she had been watching him for some time, trying to communicate something silently.

Had she spotted him?

Would she alert the slavers?

Then, the gray-haired elf gave a slight nod, seemingly signaling Lucas that it was time to act.

Lucas nodded back to her and leapt down from the branch, aiming at one of the slavers below.