Future Knight

Chapter 72

As soon as Kang Chan’s party entered the restaurant, a man who had been eyeing them with a lewd look licked his lips and spoke.

“Hehe… to think I’d encounter not one, but four top-quality beauties in a place like this.”

Judging by the way he categorized people and referred to them as ‘beauties,’ it seemed he was no stranger to human trafficking.

The man sitting next to him was equally excited.

“L-Lord! One of them is an Elf! An Elf!”

Elves were a rare race that lived only in the forests, making them difficult to see.

Moreover, they greatly disliked humans, so it was even rarer to see an Elf mingling openly with them.

They assumed she was an Elf banished from her forest.

“I see that too. Hehehe…”

“Judging by their attire, they look like some naive noble brats.”

Indeed, the clothes that Zikyon and Loki were wearing were not something commoners could afford.

Due to the turmoil of the war and weakened public security, murders, looting, and rapes were rampant. Their appearance, traveling without any luggage, looked like they were walking gold bars.

“Hmm, seeing them wandering around without a carriage, they don’t seem to be from a prominent family.”

It was unthinkable for the children of a notable family to travel without a carriage.

“I’ll make sure they realize this world isn’t as easy as they think.”

Although the Elf race was far stronger than humans, he had 100 mercenaries and two rare Sword Experts under his command.

With that kind of power, subduing one Elf would be more than manageable.

The leader’s cruel smile soon turned into a sinister grin.

In his mind, he vividly pictured the Elf beneath him, moaning in agony.

‘Ugh! Just imagining it makes me feel heavy down there.’

After indulging in his fantasies for a moment, the leader returned to reality, his eyes gleaming as he gave his subordinate an order.

“Make sure to finish them off by today, no matter what.”

“Yes, Lord! I’ll execute it right away!”

The man’s name, who was called the leader, was Shukrim de Gaulle Gabed.

Contrary to his cute name, he was infamous across the continent as the son of Shukrim de Gaulle Shaved, the owner of the notorious Shukrim Merchant Group, and the leader in charge of the western region.

The reason he had come to this place was to buy up the highest quality weapons produced in the Dwarf village near the Montana Mountain Range to sell them on the battlefield.

At the same time, he was also engaged in human trafficking as a side business. They had already kidnapped dozens of men and women on this trip.

In these hard times, people did whatever they had to survive, but… their side business was utterly inhumane.

Sensing the unusual atmosphere in the restaurant, Kang Chan began staring down the rough mercenaries at another table.

“Something strange is going on.”

“Yeah, it looks like we’ll have to lighten up our mood whether we like it or not soon.”

Zikyon was smiling with a rather excited expression, unlike her previously sullen face.

Just as the dark hands were about to reach the four men and women with elven-like beauty, a woman approached Kang Chan’s party.

She had a striking appearance with black hair and an air of strength that rivaled any man’s.

“Is there a problem?”

The woman spoke in the softest voice possible, so only they could hear.

“Run away right now.”

“What?”

“Are you out of your mind? Or are you just fools?”

When the woman who suddenly appeared treated them like idiots and told them to run, Kang Chan asked, puzzled.

“Why do you say that?”

The black-haired woman sighed deeply at Kang Chan’s words.

“Sigh… do you even know who those people over there are while you’re eating here?”

“What does it matter who they are?”

“What does it matter? Those people belong to the Shukrim Merchant Group, infamous across the continent for their bad reputation.”

“Shukrim? What’s that got to do with us?”

“They’re a despicable merchant group that captures people as good-looking as you and sells them as slaves.”

The black-haired woman blushed slightly as she looked at Kang Chan.

Seeing him up close, his face was even more handsome.

Not only him, but the others with him were as beautiful as those seen in royal palaces.

Indeed, it was understandable why Shukrim had their eyes on them.

As someone also involved in the merchant world, she could estimate their worth, and their combined value could easily equate to a small castle.

Especially the Elf woman, whose value could rival that of a luxurious mansion.

The price of an Elf was practically whatever one was willing to pay, starting at a minimum of 10,000 gold at auction.

Moreover, the green-haired woman with comparable beauty.

Except for being human, she even seemed more precious than the Elf.

Her voluptuous figure would also fetch a considerable sum, likely around 5,000 gold.

Then there was the sickly-looking boy beside her.

It was hard to tell if he was a boy or a girl, especially since he was wearing female clothes, but she instantly recognized Loki as a boy.

If well-packaged and sold at the slave market, there would be perverted noblewomen lining up to buy him.

And finally, the man facing her…

He exuded a mysterious aura completely different from the continent’s natives.

With jet-black hair and black eyes, a cold expression, and icy gaze, yet features as beautiful and delicate as a woman’s…

Even she felt tempted to forsake morality and kidnap him due to his overwhelming charm.

“And who are you to say this?”

The woman, who hadn’t introduced herself in her haste, finally did so.

“Oh, I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Mu Kalina, the leader of the Kalina Merchant Group.”

“So, you’re also part of a merchant group.”

There was a sharp tone in Kang Chan’s words.

Since she was also a merchant, she might pretend to be on their side only to swindle them.

However, as a skilled merchant, she quickly picked up on Kang Chan’s suspicion.

“Indeed. I lead a merchant group, but we would never engage in inhumane activities like human trafficking.”

She made it clear that she wasn’t approaching them with bad intentions. But Kang Chan, with no change in expression, replied.

“Thank you for your concern, but there’s no need to worry about us.”

“I’m not just concerned; I’m warning you.”

“Let’s leave it at that then.”

“……”

Miu Kalina, unfazed by the man’s cold words, thought she had wasted her time and returned to her seat.

‘I don’t know where he gets that confidence from, but it’s none of my business anymore… He was someone I found quite charming after a long time, but to think that his party would become a target of the Shukrim caravan…’

Miu Kalina felt a deep sense of regret. But now, she had no choice but to cut ties with them.

She couldn’t afford to risk the entire caravan for the sake of unknown travelers.

This time, the caravan she led was less than half the size of the Shukrim caravan, and their eyes had not been kind ever since they purchased the dwarf-made weapons first.

They were likely waiting for an opportunity to strike.

With only one sword expert in her caravan compared to the two in the Shukrim caravan, they could turn into masked bandits at any time.

In such a situation, if she tried to protect the poor travelers in front of her, it would only serve as a pretext for a fight.

Because the travelers in front of her were worth that much.

‘I hope you manage to get through this…’

Trying to ignore them, Miu Kalina silently prayed for the safety of the man who had stirred her heart.

“Hey, don’t trust them. They’re all the same.”

“But something about that woman, Miu Kalina, seems sincere.”

“You clearly don’t know merchants at all.”

While Zikyon and Kang Chan were talking about the merchants, a waiter brought four glasses of fresh fruit juice.

It was top-grade fruit juice, with fresh juice and cold ice, not something you would expect from such a shabby inn.

Elrica, who loved fruits, couldn’t help but salivate.

However, since Kang Chan hadn’t ordered such juice, he asked the waiter.

“We didn’t order this.”

“It’s from the gentleman over there.”

When the party turned their heads to where the waiter pointed, Pedro, a close associate of Shukrim, raised his hand slightly with a friendly smile, indicating that he was the one who sent the juice.

His appearance exuded nobility from head to toe, and his face was filled with benevolence.

It was a face clearly in business mode.

Kang Chan nodded politely and said to Zikyon.

“Check it.”

“Wait a moment.”

Zikyon dipped her pinky into the juice and tasted it, then smiled brightly.

“Bingo! For an average human, this would put them to sleep for three days straight. It’s quite a high-grade sleeping pill.”

A dark murderous intent filled Kang Chan’s eyes.

“Those bastards dare to think of me as a fool!”

As Kang Chan’s hand moved toward his sword, Zikyon stopped him.

“Hey! Hold on!”

“Why?”

“Just killing them isn’t fun, is it?”

“Then what?”

“The fact that there’s a sleeping pill in the fruit juice means there’s an accomplice in the inn, and it implies there are other victims besides us.”

“So what do you mean?”

“Root and branch!”

“Root and branch?”

“Yes, let’s pretend to be affected and then wipe them out completely…”

Zikyon’s eyes were filled with as much murderous intent as Kang Chan’s. Looking into her eyes, Kang Chan smiled.

“I like what you’re saying.”

“What do you mean, ‘I like’? You’ll get scolded.”

Zikyon frowned at Kang Chan and then looked at Loki and Elrica.

“Everyone, gather around. We’re having a strategy meeting.”

“Yes.”

Thus began Zikyon’s emergency strategy meeting, and the three of them had to shiver at her ingenious yet cruel plan.

A little while later, all preparations were complete. Now, only action remained.

“Alright, let’s start Phase 1 of the plan!”

“Yes!”

At the signal to begin Phase 1, everyone naturally started drinking the fruit juice.

It was fruit juice that had already been detoxified by Zikyon’s magic.

Soon, the four of them pretended to be sleepy, staggering and then one by one acting like they were falling asleep.

“Yawn! Why am I so sleepy?”

“Snore… Snore…”

Pedro, watching from a distance, cheered inwardly.

“Nice! Idiots, they actually drank it!”

Pedro hadn’t expected them to really drink it.

In these dangerous times, he didn’t think people who looked like nobles would accept something from strangers so easily.

But as he had hoped, they were really naïve noble kids.

Although he felt a bit disappointed that he couldn’t use his next trick, he was still pleased with the big catch and, with his subordinates, carefully moved Kang Chan’s party outside.

Thinking about the rewards he would receive, Pedro felt very pleased.

“Here, well done.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Kang Chan, watching through squinted eyes as the waiter accepted the money pouch from Pedro, ground his teeth inwardly.

‘That bastard… Fine, laugh now…’

Not knowing he was caught, the waiter hurried to the kitchen, unable to contain his excitement as he opened the money pouch and saw the gleaming gold inside.

With this money, he could spend a month rolling around with the tavern maid.

“Idiot, that’s why you should never skimp on tips. Hehehe! Wait for me, Maria… Oppa is coming! Hahaha!”

Just thinking about running to Maria right after this made the waiter’s face flush and he couldn’t help but whistle.

However, tonight he would receive an unexpected tip from Kang Chan.

A tip called death.

“Despite going out of my way to warn them, they still drank it!”

Miu Kalina couldn’t hide her shock as she watched Kang Chan’s party, drugged and being dragged away by the Shukrim caravan’s mercenaries.

But even seeing them being dragged away, she couldn’t do anything else.

From afar, Shukrim signaled her to stay silent by gesturing to seal her lips.