NOVEL NEXT Chapter 189: Migration ( 39 )
Not far from the eastern border of Winterseed, a group of men could be seen approaching the village on horseback and in horse-drawn carriages.
There were eleven horses in total—five ridden individually, while the other six pulled along three carriages, each drawn by two horses.
The five men at the front held flaming torches that lit the path ahead. Each was armed with a sword; they seemed to be guarding those in the carriages.
"Are we there yet?" one of the men lounging in the rearmost carriage asked lazily, his voice tinged with impatience.
"Almost there," one of the riders called back over his shoulder.
Meanwhile, within Winterseed, Rowan and Blaze were sprinting toward the border, their expressions serious and alert.
'Who could these people be? Why are they approaching the village?' These urgent questions echoed in Rowan's mind.
The last time men arrived at their village on horseback, it was to start a war.
Rowan was not prepared for another war right now; the village needed peace to rebuild.
The two of them reached the guardhouse, hearts pounding.
The group was still some distance away, but thanks to Rowan's eclipse vision, he could see them clearly without relying on their torches.
He could make out every detail—from the color of their hair and the tension on their faces to their attire and the swords strapped at their waists.
Rowan quickly counted their numbers.
"Those carriages aren't heavily manned—probably three men each at most. They don't seem very threatening. I could take them all down single-handedly, even if I were half-asleep," he assessed confidently, a hint of a smirk on his face.
"However, they don't look like they're here for war," he continued thoughtfully.
He could tell they weren't soldiers just from their attire; their clothes lacked the uniformity and insignia of an army.
But why were they here? Winterseed hadn't had contact with other villages for at least five years, except for Glenwood—now Winterseed II—which Rowan had battled and conquered.
At this moment, the only explanation Rowan could think of was D'andre.
'But there's no way he could convince another village so quickly. And even if he succeeded, they shouldn't be contacting us this soon. It hasn't even been twenty-four hours since he left,' Rowan mused, his brow furrowing.
A few minutes passed, and the men rode closer.
They hadn't spotted Rowan and Blaze yet; the night was still dark, and their torches illuminated only a short distance ahead.
The men came to a halt.
Two of the riders dismounted, cautiously drawing their swords as they approached the guardhouse.
"Don't cause any trouble with them. We're here for business only. I've heard the Lord is very powerful; we shouldn't provoke them," a voice warned from inside the carriage.
This finally confirmed Rowan's suspicion that they were sent by D'andre.
Although he was surprised by how quickly they arrived, he didn't waste time revealing himself.
He and Blaze stepped out from their spot into the open.
Blaze emitted a low, menacing growl that echoed through the still night air.
"Ahhhh!" The two approaching men, who still hadn't spotted them, dropped their swords and stumbled backward at the sound, fear flashing in their eyes.
They scanned the darkness and finally saw the gigantic, shadowy figure of Blaze. His glowing red eyes locked onto theirs, causing them to shiver uncontrollably.
"A monster!" they cried out in unison.
Their cries startled the others behind them, who drew their swords and prepared to engage with the unseen enemy.
"Relax, it's just my pet," Rowan said with a chuckle, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
He'd actually forgotten that outsiders weren't accustomed to Blaze's appearance; it was a common sight for him but a terrifying one for strangers.
Knowing they couldn't see him due to the darkness—though he could see them clearly—he brought out one of the glowing crystals he'd received from D'andre.
The glowing crystal shone brighter than fluorescent bulbs on Earth, illuminating the area with a soft, radiant light.
It emitted a bright light that made everything visible to the men.
Thanks to the crystal, the men could now make out their surroundings.
The first thing they noticed was Blaze—his bright fur and towering height, along with his cold, intensely powerful eyes, made the men shiver anew.
'So big...' they thought in unison, their jaws dropping slightly.
They also noticed Rowan, who appeared to be around nineteen. Despite his youth, they could tell from the sharp look in his eyes that he was anything but ordinary.
After all, how could someone who called a terrifying beast like Blaze his pet be ordinary?
The men knew better than to mess with him.
While they were observing him, Rowan checked the character status of the nearby men.
---
[Name: Victor]
[Occupation: Mercenary]
[Special Skill: Sword Master (D)]
[Status: Shaken]
[Name: Lucas]
[Occupation: Mercenary]
[Special Skill: Sword Master (D)]
[Status: Scared]
---
Rowan noticed there was nothing extraordinary about them. The skills they possessed were ones he already had—in fact, his were much stronger and more refined.
Only their occupation was new; it was the first time Rowan had encountered it in this world—but unfortunately, he couldn't copy occupations.
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'Well, it's not like there's anything special about being a mercenary,' he thought dismissively.
An awkward silence ensued as the men struggled to speak upon seeing the frightening sight of Blaze.
Rowan decided to break the silence by asking a question.
By this time, the two men on the ground had gotten up and were brushing dirt off their clothes, trying to regain their composure.
One of them, Lucas—the taller of the two—finished dusting himself off. He gave a slight bow and introduced himself to Rowan.
"We are merchants from Cold-gin Village; we've come in peace. We heard your village is ready to engage in inter-territory trade," Lucas explained, his voice steadying.
As Lucas spoke, the men in the carriages and those on horseback dismounted and greeted him.
They were a total of eleven men.
All of them were older than Rowan.
The youngest among them was at least ten years his senior, but none dared to show the slightest bit of disrespect.
Rowan welcomed them into the village, gesturing for them to follow.