The Xavier Trading Company was an unremarkable entity among the countless small and large merchants in the Human United Kingdom.

 

With a staff of 139, including 40 security personnel who had signed cooperation agreements, their only caravan traveled year-round between the capital city, Courage City, and the western border town of Chelan City, profiting from the sale of specialties from both locations.

 

While not making a fortune, their earnings were quite substantial.

 

Mr. Xavier, the founder and current president of the company, was an outstanding businessman in the prime of his life. Possessing a sharp business mind and crisis awareness, he knew what to engage with and what to avoid. This ability allowed him to start from scratch, rising from an ordinary young man with nothing to his current status.

 

Now, Mr. Xavier was leading the caravan, which had completed its procurement in Chelan, back to Courage City.

 

The astute businessman’s mood was somewhat delicate at the moment.

 

A few days ago, while he was out alone on the outskirts of Chelan, he unexpectedly suffered a minor injury, making it difficult for him to move. He was pondering how to return to the inn when, coincidentally, a beautiful black-haired woman, dressed in a white holy robe that resembled a priestess but without any holy emblem or insignia, and a blonde girl who seemed to be her attendant happened to pass by.

 

Mr. Xavier, with his social skills at their peak, immediately called out to them for help. Although the black-haired girl seemed a bit impatient, she ultimately helped him out, seemingly effortlessly.

 

Truly, it was just a casual act for her.

 

From a distance of over ten meters, with a wave of her small, pure-white hand, Xavier found the injury on his leg miraculously healed.

 

Undoubtedly, this was a young lady with powerful magical abilities.

 

Then, they intended to leave.

 

In a moment of inexplicable decision, Mr. Xavier, who had always avoided beings that transcended his understanding, called out to them once again. He voluntarily revealed his identity and expressed a desire to “offer a token of gratitude.”

 

After some thought, the black-haired girl with magical powers surprisingly made a request to Mr. Xavier.

 

She and her companion wanted to travel with the caravan using their carriage. However, they would leave the caravan in the “Forgotten Land” midway, and in case of trouble, Mr. Xavier shouldn’t expect any help.

 

Naturally, Mr. Xavier agreed. He only wanted to repay these two, and bringing along two seemingly just-of-age girls posed minimal impact on his caravan of hundreds. It wasn’t a problem at all.

 

At this moment, the two mysterious girls were in the space Mr. Xavier cleared out in his carriage, and it was unclear what they were doing.

 

They didn’t communicate much with the people in the caravan, maintaining a rather aloof demeanor. Therefore, despite Mr. Xavier’s interest in the two, he couldn’t find an opportunity to start a conversation.

 

Well, perhaps they were just passing strangers after all. Since the girls had expressed reluctance, Mr. Xavier wouldn’t force himself into their company. After all, he was a married man.

 

However, perhaps the gods were playing a small joke on him. On this journey that had taken place dozens of times, Mr. Xavier unexpectedly encountered a situation he hadn’t anticipated.

 

While the businessman was busy manipulating his abacus and ledger in his carriage, a tall man wearing black and gray armor, with a scar from a blade on his eye, lifted the cloth curtain and entered, plopping down across from him.

 

“President, something’s not right up ahead.”

 

Onett, a former Mithril-ranked adventurer, led a team that collapsed and was destroyed in an assignment, with two members dead and two injured. Feeling powerless, Onett quit the Adventurer’s Guild and switched to being the guard for a caravan, a job with a lower danger level.

 

He had been working with Xavier for three years. The caravan’s routes were stable and safe, with Onett and his guard team only dealing with the occasional low-level magical beasts. Bandits were rare, and the treatment was quite good. Onett was quite satisfied.

 

However, this time, Onett’s keen adventurer instincts sensed a dangerous scent.

 

“What’s going on?”

 

Xavier put down the abacus, his expression gradually turning serious. It was rare to see the formidable guard captain with such a furrowed brow.

 

“This morning, I noticed that we haven’t encountered any pedestrians coming from the direction of the town of Bavo. It felt strange, so I sent a few of my men ahead to investigate. Can you guess what happened?”

 

“Bandits?”

 

Onett shook his head.

 

“They vanished. None of them came back, not even a planned warning signal.”

 

“Damn…”

 

Xavier took in a sharp breath.

 

The Xavier Trading Company’s guard team was trained by Onett, a Mithril-ranked adventurer. They were at least of Obsidian Steel-level competence, and with the experienced guard captain facing this particular situation, he certainly wouldn’t send only the weakest members to their deaths.

 

Couldn’t they handle situations that even experts of Mithril or even Earth-class rank couldn’t?

 

No, considering what Onett had said – that no signals were sent – the more likely scenario was that they encountered something they couldn’t resist or react to at all.

 

If that were the case, the strangeness of this matter exceeded what a small merchant caravan could handle.

 

However… it was also possible…

 

“Let’s take a detour,” Onett provided a straightforward suggestion.

 

Xavier seemed troubled. “But the caravan’s food and water are almost depleted. It’ll be difficult to make it to the next city without resupplying in the town of Bavo. And those guards…”

 

“Listen, Xavier.”

 

The tall guard captain bent down, firmly placing his hands on the merchant’s shoulders and advised him with a serious tone.

 

“Human beings are fragile creatures. In this world, there are things with intelligence far beyond ours. They might be rare, but they do exist.”

 

“If you encounter a situation that you can’t comprehend, the best course of action is to escape immediately before you confront it. Don’t harbor any illusions. Visible difficulties may be overcome, but curiosity about the unknown will only cost you your life, understand?”

 

Onett became more impassioned as he spoke, and even Xavier winced as the grip on his shoulders tightened. He patted the guard captain’s hand and gestured with his eyes for him to calm down.

 

“……Sorry, it’s just that I recalled that thing again.”

 

The man with the fierce scar on his face slumped down, wearing a wry smile.

 

“It’s okay, my friend. I understand what you’re saying, and I empathize with your feelings. But perhaps, this situation isn’t as bad as you imagine?”

 

Xavier silently contemplated the familiar journey and terrain, proposing a compromise.

 

“Caution is indeed important, but if we abandon our companions at the slightest trouble, fleeing without consideration, who will be willing to trust the Xavier Trading Company in the long run?”

 

“Maybe your subordinates are just momentarily hindered, unable to break free, or… perhaps they think there’s no need to send a signal?”

 

“In that case, we can proceed to the hillock area just two or three kilometers from the town of Bavo. We can utilize the terrain advantage to observe with the Farsight Magic Stones and then decide on the next course of action. What do you think?”

 

After Xavier’s well-reasoned analysis and persuasion, the now calmer Onett realized that he might have been overly sensitive. Many past situations had proven that he tended to overanalyze minor misunderstandings, leading to incorrect judgments.

 

When faced with genuine danger, the shrewd merchant guild leader responded swiftly.

 

“Alright, we’ll go with your plan, but if anything happens, be sure to retreat immediately. I have a bad feeling about this.”

 

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control.”

 

After this discussion, the Xavier Trading Company’s caravan cautiously continued its journey towards the original destination, the Bavo Town.