Not far from Bensek and his group was a carriage—the one their employer was riding in.
Inside, a middle-aged man gripped his weapon tightly, just like those outside, his expression tense and vigilant.
He too was confused by the sudden disappearance of the Cloudwing Roc in the sky.
As far as he knew, Cloudwing Rocs didn't have that kind of ability.
A chill ran through his heart as a disturbing thought surfaced: 'Could this not be an accident or a random attack, but someone deliberately probing us?'
The moment the idea struck, his face turned grim.
He quickly kicked the man squatting in the corner beside him, who was trying to stay low and avoid any incoming danger.
Annoyed, he snapped, "Trouble's probably coming our way now. You stupid bastard—if this is because you spilled the secret, you'd better hope you can bear the consequences."
The man who got kicked looked aggrieved and stammered in a feeble attempt to defend himself.
"I didn't mean to... I was just drunk and—"
He would've been better off saying nothing. His cowardly excuse only made the other man more irritated.
"Shut up, you idiot. If things go south, I'll run for it alone. You're on your own."
With that, he stopped paying attention to his brother and resumed his state of high alert.
The timid one, climbing back to his feet, felt a mix of regret and resentment. Regret for letting his mouth slip while drunk, and resentment at how little his brother respected him.
They were real brothers—born to the same parents.
Both were minor nobles of Misturk. Their lives were mediocre: neither rich nor poor. While they weren't living in luxury, the inheritance from their ancestors was enough to keep them from worrying about survival.
Most of their daily routine revolved around indulging in food, drink, gambling, and women, relying entirely on the family estate.
Then one day, by sheer coincidence, the two of them stumbled across an old letter hidden in their family's warehouse—left behind by one of their ancestors.
The letter described events from the past, explaining how their noble lineage came to be. More importantly, it revealed the existence of a significant treasure hidden somewhere—something meant to help future generations revive the family should it ever fall into decline.
It was like something straight out of a legend—an epic inheritance from a bygone age. Naturally, it left them both ecstatic, as if they'd suddenly become the protagonists of a heroic saga.
While their family hadn't exactly fallen from grace, it was definitely in decline. The promise of treasure immediately ignited their ambition. They dreamed of seizing the inheritance and restoring the family's former glory.
But when they saw that claiming the treasure required passing a trial alone—and failure meant instant death—they both immediately chickened out in disgrace.
In that moment, they realized: 'Our lives aren't so bad right now… we're not completely broke yet. Surely we can coast a little longer.'
They convinced themselves the treasure wasn't urgent. Better to leave it to future generations—someone braver and more capable would surely come along and claim it.
With that decision made, they rehid the letter and went back to their usual lives of wine, women, and gambling.
But having a Legendary-Rank inheritance just out of reach was like a thorn in the heart. No matter how hard he tried, the younger brother couldn't stop thinking about it—and so he drank even more.
Not that it was much different from before. Whether happy or sad, he drank all the same.
And then one night, during an ordinary party, he drank too much and accidentally let the secret slip.
He spoke without thinking, but someone was listening with intent.
Within two or three days, they noticed strange figures loitering around their estate. Their businesses started encountering all sorts of mysterious troubles.
Realizing something was wrong, the older brother confronted him, demanding to know what he'd said or done.
Faced with the escalating situation, he didn't dare keep it hidden any longer. He came clean and told the whole story.
And so... they packed their bags and ran.
They had plenty of assets in the city, but compared to a Legendary-Rank inheritance, it was nothing.
During their escape, they did consider trading the treasure's location to a powerful noble in exchange for protection. That way, they'd lose the treasure but gain safety.
But the idea of handing over that kind of secret just felt too risky—it was all too easy to imagine being silenced afterward.
So they chose a safer route.
Before their enemies could confirm whether the treasure even existed, they slipped away—fleeing under a false identity and secretly hiring a highly reputable mercenary team to escort them.
What they didn't know was that the people watching them had already seen through their little schemes.
And their sudden flight only served as confirmation—they did have something to hide.
Just like that, the once-doubtful treasure instantly became highly credible in the eyes of those in pursuit.
So when the brothers left the city in secret, their enemies finally moved.
With the city's protective wards making action inside difficult, they had waited. Now, with the brothers on the move, a strike team was dispatched to intercept the convoy.
The plan was simple: stop the brothers, wipe out the rest of the witnesses under the guise of a bandit attack...
But there was no next step.
Because the moment they got close, their malicious intent flared like torches in the night—and immediately drew the attention of Orsaga.
And Orsaga, in his usual "who the hell cares who you are" attitude, didn't even bother asking questions.
From several kilometers away, he wiped them out and sent them straight to the afterlife.
Then, after reading their memories, he quickly pieced together the situation—and realized exactly who had dragged him into this mess.
Ordinarily, someone like Orsaga wouldn't let such pests live. Those who caused him trouble were usually cleaned up on the spot.
But then he had a different thought.
He hadn't been causing much trouble lately during his stay in Misturk. His kill count was practically at zero. Just a few unfortunate souls he'd snuffed out in passing.
Now, with those two idiots acting as bait, enemies were bound to come flocking.
'If I just leave them alone… won't that bring me a steady stream of targets?'
And once those enemies die, all the blame will fall on those two anyway. A perfect scapegoat…
With that in mind, Orsaga decided to let the brothers live—for now.
They'd be his bait. His lure.
He wanted to see just how many "lucky challengers" they could reel in.
The whole situation was starting to feel like opening mystery loot boxes. He couldn't help but feel a bit excited by the possibilities.
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T/N:
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