"Hey, boss." Jarek heard a voice calling from inside the carriage and responded by asking, "You mean me?"
"Of course, I mean you. After all, without you being in charge, we wouldn't have been able to escape with our lives intact." The speaker was a fourteen-year-old boy named Dex.
"Speaking of being able to escape... I was curious about how you were able to do it. The chances of pulling that off seemed almost impossible." Although Jarek wasn't able to see the curious gazes directed towards him from inside the carriage, he could somewhat feel them.
Everyone was curious; even the coachman wanted to know how they had achieved the impossible.
A group of children escaping from a Grandmaster under such circumstances was almost unheard of.
And so, just like the rest, he patiently waited for Jarek to elaborate on the methods he employed to make their escape possible.
Jarek certainly disappointed them as he spoke up.
"To escape, we needed to accomplish three major goals. The first was to get out of the prison we were trapped in, the second was to deal with or, in the worst case, evade the enemies found in the mansion, and the third was to make our escape by securing a means of transport to outside Belmora as quickly as possible." Jarek summarized the objectives before continuing.
"Naturally, achieving either objective on their own is as difficult as ascending to heaven. To achieve the first objective, you'll need to get the keys from the vampires themselves, which is naturally impossible. You can't expect to be able to steal from a cultivator as a mortal. So, the only solution left is to make them open the cage themselves. But we both know what happens when a vampire willingly opens the cage for someone..."
The others shivered thinking of the traumatic scenes they had witnessed during their stay in Belmora.
It was an experience they won't forget for the rest of their lives.
"So, naturally, you can't achieve a single objective on its own. You need to find a way to let them open it willingly without losing your life quickly. And even if you succeed in that, when faced with those three, you'll still end up dead either way."
They naturally knew who he was referring to: Thrain, Luneth, and Mir.
"That meant there was something I was missing. So, I started to observe my surroundings, starting with the cage surrounding me and those who captured us. When I knocked the cage to the side, I realized that the cage was surprisingly light. And when I paid attention to their conversations, there were two pieces of important information I got."
"One, the cage is special and durable enough to restrain their leader, let alone their subordinates. So, the metal itself must be very tough. Two, I understood their personalities on a surface level, especially Mir, who appeared impulsive and hated being looked down upon by a fellow subordinate. He was the only one of them who could be influenced based on the information I had on him. I knew that these pieces of information would prove useful if I ever had the chance to make my escape."
As he said this, the others couldn't help but be surprised that Jarek had been calm enough to be able to analyze everything in such a situation.
"But even with this knowledge, I knew that with the other two there, I couldn't do anything. Fortunately, lady luck was on our side and presented us with the perfect opportunity for escape, Thrain's and Luneth's departure alongside some of their forces."
"Remember what I said earlier that you can't achieve each of the first two objectives separately? I needed to find a path that would fulfill both objectives." The others were confused, but Jarek moved on with his explanation.
"If you think carefully, you will realize all I have said till now, when combined under the right circumstances, guarantees success. Think about how they are tied to one another. Mir's impulsiveness, the cage itself, and the opportunity granted with the other two's absence." Jarek paused, giving them time to think.
Meanwhile, the coachman looked at Jarek with great surprise, wondering, 'Is this still a kid?'
Seeing that they were still struggling to piece everything together, he gave them a helping hand.
"As I said before, the reason Mir has to release you has to be the same reason that will cause his downfall, his impulsive nature."
"Ah! So, that's why you acted like that!?" Eira asked, as she found his behavior back then suicidal.
"Yes, it was all an act to trigger his rage. All I needed was for him to give me a chance to strike at him. I acted like I was furious about his cowardice, used his hate against someone he dislikes, Leif, and I also acted like I was looking down on him by saying I could defeat him blindfolded. This, of course, brought his anger to its peak. Do you know why I was sure he wouldn't kill me then and there?" Jarek posed a question, not expecting anyone to answer.
"Think about it. If you were a powerful evil cultivator, and a mortal is looking down on you as a coward and is even insinuating that he can defeat you blindfolded, what would be your first impulsive thought? Isn't it to prove this claim wrong and, at the same time, teach that person a lesson in the most satisfying way imaginable? And what could be more satisfying than inducing despair in that mortal than showing them that their efforts are meaningless, no matter how hard they try, and then making them experience a fate worse than death afterwards?"
"Indeed, just like I had expected, he opened the cage for me, blindfolded himself for me for the same reason, he wanted to prove himself, and he wanted me to experience despair. He was sure I would fail, and then he would make my end miserable once I did. But I wouldn't let it get to that final point. Remember, their conversation about the cages being durable enough to withstand their boss' might? Before I executed the plan, I was sure that I could knock him out with it. And so things transpired like that, he opened the cage, blindfolded himself, and I took that opportunity to knock him unconscious."
"But that was the first step to clearing the second objective. There were still enemies left. So, I needed extra hands to deal with them, so I freed everyone. With everyone now wielding a cage of their own, we managed to force our way out of the mansion, and here we are, heading back to our hometown."
Everyone looked at Jarek as if he were a monster when he explained in detail the thought process behind his actions.
'This kid is a freak!' For the first time in his life, the coachman felt fear towards someone, not because of their strength but because of how cunning they were.
For a child to come up with this under such conditions and manipulate a Master was truly frightening.
'How scary!' By now, he was sweating profusely, wondering where this boy even came from.
And so, for the remainder of the trip, the coachman remained silent as if muted, Jarek's words already having a major impact on his mind.