Klaus lay flat atop the wagon, arms folded loosely over his chest, eyes closed as the road's gentle rattle bled into background noise.
His lips barely moved. "Echolocation."
Mana rippled outward in soft, invisible pulses.
At first, nothing worth noting.
They were still too close to town. Footsteps overlapped, heartbeats blurred together, wagons creaked along the road beside them. Life everywhere. Noise everywhere. Klaus didn't relax. He let his breathing sink into a slow, practiced rhythm. Meditation. Skill cost mana; meditation fed it back, drop by drop, just enough to keep the pulses steady. Again. And again. Time passed. The sun climbed. Voices thinned. Wagons peeled off toward side roads. The road grew quieter, lonelier.
Then—there.
Two figures. Well-hidden and moving with a controlled phase.
Klaus spoke without opening his eyes. "We have company. Two. Twenty-five meters. Four o'clock."
Ulon twisted halfway around on the driver's bench, excitement lighting his face despite his tightened jaw. "You sure? Or are you sleep-talking again?"
"I've tracked their movement for the past hour," Klaus replied calmly.
Ulon glanced skyward. "Zevy hasn't reacted."
Shane didn't look the slightest bit surprised. His gaze stayed forward, one hand steady on the reins as the wagon rolled on.
"If Zevy can't sense them," he said evenly, "then they're professionals."
Ulon let out a low grunt, half thrill, half tension. "So it is that kind of day." He craned his neck toward Klaus. "By the way—how are you so sure? Zevy's eyes are better than mine."
Klaus didn't move from the roof. "The wind told me."
Ulon blinked. "The… wind?" He squinted. "That's not your imagination talking, right? You've been asleep this whole time."
"I can hear it," Klaus replied lazily. "Wind carries more mysteries than what you can imagine."
Ulon stared, then laughed under his breath. "Is this one of those 'tricks' the boss keeps saying?"
"Maybe," Klaus said.
Ulon's grin widened, excitement leaking through his seriousness. "Then surprise me, keep them coming. Entertain me more—make me change my mind, Slouch."
Inside the wagon, the mood was far less relaxed.
Petra's hands twisted tightly in her lap. Maddy's fingers sparked once before she forced them to still, jaw clenched. Shalotte hugged his staff as it might vanish. "B-boss… are we in trouble?"
"Just say the word, boss," Maddy muttered, mana dancing at her knuckles. "I'll erase them."
"No need," Shane replied calmly. "This is likely surveillance team commissioned by the mayor. Authorities don't hunt Shadow Thieves loudly."
"Shame," Ulon muttered.
"We're not the only ones," Klaus added. "Two tails per wagon. Every party has two pairs of eyes in their back."
Shane glanced at Zevy circling overhead. "Looks like Duke Hemline already acknowledged Shadow Thieves as a serious threat."
Klaus lazily said, "It's more like the merchants start putting pressure on our poor Duke."
Kiel leaned forward, eyes bright. "So… we're famous now?"
Shalotte whimpered.
Ulon frowned. "So what's the plan?"
"We stay on course," Shane said. "They'll likely disengage at the border."
Shalotte swallowed. "That's two days away."
"I know."
Ulon hesitated. "Does that mean we're abandoning the side quest?" He lowered his voice. "Going west costs us time."
"We'll make it." Shane calmly replied.
Klaus's eyes snapped open, realizing something in Shane's words. He leaned over the edge of the wagon, staring down. "Don't tell me."
Shane nodded, "Yes."
"…You're serious?"
"Completely."
Klaus exhaled, long and slow, then flopped back down. "This is troublesome."
Ulon squinted up at the wagon roof, one hand shading his eyes. "Alright," he said slowly, "now I'm curious. What was that about?"
"Our secret," Shane replied without looking on his side, voice steady as the road beneath them.
Ulon grunted, excitement still buzzing in his chest like he'd been promised a brawl and handed a lecture instead. "Tch. You always say that when something fun's about to happen later." He cracked his neck once, then laughed under his breath. "Guess I'll take it."
Shane turned toward the wagon's interior. Maddy was half out the door, arms crossed. Petra stood just behind her, scythe angled defensively, while Shalotte stiffed on the corner, staff gripped tightly. Kiel, on the other hand, was practically vibrating.
"You can ease up," Shane said calmly. "Sit down. There's nothing to worry about."
Maddy narrowed her eyes. "You say that like we didn't just get tailed for half a day, and will continue until we reach the border, or worse they prepare ambush on us."
"Nothing to worry about," Shane replied, "we'll return on Pe'cha in one piece."
"Tch… fine." She grabbed Petra by the wrist and dragged her back inside. "Come on. If we die, we die sitting."
Petra nodded, clearly relieved to be told what to do, armor clinking softly as she followed.
Shalotte lingered. "J-just to be clear, boss, if something does happen—"
"I'll give the order," Shane said.
That seemed to do it. Shalotte scurried inside.
Kiel stayed behind a second longer. "So… no ambush?" he asked, hopeful.
"Not yet," Ulon said with a grin. "Don't look so disappointed."
Kiel sighed dramatically and went in.
Above them, Klaus reclined on the wagon roof, fingers laced behind his head, staring at the sky like this had all been mildly inconvenient.
They stopped at dusk in an open clearing beside the road. The air cooled, insects chirring as Ulon set up a fire pit with practiced ease. Soon, a pot of stew bubbled and skewers hissed over the flames, smoke curling into the darkening sky.
Maddy and Petra sat on a fallen log, chatting. Shalotte and Kiel spread blankets near the wagon—arguing quietly about whose idea not to bring a tent and just camp "near the bugs." Shane fed Molly fresh grass from his storage ring, the massive rhinoceros rumbling happily.
"Dinner's ready!" Ulon called.
Klaus finally slid down from the wagon, accepting a bowl. "Smells edible."
"That's high praise coming from you," Ulon shot back.
Midway through the meal, Shalotte cleared his throat. "A-are they… still there?"
The atmosphere tightened.
Klaus glanced up at Zevy circling endlessly above, then took another calm sip. "Gone," he said. "They decided we weren't worth the effort."
"R-really?" Shalotte asked.
"Really."
Petra let out a breath she'd clearly been holding, shoulders sagging as if someone had loosened a strap on her armor. Maddy noticed it out of the corner of her eye and bumped her knee lightly with her own.
"Don't relax too much," Maddy muttered, still chewing. "That's how bad things sneak up on you."
Petra nodded quickly. "R-right."
Across the fire, Kiel poked at his stew with a stick, lips puckered. "So… really nothing?" he asked, disappointment leaking through despite himself.
Ulon snorted, a sharp puff of air through his nose. "Kid, if something was happening, you'd know. Loudly."
Kiel sighed and slurped his stew anyway.
Shane stirred the fire with a branch, embers shifting and crackling, sparks drifting upward like lazy fireflies. His expression didn't change. "Eat," he said evenly. "Tomorrow's a long road. If we're lucky, we'll reach our destination tomorrow at dusk."
He raised two fingers to his lips and whistled, low and sharp. Zevy peeled away from the darkening sky and landed neatly on Shane's arm. Shane produced a small bowl of meat from his storage ring and set it beside him. The hawk began eating with dignified efficiency, feathers ruffling once before settling.
Klaus watched it for a moment, then smiled faintly into his bowl—unbothered, unreadable.
Once the last of the stew was scraped clean, Maddy stood and stretched, rolling her shoulders. Petra followed close behind, already halfway hiding behind her.
"We're turning in," Maddy announced, then paused at the wagon door and looked back at the men by the fire. Her eyes narrowed. "No peeking. Or I'll gouge out your eyeballs."
Ulon raised both hands. "I value my vision."
Klaus waved lazily. "Sleep tight."
She slammed the wagon door shut.
Shane turned his attention to Shalotte and Kiel. Shalotte was already fidgeting with his blanket, glancing at the darkness beyond the firelight. Kiel looked wired, like he might burst into motion at any second.
"Get some rest," Shane said. "We'll wake you when it's time to shift lookout."
"Oh—okay," Shalotte said, immediately lying down but keeping his eyes open.
Kiel grinned. "Wake me first."
"Sleep first," Maddy's voice snapped from inside the wagon.
The two settled down, the firelight painting long shadows over their blankets.
Only the three men remained near the fire.
Ulon leaned back on his hands, gaze flicking to Klaus. "You're really bad at lying," he said. "You're lucky they bought it."
Klaus shrugged. "I'll try harder next time."
"It was enough," Shane said quietly. "They're calmer now. Last thing we need is distractions."
Ulon clicked his tongue. "You sure they'll leave once we reach the border, boss?"
"I'm not completely sure," Shane admitted, eyes on the fire. "But based on experience, they'll disengage soon."
"So you had deals with them at the pass?" Klaus asked.
Shane nodded slightly. "I'm a merchant. Dealing with authorities is normal. Surveillance teams don't operate outside their province—unless they're royal intelligence corps, those bastards' hard to deal."
Ulon's shoulders slumped. "So no action before the mission?"
"None," Shane said.
"Shame," Ulon muttered. He stood and moved a few steps away from the fire, posture shifting—less relaxed, more alert—as he began scanning the darkness.
Klaus stretched, arms overhead, and yawned. "I'm going to sleep."
Shane glanced at him. "Just tell us if something unusual happens. Zevy's not much help at night. He needs rest, too."
Klaus was already turning away. "Do you hear me? I'm going to sleep."
"Sure you are," Shane said dryly.
The night settled in—quiet, watchful, and, for now, peaceful.
But the peace didn't last.
Early at dawn, a sharp scream tore out of the wagon.
"—Ah!"