Attack

After resting for a day, the three nobles and Colt set out toward the city again, with an extra carriage added for Myrin's guards and maid.

Colt had joined plenty of convoys before, back when he was still "playing the game."

He'd never liked them—they always took too long.

But this time felt different. He was riding with two long-lost friends... and Seila.

Even if he still didn't say much during conversations, Myrin would occasionally pull him in with questions, giving him a reason to speak.

Colt really appreciated her effort to include him, but he never said too much.

Most of their conversations were about diplomacy or management—subjects he wasn't supposed to be good at.

Of course, in truth, he was far better at them than any of the three fifteen-year-olds.

But if he showed that, it would raise questions. After all, he was just a commoner.

So, he played it safe. He gave brief answers, shared a little when prompted, and even threw in a few harmless mistakes on purpose.

None of them seemed to mind. They understood his background, and these talks weren't formal debates—just passing the time.

Six days passed like that, and now they were just a day away from Lofpus City.

At the moment, they were in the middle of another casual discussion.

"What do you think, Colt? Is the opportunity offered by the Adventurer's Guild worth the risks of hunting?" Myrin asked.

"I have only completed one quest in the Adventurer's Guild," Colt replied, "but I already know there are some safe bets.

For example, I saw the brawlers and archers. For them, the danger's not higher than the opportunity, but the rewards are smaller, too.

Then there are the ones who overestimate themselves or chase too much. For them, the danger's way higher.

But I don't think any of them is wrong.

I guess... I think everything comes down to having a clear goal. If you know what you want, then the risk is worth it."

"Hehe, sounds like you'll make a good adventurer one day. I agree," Hei said. "As long as you have a goal, danger shouldn't stop you."

But the girls shook their heads.

"If you're dead, your goal doesn't matter," Myrin said. "Slow and steady wins the race."

"Exactly," Seila added. "If you take your time and prepare properly, you'll reach your goal eventually."

She was probably thinking about her own goals and her training.

"No way," Hei said, grinning. "If you hesitate, someone else will get there first. That might be true in the academy, but in the wild, the first one to act wins."

"Of course, only if they're strong enough." He added.

Colt also thought so, but he couldn't outright reject the noble girls' ideas.

He really enjoyed these kinds of talks—light, a little silly, with no right answers.

That was why he wanted to break down the wall between them, coming from the nobility system, soon. So he could truly talk to his friends again.

While he was thinking that, a sudden explosion sounded outside, and the carriage came to a halt.

"What's going on?" Hei asked, pulling aside the curtain to peek through the small window.

"Young lord, stay inside," one of the guards shouted. "Some bandits are attacking. We'll handle it."

Bandits? Here?

Even though Colt had returned to the past, he was too far back to remember specific events, at least not anything major.

But this didn't make sense. With this many guards, why would bandits even try?

The average guard in their convoy was between level 130 and 150—strong enough to match B-rank adventurers.

And they had fifteen guards, including the maids. Six of them were elves.

No real bandit crew would blindly charge into that kind of firepower. They had to know what they were up against.

Which meant something wasn't right.

Colt must have looked troubled, because Seila misunderstood and said, "You don't have to worry. T

he guards will take care of it. This isn't the first time something like this has happened."

"I'm, once again, honored that Lady Seila is concerned for my well-being," Colt replied calmly, "but that's not it. I think something's off about this."

Seila frowned slightly, but before she could respond, Hei cut in.

"What do you mean?"

"Being nobles, I'm sure you've all been attacked by bandits before, right? But probably not this close to Lofpus City."

Hei thought for a moment, then nodded. "I don't remember every place my caravan was attacked before, but… you're probably right. So?"

"So," Colt continued, "Lofpus is crawling with strong adventurers- no strong people. What kind of bandits do you think can act under their eyes?"

Hei's eyes widened a little as the idea clicked into place. Myrin, though, still looked puzzled.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked.

"It means," Hei said before Colt could answer, "that the bandits around here aren't just random thugs.

They're calculated, probably a part of a bigger organization. If they're attacking now, they must have a reason—and they must have a guarantee to win."

Colt gave a small nod.

Then he saw Hei reaching for the door, trying to leave the carriage.

Colt grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?"

There was no time to worry about politeness.

"What do you mean, what? If the guards die, we're next. If we fight with them, we could at least tip the balance. They probably didn't account for us since we're not even academy students."

It sounded reasonable... for a fifteen-year-old.

Hei was brave and sharp, but he lacked experience.

"The bandits have probably been tailing us for a while now. They know our levels. They're not stupid.

Their goal is to survive and win. You think they didn't plan for every possible factor—including us?

Even worse, if you rush in, you'll only distract the guards. They'll try to protect you instead of focusing on the enemy. And if you're captured or hurt, the whole fight could collapse."

Hei paused, clearly absorbing that, but he didn't look convinced. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Our first option is to run."

The moment the words left his mouth, all three turned toward him, their expressions darkening.

Right. Colt sighed internally. These weren't strangers thrown together. They cared about their guards—probably trained with them, maybe even grew up alongside some of them.

Running wasn't just dishonorable to them—it was unthinkable.

"Ahem. Just an option," Colt said quickly. "We don't have to do that. Honestly, they've probably already accounted for escape routes anyway.

In that case... I have a better idea."

Just as he said that, smoke started seeping into the carriage.

They tried to open the doors, but they wouldn't budge. Within seconds, all of them collapsed.

All except Colt.