Everyone is aware that these individuals have nefarious goals in mind.

As the passengers became aware of the precarious situation in which they found themselves, some of them appeared hopeless, while others maintained faith in the six soldiers who belonged to the merchant union.

The people who were traveling to the capital came from a wide variety of places, but unfortunately for them, they were about to experience some bad luck. The trip they had been on for the past few days would only result in the discovery of a corpse in the middle of the forest.

-Merchant Union Soldier Pov-

"Don't you realize that the choices you've made will eventually lead to your demise?" I said that in an effort to wake them up in the hopes that it would make them retreat.

Because I am a member of the Merchant Union, I am accustomed to the role of a delivery person. Accordingly, I have delivered humans, rare goods, and rare plants that can be traded in the capital.

When I need to get to the capital, I always take this route, and I never have to worry about my safety until I reach my destination.

It took me by surprise when I saw these bandits wearing face coverings. I thought to myself, "Have they gone crazy?"

When there was a violation of the rules in this area, the soldiers of the Zeitgeist Empire went on the hunt for the perpetrators immediately.

My squad is outnumbered, and judging by the equipment the bandits were using, their levels may not have differed from ours. Because the five people who make up my squad are nothing special; they are just level 10 merchant union soldiers.

-End Pov-

A worried look was on the face of the young man as he tightly held his younger sister in his arms. In contrast, the face of the middle-aged man suggested that he was unfazed by the circumstances.

"every man for himself."

One of the soldiers let out a loud scream, and not long after that, the sound of swords clashing could be heard, followed by screams of pain from the other soldiers.

After observing the anarchy that was taking place outside, the middle-aged man remarked, "There are a total of ten bandits."

"What are you waiting for if you don't want to be slaughtered here? Fight or flee. The choice is yours.

The man then went outside while drawing his sword at the nearest bandit after saying that to the other passengers, who were now terrified.

The average level of the passengers was likely lower than 5. As a result, the vast majority fled into the forest, though some chose to engage in combat instead.

In the midst of all of this confusion, I made the decision to run while carrying my sister. I ran along this road hoping to come across another horse carriage traveling in the opposite direction.

Despite the fact that the guards were able to hold two robbers, each with assistance from the passengers who decided to fight, the situation was still dangerous.

It appears that the bandits have a slightly higher level than all of them combined. in fact, some of the guards have already perished, but the bandits still have nine people alive.

The young man said through ragged breaths, "I can't die here," as he held his younger sister in his arms.

The sound of people fighting behind me could still be heard, and I could even hear the passengers' voices pleading with the bandits.

"guards."

"help."

"argh."

"... no... I beg you, please don't..."

"Scream"

My legs all of a sudden became weak, and my heart felt like it was getting heavier.

"i do not have much time."

They will eventually catch up to us.

"At such an early hour, you are still sound asleep," I remarked while stifling a chuckle.

When I was at my wit's end, I looked up and saw three horse carriages approaching me from a distance. They were moving quickly in this direction, and I let out the loudest scream I could muster.

"help...."

"please...."

I have never screamed so loudly in my entire life, and for some reason, my heart also screamed at the same time because all of a sudden, it started beating very quickly.

I was hoping for a miracle, but the three carriages didn't slow down at all, and in fact, it seemed like they were picking up the pace rather than slowing down.

In the very front of the carriage, where she had been sitting with her back straight, the coachman suddenly stood up, raised her hand, and made a sound with her mouth that sounded like she was reciting some sort of magical spell.

Instantaneously, a magical circle materialized in front of her. The magical circle released a white aura, followed by a powerful gust of wind. The circle grew to encompass the entirety of the carriage's body.

Despite this, you can still see through the white halo because it appears transparent.

After realizing that they had no intention of stopping to offer assistance, the young man decided to attempt something extremely dangerous.

After helping his younger sister onto the side of the road and positioning her so that she was leaning against a tree, he then walked to the middle of the road while stretching his arms.

When he saw the three peculiar carriages, he had a pretty good idea that the people inside were not your typical citizens.

If they don't want to get their hands dirty, I hope they won't want to get their carriages dirty with my blood either.

It was only natural that they wouldn't assist, considering how much stronger and more dangerous the bandits appeared to be.

But if I give up now, all the work I've put into helping my younger sister will be for naught.

Even though the horse-drawn carriage was still a few meters away from me at the time, I was suddenly confronted by a strong wind.

"stop."

That's when I picked up on the muffled sound of a man's voice.

_________________

My Pov

"Hmm... hmmm"

I closed my eyes for a while and gave Alice, who was dozing off my shoulder, a gentle pat on the head before continuing to doze off myself.

Should I move it to the capital, I did not anticipate that this trip would take a long time.

During the time that I was giving it careful thought, I suddenly became aware of something intriguing.

I came across a young man carrying a young girl on his back, and based on what he was saying, it appeared as though he was having a bad day.

I couldn't help but chuckle to myself.

The guard that was sitting in the front of the horse carriage looked as though she was hearing the orders of the me because she nodded as she stood up and started to cast magic spells.

The young man suddenly dropped his younger sister on the side of the road, and then, as if he had lost his mind, he walked to the middle of the road with his arms outstretched. Time seemed to speed up.

"Alice, wake up."

You can see that Alice's eyes are only slightly open, revealing her bright red eyes that give the impression that she is drowsily trying to wake up.

Alice, who was only partially awake at the time, yawned and asked, "what's up... have we arrived.... why is that guy standing in the middle of the road... is he an idiot?"

"Not just yet, but I don't want you to miss out on the exciting events that are going to take place," I said while giving Alice a light tap on the cheek while still trying to go back to sleep.

I spoke up in a low voice, "stop."

The three horse-drawn carriages that were moving slowly but steadily came to a stop, and simultaneously, the magic spell vanished in an instant like a bubble bursting, releasing a brilliant white light as it did so.

If they were even a little late, the magic spell being cast by the guards riding in the front horse carriage would immediately start ripping the young man's body apart.

This horse has black armor, its nose emits red smoke, and its eyes are red. It is pulling a magnificent carriage with a circle symbol in the middle of which there is a skull showing the time.

Without any preamble or delay, the young man started speaking hastily. "Help us, the carriage we were riding in was robbed by bandits, they are very strong and dangerous, I had to take my little sister and run," he yelled.

In a condescending tone, the female guard who had cast the magic spell told the young man to "Keep your voice down, and if you disturb the young master and princess, I will cut you off immediately."