The night sky was still dark when Laguna returned to the camp, carrying the bound Dark Elf. However, the sight that greeted him made his anger soar. The merchants stood in a neat line. In the center, someone held Julia with a knife against her neck.
Laguna frowned, hiding his anger behind a calm face. "What are you guys doing?" he asked, though deep down, he had already guessed the answer.
Olsen, the leader of the merchant group, smiled with both hands folded across his chest. "Laguna, you're smart. I'm sure you'll realize something sooner or later. That's why we decided to take action first."
Laguna remained silent, allowing Olsen to continue. "We want the Dark Elf back to us. And also the Vision Orb we gave you. Hand over both, and we'll return the girl to you."
Laguna's eyes narrowed. He knew that even if he did as they asked, they could not guarantee that they would actually free Julia. But, for now, he had no choice but to play by their rules.
"Fine," he said in a tone that showed no emotion, while keeping a safe distance. "But we'll do this at the same time. I hand over the Dark Elf, and you return Julia at the same time."
Olsen chuckled and shook his head. "No way. There's a chance the Dark Elf will escape if we do it at the same time. You have to hand over the Dark Elf first."
Laguna sneered. "Why don't you come and get her after I throw her?"
Olsen paused, then glanced at his men. "All right. You two, get ready to catch the Dark Elf."
Two merchants immediately stepped forward, standing at attention to catch the Dark Elf. Olsen then began to count.
"One…"
Laguna took her time to untie the dark elf.
"Two…"
Eve, the Dark Elf, realized what Laguna was doing. But she still pretended to be tied up; the anger in her eyes intensified further. She knew Laguna's intentions. She saw anger on that face. She knew that look well; she had felt it before.
"Three!"
At the last count, everything moved in an instant. The merchants pushed Julia forward, while one of Olsen's men charged toward the Dark Elf. Another, with a cunning move, turned around and tried to catch Julia again.
Laguna had anticipated this.
In an instant, he grabbed the Vision Orb from his pocket and threw it with all his might. The orb flew fast and hit the head of the person who tried to catch Julia hard. The man staggered and fell to the ground with a groan of pain. Julia, without hesitation, immediately ran toward Laguna.
Meanwhile, Eve evaded the grip of the person who tried to catch her with quick movements. She tore off the remaining bonds on her hands and landed a hard blow to her opponent's stomach in a swift motion. The merchant jerked back while coughing in pain.
"Insolent! Catch them!" Olsen shouted while pointing his finger straight at Laguna and Eve.
The fight began.
Laguna drew his sword, while Eve gripped her weapon with a hateful gaze. They stood side by side, facing the merchants who were now enemies. The night wind blew hard, bringing tension that filled the air.
The war had begun.
The night wind blew hard, bringing tension that filled the air. Laguna stood tall. His sword gleamed in the dim light from the torches around the camp. Eve caught her breath as she stood next to him. Her hand gripped the rusty dagger she had just found.
Olsen grinned while narrowing his eyes in a cunning manner. "Get them!" he shouted, and without hesitation, his men charged toward Laguna and Eve.
Two muscular men attacked Laguna first. One swung a large sword from above, trying to cut Laguna in half in one slash. But Laguna had predicted it. With Future Sight, he saw the possibility of the attack beforehand. With one agile movement, he spun to the side and retaliated with a horizontal slash.
"Argh!" the man screamed as Laguna's sword grazed his arm, sending him backward with blood.
On the other side, Eve had to face her own opponent. A man armed with a mace tried to strike her from behind. Eve jumped to the side, avoiding the blow, then slipped between the shadows of the trees. With incredible speed, he darted forward and plunged his dagger into the man's side.
The man fell to the ground, clutching his wound.
Olsen saw his men struggling and gritted his teeth. "Surround them! Don't let them escape!"
Two of his men advanced with spears, trying to use their weapons' reach to pin Laguna down. They thrust at the same time, forcing Laguna to retreat. But Laguna remained calm. He waited for the right moment—then kicked the ground, sending dust flying into the eyes of one of his attackers.
The man staggered, his vision impaired. The opportunity was not wasted. Laguna slashed sideways, cutting him in the stomach. The man fell to the ground, groaning in pain.
On the other side, Eve faced a more formidable opponent. A large man with an axe swung at her. Eve ducked just in time, the axe cutting only air. With a swift movement, she dashed over and leapt onto the man's shoulder. Before her opponent could react, she plunged her dagger into his neck. Blood gushed from the man as he fell without making a sound.
Olsen watched his men fall one by one. He took a deep breath, then drew his own sword. "Enough. I'll take care of you guys myself."
Laguna stared at him with a frigid expression. "Let's finish this."
The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds before they moved together. Olsen slashed from above, trying to break Laguna's defenses. Laguna raised his sword, parrying the attack. Sparks flew as their blades met.
Olsen rushed forward, swinging his sword at Laguna's legs. Laguna jumped back, then retaliated with a slash at Olsen's shoulder. Olsen twisted his body, avoiding the attack by a small margin. He then countered with a quick stab to Laguna's stomach.
Laguna predicted the attack and spun to the side. He launched a counterattack—a hard kick to Olsen's chest. Olsen stood his ground after someone knocked him back.
"You're stronger than I thought," Olsen said, wiping his bleeding lip.
"And you're more cunning than I thought," Laguna replied.
Olsen attacked again, this time with a combination of quick slashes. Laguna continued to dodge, reading his opponent's attack pattern. When Olsen attacked with a vertical slash, Laguna saw an opening. He tilted his body to the side, then swung his sword toward Olsen's hand.
Laguna's sword managed to carve a deep wound in Olsen's right arm. The man groaned in pain and dropped his sword.
"Damn it…" Olsen gasped, his face stiffening. Instead of giving up, he ran toward Julia. She was behind Laguna, trying to take her hostage.
Laguna immediately realized his evil intentions. With incredible speed, he threw a small dagger toward Olsen's feet. The dagger stuck deep, making Olsen stumble and fall right in front of Julia.
Julia was shocked, but before Olsen could get up, Laguna stepped in front of him. Without hesitation, he swung his sword in a quick motion and ended Olsen's life with one strike.
The rest of Olsen's men who saw the incident became frightened, but Laguna did not give them a chance to escape. With perfect cooperation, he and Eve finished them off one by one. Not a single one remained to bring news to the other, stronger side.
Eve approached Laguna, blood dripping from her dagger. "You're quite cruel, it seems," she said with a tilt.
Laguna cleaned her sword and sheathed it again. "I don't want this to continue. If they survive, they'll definitely find someone stronger to take revenge on."
Julia approached, hugging Laguna, her face showing a faint paleness. "Thank you, Master... you protected me again."
Laguna wrapped her arms around Julia in a soft embrace. "Isn't it only natural that I protect half of my life?" she said, stroking Julia's head.
Julia hugged him harder; her face flushed.
Eve dashed to one of the large boxes on the merchant's cart, then opened the lid with a gentle touch. Inside was the body of another Dark Elf—already lifeless.
Eve's face hardened; tears began to flow from her eyes. She knelt down beside the Dark Elf's body.
Laguna approached her, "Is he your friend?" patting Eve's shoulder with a soft touch.
Eve was silent for a moment before finally taking a deep breath and wiping away her tears. "My friend and I were slaves. We managed to escape, but they captured me again while she…
Eve tried to hold back her tears.
"She tried to help me back and got captured." While I left her, I was too scared to go back. Because of me…" Eve couldn't finish her words. She remembered her friend's smile when she left her behind. Loud cries began to echo in the place.
Julia approached, resting Eve's head on her chest and holding her in a gentle hug. "It's not your fault, miss; let's give her a proper burial."
Laguna nodded. "We will take her to a better place first."
Before leaving, Laguna took back the Vision Orb that was lying on the ground. The object remained intact, reflecting a faint glow under the moonlight. She put it inside her Subspatial Inventory before walking toward the merchant's carriage.
He checked the carriage. He took the useful items: provisions, clothes, coin pouches, and gear for their journey. Everything that could be used was moved to her own horse-drawn carriage.
Once finished, Laguna sighed and began to gather the merchants' bodies in one place. With Eve and Julia's help, they piled the bodies near their broken carriage.
Then, Laguna poured oil on them and lit a fire. The flames surged, consuming all that remained of the cruel merchants. Black smoke billowed into the night sky, carrying the smell of burning flesh.
Laguna stared at the blazing fire. Then, he released the last horses from the merchant's carriage. They now had more horses to help them on their journey.
"Let's go," Laguna finally said, looking at Eve and Julia. The three got into their carriage and drove off, leaving the night's tragedy behind as the fire burned.