Three wagons pressed along the dirt road at a speed that would be fast enough to reach their destination by noon and slow enough to preserve the horses' endurance. 

 

Each wagon had a cover and pulled by two horses. Normally, one horse would have been enough, but in this long road of danger, one horse would not be sufficient to outrun the unknown.

 

Many had perished in their journey here, either for the lack of preparedness or caution.

 

Despite that, the people in these wagons believed they were more than prepared. In fact, everyone was confident because each wagon carried the best fighters of the three main organizations within Arkbay. Albeit, Kristoffer being the lone representative of his. They haven't seen the extent of each other's skills but a professional could feel with a single glance that most of them could hold their own in these lands.

 

Although, if it were night, no one could say for sure, for the strongest monsters roamed the darkness.

 

Now halfway to the checkpoint, one man couldn't care less about it.

 

 

 

"I still don't understand."

 

Victor couldn't believe what he saw that night.

 

Perhaps Quill just took the form of the Hero Lime?

 

No, there was no mistaking it. The mana he felt was the same. Truth to be told, the memory of how once he went on a mission with Lime as a collaboration between neighboring nations was still fresh in his mind like it happened last week.

 

Even if it was more than a decade ago, he could still remember the overwhelming power, the aura of a legend, everything was undeniably similar.

 

Victor started scratching his head briskly, his face burning in embarrassment.

 

Doesn't that mean she knew who I was the very first day?!

 

He couldn't accept that all his hard work was all for nothing. He thought he successfully infiltrated the Syndicate without a hitch.

 

No, he was prepared to face anyone in battle the moment he was given this infiltration mission. Forsooth, he was not someone you would call a run-of-the-mill government worker. Even if he hailed from a foreign nation, he was a garrison commander for goodness' sake!

 

This was obviously a suicide mission! A punishment to him by the wretched nobles who hated his guts!

 

As for an organization like the Syndicate who got rich dabbling with intel and trade, there was no way their top brass would not recognize him!

 

However, for some reason, they seem to had overlooked him and managed to stay safe for months now.

 

Just when he thought his luck must have been at its peak, he soon realized that Quill must have been covering for him all this time.

 

Or perhaps, she's the only one who knew him and was keeping quiet about it?

 

Victor, you blundering buffoon!

 

Throwing curses at himself, Victor trashed about inside the wagon silently, careful not to attract attention from the others.

 

However, the two ladies at the front still noticed the silent commotion.

 

"Victor, you all right there?" Dina said, worried about their companion's well-being.

 

"Yeah! I just remembered something so don't worry about it."

 

"Okay... if you say so."

 

Victor breathed a sigh of relief as Dina didn't pry further.

 

Still, nothing would happen even if he thought about it all alone.

 

He needed answers and Kristoffer might be able to provide them.

 

Eyeing the wagon behind them, he finally decided to take the time to ask once more.

 

"Dinahpurx, I've got some business with Kristoffer, just call me if you need anything."

 

Jumping out of the wagon, Victor proceeded to walk towards the wagoner behind as he ignored Dina's rant about nicknames.

 

The wagoner wasn't happy to see him.

 

"What do you want, Victor?" Kristoffer said. The man must have thought that asking so with annoyance on his face would be enough to drive him away.

 

It was a futile attempt.

 

Victor jumped on Kristoffer's wagon with ease, partly thanks to the significantly slow speed they were traveling with. He sat beside Kristoffer, staying silent for a while.

 

"Tsk. You should probably just ask whatever it is you want to ask, I'm the one who would be giving answers anyway."

 

Victor raised a brow, pointing to his back with a thumb. The three people inside the wagon were playing some sort of card game.

 

"Carl and Pula already knew about it, you realize?"

 

"How about the other one?" Most likely referring to Nel.

 

"We could be vague," Kristoffer shrugged.

 

"...Then if you would let me be straightforward, Kristoffer." Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Is Quill trustworthy?"

 

Kristoffer gave him a sideways glance and sighed. It was his turn to sit in silence momentarily.

 

"Quill is the most trustworthy person I've ever met," he said finally, still looking straight ahead.

 

The two of them kept the silence going for some time, only the sounds of hooves and wheels scraping on the dirt could be heard.

 

"Surely, there must be a reason for you saying so?" Victor had to ask.

 

Even if Kristoffer owed Quill or Lime his life, or even if he was that close with her, stating them to be the 'most trustworthy' had to have a proper reason.

 

"You see, not long ago, I met a stalker."

 

Victor snapped his head towards Kristoffer so fast that he almost felt his neck break.

 

"Oh, no, not mine." Kristoffer was quick to deny it. "I mean Quill's stalker. An elf minstrel I met at the next town."

 

"I see..." Nothing else Victor could say to that. "So, what did they tell you?"

 

Kristoffer gazed up to the sky, his eyes mirrored not the distant clouds, but probably the stories the minstrel had told.

 

"Before I tell you what stories that dubiously obsessed minstrel had told, let's think first of what we already know but have taken for granted."

 

"Go on," Victor raised a hand to his mouth.

 

"She's now widely considered to be the underground queen of Rouen Kingdom, is she not?"

 

After Victor nodded, Kristoffer continued, "Compared to the country's status in the past, it's now much more peaceful. If the hero Lime took care of the surface, then Quill handled the ones under. She took control of the largest underground organization out of nowhere, and afterward, it was vaguely renamed as the Syndicate. Nowadays, they are more like an incognito Merchant Guild."

 

Kristoffer shot Victor a curious look, before saying, "Tell me, what is it that irks you so much with the current Quill?"

 

Victor never seriously thought about it. The welling emotion, he only felt and agonized over it by himself.

 

Now that he was asked about it, if he were to put it into words it would be... "the conflicting personalities".

 

Victor shifted on his seat, feeling no comfort with both his rump and his mouth. He could feel the bile going up to his throat. He gritted his teeth, "There is just too much disparity with her attitude."

 

Spitting off the grimy taste in his mouth he continued, "Kristoff, don't you feel put off that she acts so differently, not only compared to her past self, but also in everyday conversation depending on the person and situation?"

 

This past couple of months serving as the Syndicate's internal staff, Victor had realized, Quill had shown several faces too many.

 

So, which was the real her?

 

If someone was capable of such magnitude of cruelty, then how could they act the complete opposite? In other words-

 

"You hate facing the understanding that the...cruel version of Quill might be the real her. The real her," Kristoffer deduced, the last 'her' applying to the hero Lime.

 

Victor nodded with seriousness in his eyes.

 

The underlying thought that the dark elf known for her magnanimity and heroic deeds was fake, it threatened to throw his stomach in disarray.

 

But when he caught sight of Kristoffer's amused smile, confusion sheltered itself under Victor's eyes.

 

"Why are you smiling like that...?"

 

"You see, new friend, I was like you when the hero started asking me to assist her with her...interrogations." 

 

Victor quickly put up a finger to his lips, sparing a glance towards inside the wagon. It seemed they were reaching the climax of the game. "You're not being vague at all," he whispered.

 

Kristoffer stopped to think, but in the end, his warning was ignored.

 

"Based on those deductions, you might think she's manipulative, or even fake...or any other fancy word you could think of." Kristoffer faced Victor with all the earnestness he could muster, "However, I believe she is trustworthy because she was never the backstabber type. What the minstrel had in store for me, it only further cemented that perception of mine about her."

 

"How can you be so sure? If she's a manipulative character, then who's to tell that she didn't plan this all along, you thinking like this? It's not like you're always there to see every single thing she did in her life." Victor clenched his fists in disbelief, "What makes you so sure?!"

 

Once again a smile appeared on Kristoffer, it was relaxed and friendly. "As I said, I was like you in the past. What you need is solid evidence so I won't force you to blindly believe me. But a piece of advice," he paused to raise a finger in thr air, "don't try to stab her in the back yourself, be straightforward. There's a higher chance you'll get off unscathed that way."

 

Victor felt scared for a brief moment. Why would Kristoffer tell him something like that? Was he telling him to come clean and confess that he's basically a spy?

 

Looking at Kristoffer's smile, it's hard to think that he knew of his identity.

 

Yes, it's not good to jump to conclusions, Victor thought. Maybe he really was just giving me genuine advice.

 

"Kristoffer's right, ya know?"

 

Victor and Kristoffer almost jumped at the sudden voice.

 

Pula rested her arms on Kristoffer's shoulders, giving Victor a smug face. "You're still alive aren't you? That's one thing in her favor."

 

"Who knows, maybe sending me on this journey might be her way of cutting me off, permanently."

 

"Pfft, do you really believe these puny monsters around us could kill you?" 

 

He did not believe so.

 

"But Quill could have sent her subordinates to ambush me. I don't want to accuse anybody on this expedition but I'm a sitting duck out here."

 

Victor received a larger smug from Pula.

 

Didn't it mean that she knew how strong he actually was? Plus, based on her first statement, she probably knew why he came to Arkbay. If all of that's secondhand knowledge from Quill... 

 

Sheet.

 

Ironically, it did somehow guarantee Victor that he should be safe unless Quill herself came to fight him. He sighed in relief in his mind.

 

"I agree with Kristoffer here," Carl said as he patted Victor on the back. "I've never heard her talk behind a person's back before. Unless of course if she already decided to kill that person!"

 

So, if I hear her insult someone behind their back, their life is already considered forfeit?

 

"I'll keep that in mind."

 

"Just give her a chance, okay? She might be cruel to her enemies but her allies enjoy being with her," Carl added.

 

"Yes!"

 

All of them looked back, as Nel decided to join the conversation.

 

Speaking of backstabbers, Nel was quite the literal one. Victor still felt chills remembering the little squabble that occurred earlier at Kristoffer's house. People who wouldn't bat an eye stabbing people in the back (literally) might only be those who kill on a regular basis.

 

"I tried to kill her once, and she tried to kill me in return," Nel continued, "but after she listened to my story, she took care of me and provided all of my needs. I can't thank her enough," putting a hand on her chest.

 

Nel couldn't possibly know the root of the topic with hearing so few words, but hearing about Quill, she probably thought that reinforcing the little boss's integrity was the least she could do to show her appreciation.

 

"Doesn't mean she's stupid, though," Pula clarified. "Nel and I are exemptions to the rule, but we all know what happened to those who tried to kill her."

 

Victor heard a lot of rumors.

 

"Still, I just can't seem to find someone two-faced to be trustworthy."

 

"No!" All four shouted. It was hard not to flinch at their reaction.

 

"She's not two-faced. As long as you keep your attitude towards her, she will keep wearing the same face for you."

 

"She's not doing it only for herself, but also for the other person."

 

"Boss is the type who won't push a person away just because she doesn't like them a bit. Unless you're a complete douchebag, of course."

 

"She can't even become a villain in a Korean webtoon even if she wanted to."

 

The statements came one after another like the waves of the sea. While the last one didn't make any sense, Victor could tell that they thought highly of her.

 

"Arghh!" Kristoffer threw his hands in the air and held Victor's shoulders. "The bottom line is! If you act nice to her, she'll act nice to you. If you act rudely, she'll be rude too. Whether you're a friend or an enemy, whether she likes you or hates you, that doesn't matter. What matters is the other person's feelings. Which is why she's trustworthy. Try asking her for a favor and you'll see how similar she is to the person you once knew."

 

"All things considered, Quill is adorrrably trustworthy," Pula purred, still clinging to Kristoffer.

 

Victor pondered it for a moment before nodding slightly.

 

"So, you mean, hypothetically speaking, even if I'm a spy, I can trust my back to her?"

 

It should be a risky move but he needed to confirm something.

 

"A spy who has done a LOT more good than harm, to be exact!" Carl quickly and cheerfully replied.

 

The other three, however, had very different expressions.

 

Pula clearly knew but it's as if she's asking why he would say that now. As for Kristoffer, it's unclear whether he knew or not, but he's definitely acting like he didn't hear anything. For the last one, though...

 

"So... You're a spy?" Nel stood with a dirty glare.

 

Darn it, I'm getting out of here.

 

"Stand down, Nel. That's an order!" Carl said.

 

Nel hesitated for a bit but ultimately sat down like a scolded puppy.

 

"Look, don't try anything as long as we don't tell you anything, all right?"

 

"Yes, Sir."

 

"Good."

 

Carl turned back to face Victor with a smile.

 

"...Octacore," a voice whispered.

 

Looking at the source of the voice, he saw Kristoffer staring at Carl as he whispered the word a second time.

 

Octa-what? Somehow that word feels familiar...

 

This time, Carl smiled and nodded at Kristoffer but didn't say anything.

 

Kristoffer looked amazed at the gesture and whispered, "Wow. I see, now," to himself. 

 

Anyhow, Victor's subtle(?) revelation worked. He managed to get what he was aiming for.

 

First, if Pula knew, then Quill should also know. Now that he knew they knew...

 

I now have reason to confront Quill about this...

 

And, if these weirdos are to be believed, maybe hand over my resignation letter without being stabbed in the back as well.

 

Second, Victor somehow avoided another confrontation with Nel thanks to Carl. He made a mental note to have Kristoffer or Carl around when Nel was present.

 

It was clear to him why Nel obeyed Carl. Quill did tell everyone to treat Carl's orders as her own. It was a shock to everyone at first but that only meant she considered Carl to be her equal.

 

As for Kristoffer's case, he could only assume so much. 

 

He planned his mode of action to secure his life as he pretended to watch their flank for unassuming monsters. Nothing but trees and grass as far as the eyes could see in the end.

 

Mostly satisfied to end the conversation there, everyone went back to their card game while Kristoffer took the reins again and focused on the road.