"We are close. Go that way."

Lucien directed Velmara to fly a certain direction according to the location shown on the map.

He tried to call Lilith again using the Crimson Sigil before, but she didn't reply at all. So, he put aside those things for now and focused on the present, as they were already near Zeyvyr.

"Oh, I can feel the strong aura already. Kid, you seem to be right. There is really someone strong in this area."

Just when they were getting closer, Velmara suddenly stopped his rapid speed and said in a grave tone.

As a spiritual beast, his senses were quite strong, and he could already feel the lingering aura that was quite strong.

This was also because the person wasn't actually trying to hide his presence at all.

"Hmm? You can sense him already?"

Lucien also stood up, his gaze fixed ahead, where a valley stretched on both sides with a wide road cutting through its middle.

This was the trade route Irwin mentioned to him through the messaging stone, where they were going to transport the sparkling items like Coral Gems and others.

In fact, Lucien was just shooting arrows blindly with this tactic. But he never thought that Zeyvyr really fell for it.

Of course, he wasn't going to use this to trap a Peak Weaver rank S rank Arc Mage.

He was just curious about this odd person who he strongly suspected came from the Shadow Kingdom.

"Yeah, I can feel his aura. Okay, don't do anything rash. I'll conceal myself and we'll observe him from afar. If anything goes wrong, we'll leave immediately."

Velmara spoke cautiously, still recalling Lucien's warning that this man was stronger than he. From the oppressive aura pressing against them, it seemed that was indeed the case.

So, exercising caution was the wisest choice.

After warning Lucien, Velmara slowly shrank from his massive form into a size small enough for Lucien to carry with ease.

Then, with measured beats of his wings, he glided toward the location Lucien had indicated, this time moving far slower than before. His stealth ability wrapped around him like a veil, every movement deliberate and restrained.

He was extremely careful, resisting the urge to rush. After all, a single mistake could prove costly.

If someone that strong noticed them spying, they might be mistaken for enemies. And that… would be very bad.

"Hey, hey, that's ours! You look so strong, don't you have any shame in stealing such low-rank stuff?"

The place they had entered lay in the middle of a vast valley, carved open long ago to serve as a trade route.

It wasn't completely desolate, yet it wasn't bustling with travelers either, somewhere in between.

Still, because of the valley's echoing structure, even before they reached the scene, they could already hear a man's angry shout carrying clearly from afar.

When Velmara appeared in the sky with Lucien, they could see a tall man, completely covered in a dark robe, moving from one caravan to another at extreme speed.

Lucien had clearly ordered Irwin to gather as many gems as possible from the Viremond Duchy beforehand, so the number of caravans here was as high as twenty.

Maybe that was why, besides the man he wanted to lure, there were other bandits around.

Only, they looked completely beaten up, with no way of knowing whether they were dead or alive.

"Tch… I help you defeat those guys, and you call me shameless for taking a few things as a fee? Who's really shameless here?"

The black-robed figure sneered and then dove headlong into another caravan, looting everything inside in an instant.

"A few things? You've already emptied half my caravan! Do you take me for an idiot? You bastard, this is too much."

Hearing this, the captain of the caravan was so furious that he cursed aloud. He didn't care if the man before him, who was clearly far stronger, might strike him dead.

"Sir Lukas, control your anger! What if that guy attacks us?"

However, that didn't mean the guards behind him weren't afraid. They were already sweating bullets at their captain's words.

They couldn't understand how anyone could be so fearless in front of such a strong person. Just the speed alone was enough to kill them ten times over before they even noticed his presence.

"Yeah, you fatty. Listen to your subordinates for once and leave me alone. You're so weak, and yet you keep running your mouth. You'll be dead if I even blow air from my mouth, haha!"

The black-robed figure suddenly laughed at the leader before diving into yet another caravan, clearly taking his time to loot. Even through his voice, one could feel the delight in him.

"You bastard! Who the hell is 'fatty'? Do you only know how to talk? Dare blow at me and see if I don't tear you apart myself!"

Only the leader of the caravan, who was clearly plus-size, suddenly flew into a furious rage at being called "fatty."

His nose flared, and despite his bulk, he moved with startling agility, his large hands gesturing sharply as he taunted the black-robed man.

Lucien could see that, despite his oversized frame, the leader's movements were quick and precise, betraying a surprising agility that made it clear his bulk did not slow him down at all.

"Who is this guy?"

Lucien couldn't help but mumble in surprise. He never thought the leader of such an impressive caravan could be such a fat man, who looked weak in fighting at first glance.

'Did they…send him as cannon fodder?'

He thought it was possible. After all, Irwin knew what he wanted to do with this mission.

Although Zeyvyr hadn't killed or even attacked anyone while looting the warehouses before, what if this time was different?

Who would risk their life in this almost-suicide mission?

It made sense to send someone who might be low-ranking in the Goldveil Exchange.

"Sir Lukas, please stop. That guy is clearly after all the loot. There's no point in arguing. I feel this mission is wrong. Let's leave while we still can."

The guards beside him hurriedly tried to calm the fuming, hefty captain, fearing for their lives.

Those behind him were already slowly retreating, clearly afraid they'd get caught in the crossfire because of their stubborn leader.

"Leave? How can we leave? And what about my reward? They promised me Beast King meat! If we leave now, who's going to give me that?"

However, the fat man was adamant and refused to leave at all. But, looked to the front and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Hey, can you leave now? Aren't you satisfied yet? How greedy can you be?"

Clearly, he still hoped he could at least take a few caravans to the destination and secure his deal. This man was more obsessed with the Beast King meat than the loot itself, leaving not only Lucien but even Velmara stunned.

"Tch… tch… kid, you're just too relentless. You have no fear at all."

A middle-aged man emerged from another caravan, looting everything as he came, and shook his head mockingly at the fat leader.

"Stop your antics. These gems aren't worth much at all. Leaving one or two behind makes no difference. Haven't you got enough already?"

Seeing the other man pause, the fat captain thought there might still be a chance.

"How can that be possible? How can I leave such a treasure behind… after all the work I've done?"

But the man in front immediately dashed his hopes, leaving him black and blue.

"Hehe… kid, you're clearly affected by one of the sins. How about I help you instead? After all, I didn't expect to see someone carrying the seed of sin outsi-

-hm?"

Just as the black-robed man was about to say more to the fat leader, he suddenly paused and looked up, directly at Velmara and Lucien.

"Someone?" He mumbled, clearly feeling someone's presence.

"Shit, we've been spotted! Let's run!"

Velmara saw the gaze from below and immediately became solemn, preparing to flee. He never imagined someone of equal rank could notice him while he was using his full stealth.

But the moment had already passed; he didn't hesitate and tried to fly away, only to stop halfway.

"Heh… no need to run. I already spotted you. Come out and show yourself. Why are you hiding?"

It seemed the black-robed man had noticed their attempt to escape, because without warning, he had already arrived in front of them, calmly demanding they come out.

Although he looked a little more cautious than before.

'Fortunately, he didn't attack outright.'

Lucien let out a small breath of relief after seeing the situation.

From the way the man carried himself and the fact that he hadn't harmed the fat man or any of his men before, Lucien knew he wasn't the type to kill indiscriminately.

That's why he had taken the risk to come this close.

"Let's just drop the stealth and confront him. It's better not to let things get misunderstood."

Lucien said to Velmara, who was still thinking about what to do.

"Okay, but be ready to run and don't leave my side for a second."