Chapter 47: Trial III

Miriel’s eyes widened as she noticed the arrow approaching her.

It was moving incredibly fast, cutting through the air with enough force to pierce ordinary armor.

However, she wasn’t an inexperienced fighter.

Almost instinctively, she tilted her upper body to the side.

Whoosh!

The arrow passed dangerously close to her shoulder before disappearing into the forest behind her.

At almost the same moment, Liam moved.

He pulled on his reins, causing his horse to turn sharply, and extended his hand toward the middle-aged knight.

Clang!

A dark blade materialized in his hand, and with a casual swing, he deflected the incoming arrow.

The arrow flew off course and struck the ground several meters away.

"Enemy attack!"

The middle-aged knight immediately shouted.

"Everyone, protect the merchant wagons! Raise your shields and form a defensive formation!"

The previously peaceful caravan descended into chaos.

Several arrows suddenly emerged from the forest, flying toward the knights from multiple directions.

Some struck the ground, while others collided with shields and armor.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

"Ambush!"

"Protect the merchants!"

"Find the archers!"

The knights quickly abandoned their work on the fallen tree and rushed back toward the caravan.

Liam glanced toward the forest.

’So they finally decided to make their move.’

He had already suspected that something like this would happen, but the number of attackers was still unclear.

More importantly, their targets seemed rather specific.

The first arrow had been aimed at the middle-aged knight, while the second had been directed at Miriel.

’Are they trying to eliminate the people in charge?’

He narrowed his eyes.

"Miriel, don’t wander away from me."

"I know!"

Miriel drew her white sword.

A faint blue glow spread across its blade as she circulated mana through it.

Her expression had completely changed. The confusion she had displayed earlier was gone, replaced by the focused expression of a swordswoman preparing for battle.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged knight had managed to recover from the initial surprise.

He quickly mounted his horse and drew his sword.

"Everyone, stay together! These aren’t ordinary bandits!"

He glanced toward the arrows embedded in the ground.

"Look at their trajectories! They’re using coordinated firing positions. There are at least three groups surrounding us!"

Liam listened to his words.

’Not bad. He’s experienced.’

However, he wasn’t particularly interested in following the knight’s instructions blindly.

His attention was focused on something else.

Within the forest, he could sense several presences moving between the trees.

They weren’t particularly strong individually, but their movements were coordinated.

’Interesting. They’re not trying to overwhelm us with numbers.’

Liam’s eyes narrowed.

’They’re controlling the battlefield.’

Suddenly, another arrow came flying toward Miriel.

This time, she reacted immediately.

She raised her sword and swung it sideways.

Clang!

The arrow was sliced into two pieces.

"Not bad," Liam remarked.

Miriel glanced at him.

"Of course. Did you think I would miss something like that?"

Liam chuckled.

"Let’s see how long you can keep that confidence."

Before Miriel could respond, a loud crash came from the rear of the caravan.

Boom!

One of the merchant wagons suddenly tilted sideways as something struck its wheel.

A moment later, several men dressed in dark clothing emerged from the forest.

They wore dark leather armor, with their faces covered by cloth masks. Each carried a different weapon, ranging from swords and daggers to crossbows.

"Kill the guards! Don’t let anyone escape!"

One of them shouted.

The attackers immediately charged toward the caravan.

"Hold your positions!"

The middle-aged knight roared.

He spurred his horse forward and intercepted the first group of attackers.

His sword flashed, forcing two enemies to retreat.

The other knights quickly followed his lead.

For a moment, the escort team managed to hold their ground.

However, Liam noticed something unusual.

’They’re deliberately avoiding the merchant wagons.’

The attackers were concentrating their efforts on the knights, attempting to divide their formation rather than directly attacking the merchants.

That was strange.

If their objective was simply to rob the caravan, they should have focused on the valuable goods.

Instead, they seemed more interested in eliminating the escort team.

’As I thought, this is probably an assassination.’

Liam looked toward the middle-aged knight.

The man was fighting against three opponents simultaneously, his sword movements precise and powerful.

Based on the pressure he was releasing, he was probably a Tier 2 expert, possibly approaching the next rank.

However, his opponents weren’t weak either.

One of them suddenly stepped forward and swung a heavy axe toward his horse.

The knight reacted quickly, pulling on the reins and narrowly avoiding the attack.

"Despicable!"

He raised his sword and struck downward.

Clang!

The attacker barely managed to block the blow before being forced several steps backward.

Meanwhile, Miriel had also entered the battle.

A masked man rushed toward her with a curved blade.

"Die!"

Miriel didn’t retreat.

She stepped forward and swung her sword.

"First Style: Crescent Moon!"

A beautiful crescent-shaped sword arc emerged from her blade.

The attack cut through the air and struck the approaching enemy before he could even complete his swing.

Blood sprayed across the ground.

The masked man collapsed.

Liam glanced at her.

’She’s using the Sword Saint Art already.’

He wasn’t particularly surprised.

After all, both of her techniques had reached their maximum levels. Even at Tier 1, their power was considerable.

However, another attacker quickly approached her from the side.

This one was carrying a spear.

Miriel turned around and raised her sword to block.

Clang!

The collision produced a sharp metallic sound.

The spear wielder’s strength was surprisingly high, forcing Miriel to take a step backward.

Before he could launch another attack, Liam appeared behind him.

"You’re getting distracted."

His sword moved.

Slash!

The masked man’s body froze before collapsing to the ground.

Miriel looked at Liam.

"I had it under control!"

"Sure you did."

Liam casually shook the blood from his blade.

"Just focus on the enemies in front of you."

Miriel puffed her cheeks slightly but didn’t argue.

She immediately turned toward another approaching attacker.

Liam, meanwhile, began examining the battlefield more carefully.

There were at least twenty attackers visible, and several more were hiding within the forest.

However, their strength was rather inconsistent.

Most were probably around Tier 1, while a few seemed to have reached Tier 2.

’They’re not particularly strong.’

Considering that the original caravan had been completely wiped out, Liam had expected something considerably more dangerous.

Unless...

His gaze shifted toward the front of the caravan.

The middle-aged knight was still fighting, but his movements had become noticeably slower.

One of the masked men had managed to wound his left arm.

And another was approaching him from behind.

’They’re targeting him specifically.’

Liam’s eyes narrowed.

He suddenly remembered the trial description.

The entire merchant group had been killed, including their Tier 3 Beginner-Rank Guard Captain.

’So where is the Tier 3 Guard Captain?’

He had yet to see anyone who matched that description.

The middle-aged knight was clearly not at that level.

’Is he somewhere inside the caravan? Or has the scenario assigned us a different formation from the original one?’

Before Liam could think further, a loud explosion came from the front.

BOOM!

A merchant wagon was sent flying sideways.

The horses neighed in panic as the entire formation was thrown into disarray.

Several knights immediately turned toward the explosion.

"What happened?!"

"Protect the merchants!"

Liam looked toward the source.

A large figure had emerged from behind the trees.

It was a man wearing heavy black armor. Unlike the other attackers, he wasn’t wearing a mask. A long scar ran across his face, and he carried an enormous battle-axe over one shoulder.

His presence was considerably stronger than that of the other attackers.

The moment he stepped onto the road, several knights instinctively moved backward.

The man looked around before fixing his gaze on the caravan.

"Is this all the protection the Golden Pig Merchant Group could afford?"

He laughed.

"How disappointing."

Liam studied him for a moment.

’Finally, someone interesting.’

The man’s strength was clearly above Tier 2.

Perhaps even Tier 3.

And judging by the reactions of the surrounding knights, he was probably the leader of this attack.

The armored man raised his battle-axe.

"Kill everyone. Leave no survivors!"

The attackers immediately became more aggressive.

Liam looked toward Miriel.

"Looks like things are about to get interesting."

Miriel tightened her grip on her sword.

"Should we go after him?"

Liam smiled faintly.

"Not yet. Let’s see what the others can do first."

He turned his attention toward the front of the caravan.

The appearance of the armored man had caused quite a commotion, but Liam was more interested in what would happen next.

After all, the trial had specifically mentioned a Tier 3 Guard Captain.