Unsealing Emptiness

All the carriages appeared far more fanciful than any ordinary person could ever expect to ride just once in their lifetime. The crest of the Royal Family hung on each of them.

The carriage in the middle stood out the most, as unlike the other two, this one had runes on its sides.

It was apparent to the trio that the person they were going to escort was probably in that carriage.

In a few seconds, the carriages came before the group. Those elegant yet sturdy horses stopped right in front of them. One of the men that looked like the person in charge got off the 1st carriage and came before Rufus.

“Chief Leader Rufus! Everything is prepared, we are ready for departure.”- the man said in a loud voice, kneeling with his head bowed in front of Rufus.

“On your feet, Clive!”- Rufus commanded with a heavy voice, unlike how he conversed with Ozul.

.....

The man named Clive stood up with a jolt. With his hands behind his back, he stood respectfully to the side, waiting for further instructions.

“It’s time to explain the mission details to the Mercenaries.”- Rufus said as the group moved outside the gates where all the other Mercenaries awaited.

Every one of them straightened their back in hopes of wanting to catch the eye of the Silver Knights’ Chief Leader. Since Rufus was famously known as one of the most trusted men of the Emperor, everyone wanted to impress him.

There were more than 80 or so Mercenaries gathered for the mission-all a part of at least a Gold Rank Mercenary group. However, in front of the Rank-8 Mage, they couldn’t keep control of their anxiety.

Looking at the confident faces of the leaders of those Mercenary groups, Rufus nodded in satisfaction before starting to explain the details.

“As you all may or may not have known, the mission that you have accepted is about escorting.”- Rufus said with his head held high, looking down at others.

“You all will have to escort a guest of the Royal Family back to their home. Your destination will be the Neutral Lands.”

The surrounding Mercenaries started to murmur as they heard the name of their mission’s destination.

“Silence!”- The man named Clive suddenly shouted when he saw that those murmurs were never going to stop.

“As you all already know, the Neutral Lands isn’t a place where just anyone would be able to survive. And there will be even more dangers on the way there. So if any group wants to leave, it’s your last chance to do it.”

“If you try to leave during the mission, we will have no choice but to execute you.”

Rufus explained everything with a clear voice. He wanted everyone present to understand the risks that they were going to take and be responsible for it.

It wasn’t a smart choice for them to just let go of a bunch of people that knew the details of their mission.

Rufus waited for the Mercenary groups to fully understand what he was trying to convey.

Some strong groups who believed in their strength did not even consider leaving at this point. However, not everyone was the same.

Those weak groups had joined in hopes of rich rewards, but hearing about their destination had removed those greedy thoughts and instead filled their hearts with the fear of death.

At last, only about 10 or so people wanted to leave the mission. These people were not able to get their whole group to join them since their leaders were determined on the rewards. It wasn’t every day that they would get to accept missions directly from someone like the ruling family of Silverbird Kingdom!

Rufus sighed, looking at the number of people who had given up after already accepting the mission from the Mercenary Guild.

The people who had wanted to leave just left quietly, and while Rufus did not seem to pay any attention to that group, Ozul knew better.

He had sensed the Mages hidden everywhere around them the moment that he had gotten out of the carriage.

It wasn’t hard for him to pinpoint the location of the numerous Rank-7 experts. But Ozul had dismissed this situation, thinking that it might just be the security around the Royal Palace.

However, only now did he realize the truth after noticing some of them following the group of men who left earlier.

‘It seems that he never intended to leave any weaknesses, huh.’- Ozul thought while looking at Rufus with a side glance.

The only reason that the Chief Leader of Silver Knights, Rufus, wanted to achieve by his earlier speech was to remove the ones who would have been just nuisance on the journey.

They should have already known that there would be no way back after accepting the mission. Sure, they took the oath to never disclose the details and all, but Rufus had seen many individuals who would reveal the information even after knowing that they would die the next moment.

Rufus trusted the Mercenary contracts to work fine and kill the individual instantly, but what if that person was actually able to slip up some minor but crucial detail before dying?

Though it was very unlikely for that to happen with the group of men that had left, being the Silver Knights’ Chief Leader, Rufus was quite ruthless.

Unknown to those men, they were written off as dead the moment they had decided to walk out of here.

“Since those present here have not chosen to leave, I assure everyone that his Majesty has offered plentiful rewards.”- Ozul was brought out of his thinking, hearing Rufus’s voice.

“Moreover, each one of you will receive greater rewards with the previously agreed payment if you contribute enough.”

Rufus offered even more rewards to motivate the Mercenaries further. Everyone was aware that the Mercenaries are only loyal to their profits.

After that, Rufus turned to his side and gestured towards Clive.

“Clive, as one of the squad leaders in Silver Knights, is one of my most trusted men. He will be in charge of the journey ahead. He will explain all the further details. I shall now take my leave.”- Rufus said before walking back, leaving everything under Clive.

However, before leaving, Rufus suddenly turned towards Ozul and smiled brightly.

“Good luck, young man.”

His tone was completely different from how he used to address Ozul. The voice was also loud enough to be heard by everyone else. And with a smug smile which only Ozul could see, Rufus walked away.

It seemed that Rufus really wanted to create things difficult for Ozul. Just at this moment, Clive’s voice sounded out.

“Our journey may very well take a few months. We can’t afford to waste any more time here. Let’s move on.”- His demeanor had completely changed from when he was before Rufus.

It looked as if some seasoned battlefield commander who had survived many wars stood before the Mercenaries. His momentum, coupled with the Rank-7 Mage’s aura was enough to intimidate most of them.

Just as his voice had died down, the carriages which stood behind the entrance started moving.

Taking that as a cue, the Mercenaries also started to get on their transport and begin to move about. Though everyone’s eyes were on the middle one, trying to guess who could be inside.

However, just as they were about to move too, Ozul felt the familiar presence that he had thought to be gone only a few moments ago.

‘Oh? You really wanted to annoy me, huh. It will be my turn next.’- Ozul thought in his mind after sensing that Rufus had suddenly joined those few hidden Rank-7 Mages and the tens of other Rank-6 ones.