"Ding~! Ding~! Ding~!"

  "The caravan to Langard is departing soon! Hurry up if you’re not ready!"

  As the departure chime rang out, the station erupted in commotion. People busied themselves checking luggage or preparing to board......

  "Hello, here’s my ticket."

  The clerk took the ticket, verified its authenticity, and glanced at the person in front of them.

  The figure was draped in a black robe similar to a mage’s, with their face hidden behind a black cloth mask. Two long wooden chests were slung over their back—no one knew what was inside. Their voice was muffled, making it hard to distinguish male from female, but their height suggested they were a child (after all, dwarves were rarely this thin).

  "Alright, everything checks out. You may board."

  The clerk had seen their share of eccentric characters—there were at least seven or eight people in mage robes on this caravan alone! They had no interest in probing the reason for the disguise; a quick ticket verification was all it took to wave the person through.

  The hooded figure with the two long chests entered the station, walked straight to their assigned beast cart without hesitation—their luggage had already been stowed earlier.

  Casually placing the chests in the corner of the carriage, the figure paid no mind to the strange glances from fellow passengers. They lifted the curtain slightly and scanned the outside.

  Soon, they spotted their targets......

  Watching the two men board a nearby cart, Hulim memorized which vehicle they were in, then let the curtain fall.

  For the rest of the journey, she’d stay in the cart as much as possible......

  ......

  After learning she was being targeted by an underground organization based in the Royal Capital and active across the empire, Hulim refused to wait passively.

  She rushed into the city, bought a full-body black robe and a black cloth mask to cover her face. Next, she purchased two long wooden chests to store her wand and Mithril Sword—these two weapons were highly recognizable, and Zev would spot them instantly if he saw them.

  There was no quick fix for her height, so she’d have to minimize her appearances in crowds.

  Hulim went to all this trouble to take this specific caravan not because she couldn’t catch a later one. Duper was a metropolis, with numerous caravans traveling to Langard almost every day.

  She did it to keep the two men in her sight.

  "Jingle~!"

  The caravan slowly exited the station and headed out of the city.

  Soon, the bustling Duper vanished behind them, and the vast wilderness unfolded before them.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Thanks to being a major imperial road, military patrols and knight orders passed by regularly. The caravan encountered almost no danger along the way—far smoother than Hulim’s journey from Mentor Town to Duper.

  As a result, most passengers were relaxed. Whenever they stopped for meals or rest, they’d get off to stretch their legs.

  Only Hulim barely left the carriage.

  ......

  Hulim lifted the curtain a crack again.

  It was lunchtime.

  The other passengers in her carriage had all left, so she didn’t have to worry about her odd behavior attracting attention.

  Outside, Zev and Scarface had also gotten off the cart, huddled in a corner away from the crowd eating.

  The journey was more than halfway done. The two had never noticed Hulim’s existence, nor did they suspect their target was on the same caravan.

  Hulim felt a slight sense of relief.

  It wasn’t because she hadn’t been discovered, but because the two showed no signs of switching to another form of transport midway. That was good—she wouldn’t have to take greater risks to track them.

  In truth, Hulim had multiple chances to take them out along the way, but she chose not to. She knew such a large underground organization must have an extensive underground network.

  Hulim wasn’t sure if Scarface had sent her information back to the organization after entering the station. If not, eliminating them would solve the problem. But if he had......

  Killing them now would be equivalent to declaring war! The unknown organization lurking in the shadows would surely retaliate fiercely, and she’d have no idea where the attacks would come from.

  So Hulim didn’t act—she couldn’t.

  She just followed them quietly: onto the caravan, to the Royal Capital, into the city, and then......

  "Follow you back to your lair......"

  ......

  ......

  On the horizon, a magnificent city far grander than Duper slowly came into view. With a history of thousands of years, its tall, white walls stood imposingly.

  At the sight of their destination, the caravan picked up speed, and the passengers grew excited, preparing to disembark.

  Before long, the caravan reached the gates of Langard. Passengers crowded off the beast carts and streamed into the city. Amidst the chaos, Zev and Scarface wasted no time breaking away from the crowd and ducking into a side alley.

  They had no idea a tail had followed them......

  For about half an hour, Zev and Scarface weaved through alleyways. The surroundings grew increasingly desolate—they had clearly entered a lawless district.

  Finally, the two stopped in front of a dilapidated three-story building. After checking their surroundings to ensure no one was watching, they pushed the door open and entered.

  About half a minute later, a hooded figure appeared outside the three-story building.

  Hulim stared at the structure with closed windows, deep in thought.

  "Is this the place......"

  Not necessarily.

  "For underground organization members, returning directly to the lair after a mission is a cardinal sin—this is likely just a safe house......"

  "I should confirm first."

  Hulim stepped into a shadowed corner where the sun couldn’t reach.

  She began chanting incantations.

  "......Natural Aura!"

  "......Natural Rhythm!"

  "......Concealment!"

  "And finally—"

  "【???????????????????????????????????????????????】"

  "Shadow Sneak!"

  As each spell took effect, Hulim’s aura and figure faded into near-invisibility. Meanwhile, the shadow beneath her feet flowed like liquid, and Hulim slowly sank into it......

  Inside the three-story building.

  Zev and Scarface, who had entered earlier, were talking to a one-eyed man.

  "......You didn’t bring any tails back, did you?"

  "Hmph. When have you ever seen me make a mistake!"

  Scarface said dismissively.

  "Good!" The one-eyed man shrugged. "It’s not that I don’t trust you—it’s just a routine check."

  Gurgle~, gurgle~......

  As the three spoke, none of them noticed a pool of liquid-like shadow flowing in the adjacent room. A figure rose from the shadow.