"How confident are you that it's an ambush?" Zolast asked after I finished explaining the situation.

"Ninety percent," I answered. "There are too many variables that don't feel right. Why suddenly attack the trade caravan and wait out in the open for them to arrive? And then, there are the armored warriors in disguise."

"And the military…" Zolast started, pausing a moment. "We can't expect a timely response because of the spies already integrated by the cultists. I can't believe they managed to infiltrate the royal forces to this extent."

"Well, I can," I answered. "Moreover, I'm willing to bet that it has something to do with our latest discovery." Zolast nodded, accepting the half-baked theory I had presented. Which was good, because we needed to focus on more important issues. "Any idea what to do?"

"Are you determined to help them?" Zolast asked. "Maybe we should focus on reinforcing our own forces instead."

"Not unless you can convince Artmiss to kick every other guild out immediately."

Zolast shook his head. "Unfortunately, nothing short of open rebellion could justify such a move. The independence of the guilds is no joke. Even them receiving no dungeon access for a week as punishment was tenuous. Night Blades could have easily gone to the royal court to complain."

I chuckled despite the tense situation. "And, I'm betting that the King never misses an opportunity to tweak the nose of the noble families when tradition gives him such an opening."

"It's not just the King. Churches are very strict about that as well. The independence of the guilds is no joke."

No doubt part of this was because the gods wanted their share of experience uninterrupted, but that was not a tangent I wanted to waste time on at the moment. "It means we have too many traitors that we can't get rid of in our midst for a defensive strategy to be safe. Especially since we still don't know what the young Duke would do, once he found himself locked in a desperate situation. He might still ask for help from one of the many schemers trying to target him."

"… and none of them has particularly warm feelings toward us."

"That's an understatement," I said. "I think we need to do something risky. Do you think the children could hold down the fort for a day?"

"Probably," Zolast said as he stood up. His answer came quicker than I expected, which surprised me until I caught his smile, showing an uncharacteristic excitement. "What? It has been a while since I went to war, and I want to test my new Abilities. There are some interesting stuff I want to try out."

"Good idea. But first, let's find you a new persona. How would you like to be the golden mage?"

The expression of disgust on his face was fascinating. "No, thanks. I'll find something better than running around, looking like your demented twin. Just give me a moment to arrange things. It'll be best if everyone thinks I'm busy building a new ward."

"Good, and I'll pick up my newest armor," I said, glad that I asked Launara to prepare me a new set with her newly obtained ability to forge mana-infused metal. Even with my Speed and Agility, it was better to have an actual enchanted armor to block attacks rather than cardboard shaped to look like armor.

With that, Zolast went to make the necessary arrangements, and I went to the forge. Though, as I approached, I noticed an interesting detail.

I was also getting closer to Limenta.

"Ahh, youth," I said as I approached, though I seriously hoped that I wouldn't find him stalking Launara. I had no intention of raising a creeper in my organization … and certainly not one with Concealment.

Luckily, when I arrived at Launara's forge, I found him without his concealment. He was standing next to the subject of his crush, listening with a serious expression as Launara was forging another sword. At the same time, she was giving a detailed lecture about the advantages and disadvantages of mixing beast blood into the initial fire they used to melt the ores, broken down by the type of product, the exact spread of the alloy, and the sharpening method that needed to be used.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I had a feeling that, even for another blacksmith, the discussion was too complicated and hard to track. As for Limenta, it clearly took all of his willpower to keep the blank expression away from his face.

Well, faking an interest in her passion was better than stalking.

As much as I wanted to stay hidden and gather some teasing material for the future, there were more urgent things I needed to address.

"Girl, is my armor ready?" I asked as I stepped into the forge. At this point, Launara was used to the way I barged in, so she didn't even raise her head, just pointed at the corner. "Yes, boss."

Limenta, on the other hand, jumped in shock as he turned away from Launara, as if that would actually help to hide the reason he was here. Still, his blush was too thick, earning enough of my pity to skip the opportunity to tease him — well, at least while he was still with the object of his crush.

The sacrifices I made for my people…

I walked to the corner, where I found a glistening, golden armor, showy and garish.

I should have spent more time designing that in my first appearance. "Not bad," I said as I tapped the metal while mana glowed on my finger, feeling its internal structure as far as I could. "You're developing well. We'll make a master blacksmith out of you."

"Thanks, boss," she said, blushing as badly as Limenta didearlier, though for a different reason. After being treated as cursed by her class constantly, she was really weak to any kind of positive reinforcement. "But, please, be careful. It holds very well against ordinary attacks even when delivered with full force. But remember, it won't hold for long against any kind of continuous mana attack. A few strong hits, and it'll crack. Even with the forging notes of the other blacksmiths, the progress I can make is limited."

"Don't worry about it, progress takes time," I said even as I grabbed the crate and walked toward the door. I'd rather not put the armor on before I left the town.

However, at the doorway, I stopped and looked at Limenta. As the only other member of my heroic party, he knew enough to be helpful during the process. "Follow me. We have a mission," I ordered.

"Yes, boss," he said, though not before throwing a reluctant glance at Luminera. "See you soon," he said. She just raised her hand and waved.

Limenta followed me silently, and I suppressed my desire to give advice. I didn't attempt to manage my organization like a military force, forbidding fraternizing, but no good could come from a boss giving love advice.

Subtly teasing them while acting obvious … that was a different issue.

Limenta didn't say anything until we left the town — though I stopped to steal a small cart that could be hand-pulled — and started waiting. "Will we not be alone, boss?" he asked.

"No, Zolast will join us," I said, which was enough to make him tense. Not for nothing. As the only person who knew the true classes of both of us, he was quick to realize the significance of such a move. "We will go and make sure the cultists don't destroy Baron Maell's forces."

"Is the Baron aware of that?" he asked, which was a good question considering the limited number we were willing to assign for the battle.

"Well, in a way," I said. "I certainly sent a pointed message to him." He looked at me blankly, not understanding what I was talking about. I explained, and he groaned.

"That was terrible, boss," he said while I sniggered. That was one of the advantages of being a leader: Annoying my followers with terrible jokes. Still, he was lucky, as Zolast arrived soon, wearing a dark blue cloak.

"Are we ready?" I asked.

"Everything is in order. Hopefully, the town won't explode before our return," Zolast said, and looked at the small cart I was planning to use as a rickshaw. "And I'm guessing that's our transport."

"The best ever," I said as I gestured for him to step on.

"We really need to find a way to buy a flying cart," Zolast said.

"That won't work. They are convenient, but with the constant military presence in the sky, it's too noticeable," I countered. "Even if we can find a way to purchase one for the guild without arousing too much attention, it won't be very useful."

They sat on the cart, I grabbed the handle, and started running. "Damn it, Edward, slow down," Zolast shouted. Understandable, as calling the ride bumpy would have been an understatement. Without their Vitality, my passengers would have broken a bone or two.

"We can't," I said, and only partially because it was an amusing prank. "I don't know just how boneheaded the Baron is. Even with the assassination attempt, he might just charge forward recklessly."

"Didn't they lose most of their horses, boss?" Limenta asked curiously. "Wouldn't they need to gather all of them before attacking?"

"Not necessarily," I said. "It makes a good show, but ultimately, mounted combat is not really efficient for high-level fighters," I said.

"Not unless they use some special mounts, and have necessary skills, at least," Zolast said. "I doubt that a mere baron could find anything like that."

"So, we need to go faster," I said as I started to pull the cart once more … but this time, without the bumps. I turned to see a soft blue glow under the cart, allowing it to float. "Go ahead and ruin my fun," I said as I started moving once more, while Zolast chuckled…

Which turned into a curse as I took a sharp turn, and they barely held on the side.

It was not easy to ruin my fun…