Since Herbie laid her cards on the table, Blaze naturally saw no need to beat around the bush. He just hadn’t expected her to be this forthcoming.
"The assassin group composed of Foreigners, Asasel, has set their sights on her."
Herbie leaned against a carriage wheel that was taller than herself, tapping the wood with her slender fingers. Through the curtain, the silhouette of a figure wearing a lady’s hat sat with a perfectly straight back, entirely unmoved by what was happening outside.
"We are still investigating who hired Asasel, but we know their objective." Herbie’s expression twisted into that of a cornered cobra, raising its body with a low hiss, ready to spit venom. "It’s the performance slot at the Epidaurus Theater."
"Is that so?" Blaze’s reaction was rather plain, even showing a lack of understanding. However, after Herbie explained, he finally understood.
The Epidaurus Theater was one of the highest stages for performances. Tickets to enter were fiercely contested, and the opportunity to perform on stage was naturally just as competitive. It would have been fine if it were purely a competition of artistic standards, but for something as grand in scale as the Epidaurus Theater, there were countless open and secret struggles between various factions behind the scenes.
Among them, there was no shortage of those who would use a Black Hand to directly eliminate their competitors.
"Our Hermes’ Travel Hat has invested a massive sum of money into the Epidaurus Theater, so naturally we possess a performance slot. Of course, we also took care to conceal her identity before the Epidaurus Theater opens."
"But for some unknown reason, the slot was leaked. I understand now," Blaze said, crossing his arms and nodding.
He also understood the reason for not hiring Foreigners. Foreigners had a very mature communication system among themselves. And that assassin group named Asasel was one of the largest syndicate guilds among the Foreigners, with many eyes and ears. If someone truly had hired Asasel, the slightest leak of information would cause relentless pursuit to follow.
"Also, what I said earlier wasn’t a complete lie. My position within Hermes’ Travel Hat has indeed been unstable lately," Herbie said, crossing her arms in imitation of Blaze and sighing as she looked up. "I spent too much money kicking the other competitors off the stage, resulting in cash flow issues. The other Advanced partners have all gone off to become Bounty Hunters or adventurers to earn money to maintain Hermes’ Travel Hat’s daily expenses, while I can only sip herbal tea and buy clothes."
"Then aren’t you just reaping what you sow?"
"Ahaha... That’s right. Blessed Ones who aren’t Foreigners are simply too expensive; we can’t afford them." Herbie scratched the back of her head and laughed awkwardly, but after noticing that Blaze wasn’t playing along at all, she obediently lowered her head.
"I understand. I will help escort you, but my strength is limited. I can’t guarantee that I can safely escort you to the Epidaurus Theater."
The first Foreigner Murderer he had defeated, Old Man BIG, was a member of Asasel—a Level 85 Blessed One. He managed to win the first time because the opponent was careless and took a hit, triggering Lethal Execution. He won the second time because the opponent had just undergone resurrection; his Attributes were halved, and his Armor was missing.
In a proper one-on-one fight, or if he were ambushed, he would undoubtedly be instantly killed. Although it was unfortunate to admit, if it really came to that, he would have to prioritize his own survival.
"No, our destination is Balkan City."
"That’s in the opposite direction."
"Correct. Because Audrey..." Herbie let out a bitter smile. "...has already given up on performing at the Epidaurus Theater. I want to escort her to a place protected by the Royal Knight Order."
"Is that so? What a pity." Blaze looked at the woman behind the curtain. The Epidaurus Theater was known as the highest artistic stage. This person had likely put in an unimaginable amount of effort just to be able to sing there, yet now she had voluntarily given it up.
"Besides... making Balkan City our goal perfectly suits your wishes as well, doesn’t it?" Herbie suddenly leaned closer, returning to her sly, smiling demeanor.
Blaze’s expression tightened, almost thinking Herbie had seen through his identity.
"You have the Great Sword Master Profession, don’t you? But you didn’t use the rumored Twisted Greatsword just now. Instead, you specifically picked up a clumsy soldier’s longsword... You need a new Great Sword or someone to repair your weapon, right?"
As expected of an Advanced partner of Hermes’ Travel Hat, she could see her collaborator’s needs at a single glance.
"The nearest weapon shop is in Balkan City. In your current state, there’s no way you can enter Balkan City, let alone trade with those stubborn old fools in the weapon shop. But if I make the arrangements, none of that will be a problem."
"To me, you’re just bragging about the fact that as long as there’s a profit to be made, you’d secretly transport a dangerous element into the city."
Blaze sighed helplessly, tacitly accepting the escort commission Herbie proposed. He felt like he had been thoroughly outmaneuvered by her.
During their negotiation, the guards repaired the tire of the cargo carriage and loaded the scattered goods back onto it. The goods that were already damaged in the goblin attack were left on the ground. As they worked, Blaze took a look at the cargo. Most of them were crafts, possessing only collectible value.
"Goblin scout troops usually operate in more than one unit, so we need to get moving as soon as possible," Herbie said. After instructing the Guard Captain with a few words, she returned to the carriage. When she opened the door, Blaze glanced inside. The beautiful Singer remained sitting with perfect posture, motionless like a doll.
The Guard Captain had no objections to handing over the command to Blaze; in fact, he breathed a sigh of relief. He vaguely sensed that this job wasn’t simple, but the reward was generous, so he deliberately chose not to think about it.
The merchant caravan began to move once again. Since they had discarded quite a bit of cargo, their speed had increased significantly.
Blaze walked alongside the carriage; with his current leg strength, he could easily keep up with its pace. Herbie pulled back the carriage curtain, resting her arm on the window frame as she casually struck up a conversation with him.
"Everyone says you are a Lost Home Knight, so where exactly is your hometown?" she asked. "Can you even eat while wearing that Armor? How in the world did you lift your Curse? Did someone splash you with a Saintess’s Holy Water? What are your plans after this? Have you considered a long-term partnership with me? I could sneak you into anywhere, you know."
Perhaps knowing that Blaze had already figured out what kind of person she was, Herbie made no effort to hide her intentions. Digging for intelligence, probing, and attempting to recruit him—she didn’t miss a single beat.
Unfortunately, Blaze himself wanted to know the answers to the majority of Herbie’s questions, so he remained silent. However, in Herbie’s eyes, this reaction simply meant that Blaze had no interest in her recruitment offer.
"Tell me, is there really nothing you want?" she asked.
"Elves."
"COUGH COUGH COUGH! We are legitimate Merchants; we don’t engage in the Slave trade."