[12 — Blessom?]

After leaving Maria tied to the tree and at the mercy of her own luck, Ruru took the reins of the horses.

I know the ideal would be to plan things out a bit more before heading into the city, but at that point, hunger was already making me hallucinate.

That's when I started missing the sandwiches my mom used to make back in high school.

I'd give anything to have one of those right now…

"..."

The mood inside the wagon wasn't exactly pleasant.

Sera was sitting across from me, her face turned away, clearly avoiding eye contact.

I thought about asking why she was acting like that, but after seeing her expression, I was afraid she might bite me.

Seriously… I'll never understand this girl's mood swings.

"Destroyer-sama! We'll be arriving in Blessom soon!" Ruru shouted from outside the wagon.

"Ruru, are you sure it's fine to just walk in through the front gate? There's not going to be an inspection?"

"Eh… no?"

…Hm? What's with that answer?

"Either way, Destroyer-sama, just try not to make any noise back there."

Noise? What does she think I am?

Sera kept staring outside. Her previously sulky look now seemed a little… worried.

"Everything okay?" I whispered.

"Hmph! You don't have to worry about me. Did you forget? There's nothing between us anymore."

Ugh. She's more resentful than I thought.

"Sera, you know I—"

"Didn't you hear Ruru? She told you not to make noise."

"..."

Well… I tried.

Krrrch!—

The wagon slowed down.

I stuck my head out the window and saw something strange. Ahead of us was a short line of carts stopped at the city gate.

"Uh… so, Destroyer-sama… about that inspection…"

Damn it, Ruru… I knew something was off.

There wasn't a single vehicle behind us, but if we turned back now, we'd definitely draw attention.

"Ruru… no panic. Whatever happens, just act natural. Only speak if it's absolutely necessary, got it?"

She pressed her fingers together and made an 'okay' sign. I don't know why, but seeing that gesture suddenly made my heart race.

"Sigh…"

I shut the wagon window.

With my trusty knife, I poked a small hole in the front tarp. Small enough to go unnoticed, but big enough to see what was happening outside.

"What are you doing?"

"Shh… trying to see what's going on."

The cart in front of us was about the same size as ours, but its build was much more rustic.

Its back was open and the wheels were made entirely of wood, without any covering. Probably not from another city.

A large tarp, fastened with elastic cords, covered a pile of sacks in the back. Judging by their shape, I guessed they were filled with grain.

"A farmer?" I muttered.

"What do you see?"

Little by little, the line started moving.

Ruru once again seemed to read my mind and slowed the horses just enough to give me room to observe.

The first of the five carts ahead of us passed without any trouble. But that didn't comfort me, because I remembered what my dad used to say every time we drove past a police checkpoint on the highway:

'Son… here's the thing about cops: it's always a big lottery. Out of every five cars that pass, at least one gets pulled over. So if you see the car in front of you pass without a problem… run.'

…My dad was always a wise man. Even if he liked living dangerously.

"Let me see too!" Sera shoved me, pressing her face against mine.

The second cart also went through.

For the first time, I could see the soldiers posted at the gate.

There were three of them: one girl and two men.

The two men were about the height of an average Japanese citizen, and the girl looked completely uninterested in her job, playing with some kind of elastic looped around her fingers.

Looking closer, I saw they were all wearing military armor—though the important parts were practically unprotected.

I mean, their helmets were clearly too big for their heads. The skin on their necks was exposed, and I highly doubted a thin layer of leather would stop an arrow to the chest.

I know I shouldn't underestimate them, but still…

"I-it's almost our turn…"

When I heard Sera say that, I swallowed hard.

I'd spent so much time picking apart the soldiers' flaws that I hadn't noticed another cart had already gone in.

…Crap, did they get stopped?

No… I didn't remember seeing the soldiers move, and at the pace they were going, it couldn't have been that quick.

Which meant… if the cart ahead of us didn't get stopped, we'd be the fifth one…

Was I really going to depend on luck again?

"...!"

Suddenly, a crazy idea popped into my head.

"Oi, Ruru," I kept my voice low, just enough for the sound of the horses to cover it.

"Destroyer-sama, it's too risky to talk now," she whispered, eyes fixed ahead.

"I know, but I have a bad feeling."

"Huh?"

"Ruru, tell me, how's your aim?"

"Aim? What are you talking about?"

"See that elastic up there? I want you to throw this knife at it."

"Destroyer-sama, now's not the time for games."

"Ruru, please. Just trust me."

"But… are you sure?"

"Yes. Our fate depends entirely on you."

I handed the knife through the hole I'd cut in the tarp. It hurt to part with my trusty blade so soon, but there was no other choice.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

"W-what are you planning? Wouldn't it be easier to just stay quiet?"

Yes, Sera. A normal person would probably stay quiet and just see how things played out, but not me. Only fools leave things to luck.

The plan was actually simpler than it sounded.

Looking at the cart in front, it was clear those flimsy wheels weren't made for long distances, and their condition was poor. Any small impact could break them.

The problem was, if we attacked the wheel directly, the weight of the load would make it nearly impossible to move the cart out of the way in time, which would trap us and give the soldiers all the time in the world to reach us.

So… the idea of a sudden stop was out.

Now… what would happen if we cut the elastic holding the cargo?

Bingo! The load would spill onto the ground, forcing a stop that wasn't too abrupt, but still enough to be crucial.

That way, even as the fifth cart, we'd have nothing to fear, since the inspection would happen on the fourth one instead.

Sure, it's sad to see a sack of grain go to waste, but unfortunately, there was no other choice.

After that, we'd just slow down the horses and let things play out naturally.

It was a flawless plan.

"Ugh… your face is scaring me," Sera muttered.

Ruru held the knife with a slightly unsure look, as if she still doubted my genius. I was a little offended, but I knew her opinion would change soon.

…Farewell, my little knife. Thank you for everything up until now.

The plan was about to begin. Everything was in Ruru's hands(literally.)

"Gulp!"

I didn't need slow motion to see her movements.

Her fingers were slim and delicate. She moved them with such skill it looked effortless.

I was mesmerized by the flick of her wrist, but it still wasn't time to relax.

Fwoosh!

The knife left her hand.

Its path was precise and smooth, like a baseball pitched by a pro.

It cut through the wind and flew toward the cart ahead. The throw was so perfect that, before it even landed, I already knew she'd nail it.

"Ruru… you're amazing…" I murmured without realizing it.

The knife kept flying… until it went right past the cart.

"Absolutely incre—"

Wait… wait! WAIT! Where the hell is that knife going?!

The 'perfect' throw curved in the air and flew straight toward one of the soldiers' fingers.

"..."

"Kyah! Who's the bastard?! Who cut my elastic?!" the girl shouted.

"What? Are you crazy, Rubel?"

The third guard, the bearded one, walked up to the other two.

"What's going on here?!"

"Uncle Van! Elias is bothering me again! He threw a knife at my elastic and almost hurt me!"

"You're delusional! Van, I don't mean to gossip, but I'm saying it! Rubel's been playing with that stupid elastic all day and leaving all the inspections to me."

"Playing? You think I didn't notice you only stop wagons with pretty women and let the rest through? You call that inspection, you bastard?!"

"What did you just say?!"

"Let go of my collar, idiot!"

"You two, cut it out right now!"

"..."

The cart in front passed.

It was our turn.

"Wait!" Elias shouted.

"?!"

I felt sweat trickle down my face.

He walked up to our wagon.

"You're not from around here, are you, cutie?~"

"W-why do you t-think that?"

Damn it, Ruru. What happened to 'acting natural'?

"If I'd seen that silver hair of yours before, I'd definitely remember. Seriously, you're gor— Keuk!"

"Cut that crap out, idiot!"

Urgh… wherever that kick landed, it hurt me too.

Sera pinched me.

"Hey, could you let go of my hand? It hurts."

"A-ah, sorry."

…And just like that, somehow, we made it into the city of Blessom.