Chapter 69: How to Protect Fragile Goods
“But Mr. Apos is indeed the Spymaster of the current king of Ossi…” the mercenary leader said, his voice eager, fearing Givia had misunderstood. “Please think carefully, Your Highness. Hasn’t Mr. Apos served King… I mean, Prince Kevin, for a long time? He joined the court later, along with Prince Kevin.”
His words triggered Givia’s memory. “Yes… You’re right. Kevin didn’t grow up in the palace. He didn’t receive a proper education. Perhaps that’s why he’s so barbaric and cruel. It makes sense that he would rely on those who served him before he entered the court…”
“So you remember him?” the mercenary leader asked tentatively.
“Yes, I remember now. This Apos was Kevin’s assistant. I vaguely recall hearing about it,” Givia said, nodding, then looked at the mercenary leader, whose desperation to survive was evident. “As I suspected, Kevin delegated this attack to his subordinates.”
“Your Highness is wise and perceptive! You saw through our plan and averted disaster! I’m truly impressed!” the mercenary leader gushed, laying it on thick. “It’s an honor to be captured by such a heroic figure. When you become queen, I’ll tell everyone about your brilliant strategy and your generous spirit. If you spare my life, I’ll stay far away from these affairs and never serve your enemies again!”
“Enough with the flattery. You’ve seen the power of my companions. You wouldn’t dare defy us now,” Givia said, glancing at Abyss and Leona. Abyss nodded subtly at her. This mercenary leader was weak and had been telling the truth. He genuinely seemed to want out of this conflict. Leona, meanwhile, seemed indifferent. She had already thoroughly beaten up the entire mercenary band. It wasn’t as satisfying as fighting a truly powerful opponent, but it had been a good warm-up.
Santos, still wary, pressed his drawn sword against the mercenary leader’s chin, making him hold his breath. “Since Her Highness, in her infinite mercy, has agreed to spare your lives, you’re free to go. The affairs of the Ossi Kingdom are beyond your reach. Next time, choose your employers more carefully. You should be grateful you haven’t caused any real harm. If you had angered the princess, we wouldn’t have shown you any mercy.”
“Yes! Yes!” the mercenary leader wanted to nod, but he was too afraid to move. Santos sheathed his sword.
Abyss casually chanted a spell, manipulating the mercenary leader’s humerus bones, snapping them back into their sockets. The mercenary leader, relieved, kowtowed twice before Givia, then scrambled to his feet and fled. He had to help his comrades, whose joints had been dislocated by Leona.
“Thankfully, we suffered no losses,” Givia said, wiping the sweat from her brow. “Santos, are any of our men injured?”
“Thanks to Mr. Abyss’s foresight, we have no casualties,” Santos reported, glancing at Abyss gratefully. These guards were his trusted soldiers. Losing any of them would have been devastating. Abyss’s prediction of the enemy’s diversionary tactic had prevented any potential losses.
“Their main target was the potions. It seems the enemy is aware of our movements,” Givia said, her voice serious, as she watched the guards replace the harnesses on the spooked horse, now calmed. “We must protect these potions, but if the enemy continues using these cunning tactics, it will be troublesome.”
Abyss nodded. He hadn’t told Givia about his magical catfish yet. He trusted her discretion, but he was worried that if he stored the potions inside the catfish, the guards would notice, and the enemy might learn about it through their Dream Seers. Without the potions as a target, they would inevitably attack them directly. Protecting the potions was easy, but protecting living, moving targets was more challenging.
Rebecca emerged from the carriage. She had remained inside during the ambush, lost in thought.
“Your Highness, could you give me a sample of each potion you purchased? Just a few drops, nothing more,” she asked Givia directly. “I’d like to analyze their properties. I might have a way to protect them from enemy attacks.”
Givia was surprised. She knew this girl, “Ray,” was a skilled alchemist, but she couldn’t imagine how an alchemist could protect fragile glass bottles.
Many potions reacted negatively with metal, so most of the potions Givia had purchased from the Black Hats were stored in glass bottles. Although the glass was reinforced, it was still fragile, easily shattered by a strong impact. This was a persistent problem in the alchemy world—most potions couldn’t be stored in sturdy metal containers, making transportation a logistical nightmare.
“Of course, Ray is a trusted friend of Abyss, which makes her a friend of mine,” Givia said, her generosity unwavering, despite her confusion.
Rebecca smiled, nodding gratefully, then walked towards a potion-laden wagon, opening several crates with the guards’ assistance, retrieving a bottle of each type of potion.
She then pulled out several droppers from her bag and extracted a few drops from each bottle.
The potions were expensive, but the small amount she took was negligible.
She repeated this process, collecting samples of every potion Givia had purchased, her hand now holding a row of droppers.
As Givia was about to offer Rebecca a place to work, to analyze the potions, Rebecca did something unexpected: she lifted the droppers to her lips and, like someone sampling fine wine, began tasting the potions one by one, swirling the liquid in her mouth, savoring their flavors.
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