I Was Kidnapped to Another World and Forced to Become a Hero

Ch. 9 - The Long Night

Is this why she didn't want anyone to open the cage? Kamiro looked around as a sense of uneasiness filled him. "I doubt that whoever 'they' are, will be friendly."

"Who's coming for you, Fleur?"

Fleur turned her saddened gaze away from Ayu and remained silent.

Ayu glanced at Earla. "Even if we were to turn back, we're low on supplies. What should we do?"

"We still have to try." Earla shook Old Bill in a desperate attempt to awaken the poor mule, the only one still under the effects of the sleeping gas.

Guess he's a heavy sleeper.

"Apart from Petram, the closest village is about a day away," Gregory said while he and Old Man Marvin helped wake the mule.

"Then, let's head out now." Ayu tried to lead Fleur to the front of the carriage, but she resisted.

"No. They'll only come after me, so you need to leave. Now." Fleur looked at the magic circle; its pulsing glow had increased in speed. "I think they're getting close." 

"We're not leaving you behind," Ayu said.

"I have a feeling it might be too late to run-off anyway..." Kamiro unsheathed his blades.

"Kamiro?"

"We're not leaving without her, right? So we'll just have to stand and fight."

Ayu and Earla nodded, and Marvin and Gregory hid behind the carriage with the now awakened mule next to them.

"Please, don't! These people aren't like those run-of-the-mill bandits you faced."

Kamiro grinned while he tried to hide his growing nervousness. "Don't break character now, Fleur. That would've been a perfect time for one of your witty remarks... And it looks like we're not alone anymore."

Her teary-eyed face slightly reddened. "Idiot. You should've left me..."

Out of the shadows of the night, tall, dark silhouettes of men began to emerge one by one until the party was completely surrounded. Seven figures stood silent, in all black. Their faces were hidden beneath long, pointed hoods with only their eyes visible, and their bodies underneath matching black robes. Each wore a purple jewel-encrusted amulet around their neck.

Kamiro stared at the enigmatic figures. Were they even human? Their form didn't suggest otherwise, but a certain aura in the air made him question that. Fleur might've been right about these people not being your typical bandits.

The party stood with their weapons drawn, but no one dared to move an inch or break the suffocating silence. The heavy atmosphere made a passing moment feel like an eternity.

Those hoods... For a fleeting moment, their distinctive guise gave Kamiro a sense of deja-vu, but nothing came to mind. Or rather, he couldn't put much thought into it under such stress.

A nudge from one of the most unlikely sources finally killed the thick air, at the cost of some foul odor. The loud noise came from Old Bill; his behind was the perpetrator. The party glanced back at the unassuming mule in comical disbelief.

"S-sorry, he gets gassy during tense moments," Gregory said with a strained smile.

The untimely interruption was a welcomed relief for Kamiro, and even Ayu and Earla released the breaths they'd held in.

The black-robed figures were still silent but looked to have been caught a bit off guard as well, they looked at one another in a confused manner, but eventually, they made their move. Each one grasped their amulet and began chanting in incomprehensible words. The jewels started to shine, and the party readied themselves for whatever was to come.