CHAPTER 128: THE PACKAGE

"We have another package that needs to be sent out," said a knight as he approached the man in charge of the palace’s Teleric transporter.

The man, who had been reviewing the dispatch logs, looked up with a frown. "I wasn’t informed of any additional package today."

"That’s because the delivery was personally authorized by the Third Princess herself," the knight replied smoothly.

"...Some identification, please," the man said, still not entirely convinced.

Without hesitation, the knight pulled out a golden badge, polished and gleaming with the royal crest. Upon seeing it, the operator’s expression softened. He gave a small nod.

"Activate the Teleric."

At his command, the relic began to hum with a low frequency, glowing faintly as millions of intricately etched runes awakened—interweaving and rotating until they formed concentric magic circles that pulsed with power.

"Destination?" the operator asked.

"Drop point in Astria."

The man nodded, adjusting the levers and feeding coordinates into the arcane interface. With that, the operation commenced.

.....

"Haah... Haah... Haah..." I gasped, tearing through the forest like my life depended on it.

Because, yeah. It kinda did.

The plan was simple. Sort of. Maria had planted a spatial disruptor inside the storage device I’d been smuggled in. If I’d landed at the designated drop point in Astria, I’d be arrested on the spot—illegal entry into the kingdom, end of story.

So the disruptor forced an emergency disconnect just before arrival, dropping me off at a random location near Astria. Near enough to get my bearings. Hopefully. I couldn’t even imagine the level of precision required to pull it off without launching me into a mountain or, gods forbid, a volcano.

But the problem was, this wasn’t a one-way delivery.

Which meant the receiver expected the package.

When they didn’t get it, they’d notify the sender. The sender, knowing damn well they did send it, would start sniffing around. That meant an investigation. How long before they realized the package—me—had been intercepted or rerouted?

Minutes. Maybe less.

So yeah, I was running.

"Hah... haaah... haah..." My lungs were on fire. My legs felt like they were turning into mist. I staggered and collapsed against a tree.

"Fuck." I clutched my chest, waiting for the stabbing pain to pass. It did, eventually.

I scanned the dense forest around me. Still no sign of civilization. According to Maria, I was supposed to land close to the original drop zone. So why the hell hadn’t I seen anything yet?

Wait...No.

Don’t tell me the calculations were off.

"Haaah..." I exhaled slowly, trying to calm myself.

After a moment, I summoned a sword from my spatial ring and started walking, cautiously. Too cautiously.

A forest this thick was definitely home to mana beasts. Dangerous ones.

I glanced at my the spatial ring on my finger.

Maria definitely planted a tracker on me. Not that it mattered—I’d be seeing her soon anyway.

....

"Finally," I muttered, standing at the edge of the clearing as my eyes locked onto the large, stone gate ahead. People filtered in and out, a steady stream of foot traffic and merchant wagons. Armed guards stood vigilant at the entrance, checking identification.

I squinted.

Hunter IDs... Damn it.

I never got around to registering as a hunter back in the palace. Without an ID, I couldn’t just stroll through the front gate.

"What do I do...?" I scanned my surroundings, my eyes settling on a caravan pulling in from the dirt road—a merchant wagon with crates stacked high in the back.

An idea hit me.

That’s it.

My ticket inside.

My hand tightened on the hilt of my sword as I ran back into the bush, follow the route I saw the wagons coming through

....

....

"Stop."

The guards stepped forward as a modest-looking carriage rolled up to the town gate. One guard eyed the driver suspiciously—a young man with a scarf masking the lower half of his face. His clothes were oversized and ill-fitting.

"Where are you coming from?" the guard on the right asked, arms crossed.

"Uh... North?" the young man replied, raising a brow in an unconvincing attempt at innocence.

"North?"

"Yeah...?"

The guards exchanged looks.

"Northern Berring, I presume?"

"Y-Yeah."

"What’s inside?"

"Gifts. For Lord Allen."

"The... young Lord?"

The other guard walked around to inspect the side of the carriage and noticed an insignia.

"Wait a minute... You’re from Leveria?"

The driver froze. "I... Um... yeah?"

"Didn’t you just say Northern Berring?" the guard’s hand went to his sword.

"I was born there!" the young man quickly replied.

The guard stared at him like he was the dumbest creature alive. "Who asked where you were born?"

"Oh... That’s not what you were asking? My bad."

The other guard grumbled. "How the hell did the Duke entrust anything to this idiot?"

Before the driver could respond, the inspecting guard leaned in again. "So, where’s the young lady? She can’t possibly be in this beat-up carriage."

"She’s... on her way," the driver said after a pause.

The guard pinched the bridge of his nose. "So let me get this straight. The auxiliary carriage arrived before the main one?"

"Well, that’s because we were attacked by bandits," the driver added quickly.

That did it.

"WHAT?!" One of the guards slammed the driver against the side of the carriage. "Your lady was attacked and you’re saying it like it’s no big deal? If anything happens to her within our borders..."

"She’s fine! The guards fought them off. I was told to flee with the gifts while they handled it."

The guards exchanged worried glances.

"Go inform the Count. I’ll lead a search party," one barked before dashing off.

"Get moving," the other snapped at the driver. "And pray to the gods she’s alright, or your head’s first."

"T-Thanks," the driver mumbled, moving the carriage into the town.

...

...

"Haaah..." I exhaled once the gates were far, far behind me. I pulled the scarf from my mouth but kept the hood over my head. My hair color was too distinct to risk exposing now.

"Thank fuck I came up with that story in time."

I guided the carriage through a narrow alleyway until I reached an isolated spot. Just enough distance from the bustling streets.

"Alright..." I hopped down, stepping to the back of the wagon.

Time to check the "gifts" that guy I knocked out claimed he was delivering.

I opened the back hatch—and froze.

There she was.

A stunning girl—tied up, gagged, and glaring up at me with wide, furious eyes.

"...Wait... what the fuck?"