A merchant caravan in search of new opportunities stared in disbelief at the imposing walls stretching out across the barren wasteland.
“Th-That’s the place everyone’s been talking about?”
“I can’t believe there’s actually a town out here in the middle of nowhere...”
“I hear there’s barely any regulations here, and they don’t have those greedy merchant guild monopolies either.”
“They even rent out storefronts for free! It’s practically heaven for guys like us trying to make a living!”
“You lucked out, newbie. You have no idea how many times we’ve taken losses because the old guard wanted to hoard all the profits.”
“R-Really?” he replied. He was a young man named Rane, about seventeen or eighteen years old. He’d joined the merchant caravan a few days ago, hence his nickname “newbie,” and the more experienced members of the caravan were training him.
Before long, they arrived at a grand gatehouse. Most towns charged a toll to enter, but not this one. That policy encouraged free movement in and out of the city, boosting the economy.
Just seeing the place firsthand was enough to tell you it was a magnificent city, and that its mayor wasn’t some fool. The merchants all chatted excitedly, but Rane couldn’t join in. His face was full of tension.
“State your business in the village,” a guard said.
They’d come to a checkpoint. While they didn’t charge for entry, they still screened newcomers to ensure no one suspicious slipped through. Of course, this caravan had come for honest trade. The merchants had nothing to hide—except for Rane.
I-It’s fine... I’ll be fine. I’m just a regular rookie merchant now. There’s no way they’ll suspect anything.
But the truth was that he served House Arvale.
Lord Raoul had dispatched countless parties to investigate the city in the wasteland, and each one had vanished without a trace the moment it entered the area. None had returned to the capital.
So Rane’s father had crafted a plan to send Rane, disguised as a novice merchant, with a caravan bound for the wasteland city. He’d work incognito and investigate the situation from the inside.
The only problem was that he’d had zero experience as a spy.
Naturally, he’d protested, saying, “But I’ve never done anything like this before. There’s no way.”
But his father hadn’t backed down. “That’s exactly why no one will suspect you,” he’d said. “You’re going to do this.”
As the third son, Rane was unlikely to inherit anything. He’d figured his father didn’t care if something happened to him. Since they were the lowest of the low among the vassals, this whole thing was clearly a desperate gamble to gain favor with House Arvale.
Despite knowing all that, he’d had no choice but to obey.
Luckily, the plan had worked so far. He’d blended in perfectly, and no one doubted his cover as a novice merchant.
B-But the other spies posed as immigrants, didn’t they? Yet they still got caught... N-No, they must’ve made a mistake and blown their cover. Yeah, that’s it... I’ll just do my job, like a real merchant. I’ll focus on that first and take the investigation slow. Really slow...
“Hey, kid. You all right? You look a little pale,” the guard said suddenly.
“O-Oh! I’m fine! I’m just tired from the long journey, that’s all!” Rane blurted, caught so off guard that he threw out the first excuse that’d come to mind.
Oops, did that sound suspicious?
“I see... Well, we’ve got a public bathhouse here in town. One soak in there, and you’ll feel like a new man,” the guard said.
“Thank you very much.”
Looks like I’m safe.
The merchant caravan was allowed through the checkpoint, much to Rane’s relief.
I should be in the clear once we’re in the city. Still, what kind of place is this? Two layers of massive walls in a town way out in the middle of nowhere?
After passing through farmland, they arrived at the second gate. Beyond that was a bustling city. It was truly hard to believe a place like this was in the barren wastelands.
As the party was taking it all in, a young boy approached them with a friendly smile. He went over to Rane and said, “It’s nice to meet you. Are you a merchant?”
“Um, can I help you with something? I’m the youngest member of the caravan, so you should probably talk to one of the older merchants...” Rane replied, suspicious. Why was the boy talking to him, of all people?
Then the boy smiled. “I’m Luke Arvale, the mayor here.”
The merchants all gasped. But no one was more shocked than Rane, given the top secret nature of his mission.
This is Lord Luke?!
Although Rane was a vassal of House Arvale, he’d only seen Luke a handful of times, and always at a distance. So, he didn’t think there was any way Luke could’ve recognized him.
“Sorry, but I need to talk to you about something,” Luke said.
What could it possibly be?!
Cold sweat trickled down Rane’s back as he thought about the other scouting parties that had never returned. Rumor had it that they’d been captured and taken somewhere to endure a punishment worse than death.
Nooo, I don’t wanna die!
“Is there something wrong, sir?” Santo stepped in anxiously. He had been quite kind to the newbie since he joined. “I’m Santo, the leader of this caravan. This kid’s one of my recruits.”
Please vouch for me. Please say I’m not suspicious, Rane silently prayed.
“If you need compensation for losing a man, I’d be happy to offer.” Lord Luke held out a bag of money. “Will this work?”
“Go ahead and take him with you!” Santo said eagerly.
He sold me out?!
And just like that, several rough-looking men took Rane from the rest of the merchants. They boxed him in from all sides, so escape wasn’t an option.
It’s all over...
The group brought him to a house, where Luke gestured for him to sit in a chair while the guards surrounded him.
“You’re Rane, aren’t you?”
How does he know my name?!
He didn’t understand how anyone could remember the third son of a lowly vassal house, let alone the son of the marquess. The fact that Luke had not only recognized him but also remembered his name filled Rane with dread.
“Do you have anything you’d like to tell me?” Luke asked gently.
All sorts of emotions swirled inside Rane’s chest.
Would telling the truth be the smarter move here? he wondered, but ultimately shook his head. He couldn’t just spill everything at the first sign of trouble. After all, his father and the entire family’s future were riding on his shoulders.
Just then, an old woman stepped forward.
“Heh heh... It’s fine if you don’t want to talk. I prefer it that way, because it’s a lot more fun for me...”
“Eeeep! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!”
Knowing some gut feelings shouldn’t be ignored, Rane crumbled immediately and told them everything. Nothing he said was new information, of course, because they’d already captured several other spies.
“I see,” Luke said, his tone surprisingly casual. “Well, that answers all our questions.”
“What’s going to happen to me now?” Rane asked anxiously.
“Well, we can’t just let you go.”
Yep, this is it. He’s going to force me into hard labor, work me until I’m sick or injured, and then I’m gonna drop dead. Or maybe that old hag will use me for some kind of human experiment? She definitely had a look in her eye like she does that kind of thing for fun!
Three huge, mean-looking guards escorted Rane to a strange, boxy building. There was no way he could escape, and honestly, the suspense of what they were about to do to him filled Rane with a dread worse than anything that had happened so far.
“Here’s where you’ll be living from now on,” a guard said. “Ask the others inside any questions you have.”
“Y-Yes, sir...”
Apparently, the previous scouting parties had also been brought here.
“And don’t try to run. The guards will catch you before you take two steps. Besides, you won’t even be thinking about escaping before too long.”
Is it that bad? They’ll break my spirit until even the idea of escape seems pointless?
Rane trembled as he stepped through the door. Inside, however, he was surprised to see a clean and well-kept foyer.
A cheerful, rotund man greeted him with a huge grin. “Oh, are you the new guy? It’s a bit unusual to see someone show up alone.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Hans. I came here to scout the city just like you, and got caught.”
“What?!” Rane was so shocked he thought he’d misheard.
“That’s right. They got me under soft detention now.”
“Are you stuck doing hard labor every day?”
“Ha ha! Sure, I work, but I wouldn’t call it hard labor. We do eight-hour shifts with two days off a week, and they give us three meals a day,” Hans said with a chuckle.
“But what about the old lady’s human experiments?”
“Human what? I don’t know about any of that. Sure, that creepy old bat’s into torture, but she doesn’t go that far as long as you give her the info she wants. Anyway, they even gave me a room with a soft bed and a bathroom. I’m living better here than I ever did back at the capital!” Hans said.
It didn’t seem like he was lying. Plus, he obviously wouldn’t have looked this healthy if he’d been tortured, starved, or worked to death. His complexion looked normal, and he was clearly well-fed.
“Lord Luke’s a good guy. Normally, people like us would be treated like garbage, but he let us live here instead. Hell, he even asked about our families and the people we left behind in the capital. Can you believe that? I mean, I came prepared to assassinate the guy if I got the chance, but he’s leagues better than Lord Raoul!”
“Wait, what?”
“Face it, the marquess and Lord Raoul see us as nothing more than pawns. That’s how most nobles are, but Lord Luke’s special. Even if I were ordered to return to the capital now, I’d refuse. There’s no way. Sheesh, I wish Lord Luke would defeat Lord Raoul already.”
The string of treasonous statements left Rane speechless, yet a part of him felt oddly relieved. Had he been holding in the same kind of dissatisfaction without even realizing it?
Is this place...actually paradise?
Rane began enjoying life in the village in a matter of days.