The expedition resumed their march cautiously the next day.

  Isrin approached Sibonen, her brow furrowed with concern.

  "Everyone seems tense. I don’t think they slept properly st night."

  Sibonen nodded grimly.

  "Probably because of the casualties on the first day.

  We’ll need to be even better prepared for the next fight."

  No sooner had he spoken than a bell rang out from the front.

  "We’re entering the marshnds!"

  The rocky mountain paths faded behind them, repced by damp air, twisted trees, and the stench of rot.

  "We have to dismount here. Atari, y a bridge."

  Following the command, Atari cast a spell, creating a long magical bridge over the marsh.

  The wagons crossed one by one, and after securing the crossing, they moved in groups of five.

  "You’re coming with me."

  Izi motioned, grouping Sibonen, Isrin, and several supply officers with her.

  Calleo and a few Code D members remained behind, signaling them to cross first.

  Just as their group stepped onto Atari’s bridge, cries rang out from the other side.

  "Ambush! Ambush!"

  Arrows whistled through the air toward Izi’s position.

  Arrows? Here?

  Sibonen opened his mouth to shout a warning—

  but before he could, Izi nonchantly swatted the incoming arrows aside with her bare hands.

  She just deflected steel arrows with her hands?!

  Izi stayed at the front, batting away another volley to shield the group.

  Thanks to her, no one was injured.

  Some Dish members rushed ahead to pursue the attackers, while Atari remained on guard.

  "What’s going on?" Izi asked.

  Atari replied grimly,

  "Looks like bandits, ma’am.

  Jensen and Baku are leading a pursuit squad to sweep the area."

  Izi narrowed her eyes.

  "Bandits, you say?"

  Atari hesitated under her gaze.

  "Yes, ma’am. They demanded our supplies from a distance before firing.

  It seems like standard bandit tactics."

  Izi held up an arrow she had caught.

  The tip gleamed—finely crafted steel.

  "For simple bandits, they use expensive arrows," Izi said coldly.

  Atari inspected the arrow, visibly uneasy.

  "I’ll wait for the pursuit team to report back," she muttered.

  Isrin stepped forward.

  "We’re still near the frontier’s edge.

  It’s possible these are disguised raiders from a local militia."

  Izi nodded approvingly.

  "Good point, Isrin.

  Either way, we need to proceed cautiously.

  From now on, we’ll change our marching formation."

  Soon after, Jensen and the pursuit team returned, empty-handed.

  "They know the terrain too well," Jensen reported.

  "We couldn’t catch them."

  Izi frowned.

  "Could be local raiders... or something worse.

  From now on, we’ll send scouts even further ahead."

  "Understood, ma’am," Jensen said.

  He promised to increase surveilnce and report any findings.

  "Are you hurt, Lady Isrin?" Jensen asked.

  Isrin shook her head with a smile.

  "No. Lady Izi took all the arrows for us."

  Jensen ughed in admiration.

  "Incredible.

  Not many could deflect arrows like that."

  Isrin agreed wholeheartedly.

  Sibonen, still stunned by what he had witnessed, whispered to Isrin.

  "Lady Izi... what exactly is she?"

  Isrin smiled awkwardly.

  "I guess I never properly expined.

  Lady Izi is what we call a transcendent."

  "Transcendent?"

  "Yeah. Her body’s like iron, and her strength... it’s beyond human.

  And her title—Senior Secretary—means she’s just below the guild master’s direct aides.

  She’s one of the highest-ranking figures in Whisper."

  Isrin added softly,

  "Only ‘Whi’—the master secretary—can meet with the guild master freely.

  Lady Izi stands just one step below that."

  Sibonen processed the information slowly.

  "So basically, she's no normal human."

  He couldn't shake the feeling that Orin Merchant Guild was no ordinary trading company either.

  "They have enough power to crush noble houses... yet they just trade goods?

  Something doesn’t add up."

  Still, this wasn’t the time to dwell on it.

  The priority was survival.

  "We’ll have to stay sharp from now on," Sibonen whispered.

  Isrin nodded in agreement.

  They both gnced nervously toward Izi, whose presence alone commanded caution.

  That evening, they finally reached their next campsite.

  "Jensen," Sibonen asked, "did you notice anything odd about those 'bandits' earlier?"

  Jensen scratched his chin.

  "Hard to say.

  Maybe they just wanted our supplies.

  They didn’t seem that skilled."

  Sibonen frowned.

  "I thought the arrows were... surprisingly accurate."

  Jensen shrugged.

  "Maybe for you guys up front.

  Our group didn’t get hit much."

  He ughed.

  "Besides, with Lady Izi around, do you really think a few bandit arrows could harm anyone?"

  Sibonen chuckled weakly but couldn’t shake his doubts.

  The arrows he had seen had been frighteningly precise.

  That night, as patrols rotated, a different scene pyed out somewhere deeper within the marsh.

  A dark figure stood among a hidden band of raiders cd in bck.

  Their leader addressed them in a cold voice.

  "This won’t be an easy fight. Remember that."

  Each man carried bows, paired swords, and glimpses of armor beneath their cloaks.

  "The transcendent cannot be harmed by ordinary weapons.

  Make sure you’re ready for ‘that day.’"

  The leader handed sealed envelopes to each fighter.

  "If you’re about to be captured, use this.

  Better to die by your own hand than fall into their grasp."

  No one questioned him.

  Every man accepted the envelope silently, eyes glinting with grim resolve.

  "Our operation—Beast Hunt—will proceed as pnned.

  Stay hidden. Move in the shadows.“

  Over the next two days, the expedition moved without further attack.

  Though the tension never eased,

  the march became faster and more efficient.

  Then, during one afternoon march, Izi suddenly called Sibonen and Isrin aside.

  "I’ll tell you two something...

  But you need to understand—I don’t trust anyone else right now."

  Both stiffened at her serious tone.

  Izi gnced around warily, signaling them to come closer.

  "I’m not in peak condition.

  Tonight’s a full moon.

  If anything strange happens, report to me immediately."

  Without waiting for a response, she strode away, leaving them stunned.

  "What... was that about?" Isrin whispered.

  Sibonen frowned, recalling Izi’s recent behavior.

  She had seemed increasingly on edge tely—ever since that first ambush.

  "Something’s wrong."