Simon learned much from Lucette's good-natured ramblings. Unlike the wasteland he'd been trudging through, not all of Valtia was an inhospitable disaster. Major cities such as Caelryn were surviving – relatively speaking. At the very least, plants and livestock could still be cultivated around those areas.

  Things changed as you traveled away from those larger settlements. The farther you went, the more the ground morphed from healthy soil to a black, rocky surface. Fell Beasts propagated in higher numbers as well. Most of the distant villages like Springwater were hanging on by a thread.

  Lucette hadn't felt the need to explain why. She seemed to assume that the cause was something he – and everyone else – already knew of.

  It gave him plenty to contemplate as they stopped for the evening.

  With the sun barely peeking over the horizon, their caravan made camp. They deactivated the Artifact propelling the carriage forward, double-checked the Warding Orbs, and then stepped outside to stretch their legs. It felt strange to traipse around without a care, but Ebris and Lucette were confident that they'd be safe as long as the Wards remained functional.

  Simon elected to take them at their word. His mind needed a breather just as much as his body. More days of constantly keeping watch for the Red-Eyed Hunter would've driven him crazy.

  Crazier.

  He was also happy to report that, after resting and eating properly for nearly two days, he was feeling leagues better than before. Transmigrator's Body couldn't replicate water and calories out of thin air, but it did solid work otherwise. Thanks to the merchants' generosity, the Trait had hastened his recovery time.

  Lucette and Ebris chalked it up to youthful vigor – then decided to host an impromptu party in celebration. They set up an honest-to-god cookpot near the carriage, serving bowls of what Simon soon declared to be the most delicious broth in the universe. Anything would've tasted delicious to someone recovering from malnutrition, yet that didn't make the cozy little dinner feel like any less of a feast.

  "Make sure to eat your fill," Ebris remarked. "You need the energy, and we wouldn't want Ardyn's specter coming back to complain that we've treated his kin unfairly."

  Simon paused with his spoon halfway to his mouth. "Can...that happen?" It was a legitimate question. Valtia already had glowing trees, corrupted monsters, sealed demons, and magic caravans – vengeful ghosts wouldn't be particularly out of place.

  "Oh yes." The merchant nodded gravely, his voice dropping to a hushed whisper. "Beware those who depart from the world with desires unfulfilled. If you ever feel an unearthly presence caressing the back of your neck, it may not be a Hunter Fell Beast, but–"

  Lucette lightly slapped his arm. "Quit spooking the boy, Ebris. He's been sleeping poorly as-is." She looked at Simon with an apologetic gaze. "Pay no heed to this knave. I don't know what fables have spread throughout Springwater Village, but rest assured that ghostly specters are no more than myths to frighten children with."

  Ebris' mouth curled into a sheepish grin. "Sorry. Couldn't help myself."

  Simon laughed. It was the most genuine display of emotion he'd shown the merchants thus far. They laughed in kind, appearing sincerely relieved that his mood was on the upswing.

  His happiness was their happiness.

  The transmigrator observed Ebris and Lucette as they continued eating. He saw how they talked and smiled, exchanging joy freely and openly. In this tight-knit circle of theirs, he had somehow found a place.

  No. Been given a place.

  An urge ran through him, traitorous ideas worming their way into his thoughts. Maybe...

  Maybe I can stay. Just until we reach Caelryn City.

  It wouldn't work. He was fully aware of that. The only reason they hadn't uncovered his deception yet was because they were intentionally not asking too many questions.

  When that grace period ended, the existence of Simon Cobblestone would come crashing down, its paper-thin foundations rent asunder by swords of truth. Perhaps literally, even, as the merchants skewered him for sullying the name of their fallen comrade.

  Soon enough, they would hate him.

  Which wouldn't stop Simon from repaying them when he found the chance. When he later established himself in Valtia and accrued some funds of his own, a generous, anonymous donation would be sent over. They might hate him, they might curse him for his duplicity, but he would lighten their burdens as best he could.

  Ebris and Lucette had earned that much.

  Really, he couldn't blame himself for wanting to stick around. Aside from Grace...when was the last time he'd felt this kind of warmth?

  When you were twelve years old, a small voice answered in the back of his mind, like a poison arrow aimed directly at his heart. Before you woke up one day and answered the phone.

  Simon was rescued from his ensuing mental spiral by a well-timed distraction.

  Something in the distance. He squinted. Movement. Difficult to see with the light now fading from the sky, but still visible.

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  His thoughts immediately went to Fell Beasts. But after a second of staring, he recognized the movement as something recently familiar.

  "Is that another carriage?"

  Lucette and Ebris turned to follow his gaze. "Yes," Ebris muttered. "Has to be Relia and Torben. The rest of our crew. Didn't expect them this early."

  Simon lifted an eyebrow. "Relia? As in–"

  "The one who Ardyn held affections for, yes." The merchant sighed, running a hand down his face. "She and Torben were headed to Springwater Village. Wanted to try and talk Ardyn out of his folly. If they're coming down the road from that direction...then they've already seen the remains of his group."

  He sent a nervous glance at Simon. "Don't tell her about Ardyn's feelings. And definitely not about him planning to court her. Will rub salt in the wound."

  Simon mutely nodded. That was a request he was more than happy to accommodate. The less he spoke to other members of the merchant crew, the better. It would only take one rightfully paranoid soul to expose his falsehoods.

  A sense of anxious tension grew within him as the second carriage raced up the road. He racked his brain, devising contingency after contingency, producing backup lies to cover holes in his story. The vehicle began to slow, then finally stopped, parking expertly near their campsite.

  Two people hopped out. Simon wasted no time Identifying them.

  Name: Relia Redbow

  Description: A merchant of sorts. Armed, dangerous, and won't hesitate to defend herself. In love with Ardyn Cobblestone. Was waiting for him to confess. Is now plagued with bitter regrets.

  Estimated Level: 8

  Name: Torben Khemu

  Description: A merchant of sorts. Armed, dangerous, and won't hesitate to defend himself. Taciturn. Prefers to solve problems before they become problems.

  Estimated Level: 7

  His eye twitched once at the lack of useful intel. He'd honestly learned more just by looking at them.

  Relia and Torben were younger than Ebris and Lucette, although still older than Simon, seeming to be in their late 20s. Their attire was on par with the first two merchants, and their weapons were well taken care-of.

  Unlike the others – who all wielded swords – Relia possessed a longbow. Her bow was painted a glaring blood-red, indicating that her surname may have been purposefully chosen rather than inherited. Or that she'd adored her birth name so much as to shape her fighting style around it.

  Lastly, both Relia and Torben had evidently discovered the remnants of Ardyn's ill-fated dreams. The pair wore expressions of understated grief, as if their tears had been spent long before this meeting.

  Silver linings, Simon mused, his face impassive. They can corroborate parts of my story. I left enough of Stuart's meat behind that its body was still recognizable as a giant rat.

  "Hi." Relia's greeting was short and clipped. She spared a single glance for the newcomer, unvoiced questions swimming in her eyes, but then quickly turned back towards Ebris and Lucette. "Bad news to report. We...found Ardyn."

  She told the exact tale Simon needed. A demolished caravan. No usable Warding Orbs. Multiple dead humans. One dead Fell Beast. With every word, Relia unwittingly substantiated his half of the story – and the existence of Ardyn's distant Cobblestone cousin.

  "Thank you for informing us," Ebris affirmed, his tone sympathetic. "It must have been difficult, finding them in such a state. You've been through much."

  Relia let out a faltering breath. "We have." She composed herself, then peered at Simon. "Gotta ask. Who's–"

  A muffled shout emanated from within the second carriage.

  Simon's head snapped towards the sound. "Did anyone else hear that?"

  "Oh, right." Relia's tone was casual, like she was just now remembering something she'd forgotten to mention. "Picked up some cargo near Springwater Village."

  Cargo.

  The word didn't sink in just yet. It didn't sink in when Ebris and Lucette gave Simon nervous glances. It didn't sink in as Relia led the group to her carriage and opened up the side door.

  It only truly sank in when he looked inside.

  Two people were laying on the floor, bound in ropes and cloth gags. Their restraints were tight, having been tied by a well-practiced hand.

  One person was a young woman around Simon's age, while the other was a man old enough to be her father. Their matching red hair gave credence to that assumption. Both were completely unable to move, like pigs trussed up for the butcher's block.

  And both were staring up with gazes of pure hatred.

  "Think they'd fetch a decent price at Springwater?" Relia commented. "We'll be needing funds to replace Ardyn's carriage."

  In that instant, Simon belatedly realized that he'd been misinterpreting a critical piece of information. Despite his frustration with Identify's recent lack of detail...it had warned him of this very thing, four times in a row.

  Ebris, Lucette, Relia, and Torben were all merchants.

  Of sorts.