They all call me Great Master

A caravan with fifteen guards was carefully shuttling through the dense jungle paths in the southern part of the Holy Empire, the merchant on the carriage had his face filled with tension and worry.

Although he tightly gripped a dagger, the trembling extent clearly revealed the fear overwhelming the merchant's heart.

In fact, it wasn't just the merchant who felt this way.

The coachman beside him.

The guards of the caravan as well.

Everyone was afraid.

Because—

A month ago, a Demon Cat appeared in Saint Xis!

Initially, everyone disregarded these rumors, considering them to be tricks by some damned warlocks or witches.

Or simply thought of it as a great fuss over nothing by the superstitious folk.

In the Holy Empire, such occurrences happened every year.

Each time, The Holy Court would send deacons from the Religious Tribunal to investigate, and occasionally, they even alarmed the Paladins to join the investigation.

But each time, it turned out to be a false alarm.

Things like goats walking upright like humans.

Or unmarried ladies giving birth in cowsheds.

Or certain archbishops having a fondness for little boys.

Nonexistent!

All nonexistent!

All were rumors passed on erroneously!

Thus, a month ago, the same attitude prevailed for rumors about the Demon Cat appearing in the south of the Holy Empire, until the death of a deacon from the Religious Tribunal who was sent to Saint Xis made people exclaim that there really was a Demon Cat.

"Master, what does the Demon Cat look like?"

Inner unease made the coachman ask involuntarily.

The merchant, equally scared and anxious upon hearing the coachman's question, replied in a lowered voice.

"It's said to be a cat that can transform into a human form, very fast, even the revered deacons can't catch up to it, and it has sharp claws capable of tearing through steel.

Even more, it can turn invisible, making it undetectable.

If it were not that the client of this cargo is someone I absolutely cannot afford to offend, I definitely would not have come to Saint Xis!"

The merchant complained, his face filled with helplessness.

The merchant originally liked such deals which involved long-term supply of necessities to a particular place, due to the stable profits; no merchant would dislike that.

Especially when the remuneration offered was not low, it made the merchant even happier.

Of course, the merchant was aware that he made far less money compared to that guy.

After all, that guy had about six merchants like him supplying for him.

As for where the supplied goods ended up?

They probably went to some military barracks.

Moreover, likely those for new recruits.

Beyond the barracks, the merchant couldn't think of any other place.

'The wars in the north of the Empire must have the military officials worn ragged, right?

I wonder if I should try my luck in the north, might make a fortune!'

Such thoughts occasionally sprung up in the merchant's mind, but he quickly dismissed them each time.

War was no joke.

It indeed caused deaths.

A secure and stable income suited him better—although he also wanted to replace that guy and supply directly to the barracks, he didn't have the connections or the guts to sell inferior rice as high-quality rice.

'Those new recruits must be dying to kick that scoundrel's ass.

If you guys kick his ass, you can't kick mine!'

Thinking this, the merchant stood up from the carriage.

He saw the firelight of the agreed meeting point.

The meeting points were different each time.

This time it was the farthest.

The merchant wasn't puzzled by this.

That guy would definitely use misdirection to ensure he could make a lot of money; if it were him, he definitely would be more cautious.

As for probing, asking questions?

The merchant didn't dare.

He knew very well what the end of those who talked too much was.

Keep in mind, the deacons of the Religious Tribunal were very willing to interrogate such talkative fellows.

"Hurry up and unload the cargo, then, we're leaving immediately!"

The merchant shouted loudly.

He didn't want to stay in Saint Xis for a minute longer.

The guild's workers hastened their steps.

Like their master, they too were reluctant to stay here.

The guild's guards carried out their duty by scouting the surroundings. Two had gone to the temporary camp, while of the remaining thirteen, five stayed near the convoy and eight split into pairs and dispersed, signaling safety intermittently with whistles—though rudimentary, it was a commonly used and practical scouting method.

The intermittent whistle sounds reassured the entire caravan.

Until—

Clip-clop, clip-clop!

The rapid hoofbeats sounded as the two guards who had gone to the temporary camp returned.

Both had grim expressions and were panting heavily.

"Go! Run!"

One guard shouted loudly.

"All dead!

All dead!"

The other guard, evidently suffering a huge mental shock, was somewhat delirious as he muttered to himself and then fell off his horse.

Crack!

Everyone in the caravan heard the sound of his neck breaking.

The sudden death immediately tensed up everyone in the caravan.

The convoy, which had been moving forward, immediately reversed.

But,

It was no use!

The continuous, dense whistles became sparse.

Eventually, they stopped altogether.

Apart from the panting of the people, the sound of horses' hooves tapping the ground, there was silence all around.

As the caravan began to lose members, the merchant's face had already turned pale.

The coachman was trembling all over, his teeth chattering.

Because, he had just seen a furry paw pull one of the mounted guards into the Shadows.

Silently, the guard disappeared.

There was neither dragging sound nor a scream.

The coachman saw it.

The remaining people in the caravan saw it too.

When the merchant was also pulled into the darkness by the paw, the entire caravan collapsed—

"Demon Cat!"

"It's the Saint Xis Demon Cat!"

Screams rose and fell as the caravan scattered in escape.

And soon, such screams disappeared altogether.

Then came…

Footsteps!

Tap, tap, tap!

Clear footsteps as two individuals dressed in black, wielding unique weapons, emerged from the Shadows.

The weapons in their right hands were furry, orange, and the tips bore sharp, backward-facing spikes.

They looked like enlarged versions of Cat Claws.

In their left hands was a test tube.

"Such fools!

To step into a trap all for a bit of money!"

One of them said softly.

"We should thank these fools; without them, we wouldn't have been able to find the experimental materials needed by the master so quickly."

The other laughed.

"Come on, before the master wakes up, we need to move these guys into the base.

Otherwise, we're going to get whipped."

Saying this, one of them began gathering the caravan's horses to load the unconscious members onto the wagons and started heading towards the hidden base.

Neither noticed an Orange Cat sneaking into the convoy.