Sophia’s Predicament and Iordera’s Unruly Team

The beautiful young woman with the slender figure and golden hair, Sophia, found herself in a predicament.

While the incident where she had acted heroically was resolved discreetly, it was impossible to keep secret among students from the same school; absences were immediately noticed, and with their interconnected relationships, the story quickly spread.

Though the precise details remained shrouded, one fact was universally known: Sophia had single-handedly resolved the situation with a single stroke of her sword.

Having already claimed first place among the new students in the ranking matches, and now boasting a genuine combat record, Sophia’s popularity among her peers soared uncontrollably.

Most of the new students became her ardent admirers, and even the academy’s most prestigious Tea Society extended an invitation for her to join their weekend gatherings.

The Tea Society, a collective of affluent young ladies whose families represented the empire’s uppermost aristocratic circles, epitomized high society.

Yet, precisely because of this, a particular problem arose: each Tea Society event demanded a considerable expenditure from its participants, for these were ‘fair-skinned, rich, and beautiful’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘bai fu mei,’ referring to a woman who is fair-skinned, wealthy, and beautiful) young ladies who certainly had no need for ‘budget travel.’

Sophia, however, had no immediate family; and while her late brother’s friends offered her financial assistance, she felt too embarrassed to accept, as they were not blood relatives.

Thus, she was compelled to slip out secretly at night to work.

To her surprise, the very first job she secured led her to an unexpected acquaintance: the loli (TL Note: A Japanese loanword referring to a young, cute girl, often with childlike features) security guard from the academy library.

****

Iordera felt a weariness settle deep in her bones.

“Our team composition is far from ideal, so we truly need a tactical approach. Since this is an interception, we must first seize the initiative and assess the target’s strengths and weaknesses.”

She diligently explained the strategy to her teammates.

“We’ll determine the target’s evasion capabilities and combat prowess, then decide whether to launch an all-out assault or simply drive them away.”

She then eagerly added, “I am agile, and my survival skills are quite strong, so I can handle these demanding tasks.”

Her tactics were hardly brilliant, for Iordera possessed little real-world experience, having gleaned all her knowledge from games in her previous life.

Yet, even this straightforward strategy met with disapproval from two of her teammates.

“No need for such fuss, little beauty,” The Bald Man declared, flexing his gauntlets.

“It’s merely a kobold; I’ll knock it senseless with a single punch!”

Skinny Monkey, not to be outdone, unhooked his machete and slammed it onto the table.

“I believe my blade will prove quicker than your fist.”

Iordera felt a headache blooming.

“We haven’t even departed, and already you two are posturing. Do you intend to bicker amongst yourselves?”

“Perhaps it’s because the one who personally apprehends the target receives a larger bounty,” Cat Head murmured, approaching her.

“It’s the employer’s request; they believe it will boost your motivation.”

…Right then.

An employer with little understanding of the work, coupled with two exceedingly reckless teammates, meant Iordera’s first mission experience was rapidly deteriorating.

Fortunately, one teammate remained silent, seemingly the more composed sort.

“Um, I think we could discuss this…”

The Black-robed Figure simply turned their back, their actions clearly conveying a disinterest in further communication.

…Right then.

Cat Head returned shortly, placing a crystal shard on the table.

“When the mission is complete, use this to notify the authorities.”

Iordera silently picked it up and examined it, thinking, ‘So this is what a phone looks like in another world.’

“Since you’ve taken it, little beauty, you’re the communications officer now,” The Bald Man said.

“Just stand back and observe our actions.”

Iordera pursed her lips, offering no further comment.

‘If she could secure victory by merely observing, then a smaller share of the reward would be perfectly acceptable.’

Next, Cat Head delivered the final piece of intelligence.

“In a few hours, he will attempt to leave the city by carriage, taking this route. The desolate wilderness he passes through will be the ideal location for your intervention,” Cat Head stated, a faint smile gracing his lips.

“Good luck to you all.”

The Bald Man and Skinny Monkey immediately grabbed their weapons and departed, with Iordera and The Black-robed Figure swiftly following suit.

Thus, the group set off; the journey was not short, requiring several stops on the railcar.

As none of her teammates seemed inclined to converse, Iordera abandoned her attempts at conversation.

She found a long bench on the car, settled down, and stretched out, allowing herself a much-needed rest.

Fortunately, the alchemical technology of this world had not yet advanced to an exceptionally high degree; such automated vehicles were confined to tracks, meaning private travel still necessitated a carriage.

‘If technology had progressed further, and personal automobiles were commonplace, interception missions would become significantly more challenging.’

Woo-woo-woo~ Clackety-clack clackety-clack clackety-clack~

After several stops, they reached their destination.

The team disembarked and walked a considerable distance towards the outskirts, finally nearing the ambush zone.

Iordera stood atop a hill, calling out to the others, “I believe we can wait right here.”

The Bald Man and Skinny Monkey peered closely, observing their current position: a protruding hilltop, with the carriage path winding directly below.

“Understood!” The Bald Man exclaimed with excitement.

“Once his carriage passes below, we’ll leap down, swooping in from above. This is called a heavenly… a heavenly what now?”

“A divine descent!” Skinny Monkey supplied.

Iordera parted her small lips, yearning to tell them that was not at all what she meant.

‘Standing high would offer a distant view, allowing them to spot the carriage’s path long in advance, assess its true nature, and then have ample time for a secondary positioning, leading to a genuine ambush.’

“Clearly, I’ll be the first to arrive,” The Bald Man boomed with laughter.

“Skinny, your frame is like a bamboo pole; you won’t drop as fast as I will.”

Skinny Monkey retorted, unbowed, “I may be a bit thin, but my finely forged steel axe and great cleaver combined might not be slower than you.”

Iordera sighed, abandoning any attempt to explain the principle of ‘two iron balls falling simultaneously’ to them.

‘Such were the drawbacks of urgent commissions: Cat Head had no time to carefully vet candidates; he simply employed whoever was available.’

‘They would just have to make do.’

As The Bald Man and Skinny Monkey continued their relentless bickering, even contemplating a pre-emptive jump to see who was faster, the distant thud of hooves suddenly grew nearer.

Iordera’s spirits lifted.

“They’re here!”

The Bald Man and Skinny Monkey ceased their squabble, standing atop the hill to gaze into the distance.

A carriage was hurtling towards them, its speed far from leisurely.

Skinny Monkey produced a small telescope from his pocket and scrutinized the approaching vehicle.

“Two horses, a single-passenger compartment, no coachman outside. Confirmed: it’s Dogget, the Dog-headed Tribesman.”

Iordera tilted her head.

“No coachman?”

“Beastkin can communicate directly with animals; they share a common tongue,” Skinny Monkey remarked with a dismissive glance.

“You didn’t even know that?”

‘Of course, women were utterly useless; they only hindered the speed of his divine descent.’

“Oh, I see.”

Iordera genuinely hadn’t known this, but she possessed her own method of reconnaissance.

Closing her eyes, she switched her vision reception mode.

[10, 9, 8… 3, 2, 1, Mode switch successful.]

Her vision transformed into a hazy gray, and the approaching carriage, not far off, registered an energy fluctuation of level 38, with a quantity of one within its compartment.

This perfectly matched the intelligence provided by Cat Head: unequivocally, it was Dogget, the Dog-headed Tribesman.