Windscar was crowded enough to make trouble inevitable.
By the time Subin Vans and his companions reached the outer market, wagons filled the broad road, merchants argued over storage space, and porters hurried between canvas-covered stalls carrying sacks of grain, bundles of timber, and crates of metal components. Windscar had been built around the meeting point of three major caravan routes. Its open market stretched across a wide basin between low hills, with permanent stone warehouses along the northern ridge and temporary trading grounds spreading toward the southern road.
Normally, the market would have been loud with bargaining and competition. Today, the noise carried an edge of desperation.
A cart loaded with iron ingots stood abandoned beside a warehouse entrance. Two merchants were arguing over a stack of timber while a group of laborers waited for instructions. Near the central exchange, a crowd had gathered around a board listing the day's material prices.
Subin stopped to read it.
Iron ingots had nearly doubled in price. Building stone was even worse, while timber had risen sharply since the eastern yard at Ironwood had closed. Grain prices had increased too, though less dramatically. Windscar still had supplies, but merchants were holding their stock rather than selling it at prices they might regret tomorrow.
"At this rate, they'll start charging admission just to look at a hammer," Park Jae-hyun remarked.
Liu Wei glanced at the board. "Give them another week. Someone will probably try."
Han Yerin folded her arms. "You two complain about prices as if you ever pay for anything yourselves."
"I pay for food," Jae-hyun protested.
"You eat at Subin's expense."
"That's a completely different matter."
Subin ignored their argument and looked toward the market's northern section. Several guards had blocked access to a row of warehouses. Behind them, a dozen merchants were shouting at a broad-shouldered man wearing a dark leather coat.
The man had a sword at his waist and a short scar running from his left temple to his cheek. He listened to the complaints without appearing particularly impressed.
Ara approached after checking the regional notices. "That's the Windscar Exchange. The man in the leather coat is its market marshal, Garrick Voss. He oversees disputes involving caravan contracts, storage fees, and goods held under emergency restrictions."
"Emergency restrictions?" Yerin asked.
"Windscar has been collecting reserve materials since the surrounding settlements began closing their mines and quarries. Garrick's office can temporarily hold goods when officials believe they may be needed for regional repairs."
Jae-hyun looked at the warehouses. "So he's keeping the iron."
"Some of it," Ara said. "The problem is that no one agrees on how much should be reserved, who gets priority, or what price should be paid."
Subin watched a merchant thrust a document toward Garrick. The marshal read it, returned it, and pointed toward the road leading out of the market. The merchant went red with anger but eventually stepped back.
"Let's hear both sides before we decide anything," Subin said.
They approached as a thin man in a green merchant's coat raised his voice again.
"You cannot hold my cargo indefinitely! I purchased those ingots before the Frostgate closure. The contract is clear."
"And the contract also states that your shipment must pass inspection before release," Garrick replied. "Your caravan arrived with unregistered armed escorts and three crates that don't match the declared inventory."
"Those are tools!"
"Then opening the crates should settle the matter."
The merchant hesitated.
Garrick noticed. "There. That's the part you should have explained earlier."
The merchant's expression hardened. "You have no right to seize my property."
"I haven't seized it. I've placed it under inspection."
"You have guards standing across the entrance!"
"Because your hired men threatened my inspectors."
One of the merchant's escorts stepped forward, hand resting on his weapon. A Windscar guard immediately moved between them.
Subin could have walked away. The dispute was not his responsibility, and the region had more than enough problems without involving himself in every argument between merchants. But the guards were nervous, the merchants were desperate, and a fight here could turn a shortage into a riot.
He stepped beside Garrick.
"What is actually in the crates?"
The merchant looked at him impatiently. "Who are you?"
"Someone asking a simple question."
Garrick's attention shifted to Subin. Recognition came a moment later.
"Subin Vans. The Association's expedition team?"
"Yes."
"I heard you were coming from Frostgate. I didn't expect you to arrive in the middle of this."
"Neither did I. What's in the crates?"
The merchant glanced at his escorts. One of them looked away.
Garrick folded his arms. "That's what I'd like to know."
After several seconds, the merchant gave a frustrated sigh. "Mana-fused weapons. Nothing illegal. My buyers requested them before the routes began closing."
"How many?" Ara asked.
"Twenty."
"Declared as ordinary tools?" she asked.
"They're agricultural and mining implements with reinforced mana channels."
Ara studied him. "That description might be technically accurate for some of them. It doesn't make the declaration complete."
The merchant's silence answered the rest.
Garrick nodded toward the warehouse. "We'll inspect them. If they're legal, you'll pay the appropriate duty and collect your cargo. If they're not, we'll follow the exchange regulations."
The merchant looked toward Subin, perhaps hoping the famous swordsman would take his side.
Subin offered no rescue. "If your cargo is legitimate, inspection should help you."
The man cursed under his breath but ordered his escorts to stand down.
The confrontation ended without bloodshed. It also revealed a larger problem.
Garrick led the team into the exchange office, where a large table was covered with invoices, route maps, and requests from settlements across the region.
"Three months ago, Windscar could buy almost anything it needed from the surrounding territories," he explained. "Stonehaven supplied dressed stone. Frostgate supplied iron. Ironwood provided timber. Greyrock moved finished metal goods, and Redwater handled a significant share of the river freight. Now every route has a restriction, a shortage, or a repair delay."
He pointed to a list of pending orders.
"These aren't luxury goods. They're materials needed to repair walls, reinforce bridges, rebuild storage facilities, and keep settlements functioning. If I release everything to whoever offers the most money, the richest merchants will empty the warehouses while smaller settlements go without."
"Then distribute the materials by need," Yerin said.
"That sounds simple until six settlements all claim their needs are urgent."
"Which is why you need evidence," Ara replied. "Damage assessments, available stock, and realistic transport schedules. Otherwise, you're just choosing whose argument sounds most convincing."
Garrick gave her an approving look. "I've been asking for precisely that. The trouble is that my staff cannot verify every claim while also running the market."
Subin studied the map. The surrounding settlements were marked in different colors, with red lines indicating closed or restricted routes.
"What can still move?" he asked.
"Grain and basic supplies from the southern farms. Some timber from the western foothills. A limited quantity of metal from private stores. But the northern caravan route has become unreliable."
"Because of monsters?"
"Partly. The road itself is open. The problem is what happens to caravans once they leave the market's immediate patrol range."
Garrick pulled a report from beneath the others. It described three caravans that had turned back after being attacked on the northern road. Their cargo had been abandoned or scattered, and two drivers had reported armed people demanding payment at a narrow pass.
"Bandits?" Jae-hyun asked.
"Possibly. The accounts disagree. One driver described men wearing settlement guard uniforms. Another said the attackers carried weapons made from black metal. A third claimed they were mercenaries hired by a competing merchant."
"Convenient," Liu Wei said. "Three witnesses and three different stories."
"Which is why I haven't accused anyone," Garrick replied. "But if the northern road remains unsafe, Windscar will lose another supply route. I have a caravan ready to leave tomorrow. It carries iron fittings, grain, medicine, and repair tools intended for several settlements. Its original guards refuse to go."
"Where is it headed?" Subin asked.
"First to Northwatch, then toward Frostgate. It will deliver what it can along the route. The return journey would normally bring timber and other goods from the western settlements, but we won't know what remains available until we reach them."
Subin looked at his companions. They had already seen what happened when a settlement lost its supplies and could not repair the damage caused by monsters. Another delay could leave people exposed for weeks.
"We'll escort the caravan to Northwatch," he said. "After that, we'll decide based on conditions."
Garrick exhaled, visibly relieved. "I'll pay the standard expedition rate and cover your provisions."
"We'll need the complete route reports, including the locations of previous attacks."
"You'll have them before sunset."
---
The following morning, the caravan assembled outside Windscar's northern gate.
It consisted of eight heavy wagons, four lighter carts, and twenty-six workers. The guards were fewer than the cargo required, but Garrick had managed to recruit six experienced mercenaries after Subin agreed to travel with the group.
Their leader was a woman named Talia Renn, a B-rank Awakener who wielded a pair of short swords. She had spent years protecting merchant caravans and had little patience for adventurers who treated escort duty as an opportunity to collect easy rewards.
"If you intend to charge ahead every time something moves in the trees, tell me now," she said while checking the straps on her armor. "I need to know whether I'll be protecting the cargo from monsters or from my own allies."
Jae-hyun laughed. "I like her."
Subin answered seriously. "We won't pursue anything that doesn't threaten the caravan. If we encounter an enemy, our priority will be keeping the wagons and workers safe."
"Good. Then we understand each other."
The caravan rolled out shortly after sunrise. The first few hours passed without incident. They crossed open grassland, skirted a shallow ravine, and passed two abandoned roadside shelters. The road was broad enough for two wagons to travel side by side, although several sections had deteriorated under heavy traffic.
Yerin rode beside Subin near the front of the formation.
"You volunteered quickly," she said.
"The settlements need the supplies."
"That isn't what I meant."
Subin glanced at her. "What did you mean?"
"You've spent weeks fighting monsters, rescuing people, and helping every settlement we visit. You never seem to consider whether you should take a break."
"I'm considering it now."
"Really?"
"After we finish this escort."
She gave him a look that made it clear she had heard that answer before.
"Then when we're done, you're taking a day off."
"A whole day?"
"Try not to sound devastated."
"I was wondering what I would do with so much free time."
Yerin smiled and nudged his shoulder with hers. "You could start by having lunch with me without someone bringing you a report about a monster."
"That sounds manageable."
"Good. I'll hold you to it."
Their conversation ended when the forward wagon slowed. Talia raised a hand, and the caravan halted in an orderly line.
A damaged cart stood across the road ahead. Its left wheel had broken, leaving several wooden crates scattered in the dirt. A horse was tied to a roadside post, but no driver or guard was visible.
Talia approached cautiously with two mercenaries. Subin followed, while Yerin stayed near the front of the caravan to prevent the workers from crowding forward.
The cart carried empty sacks and broken storage containers. There was no blood, but the road beside it bore several deep impressions, as though heavy objects had been dragged toward the nearby hills.
Ara crouched beside one of the marks. "These aren't monster tracks. The edges are too regular."
"Could be a wheeled frame," Liu Wei said.
"Or someone dragged a loaded sled across the dirt," Talia replied. She examined the broken wheel and then the cut harness. "This cart was disabled deliberately."
A faint sound came from beyond a low ridge.
Subin drew his sword.
Three men emerged from behind the ridge, followed by several others carrying crossbows and short blades. Their armor was mismatched, but their equipment was in good condition. None wore a recognizable settlement insignia.
The first man raised both hands.
"We don't want a fight. We collect a road toll."
Talia's expression became cold. "Windscar maintains this road. There is no toll."
"Windscar maintains the road near the market. Out here, we do the work."
"By breaking carts?"
The man shrugged. "People pay for safe passage. Those who refuse lose time, cargo, or sometimes more."
Subin counted eleven visible men. More could be behind the ridge, but their positions were poorly concealed. Their leader had a mana sword, while two others carried crossbows loaded with short bolts.
"How much?" Subin asked.
The leader looked at him, perhaps surprised that someone had responded without immediately drawing a weapon.
"One crate of iron for every wagon. Two for the larger carts. Half the grain. You can keep the rest and travel safely."
"That's not a toll," Ara said. "That's robbery."
"Call it what you like."
Subin lowered the tip of his sword slightly. "You have two choices. Clear the road and let us pass, or try to take the cargo."
The leader's expression changed. He recognized the sword, or perhaps the name had already reached the northern road.
"You think your reputation makes you untouchable?"
"No. I think you should consider whether this is worth the consequences."
The man gave a short laugh and lifted his weapon.
The crossbowmen fired.
Subin moved before the bolts reached the caravan. His sword swept across the road, deflecting the two shots aimed toward the lead wagon. Talia and her mercenaries rushed the attackers from the front, forcing the crossbowmen to abandon their firing positions. Yerin intercepted the leader's first strike with her spear and drove him backward before he could reach the cargo.
The fight ended quickly once the attackers lost the advantage of surprise. Liu Wei disarmed one man and forced another to surrender. Jae-hyun knocked a third into the roadside ditch. Ara remained behind the fighting line with the caravan workers, keeping them away from the crossbowmen and securing the wagons.
Subin's opponent proved more capable than the others. His mana sword had a reinforced edge, and he knew how to use it. He parried Subin's first cut, shifted his grip, and attacked toward the gap beneath Subin's arm.
Subin turned the strike aside and cut through the man's weapon just above the guard.
The broken blade fell into the dirt.
Subin placed his sword against the man's chest before he could reach for another weapon.
"Enough."
The leader froze.
Around them, the remaining attackers had either surrendered or been disarmed. One tried to flee toward the ridge, but Talia's mercenaries caught him before he reached the slope.
Subin ordered everyone to lower their weapons. There was no reason to kill men who could be questioned, especially when the road's safety depended on understanding what had been happening.
Talia bound the prisoners while Ara searched the abandoned cart. Beneath the empty sacks, they found a small quantity of iron fittings and several medicine containers taken from an earlier shipment. A ledger tucked inside the cart listed wagon numbers, cargo descriptions, and payments received.
The attackers had been targeting specific shipments rather than robbing whoever happened to pass.
"They've been watching the road for weeks," Talia said.
"That still doesn't tell us who they're working for," Yerin replied.
The captured leader eventually gave his name as Corven. He claimed that his group had begun by charging small fees to merchants who wanted protection from monsters. When the northern routes became unreliable, they had expanded their operation, taking cargo from caravans that lacked sufficient guards.
"We didn't kill anyone," Corven insisted. "We took goods. That's all."
Talia gestured toward the damaged cart. "You left the driver here alone."
"He ran."
"Then you won't mind telling us where."
Corven looked away.
Subin's expression hardened. "If the driver is alive, we will find him. If he isn't, your situation will become considerably worse."
Under questioning, one of the younger men admitted that the cart's driver had been taken to an abandoned toll station two kilometers farther north. The group had intended to hold him until his employer paid for the stolen goods.
Subin sent two mercenaries to guard the prisoners while he, Yerin, Talia, and Liu Wei went to the station. They found the driver tied inside a storage room, frightened but unharmed. His name was Belan, and he had been transporting medical supplies when the group stopped his cart.
Once freed, he confirmed that the attackers had demanded cargo from several caravans. They had also threatened to burn the wagons of merchants who reported them to Windscar.
The rescue delayed the caravan by less than an hour.
By midday, they had returned to the main road, and the seized cargo was loaded back onto the appropriate carts. Talia assigned two mercenaries to accompany Belan and his cart to Windscar, while the rest continued north with Subin's team.
The road remained quiet for the rest of the afternoon. That did not mean the region was safe, but the immediate threat had been dealt with without losing a single wagon or worker.
As the sun lowered toward the hills, the walls of Northwatch appeared in the distance.
The settlement looked more strained than Subin remembered. Several sections of its outer defenses were still under repair, and workers had erected temporary barriers near the western entrance. A group of guards waited at the gate, watching the approaching wagons with unmistakable relief.
Captain Rusk came out to meet them.
"When Garrick said you were escorting supplies, I expected you tomorrow," he said.
"We encountered a group collecting illegal road tolls," Subin replied. "They're in custody, and we recovered cargo from an earlier shipment."
Rusk's face darkened. "We've had complaints about missing supplies, but no one could identify the thieves. We thought some caravans were turning back before reaching us."
"Some may have been. This group was targeting specific shipments."
Subin handed over the ledger. Rusk read the entries, then passed them to a nearby officer.
"We'll investigate the names and cargo records. If these men have been selling stolen goods here, I want to know who bought them."
The caravan workers began unloading the first supplies. Grain went to the settlement's storage building, iron fittings to the repair crews, and medicine to the infirmary. It was not enough to solve every shortage, but it would keep several projects moving while Northwatch arranged its next recovery operation.
Rusk watched the workers carry the crates inside.
"People think a settlement falls when its walls break," he said quietly. "Sometimes it falls because the people repairing those walls run out of nails, food, and medicine."
Subin looked toward the damaged defenses. "Then keep the supplies moving."
"We will. And I'll send a patrol to Windscar with the report. They need to know the road is usable, provided caravans travel with proper guards."
The immediate delivery was complete. Garrick's caravan would remain in Northwatch overnight before continuing toward Frostgate under a stronger escort.
Subin's team had another decision to make. The map showed a western road leading toward a settlement called Stonewatch's western dependency, Brackenford, where timber and food were still available. The route was longer than the direct northern track, but it avoided the most damaged sections of the region. A messenger from Brackenford had arrived that morning asking for help transporting supplies to several isolated farmsteads.
Rusk gave Subin a copy of the request.
"Brackenford hasn't reported a major monster attack," he said. "Their problem is that merchants have stopped visiting. They're running low on tools and medical goods, and the farmers are reluctant to send carts through the hills without protection."
"How far?"
"Half a day's travel from here if the road is clear."
Subin folded the request and tucked it away.
They had reached Windscar to help restore the movement of supplies, and the first delivery had shown that the problem was not simply a shortage of iron or stone. People needed safe routes, trustworthy contracts, and enough confidence to keep trading.
Tomorrow, they would take the western road.
For tonight, Subin intended to keep his promise to Yerin.
He turned toward her. "You wanted lunch without a monster report. Does dinner count?"
Yerin looked at him for a moment, then smiled.
"It counts if you don't bring the map."
Subin handed the map to Ara.
Jae-hyun immediately appeared beside them. "Excellent. Then we should all have dinner together."
"No," Yerin said.
"You didn't even think about it."
"I didn't need to."
Liu Wei laughed, and even Subin couldn't hide his smile as they walked toward Northwatch's central street. For once, the evening belonged to them rather than to another emergency.
Beyond the walls, the caravan road remained open. And for the first time in several days, a settlement had received the supplies it needed without losing a single wagon.