Chapter 179: Among Them
The captain’s hand fell like a guillotine.
"You, over there..."
Dylan felt his stomach tighten, but his face remained smooth, almost empty, like that of a poor fool shocked to be accused of anything.
"Me, boss?" he rasped, letting a hint of confusion linger in his voice.
The officer stepped closer, his armor creaking with each step. Up close, Dylan saw the sweat beading on his temples and the slight tremor in his fingers. This makeshift captain of the escort was no more confident than his men.
"Yeah, you. You keep checking the wheel. You look around like a ferret. And you stay quiet. Way too quiet, if you ask me. What exactly are you good for?"
Dylan shrugged slowly, letting the silence hang. Then, in a low voice, he replied:
"Nothing more than keeping this cart from busting its ass in the mud. If you wanna push it yourself, be my guest."
His tone was neither insolent nor submissive—just sharp enough to sound like an exhausted man who no longer feared much. The officer frowned. One of the soldiers—the young one, Braham’s replacement—let out a half-chuckle, earning a growl from his superior.
"Tch. We move out, but you..." He placed a hand on Dylan’s shoulder, eyes locked onto his. "You stay where I can see you. If you wander off, I’ll leave you to rot."
A smirk flickered inside Dylan. "Of course you wanna keep me in sight, you bastard. That way, I can handle the rest without you suspecting a thing."
The woods rustled around them, a dry wind snapping the cart’s tarp aside for a moment, revealing the sealed crate beneath. Dylan’s focus zeroed in on it like a magnet. A faint glint escaped the gap—silver, like polished metal. Not grain, not scrap iron.