HSR: Getting Chased! [17]

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“No, no, no! I don’t like being in the snow! Boss, I’m really sorry! It’s my fault for not recognizing who you all are. Please, just treat me like a fart and let me go!”

The blue-haired "creature" once again poked his head out from the snow pile, his face contorted with distress, begging the trailblazing crew for mercy.

“Oh? Now you know you messed with the wrong people? You're not going to put up a fight?”

Cava smiled down at the snow pile, lightly stepping on it while the lightning needles in his hand flickered.

“Exactly! I just finished washing my clothes, and thanks to your cheap smoke bomb, now they’re all dirty again!”

March 7th had initially felt a bit sorry for the guy buried in the snow with only his head poking out. But one glance at her now grimy clothes made her instantly forget any sympathy.

All we wanted was to ask for directions, and not only did you ignore us, but you also set up an ambush!

“Yeah, after what you did to my companions, do you really think you can just brush it off with a simple apology?”

Cava said with a calm, cold expression, staring down at Sampo like he was looking at a misplaced radish that needed to be uprooted from the snow. Quietly, he gave Stelle a wink.

Seeing Cava’s signal, Stelle immediately understood. Glancing between March 7th, still fuming, and the buried Sampo, she smiled sweetly, walking up to March and gently brushing the dirt off her clothes.

"Don’t get worked up, March. It’s not worth it. How about we just let Cava finish him off?"

With her golden eyes narrowing mischievously, Stelle grinned at Sampo, delivering those dangerous words with an unsettling cheerfulness.

Cava, out of Sampo’s sight, gave Stelle a discreet thumbs up.

Not bad for a main character—just one glance, and she understood his plan perfectly!

“No, no, no! Please, don’t kill me! You heroes, I swear it wasn’t intentional! I thought you were those Silvermane Guards coming to arrest me! It’s all a big misunderstanding—I had no idea I’d be causing so much trouble for fellow travelers!”

“Silvermane Guards…”

Dan Heng silently took note of this name. That must be the name of the military force stationed inside the fortress standing amidst the snowstorm.

From the landing module, they had only been able to see the vague outline of the fortress through the swirling snow, and they hadn’t seen what lay inside…

“Oh? So according to you, this is all just a misunderstanding then?”

Cava raised an eyebrow, letting the lightning needles in his hand dissipate as he crossed his arms, looking skeptical.

“Yes, really! It’s all a misunderstanding! I, Sampo, swear on my reputation!”

Sampo, who had somehow managed to free one of his arms from the snow, held up three fingers in an exaggerated oath, pressing them to his forehead.

“Oh~ So it really was a misunderstanding then.”

Cava’s face lit up with a "genuine" smile.

“Exactly! Good sir, please release me! I can’t feel my legs anymore!”

Sampo cried out pitifully. If Cava hadn’t known this guy was a Pathstrider, he might’ve actually believed him!

“Good sir, why are you still hesitating? Please, help me out of this freezing snow!”

Seeing that Cava was smiling but making no move to help, Sampo started to panic.

“Oh, yes, it’s clearly a misunderstanding. But after what you did to my companions, do you think just saying ‘sorry’ is going to be enough?”

Cava gestured toward the trailblazing crew, who were still covered in soot, then squatted down to gently pat Sampo’s face, making his intentions crystal clear.

“Ah... ah! Of course not! You’re right! I, Sampo, won’t let you all suffer this indignity for nothing—it’s my fault, my foolishness!”

As a "shrewd businessman," Sampo quickly caught on to Cava’s meaning. He nodded vigorously toward the three other members of the team, apologizing repeatedly.

“Everyone! I’m so sorry! It’s entirely my fault that you had to go through this. I’ll make sure you’re all properly compensated... However…”

Sampo wiggled around to face Cava with a sycophantic grin.

“Good sir, I didn’t bring much with me on this trip, but if you’d all accompany me back to Belobog, I swear I won’t try to run. And I promise that the compensation I’ll provide will be to your complete satisfaction! What do you say to that?”

It was clear to him now—this guy was the leader of the group. If he could smooth things over with Cava, everything else would fall into place.

“Alright, that works for me.”

Cava, seeing that the point had been made, nodded in satisfaction and snapped his fingers.

The lightning needles that had been pinning Sampo’s limbs disappeared, and Sampo, on the verge of tears, crawled out of the snow. Although his movements were stiff, he had genuinely feared that his limbs were going to freeze!

What he didn’t realize was that the numbness was caused by Cava’s lightning needles, not the cold—he had simply been tricked into thinking his limbs were frozen solid.

To be honest, if Cava hadn’t immobilized him, he wouldn’t have been able to put on this little show in front of Sampo!

Now that they had someone to lead them, it was time to head into the city!

Yes, Cava had gone through all this trouble just so Sampo would lead them through his "secret path" into Belobog.

Anyone who’s seen the story knows that in the original plot, the main group entered Belobog through the main gate, only to be hunted down and placed on a wanted list the next day—thanks to Sampo’s antics.

This time, by taking a side route, they should be able to avoid that fate, right?

Cava’s whole act was simply to avoid leaving behind a messy, embarrassing history for himself.

As Sampo took a moment to collect himself, Cava told him to lead them along the “secret path” into Belobog.

During the journey, March 7th seemed like she wanted to ask something, but both Dan Heng and Stelle stopped her.

What March probably wanted to know was why they weren’t using the main gate. From Dan Heng’s perspective, avoiding direct conflict with the world’s powers was the safest move.

After all... they had been wanted on several other planets already.

There was also the uncertainty of how a city that had been isolated from the universe for nearly a millennium would react to "visitors from the stars." Best to sneak in first and gauge the ruling powers’ attitudes.

March 7th puffed up her cheeks in frustration as she looked at Dan Heng shaking his head, but she didn’t voice her complaints.

In reality, she mostly just wanted to know why Cava had left a needle stuck in Sampo’s back the whole time. Couldn’t that guy feel it?

If Cava knew what March 7th was thinking, he probably would’ve burst out laughing.

Of course Sampo didn’t notice the lightning needle in his back! Besides, that needle was just a precaution, in case this mischief-loving guy decided to try running off.