Reincarnated Maid is About To Be Captured by All Players

“What is the Black Hawk Mercenary Group?”

Higdelytha, out of stealth, asked curiously.

“The Black Hawk Mercenary Group is… Wait, who is this person?”

Trafalgar suddenly noticed Ivanhe, who was still immersed in his remorseful self-blame.

I introduced Ivanhe on his behalf.

“This is Lord Ivanhe of Smiley, a noble knight and adventurer.”

“Ivanhe… Oh, I remember him, an adventurer from the Kingdom of Azerlar, known to be handsome but a bit odd in the head, and he even has a fan club of female admirers.”

“He is here to help us. I believe Lord Ivanhe is not a bad person.”

Though his thought process might be a bit…

Getting back to the point, Trafalgar explained that the path ahead was blocked by the Black Hawk Mercenary Group. I had heard about them; they were a famous adventurer organization in the Kingdom of Mikael.

Since Higdelytha was unclear about the nature of the Black Hawk Mercenary Group, Trafalgar briefly described them.

“The Black Hawk Mercenary Group is one of the largest in the Kingdom of Mikael. In terms of combat power, the strongest mercenary group in Mikael is the Rod Mercenaries, followed by the Black Hawks. The Black Hawks outnumber the Rods significantly.”

“Hmm… The second-ranking mercenary organization in the Kingdom of Mikael…”

“That’s right. In terms of numbers, 【Golden Dawn】 could also compete with the Black Hawks, but then Golden Dawn deviated from its main business, and the Black Hawks gradually took the lead.”

Oh? I remember Golden Dawn was…

“All we need to know is that the Black Hawk Mercenary Group is numerous. They’ve formed a battle line ahead, which explains why we haven’t seen any of them… They are advancing in a sweeping formation.”

“What do you mean? The road ahead isn’t a valley, can’t we just go around it?”

“I’ve had encounters with the Black Hawk Mercenary Group. They effectively use their large numbers in searches, setting up teams at regular intervals, leaving no gaps.”

“Then… I’ll use stealth to create an opening…”

“It’s useless, they regularly check on the status of their teams through private messages. If there’s any disconnect, other adventurers will immediately reinforce. Don’t underestimate the Black Hawk Mercenary Group, they’re on a completely different level from the guilds we’ve encountered before.”

I understood Trafalgar’s point. The Black Hawk Mercenary Group had essentially formed a small-scale encirclement within the barrier and were conducting a sweeping search, slowly advancing.

I thought of using Spatial Transfer to escape, but given the number of people and my severe fatigue, I couldn’t actively use Spatial Transfer.

The Black Hawks were advancing slowly but meticulously. We hadn’t seen many adventurers coming to support us, possibly blocked by the Black Hawk’s encirclement.

After much thought, resting for a while and then forcefully using Spatial Transfer to break free seemed prudent… but the encirclement was surely tightening.

“Ah, I’ve got it!”

Higdelytha clapped her hands.

“Anna! Do you have a Golden Apple? Bring it out quickly.”

“Eh? Okay…”

Was Higdelytha hungry? I retrieved a Golden Apple from my storage space.

The Golden Apple, a specialty from the foothills of Mount Olympus in Arcadia, is a decorative item that increases the holder’s charm. Its other feature…

As I handed the Golden Apple to Higdelytha, I realized what she was planning and immediately grabbed her wrist.

“No!”

The Golden Apple has another one-time use feature. According to Arcadian legend, a mortal hero married a goddess, and the gods hosted a banquet to celebrate, excluding the unpopular Goddess of Discord. She, disguised, attended the banquet uninvited, placing a Golden Apple with a note “For the most beautiful goddess.” This led to a dispute between the Queen of the Gods, the Goddess of Wisdom, and the Goddess of Beauty. An awkward divine king chose a handsome earthly prince to decide. The prince gave the apple to the Goddess of Beauty, angering the other two goddesses, who then brought disaster upon his kingdom, leading to a massive war manipulated by the gods. The Golden Apple is also known as the Apple of Discord.

In the game, the “bringing disaster” feature of the Golden Apple is an active skill. Once used, all attacks and skills involuntarily target the holder, making it one of the strongest taunting items. However, this effect doesn’t grant any defense to the holder, and using the Golden Apple in a crowd generally equals instant death.

“We can use this to draw them away, then I’ll shake them off.”

Higdelytha insisted, but I was unsure if she could handle the top-ranked mercenary group of Mikael Kingdom in her fatigued state.

“It’s too dangerous, this is…”

I suddenly noticed something amiss and threw a chain into the air.

A creature hit by the chain let out a dreadful cry as it crashed to the ground – it was an eagle.

“An eagle?”

Higdelytha was puzzled, not seeing anything wrong, but I knew eagles didn’t live in this region.

“It’s bad! They have a 【Beastmaster】!”

Before I could finish, a blaze of lights ignited in the distance, and the surrounding adventurers responded. The road ahead was as bright as day in an instant.

Higdelytha, being an elf, could receive nature’s blessing but couldn’t discern between wild and tamed animals. The eagle was definitely not wild but a pet tamed by a Beastmaster adventurer, likely sharing information with its master through the magical 【Shared Vision】.

What followed was an arrow rain akin to Starfall – but each arrow was imbued with magic the archers took pride in.