The car that left the hotel parking lot headed straight for the train station.
“Why are we going this way?”
“We’re going to run along the railroad.”
I recalled the map I had seen in the hotel conference room.
The southern region is blocked by small and large mountains.
While the regular road is winding and connected, the railroad is straight.
Normally, it would be dangerous to try this, but currently, there are no trains running.
This should be the fastest route south.
“When we arrive, don’t bow your head first.”
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t show respect to the opponent first.”
Riki stressed the point that I was temporarily the leader.
I wasn’t sure if it was necessary to go this far, but I decided to do as he wished for now.
Iwaf didn’t show any discomfort at all while running on the railroad.
Usually, running on a place like a railroad would cause a bumpy ride.
“You really drive well.”
“Well, I know the way half by heart. I just need to lay down the path.”
“The path?”
I glanced out the window, but I didn’t see anything particularly special.
After moving for a while, we entered a long tunnel whose secret remained unknown.
Once we emerged from the dark tunnel, we would finally cross into the southern region.
As we entered the tunnel, Iwaf’s posture changed, and his eyes sparkled brightly.
The speed of the vehicle was incomparable to before!
For dozens of minutes, the same scenery flashed by at incredible speed.
When we exited the tunnel, Iwaf didn’t look too good.
“This consumes a lot of mana.”
“Didn’t you know? The faster you go, the more mana you need.”
“Let’s switch, let’s switch.”
Iwaf and Jie switched places.
The southern region I saw from the window didn’t look very pleasant.
Dark red storm clouds gathered, making it seem like an apocalypse was about to begin.
“Just dark storm clouds, huh?”
“Well, it’s convenient for me to move around.”
Jie and Iwaf’s impressions of the sky in the southern region were completely opposite.
The ominous, dark red sky felt uncomfortably bad.
As we ventured deeper into the southern region, traces of battle remained here and there.
“Be careful from here on.”
Riki instructed Jie to drive cautiously.
A car powered by mana tends to make very little noise.
If driven well, it can move very quietly and discreetly.
Though a bit distant, I could see undead wandering around nearby.
They seemed indifferent to the car, merely passing by us.
“We only need to go a little further.”
Just as we were about to emerge from the dangerous area.
Bang!
The previously intact ground exploded, and the road was severed.
Jie urgently turned the vehicle, and we started to drive on the unpaved road.
Looking out the window, I saw skeletons riding ghost horses chasing after us.
“Were those there?”
“Looks like a cavalry. I’ll speed up.”
As Jie prepared to accelerate, Riki tightly gripped the handle next to him.
The ghost horses were right up close to the front seats of the car, but the distance was gradually increasing.
No matter how tireless the horses might be, they have a limit to their basic speed.
We successfully shook off the pursuit of the undead cavalry, but Jie didn’t slow down much.
“Isn’t it okay now?”
“Since we’ve been spotted, we’ll just keep racing to Phylon like this.”
A magical car that runs fast and silently.
If we maintain this speed, it will ultimately tire us out.
Eventually, Jie, hitting a limit of sorts, switched back with Iwaf again.
The southern region was characterized by many mountainous terrains.
As a result, the undead army had difficulty launching an attack easily.
“So, is the main force of the empire here?”
“The Knight Order has dispatched a special unit, and they are making quite an impact.”
A special unit formed by capable individuals from each Knight Order.
They mentioned that there were dozens of contributions made during this battle.
“Well, they’re all promising candidates backed by their respective leaders.”
“Did Aila not recommend anyone?”
“Who? Me? Why me?”
I thought that if it were Aila, she would surely place Riki in the special unit of the Knight Order.
“If you go there, you’ll have to operate completely separately from your existing units. Then who will manage our Knight Order?”
“There’s no one to leave it to?”
“No one.”
As Riki decisively stated this, small sighs escaped the two people in front of him.
“We’re almost there. Put on your armor properly; I’ll have the door opened for you, so wait.”
The car came to a temporary stop in front of the castle gate, and after a brief inspection, we were allowed inside.
“Why is there a castle wall in the south?”
“In the past, the south was the capital.”
Before the current capital was moved, part of the south was designated as the capital, and the defensive facilities were left intact.
It seems they are maintained regularly to be used when needed.
Thanks to that, we can safely withstand the undead army’s invasion.
As we entered Phylon, I felt a strong resemblance to the capital.
“It’s almost identical to the capital.”
“No, it’s the capital that imitated this place.”
Iwaf leisurely decreased the vehicle’s speed and began driving as if he was familiar with the area.
“You know this road well, don’t you?”
“I lived here.”
As we exited the bustling city center, a quieter area appeared.
Unlike the city filled with modern buildings, here were scattered houses resembling private mansions.
After moving for a while, I began to see soldiers on guard around the area.
“We’re almost there. From now on, Ririan, you should treat us with respect.”
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t underestimate us. If you can’t do it, just drop the formality.”
The large high iron gate opened silently.
As the car entered, we found a mansion, no, a castle that was unmatched in scale compared to the large mansions we had seen outside.
After parking in front of the castle, Jie and Riki got out first.
As the car door opened and I stepped outside, I could see several people waiting at the castle gate.
“Who are those people?”
“They’re the leaders of other knight orders and their aides.”
Riki whispered softly in my ear.
It seemed that everyone had taken on a completely different appearance since crossing that large iron gate.
As we climbed the castle stairs, someone stepped forward.
The opponent didn’t recognize me, but I had met him before.
“Are you the acting leader of the 2nd Knight Order?”
I pondered what to say and merely nodded.
“No one here knows who you are. Isn’t an introduction in order?”
“I’ll introduce myself when everyone is gathered at the meeting.”
I felt no obligation to comply with Python’s wishes here.
As we entered the castle, Riki and Jie guarded me from the front and back.
Though there wasn’t usually a need for guard duty inside the castle where only allies were present, it was said to be a kind of custom.
The room assigned to us was located at the innermost part of the second floor.
Riki explained that the other knight orders were also staying nearby.
“You did well just now.”
“That person has never really sat well with me.”
Even though Python was also a leader, his tone towards Aila was oddly commanding.
This was not something I liked very much.
However, he seemed to be quite a prominent figure with a good reputation among the people.
The room assigned to us seemed to combine two or three of the largest rooms in a hotel.
Inside the room were two additional rooms attached.
“The largest room is for the leader. The others are for the accompanying aides.”
One of the two rooms would be used by Riki, and the other by Jie and Iwaf.
I never imagined the inside of the castle would be this spacious from looking at it from outside.
Iwaf, who had parked the car, returned to the room late.
“This is a nice room.”
“Iwaf, watch your language.”
“I was just talking to myself.”
As Riki cautioned him, Iwaf quickly corrected his language and attempted a light excuse.
This was because as Iwaf entered the room, he spoke directly to me.
Riki didn’t miss that and reprimanded Iwaf.
“By the way, when is the meeting?”
“It should be tomorrow morning.”
Hearing that it would be tomorrow morning, I felt relieved.
I wasn’t confident about facing the leaders of the knight orders right now.
Just a short while ago, I had exchanged some tense words with Python, so it felt awkward to meet him again immediately.
“Can I go outside?”
“Yes. Just don’t go out of the castle.”
I left the room and used a simple transformation spell to change my appearance.
An adult physique is nice for activity, but the child form is still more comfortable.
If Python had followed me, he would certainly remember this version of me.
Riki devised a strategy to draw the knight order leaders toward us.
In that case, we needed to target those who were willing to engage with us right from the start.
I had heard earlier that if the opportunity arose, they wanted to come to us.
The issue was that I had to call out the actual parties involved without encountering Python.
The atmosphere inside the castle seemed to allow for free movement.
There was only one way to find out where they were.
I cautiously set up a position and cast a tracking spell.
An invisible arrow that could not be seen with the eyes slowly roamed the second-floor corridor before quickly veering down to the first floor.
As I followed the arrow down to the first floor, I could hear the sound of swords clashing somewhere.
Peering through a partially opened door, I saw a duel in progress.
When I noticed someone quietly sitting in the corner watching the duel, the tracking arrow made contact.
As it did, sensing something strange, she glanced around and when her eyes met mine through the door frame.
She recognized me and gently smiled before rising from her seat.
She came out but didn’t speak to me right away and moved quietly.
Keeping a slight distance, I followed her and arrived at the 3rd floor.
In front of a room on the 3rd floor, she briefly checked her surroundings before stepping inside.
When I entered the room after her, the door was hurriedly closed.
Clack.
“What brings you here?”
“It’s been a while, Roxi.”
Although she was under Python, Roxi had expressed her desire to switch to our side if given the chance.
This is that opportunity!
