Chapter 42: News (Part 1)
…Is it really that simple?
I couldn’t help but knock on the forehead of my mask.
I thought it was going to be a whole lot more troublesome… I imagined so many scenarios I might face, yet in the end, none of them happened, and I waltzed right out like it was a leisurely stroll…
Didn’t they say the city’s security has tightened recently?
Where is the tightness in that…?
These Warhammer Army folks sure know how to take it easy on the job… Can it be that even someone like me, with no record of entering the city, can just swagger out the city gates? Just a little incentive and I’m good to go? I’m seriously starting to doubt everything…
Of course, as much as I want to grumble, I can’t afford to take risks like that—it’s pointless and makes no sense.
They’ve already left the city…
Are they meeting up just outside and then taking everyone with them?
Looks like those folks aren’t planning to stick around in the city…
Hmm, that’s quite plausible.
Well, let’s just catch up to them and see…
After making this deduction in my mind, I quickly left the street and darted into a dark alley behind the building. With a loud “bang,” I leaped skyward using the Moon Step, shooting up over five hundred meters at a speed almost invisible to the n*ked eye, trailing a misty white dragon behind me under the dimming sky, and in the blink of an eye, I soared out of the city.
Perfect…
Those city guards are even more clueless than I imagined; not a single one looked up to check the sky, let alone notice me.
So…
Where’s that War Chariot?
The gale was roaring past my ears; it no longer made my ears feel raw. Amidst the chaotic winds, I opened my eyes and scanned the city walls below, immediately spotting that War Chariot racing along the dirt road.
They’re really heading outside the city…
But where to?
Once out of the city, I promptly dimmed the Power of Order and let my body glide swiftly through the air, slowly descending toward the ground, shifting my gaze from the War Chariot to look further afield, searching for a potential meeting spot… However, I was in the western suburbs of Alectine City, where for now there were no farms established, just barren fields stretching into the distance—there weren’t even any good hiding spots to speak of.
With such openness, I had almost nowhere to hide; it felt a bit too conspicuous…
Nothing should go wrong, right?
I couldn’t help but furrow my brow.
Whatever, let’s just find a spot that’s not too close to that War Chariot to land.
If there really is a problem, I can just take them all out…
Adjusting my body mid-air, I tilted to the side, pressing the airflow against my right half, opened my arms wide, and elegantly veered off the course of the War Chariot, landing in an unpopulated patch of grass a minute later. By then, I had long surpassed the speed of the War Chariot, leaving Lilith and Barry way behind. I smoothed out my cloak, tucked my hood securely, and turned to look back.
The War Chariot hadn’t arrived yet…
And it didn’t look like anyone was around.
With that thought, I ruled out the possibility of a trap; in this open field, I had nowhere to hide. It’d be the same for anyone else—there were no real cover options in a several-kilometer radius; not even a patch of knee-high grass where one could lay in wait—unless… Hmm?
Suddenly, in the far west, I spotted another War Chariot slowly making its way over.
…Unless they never intended to hide at all.
Alright then, let’s take to the skies…
Bang—
I stepped into the Moon Step again, my petite frame slicing through the wind, soaring up into the heights once more. Feeling that I had reached a sufficient altitude, I caught a flash of blue in my eyes and, with a series of cracking ice sounds, solid blue ice suddenly crystallized beneath my feet, forming a thick freezing disk. I gently tapped down on the ice platform and settled firmly upon it, now suspended in the air.
Hmm…
This should keep me out of sight.
Standing several hundred meters up, as night began to set in, the mural of gray from my cloak blended seamlessly into the coming darkness; even if I lifted my head, no one would likely discern what was happening… So there I stood, quietly gazing down at the expanse beneath me, watching in silence.
Before long, Lilith’s War Chariot rolled into view, rounding the narrow bend, and parked beside a patch of grass below, around a hundred meters away… Roughly a hundred meters, just there, quietly awaiting the arrival of another War Chariot that pulled up alongside.
Just as I thought…
That War Chariot’s carriage was significantly larger than the one Lilith and crew were riding in—almost double the size. It was longer and drawn by two horned steeds, easily fitting four people, and even six if they squeezed together. The back of the carriage was bound with two large leather trunks and several hanging bags; it was clear at a glance they were all set for a long haul.
After the two War Chariots met, the drivers got down first, walking up to chat a little; they appeared to know each other. However, their cloaks were wrapped tightly around them, making it hard to get a good look. From afar, I could only tell they were two men engaged in conversation. Moments later, someone stepped down from the other carriage.
A brown-haired woman, devoid of a cloak…
Who is she?
I don’t think I know her…
Once she stepped off the carriage, she walked up to the two men and said something, right when Lilith also got out, and they exchanged greetings before continuing their conversation. I noticed the woman’s greeting posture was completely different from Lilith’s—she puffed her chest out and thumped her shoulder with her right fist…
Haha.
Sword of Kanli…
In that instant, all my wariness melted away.
So she really is someone sent by Victoria, I wasn’t wrong…
But where’s the Forgiveness Head?
Whoosh—
Suddenly, a sharp wind howled from below, moving at breakneck speed; I instinctively reached out to my left. In the midst of buzzing vibrations, I caught a slender wooden object in my hand.
This is…
A crossbow bolt?
No arrowhead…
How did it sh**t without one?
From where…
As my mind whirled, the next moment, I heard the “whoosh, whoosh, whoosh” of three swift winds coming at me. I reflexively stepped back, moving several meters sideways with my ice platform, as three wooden bolts sailed through where I had been standing, shooting up towards the higher sky. In that split second, I got a clear look—they were all wooden arrows missing their tips.
They’ve spotted me…
The other side doesn’t want to hurt me.
…Rect?
I dropped the wooden bolt from my hand and turned my gaze back to the sprawling field below, following the general direction from where the arrows came. I spotted two dark figures standing up amidst a patch of grass, neither too tall nor too short. In the distance, one of them seemed to be waving at me.
“……”
How did they spot me…?
Their eyesight is impressive…
Well, maybe not.
They probably anticipated I would follow along, so they had Lilith bring everyone to this kind of place, guessing I would have nowhere to hide, and most likely appear in the sky…
I sighed inwardly.
These guys really know how to stir up trouble for me…
After this whole episode, everyone was looking up at the sky now; Barry had also stepped out from the carriage, but he seemed to be completely lost, following the others’ gazes to search around overhead. I saw the two little dark figures wave at me again; one of them lowered their head, fiddling with a crossbow in hand. After a moment, it seemed they loaded something onto an arrow and waved at me again, the fourth bolt ready to sh**t.
Whoosh—
The piercing wind was suddenly right in front of me, moving at an almost unbelievable speed. There’s no way this speed was possible without using the Power of Order; that’s the force of the wind. The one wielding the crossbow was also clad in a cloak, but there was no denying it—this was Rect.
I stopped dodging. As the crossbow bolt flew toward me, I reached out to catch it, inspecting it in my hand. I noticed there was a small pouch tied onto the arrow, so I removed the pouch, tossed aside the bolt, and opened it up, revealing a small piece of paper inside.
As I unfolded the paper, I saw it boldly written:
[Let’s meet. I have something important to tell you.]
