Volume 10 Chapter 2 Continuation Of The Pursuit(Ask)
Al flew up to about 200m (� 656ft) in the air with Patricia and Joanna following closely behind. From above, he could see the Holden River winding its way from the south to the north through untouched wilderness. It curved sharply southeast just before reaching the border city of Lester, eventually flowing into the eastern sea.
Further to the south, a large river, likely the Grover River, followed a similar bending pattern. Along both rivers and their surrounding islands, there were vast wetlands covered with low bushes and shrubs, stretching across the landscape.
Around the city of Lester were farms and ranches. But near Roland and Oakley Villages, where they had once stopped during a caravan escort, the land was less developed with only small fields. The road to the villages curved around a pond.
In the past, they fought Barbarians while repairing this road, which took a long time, though Lester and Roland were less than 5km (� 3.1 miles) apart. The area where Naresh and the knights fought Lizardmen seemed far, but it was actually close. The slow development was clear from the sky.
Al looked at the scenery from above and thought about what to do next. He had told Barbara that he would leave traces to lead the spies to Roland Village, but he didn't expect the mysterious "Floating Eye" to find them so quickly. The enemy was moving too fast. It was likely the work of spies from the Tempest Kingdom. They must have figured out that Al and the others were heading to the pioneer village and were probably chasing them in a carriage right now.
If that was the case, it might be better for Al to go straight to the research tower that Malachi mentioned without taking any other actions.
But what would the Tempest Kingdom spies do next? They might target the Levy merchant guild or Al's acquaintances. Considering that, it might not be wise to disappear too soon. He wanted to buy a little more time.
If he could stall for a bit, Guildmaster Levy and the others could gather information about the foolish Viscount who was in league with the Tempest Kingdom. That would improve the situation, and he wanted to believe that.
"Patricia, Lady Joanna, I think we should head to the hill where we planned to camp. It's not without risks, but I want to see how many of them are following us and what their strength is."
Looking back, Patricia was curiously looking around. However, Joanna had her eyes closed and was tightly gripping the hem of Patricia's clothes.
"Of course, I'm fine with whatever you think, Sir Al."
"..."
Patricia was just like usual. Joanna seemed too busy to talk.
"Patricia, I know that noble women are supposed to respect others and their wishes. But I'm not a noble with a territory, and I want to respect you as a fellow human. So, could you please share your thoughts a bit more? Don't worry, just because I said that doesn't mean I'll dislike you."
Only a few high-ranking nobles followed that custom, but Patricia probably belonged to that group. Al had felt for a while that she relied on him too much. However, he thought it might not be good to say that directly, so he tried this approach instead. Ruella was also worried about Patricia�s unstable feelings.
He believed it would be better if Patricia could find more balance in her life. Of course, that might just be his selfish opinion, but as Al, he wanted her to be like that.
"Y-yes... But... I don't really understand how dangerous it is or how valuable Sir Al's questions are."
Patricia tilted her head slightly but nodded, taking her time to answer. Al couldn't help but smile. This reaction might have been a good approach.
"Yeah, it's okay to take it slow. If you don't understand something, just ask me or Lady Joanna. Right now, I'm worried that a magician might use some unknown method to catch up and attack us. But since I've gained a lot of experience since coming to this border city, Lester, I think that chance is low. Also, the information about the Tempest Kingdom's spies from Guildmaster Levy in Lester and Naresh in the border city Parker will be useful for our protection."
Joanna grabbed Patricia's hand and nodded desperately. It seemed she didn't have the energy to speak yet. Al couldn't tell her exact intentions, but she was probably agreeing.
"Then, isn't it good to go with what Sir Al thinks?"
"Yeah, let's do that. But I want you to start thinking for yourself little by little."
Patricia nodded at Al's words. Then, they headed towards a small hill that Al had used when he protected a caravan before.
* * *
As the autumn sun reached its highest point, Al's 'Floating Eye' showed 3 carriages stopped on the road from the border city, Lester, coming this way.
The road in front of the stopped carriage was blocked by fallen trees, and a big man was directing five or six others to clear it. Al had encountered fallen trees and damaged parts of the road before when he was on guard duty, and each time it took a lot of time to fix.
This road wasn't well maintained, and caravans only used it a few times every few months. The lack of regular care made it even harder for them to pass.
Al recognized the big man. He couldn't get too close because of the risk of being detected by the 'Detect Magic' spell, but he was pretty sure. He was one of the men who had been with the magician who called himself Snowden. Out of the 4 from that time, 3 were An, Tress, and Cator, and this was the last one. His fake name might be Dou.
"They're coming. Three carriages. It's only about 2km (� 1.24 miles) in a straight line, but if they follow the road, there's a swamp in the way, so it'll be about 7 or 8 km (� 4.35 to 4.97 miles)."
Al told Patricia and Joanna, who were crouching nearby. Joanna had changed into her armor. The repaired armor was in the magic bag given to her by the head of the Levy merchant guild. Patricia's tattered dress from when she arrived in the city was also repaired and found in the bag, making her very happy.
"What should we do? Now that we know their numbers, should we just go to Roland Village? We can't take on 3 carriages with just the 3 of us, and once we reach Roland Village, there will be guards. They won't do anything reckless."
Joanna said, looking at Al seriously, a big change from when they were flying in the sky.
"During the mushroom festival, there were people planning an attack in the city. Even though there are guards, I think it's dangerous to show ourselves. But... what should we do?"
As Al was hesitating, there was movement by 3 carriages. Two men got out of one of the carriages. Both were wearing robes and holding staffs. One of them was a magician using the fake name Snowden.
They were discussing something, but it was too far away to read their lips. However, the man who wasn't Snowden suddenly floated into the air. At almost the same time, a pale blue transparent sphere appeared above Snowden's palm. It was probably the 'Floating Eye.'
The man and the 'Floating Eye' slowly rose higher and began to move toward Al and the others.
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