Chapter 269 – Luck

Chapter 269 – Luck

They had left the main road to wade through the fields, heading northwest for Limgrell. Kai had hoped the diversion would quieten the whispers. And it did—for a handful of minutes—then they came back, ominously murmuring.

The direction and nature of the threat were too vague to deduce anything. Either the source of danger was weak, or some other skill was interfering with Hallowed Intuition. Given how widespread such skills were according to Daniel, the odds leaned toward the latter.

Is it the creepy couple or some other disgruntled guy I sent away?

With all the adventurers that gathered for his contract, there were too many candidates. Varsea had made clear how much he still had to learn about the mainland. He’d rather avoid a confrontation with an unknown foe if possible.

We might still lose them in the fields.

The ears of rye swayed and rustled in the wind, tickling his face. From a distance, Kai hadn’t realized the height of the crops. It’d take considerable effort to achieve the same with Nature Magic, but he doubted mages were responsible. He had never considered what mundane jobs like farmers might achieve in the higher grades.

They could have also modified the seeds before planting, or used some kind of magical GMO…

Years ago, he had read about professions that could induce beneficial mutations in Virya’s library. The book had focused on cattle and poultry, though it should only be easier with plants.

“Keep low.” Daniel opened a way through the rye ahead of them. “Farmers don’t like it when you stomp through their crops. Some can get pretty mad.”

“How mad are we talking?” Flynn swatted an ear of rye out of his face and hunched forward. His height put him at a disadvantage.

“Well… it depends. I got shot with a bow twice when I was sixteen.” The man chuckled, lifting his sleeve to show a round scar on his bicep. “I did also steal some apples that time. Usually, they just unleash their guardian beasts against you. You just have to sprint when you hear the bark.”

Flynn stumbled on an uneven patch. “What do you mean by beasts…?”

“Just watch your feet.” Daniel ignored the question with a smirk. “If they’re well trained, they’ll stop at the edge of their master’s plot.”

They walked on the free terrain along an irrigation canal, keeping between rows of wheat that had yet to be harvested. Everyone was ready to dart at the shout of an enraged farmer or their pet. No matter how far they meandered, the whispers kept tugging at Kai’s thoughts.

Here’s where hope becomes self-delusion.

“We’re being followed.”

Daniel stopped by a two-meter ditch. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” He spread his senses over the golden ears of crops, vainly trying to wring more information out of Hallowed Intuition. “I don’t know who it is, but they don’t have good intentions.”

The man cursed under his breath. “They must have waited for us by the gates, or have someone with a yellow tracking skill.” His fist clenched around a dagger strapped to his leg. “Blasted fates! We have to pick up the pace and hope to lose them when we reach the Lorvyn Woods.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just wait for them and deal with it?” Rain shrugged, not looking particularly worried. “None of those men would be a problem.”

“You’re presuming they didn’t bring any friends.” The scarred seeker scoffed, already marching through the fields. “The prize from three patrician kids without an escort will push many people to less savory activities. Any of those men could have also sold the information to one of Varsea’s gangs.”

Where is my Luck when I need it?

“We aren’t patricians.” Kai augmented his legs to keep pace.

He only had a vague understanding of what the title meant. It differed from a rigid caste system since it wasn’t endlessly heritable and anyone could attain it, but he had never learned all the legal details and benefits. The governor’s family was the only one with that status in the archipelago, and he had avoided them like the plague.

“Who else throws around gold and reaches Yellow at your age?” Daniel threw them a skeptical look. “If you wanted to keep a low profile, you shouldn’t have worn clothes worth more than a year’s wage. Yeah, anyone with a brain can tell.”

Hmm, going to Madame Le Garde might have backfired…

“We really aren’t,” Flynn protested. “And I’m not Yellow yet.”

The seeker gave him a once over with a look full of silent implications. “Maybe you have a different name for it where you’re from, but money and privilege smell the same. The fact that you’re foreigners just makes you better targets since there is less fear of retaliation.”

Always rob the tourists, only more violently…

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“I thought anyone could raise their social status in the Republic,” Rain mused, unaffected by the awkward mood. “You just have to advance to Green, or be born in the family of someone who had.”

“Yeah, that’s what the senators love to say in their speeches: ‘We’re all given an equal chance, you just need to work hard’.” Daniel spat with obvious bitterness. “How many people born at the bottom of Red reach that grade? One or two in a million? I don’t know your story, but here, the patrician families hoard gold and opportunities to keep their status.”

I’m here, you know? Your one-in-a-million role model, limited edition!

Kai considered arguing his case. The scions born surrounded by riches and tutors had been the bane of his existence since Virya had told him about the wider world. Now that he had clawed his way up from the bottom of the rung, being mistaken for his nemesis was quite vexing.

What are the chances that he believes me? According to canon, Matthew was born at Orange…

“We’re technically from the Republic too.” Kai gestured to himself and Flynn. “From the Baquaire Archipelago. The islands were annexed…”

“Sixty-one years ago.” His friend helpfully provided, between one breath and the other. “The governor threw a celebration for the sixtieth year in Higharbor. It was last summer, while you were still living with your father. Not that you missed much. Apart from the free food.”

“Huh, the Baquaire Archipelago?” Daniel scratched his scarred lip, running the long way around the shed on a hill. “One of my previous clients tried to use a ticket there instead of paying. Said it was a steal. Fine beaches, crystal sea, and well… Maybe I should have taken it? Is it as nice as they say?”

“Way better.” Flynn threw himself into a detailed description of the scenery and food while they jogged through the fields. Ranting about their respective governors also helped relieve the stiff atmosphere.