Chapter 459 – Calling For Help.

“Sir.”

“Speak forthwith.”

“We found some men, they are still alive.”

“Lead me thither, perchance they can clarify this perplexing circumstance.”

Alphonse’s voice dripped with disappointment as he surveyed the unfolding situation. As one of the Knight Commanders serving under Lord Theodore Valerian, he understood the necessity of less-than-honorable undertakings if they furthered his lord’s ambitions. On this day, his task was to ensure the secrecy and profitability of their underground slave trade partner in this city.

Though he harbored no fondness for the merchant involved, he recognized the significance
of this off-the-books income the operation generated. In the cutthroat struggle for succession among the heirs, money was a vital weapon, and not all of it could be acquired through legitimate means or sponsors. Alexander Valerian, the current Duke, remained silent until concrete evidence emerged and understood that every move was part of the ongoing war for power. He had gone through the same process and all his children had heard rumors of some of his undertakings, some involving outright assassination.

Alphonse followed the subordinate who was holding up a lantern. The area was now aglow with hand lanterns held by the mercenaries hired by the merchant leader, with his own men nearby on standby. He couldn’t entirely rely on this man to keep things quiet. The young lady from the rival merchant group was meant to have been dealt with the day prior, but she had somehow survived and even managed to escape from this very location. To his knowledge, a powerful tier 3 mage had appeared in the city, prompting him to intervene personally.

As they approached the fallen men, Alphonse scrutinized them with a trained eye. The three thugs were battered and bruised, but still conscious. Their clothes were singed and evidence of the magic was hanging in the air. It seemed plausible that this mage had been hired by someone, considering his previous interventions to save the young lady from the rival merchants. However, it was also conceivable that he belonged to a rival faction, aiming to disrupt their operation – an angle Alphonse needed to investigate further.

“Pray, do clarify what events have unfolded in this vicinity?”

The Knight Commander ordered but before any of the men could answer, something caught his eye. It was only thanks to his senses he was made aware of a disturbance, a strange round object covered in glowing runes. His instincts screamed danger, and without hesitation, he darted in the opposite direction while pushing the mercenaries out of his way.

“Huh?”

“W-what?”

The men were surprised but almost instantly after, multiple explosions rocked the entire area. The force of the explosions sent shockwaves rippling through the ground, knocking down anyone and anything in their path. Debris flew through the air as flames erupted from the detonation points, casting an eerie glow over the chaos. Alphonse, propelled by instinct and years of combat experience, managed to evade the worst of the blasts and jumped to a safe distance as the fiery blasts engulfed the area where he had just stood.

As the smoke cleared and the echoes of the explosions faded, Alphonse rose to his feet, his eyes scanning the surroundings. His armor was scorched, and his cloak singed in several places but otherwise, he remained unharmed. The aftermath was quite devastating, with the ground having collapsed and the building he was just in reduced to rubble. The noise effectively woke up all the nearby residents and quite a few of the mercenaries had been killed or injured.

“Sir Alphonse, are you injured?”

“I am unharmed.”

An armored man with the Valerian emblem arrived soon after, he was his second in command and only answered to his orders.

“Sir, should we check for survivors?”

“Leave them be. Our immediate concern lies elsewhere. The perpetrator of this act cannot have ventured far. We seek a mage garbed in dark garbs, likely endeavoring to flee the city. Secure the city perimeter. Permit no one to depart!”

The Knight Commander issued his order, displaying his indifference towards the mercenaries. Quickly, he donned his helmet, distinguished by a blue comb atop, then pivoted on his heel.

“Yes, Sir! As you command.”

His subordinate saluted once more before darting off towards the other knights. Many of them lingered outside in the streets, ready to assemble at a moment’s notice. The city was in turmoil, with shouts and cries echoing through the streets as residents and guards alike scrambled to make sense of the explosions. The one responsible for this disaster, however, was making his way through one of the city gates, his escape seen by some guards who could only watch.

*****

‘There goes my cover, but at least I’ve managed to leave the city and it should take them a while to assemble their forces to pursue me but when they do… they will eventually catch up…’

Roland breathed a sigh of relief as they passed through the city gates and entered the open road beyond. The chaos and confusion of the explosions had likely diverted attention away from their escape, at least for the time being. However, they were not out of danger yet and the way this wagon was moving was concerning.

It looked more like a train cart than a carriage, while it was robust it was not created for speed. It required a large monster to pull it and turning would also be a problem. He assumed that whoever would be after them, would be on horseback and much faster. Eventually, they would catch up to them if they continued at this pace. Roland knew they needed to find a way to go around this problem and there were a few choices.

‘First choice, I drop off the kids somewhere and try luring away our pursuers. Probab;y not a good idea, even the weakest monster they encounter will kill them all… There is no food here either, so letting them hide somewhere and then returning is also out of the question. What else can I do…’

Roland glanced back into the wagon where ten individuals were resting. The farmer boy who asked him for help was trying to calm down his friends while also explaining to everyone that everything will be ok. The other five were of similar age as this group and for some reason had trusted him with their lives. Discarding them now would be a betrayal of that trust and Roland had already made a decision.

‘If we can’t split up, then only one choice remains, pushing through to the border.’

Some luck was on their side as this settlement that they had left wasn’t that far off from Albrook and more importantly, the lands that were Arthur’s territory. While in the past they were unable to halt Theodore’s troops from trespassing, things had changed. If they gathered all of their soldiers and he was there to lead them, then this issue could be potentially resolved. With this in mind, the runes on his helmet lit up slightly as he tried reaching the most important person for this plan to work.

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‘… Common pick up…’

He looked at a pulsating representation of his magical call not being answered and continued to wait. There were no phones in this world or culture built around them so it was possible to wait hours for someone to answer but luckily, after a few minutes he heard a familiar voice.

“Roland, I’ve heard that you were returning, are you nearby?”

It was the voice of his favorite bastard son of the Duke, Arthur Valerian. The two hadn’t really talked in a month since Roland’s departure and he just sent him some text messages or prerecorded voice lines to just confirm that he was still alive.

“Not quite, I’ll assume that if you’re using my real name, you are somewhere private.”

“Yes, I’m in my private quarters, you were lucky that I was working late, but are you sure you’re not somewhere close? I need you to go through some of the city plans.”

“I will when there is some time but first, I need you to help me, I’m in some trouble and I need you to assemble the soldiers from Albrook.”