Chapter 480 – No Stopping.

“Would you like another biscuit?”

“Sure, can I also get some more tea?”

“Of course!”

“…”

“Oh, excuse me, Professor, would you like some too?”

“No, I’m fine…”

Roland glanced at the four girls who were sitting and eating sweet snacks. They were inside a rather spacious carriage that they had procured for this trip. There was even tea inside, and thanks to a few enchantments, the carriage would not shake, even if it went over uneven terrain.

The group was ensconced in the carriage, which smoothly sped along the cobblestone streets outside of Antolun. The magical equine beasts pulling it were indeed as swift as Margaret had promised, and Roland found himself grudgingly appreciating the comfort and speed. As they traveled, he used the time to consider their destination and the potential problems ahead.

Lucienne and her friends were chatting quietly, the tension from earlier was slowly dissipating. Hadley, the maid, took a seat next to him and both of them watched the girls on the other side.

“So, Professor Wayland, what exactly do you expect to find when we get to Ballac?”

Hadley asked, breaking the silence. Her voice was calm, but her eyes were sharp. It was clear to him that there was more to this woman than met the eye. She was trying to measure his strength, it was as if she was trying to figure out how a battle between the two of them would go. Both of them had devices to hide their status so neither of them knew their opponent’s true strength.

I am not entirely sure, but Miss Lucienne’s brother has found himself in some trouble and was probably falsely accused of something. I’m sure once we get there, everything will become clearer.”

Hadley nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face which was also slightly filled with doubt.

“I see. And you are certain you can handle whatever awaits us?”

Roland glanced at her, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“I wouldn’t have agreed to come if I wasn’t.”

The carriage sped on, and the landscape gradually shifted from urban to rural as they passed through the De Vere territory. Roland took his time to examine the surroundings and ensured he was tracking their travel route. There was a possibility that they would need an escape route to the mage tower. He wasn’t planning on letting his brother die; as long as they managed to escape into the territory of another noble, the De Vere family wouldn’t be able to follow. In a worst-case scenario, he would be able to hide Robert in Albrook where the aristocratic Valerian house ruled.

“Very well, Professor. Just wanted to make sure we are on the same page.”

“That’s fine, I’m sure you’re only concerned about the lady you serve, it’s understandable.”

Roland was sure that this woman was some kind of guard but she probably wouldn’t harm him or the other girls. However, he wasn’t so sure if she would abandon the group and prioritize Margaret if things got sour. It would probably be up to him to protect the rest and judging by the map, this might come sooner than later.

At first, the journey proceeded smoothly for the most part; the carriage sliced through the rural areas of the De Vere territory in an efficient manner. Their speed was high, but they eventually entered a dense forest area, where some unforeseen guests were waiting for them. Roland could see dots on his mapping device trying to encircle them, clearly enemies that had been waiting for someone to take this route.

‘Bandits again?’

No one knew him inside the kingdom, and besides the incident with Viola Castellane, he didn’t have many enemies. There were a couple of possibilities in this situation: either this was just an area filled with bandits and their luck was bad, or they had been followed. It wasn’t uncommon for bandits to appear, occasionally attacking wealthy travelers and then escaping into another region before any knights could be dispatched to deal with them. However, he was still hated by someone who had already tried to assassinate him before, so he couldn’t exclude the other possibility.

‘They probably created a barricade and will try to entrap us once we stop…’

The girls inside the carriage didn’t notice anything was wrong, but Roland had a clear view of the situation outside. Above them, a metallic object in the shape of a dodecahedron was floating, relaying a feed directly into his helmet. He had let one of his inventions fly above them like a drone to keep watch over their movements. Through this, he could see into the distance where his enemies lurked. This would probably allow him to act before anything happened, and soon he was moving towards the carriage door.

“Miss Hadley, I need to step away for a moment. We have a few unwelcome guests, but don’t be alarmed; they aren’t much of a threat.”

Without stopping the carriage, Roland pushed the door open and, with the help of his flotation spell, took a step forward. While maintaining their momentum, he propelled himself to the top of the carriage. From his vantage point, he scanned the forest around them, noting the positions of the bandits hidden among the trees. The dense foliage would normally provide ample cover, but thanks to his runic equipment, he could see through everything.

“Please don’t be alarmed and don’t stop.”

The neatly dressed coachman glanced in his direction as he appeared on top of the carriage. He looked confused but continued to steer the magical horses, trusting that Roland knew what he was doing. With the help of his drone above, it was easy to home in on every mana pattern in close proximity. Soon, Roland reached out with one of his hands.

A sphere of energy started to form on his palm, glowing larger with each passing moment. He lifted his palm upwards as if trying to lift a water balloon filled with liquid. The sphere continued to increase in size as he poured more mana into it. Finally, in a burst of blue light, many strings of light shot out in all directions.

The thin threads of concentrated mana energy shot out in all directions, darting through the forest with precision. Each thread homed in on a target, striking with pinpoint accuracy. The bandits, some who had been lying in wait and others who were mobile, were caught off guard. The energy threads connected with their vital points, overpowering them almost instantly.

Roland remained poised on top of the carriage, his eyes scanning the forest for any additional threats. He knew better than to assume the initial wave of bandits was all there was. His instincts proved wrong this time around as no further reinforcements were detected by any of his skills or spells. Now the only problem that was before them, was the small barricade that they were approaching from the front.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Professor Wayland, what’s happening?”

Lucienne’s voice called out from inside the carriage, her tone clearly indicating concern.

“Just a minor inconvenience, Stay inside”

Roland replied calmly, his eyes pointed towards the road and the enemies waiting for them. There were around ten men there who had gathered some thick logs and placed them on the road to block them from advancing. The carriage slowed as it neared the barricade, but Roland wasn’t planning on stopping.

“Don’t stop, just continue at this pace…”

“But sir, we’ll hit those logs if we don’t!”

The coachman called out but quickly quieted down as a large mass of bluish energy appeared before him. It was much bigger than the previous sphere that produced thin traces of mana. Then while pointing it at around a forty five degree angle, the concentrated projectile was fired forward. It traveled in a magnificent arch and looked like a comet streaking through the night sky, aimed right at the center of the barricade.