After saying farewells to my family, I delved into the dangerous depths of the Forest, walking back in the direction of the frontier villages.

I had decided to follow the only clue Sam gave me before I killed him: to go west into the next large city along the main highway.

That also meant going back toward Ereneth, where, by now, every single guard must have been searching for me.

Getting inside unnoticed would be next to impossible, so my only option was to circumvent the city before joining the main highway further down the road.

The one remaining question was... 'Should I go north or south?' I pondered.

Going through the north would undoubtedly be easier. Even though the mountain terrain was much more treacherous and challenging, I already knew the area pretty well thanks to the multiple trips I made there, meaning I could navigate it without any serious problems.

However, it was also where the Count's army currently was, and by now, they would have undoubtedly received the news and be hurrying back to Ereneth, so given my luck, the chances of running right into their grasp would be quite high.

This leaves only the south... 'Jagged Rocks, huh.' I was also familiar with the area, although not as well as with the mountains.

It was full of treacherous cliffs and steep ravines, and the idea of going through there didn't improve my mood one bit, yet there was nothing I could do about it but endure it.

Thus, with somber determination, I soldiered on, trudging along the narrow animal trails while meticulously avoiding any local fauna who might want to eat me since I wanted to conserve my essence, as I knew I would need every drop of it for what was to come.

Shortly before noon, I emerged from the shadows of the ancient trees onto the fields and meadows of the Frontier.

I could see farmers tending to their crops in the distance as they toiled under the relentless assault of the midday sun.

I kept to the shadows, cautiously walking along the trenches and shrubs to avoid detection heading in a southerly direction.

As I walked, the sun's heat beat down on me mercilessly. Sweat rolled down my back and dripped from my chin. I was grateful for the shade of the occasional tree that crossed my path, but they were few and far between.

After several hours, I finally left the Frontier behind and, before me, stretched the Jagged Rocks as far as the eye could see.

I had come across a small stream that ran parallel to my path and followed it as it snaked between the rocks and narrow cliffs while keeping a gentle pace.

The sun was already beginning to lower itself toward the western horizon, and I realized I would soon need to start finding shelter for the night.

I was getting tired after a whole day of walking and would love nothing else but a nice night's sleep.

But first, I had to do something with those pesky soldiers who appeared to have caught my scent and been relentlessly pursuing me for the past several hours.

I paused and turned backward with a heavy sigh, briefly considering my options before I walked out of the trail and propelled myself atop a nearby tree.

'They're already here...' I narrowed my eyes as I finally caught a glimpse of my enemies.

From the elevated position in the tree's crown, I noticed a large cloud of dust rising a short distance away. As I focused on it, straining my eyes to their limit, I managed to spot many large silhouettes moving in my direction between the towering trees.

I counted about twenty horses and several massive hounds running at the head of the hunting party.

'That's probably how they found me in the first place...' I thought soberly.

As I looked further back, there was also a small unit of infantry surrounding the fancy-looking Captain I saw back in the village; his expensive armor glinted in the setting sun.

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Overall, there were about fifty or so soldiers and, to my great surprise, exactly zero mages.

Seeing this, I couldn't help but smirk as I watched the hunting party eagerly closing in on my position.

'That Captain is either too arrogant or plain stupid... or more likely both. Well, if they are so eager to meet me, I shouldn't let them wait.' I donned a wicked smile as I jumped down and started, heading in their direction.

There was simply no way for a group of regular soldiers to stand the slightest chance against me, yet they still acted as if I was some common rabble whom they could hunt down.

Unless Sir Roderick or the Count himself decided to personally join in, I had nothing to worry about.

First, there were the hounds. I heard their insistent barking long before I finally saw them bolt out of the underbrush in their mad pursuit.

But when they finally arrived at the small clearing where I decided to make my stand, they instantly lost their previous vigor as they laid their beady eyes on me.

I simply stood there, not yet paying them any attention as I was busy controlling the vast quantity of essence I had just gathered. The air buzzed with static electricity, and my hair fluttered in the wind.

The hounds instantly stopped in their tracks, not daring to advance any further, simply staring at me, growling menacingly. But with each passing second, their courage seemed to be leaving them, and then they began whining and slowly retreating.

I smirked. 'As if I let you...' The next moment, several long spikes rose from the ground, skewering the unassuming dogs and tearing them limb from limb.

I briefly looked at the gruesome sight before shattering the spikes and manipulating the patch of earth, quickly burying the hound's remains and flattening the area, erasing any signs of what happened before continuing onward.

Although it was a waste killing such majestic-looking hounds, I couldn't risk leaving them alive as their tracking skills seemed to be the only way the soldiers had of pursuing me.

Without wasting a breath, I ran in the same direction from where the hounds appeared for a short while, but then I jumped upward, propelling myself onto a nearby tree where I tightly clutched the rough trunk, holding my breath.

In the next moment, several riders appeared from between the trees and, without stopping, continued forward.

'What a bunch of morons...' I smiled before lowering myself to the ground and resuming my advance.

Before long, I met the main force. About two dozen lightly armored infantrymen, several hunters and dog-handlers, and the rest of the riders centered around a richly decorated figure of the young Captain who apparently wanted to make a name for himself by bringing my head back to Ereneth.

'I'm sure he will make a name for himself, alright... I'm just not sure if he will like the story's end.'

When I emerged right in front of the small host, everyone looked at me like I was a ghost. Yet before they could comprehend what was happening, a massive shockwave rippled across the forest floor, crushing everything in its path.

What followed was a total mayhem. The young Captain began hurriedly barking orders, a panic evident in his eyes, but there was nothing he could do.

The horses become frightened, wildly jumping around. But before their riders could calm them down, many earth spikes rose from the ground, impaling both the horses and their riders alike.

I wasn't planning to show any mercy to those who wanted me dead or who could pose a threat to my family, so even though the soldiers who survived the initial blast began hurriedly dropping their weapons to the ground and running away in horror, I promptly finished them all one by one.

Soon, only the young Captain was left alive, and it was only thanks to that same annoying pendant similar to what the Magistrate had.

But this only made me grin as I slowly began walking toward him. Contrary to back then, I now still had plenty of essence left, and he was alone, which meant I could finally do a little experiment and find out the pendant's limit.

"S-stay away, you despicable witch!" The Captain shouted in desperation, crawling backward.

I chuckled as I took measured, menacing steps toward the Captain. "Witch? I prefer to be called a mage, mind you."

I raised my right hand, promptly gathering my essence. "Now, let's see what this little pendant of yours can withstand."

The surrounding air began to compress around the thin outlines of the translucent shield as the pressure slowly increased.

At first, it seemed like the shield held just fine, but as I released more and more of my power, several narrow cracks began forming on the shield's surface.

The Captain scrambled backward, his eyes wide with fear as he tried to crawl away. "Please, have mercy! I surrender! I'll do any...!"

But before he could finish his desperate plea, the abused pendant seemed to have finally reached its limit, and as the shield cracked, the surrounding pressure instantly crushed the Captain's body.

I released my hold on the spell, panting with exhaustion. This has taken a much larger toll on me than I had thought it would. 'No wonder he was so confident previously... it would be nearly impossible to get past this for any common mage.'

Right then, the scouts I had previously passed by returned, probably to report that they seemed to have lost the track, but as they appeared between the trees, their jaws dropped, and they simply stared at me in utter shock, struggling to comprehend the gruesome sight before them.

However, they didn't get the chance to gather their thoughts as, in the next moment, they joined their comrades in their eternal sleep.

I sighed, dragging my exhausted body away as I had used too much essence and was overcome with tiredness. 'Now I can finally get some sleep...'