“Have you seen any horses on your way here?”
“Hmmm---. Not too far from here, there are several guards, who are making their way in tow with a dozen and so horses.”
“They have caught them, good. Thank you!” — [Hopefully, Hubert's horse is with them.]
With a nod from the man in blue, the group proceeded towards the battlefield, as Levis and the boar, continue to walk in the direction from where the guards and the horses, would sooner or later arrive.
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“Pat!”
But while the six cultivators were leaving, Levis’s gaze stood on them for several moments longer, before turning around to look at the road, as he patted the head of the boar lightly, prompting him to reinitiate the trod towards the west and the guards that were supposed to have found the remaining horses.
“So—, your name is Dabo?!”
“Yes—, friend nameed me, boar Dabo! Strong—sounding name— right!”
“It sounds like a strong name. But you keep saying “friend” and “friend”, why do you not call sir Baron', the same way as everyone else.”
“Hmmm—. Friend does not like— the name Baron, and friend—, hates even more— his true name. That is why boar calls—friend, friend.”
“True name? Is sir Baron not his name? What is his name then?!”
“Boar—agrrr— can not say. Friend does not like when people call him by his true name.”
“Can you tell me---, I promise not to call him, or to tell anyone that I know his name!?”
[Kid what the hell, have you become a gossiping aunty all of a sudden, where is the crisis of your missing toys?]
“Agrrr—, alright. But cub Levis— will not tell—, and if found—, cub Levis heard not from boar—, alright!”
“Alright.”
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[Kid you bastard! You dare ignore me!!!]
[The guards have already said that they have found the horses, so I am no longer in any hurry.]
[Ahhh—, you fool. How can you believe the words of a stranger that you have just met.]
[He did not seem to have been lying to me. So it is most likely true, as he does not stand to gain anything from lying about a simple.]
[If that were to be the case all the time, the world would be a paradise, but alas it is not so---, and-- you are not listening to me.]
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“Very well—, but cub Levis— promise not to tell!”
“Yes, I promise.”
“Agreed—, friend's true name--- is Al’sha Mugu.”
“Al–al-sha? Mugu?! Strange name.”
“Agrrr—shu-shu-shu—, not tell out loud, the friend can hear. Cub Levis silent.”
“Can hear me!?” — [Urger? How can he hear?]
[Urghhh--- you little bastard ---! Huuu----, well, by expanding his own energy and consciousness in the world, he can sense and hear things that are in the distance.]
[Just like I did, when we entered Adrian’s mind? Or how, old village chief had spoken to me, can he speak from a great distance as well?]
[Yes, and not as you might be thinking—, but you are on the right track.]
“Cub Levis—, ahead, humans and horses!”
Though in the midst of a momentary absence, Dabo who had continued his slow, and stubbly trod, made Levis aware that they had arrived before his objective.
“Ohh—, there they are–, and Hubert’s horse------, there it is, and all seems to be alright. Now we need to return.”
“Levis?”
“What are you doing here, brat!?”
“I came for Hubert’s horse, as I did not find it amongst the one that had run east, so I came after you— ahh, now who is this time?!”
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Consequently, as Levis and the board had arrived, the five men that were steering the dozens of horses, had at the same time, seen the boy, and the large animal, as they shouted at him. But as he was in the midst of answering them, he was forced to stop as he could see and sense, strong presences coming their way, from quite the distance.
Yet, as it was the case, for the previous guards to be a united big group, the ones this time, flew by in silence and solitary paths. However as Levis merged with the group of guards that were guiding the horses, he could clearly observe that the guards did not sense, or see any of the presences that were flying not too far above their heads.
Nevertheless, in his case, Levis raised his head and looked closer, as they did not make themselves seen as the previous guards, but at the same time, he could make their appearances, even as they tried to stay out of his line of sight. Yet it was obvious that they were not a part of the guards, as they did not appear to wear the protective armor akin to a guard, but something with more respite and close to the city-like clothes, that he had seen the people of Rud wear.
[What can you sense? What is your complete inquiry informing you!]
[Cultivators, more than ten, they are trying to hide, but I can somewhat sense them. But they seem to give a weaker feeling than the guards in green. They must be at the King stage if they can fly. And they all seem to be looking at Dabo beneath me, I can almost feel their gazes—, and they all give the same feeling of---, greed.]
[Well—, an Immortal beast, at the peak of rank 9 this calm, and this well-behaved amongst humans, it is something that many would clearly want.]
[Then they should try, as I really want to see sir Baron in action for myself. He is the third one, apart from the Red perved and the “big shot” that had nearly killed me from afar, that I can not truly understand all that well. But---, well, it matters not, as I have found what I have come for.]
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[ [Haaaa---, he is going to change into your mindset, at this rate.] ]
[ [Good, if he is to do something, he should not be afraid of playing with the safety of others.] ]
[ [What if this, will one day fall onto us?] ]
[ [If this brat can really get at us, then, we really had fallen to the lowest point.] ]
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“Adrian.”
“Cap—, sir! We have finished our search and recovered all that we could. We have found the corpse of the cultivator that had been eaten by the serpents, though the conditions are not good, and he can hardly be recognized, as the stomach acids of the beast had dissolved most of his skin, and muscles. As for the other two, we had left them as they were, as per your instruction.”
Meanwhile, as Levis had just left the visible area, Adrian who was done oversing the recuperation of the bodies had arrived on the other side of the burned field, alongside the dozens of men who moved further on the road, to take back custody of their horses, at the same time to begin preparing camp for the night, as the sun was going down unexpectedly fast, after the tremendous event that they had successfully survived.
“It matters not, of the state that he is. But, anyhow, good work. You can rest, though we ought to raise tents, given that we will see the night here.”
“I have already conveyed to them what to perform next, they will begin to raise the tents necessary for the night. However, I hope the Levis and the other group, will arrive before nightfall.”
“Eh? Where is he—?”
“Mmm—!? In pursuit of the five, that had left to find the missing steeds.”
“What? When did he leave?”
Yet, as Rowen looked over the scorched field, he could see no sign of Levis or of the boar, causing his right eyelid to twitch continuously for some time.
“Not too long ago, he took off on the road with the boar?”
“Why did you let him leave?”
“I---I have assumed, you have given him the approval to leave, so I have said nothing. When I asked him where he was going, he had stated that he was going to find the guards and horses.”
However as Adrian answered Rowen, he could only report Levis's departure with the boar, as he had presumed that he had been given permission to leave.
“That little bastard!” — [I turn around for a moment, and you leave without saying anything.]
“Should we go after him?”
“No, there is no need. Since sir Boar is with him, he will be in no danger. Still, why did he leave for the steeds?”
“Young master Rowen, I have heard him speak with our men, and it appears that he was inquiring about the horses we had captured---, apparently he was searching for one in particular.”
Nevertheless, from behind lady Nicole, the protector of miss Adel was presenting her piece of information, that she had been able to hear from the boy's interaction with their men.
“One in particular? Adrian, which of the horses are missing?”
“A moment, I will find out immediately.”
Leaving from Rowen's side, and in an instant later Adrian moved to see which of the horses were missing among the ones that were present, only returning in sheer moments after giving a quick look to all the creatures.
“I have checked, and apart from mine and Hubert's one, almost all the horses near our location in the file, are present here.”
“Yours and Hubert’s one—, Hubert—!” — [Hubert’s horse, Levis’s things—, do not tell me— he had gone after his statutes---, no, he is, the only one stupid enough to go.]
“Hmm—? Young miss, young master Rowen. I sense several cultivators approaching our location, very fast.”
Yet as Rowen was about to relax for a brief moment, July who had stayed behind him, and Luise who was clinging to his arm as though stuck, had begun to speak all of a sudden, alarming him at the sudden warning.
“How many?”
“Six, but they appear to have no ill intent.”
“Most likely the guard of Rud. Luise, stay behind, I need to meet them.”
“No!”
“Haaa—, July!”
“Excuse me, miss.”
“No, what are you—! Aggrrr— no, then you stay here, with me!!!”
“Agggr—! Haaa—!! Alright! Miss Adel, please keep Luise here, till I will talk with the Guard Captain that will arrive. Sir Baron and old Wan should arrive soon. So I will see to resolve our predicament as soon as possible.” — [Now. The corpses of the guards had been secured, and then— the remains of the cultivators—, are suitable for an inspection, all I have to do is to give a report and end this before something else might come at me.]
“Little Rowen!”
“Sir Baron?”
However, just as Rowen had been freed from Luise, and he was with one foot on the charge field, preparing to confront the incoming guards, the voice of sir Baron came to be right at his ear, spooking him momentarily.”
“Little Rowen, stay where you are. Me and caretaker Wan will arrive in a hundred breaths or so. No need to put yourself ahead, as this will only make things complicated, I will be the one to report on this, alright?”
“Sir Baron, I thank you but—.”
“No buts, you brat! If I say you, to stay put, you will stay put, and wait for me till I say so.”
“Aghhh—, sir—, Baron—!”
Yet, in face of disagreement, the man that was at an unknown distance, was able to force Rowen immobile in place, as though a statue.
“Rowen? Are you not going anymore!?”
“He stayed for me, it is most evident, sister Adel. See, he is waiting, straight and rigid like a tree. Rigid like a tree---?! Rowen, what is wrong? Rowen—!”
“Young miss, please stay aside, it seems that sir Baron is forcing the young master to stay here for some reason.”
“What? Why is he doing it!? Sir Baron! I am going to tell father, and uncle Adam, if you are not letting him out right now.”
“Young miss, this might not be the appropriate way to approach sir Baron's good side.”
“I know what is appropriate, but what it is not, is for an old coot, to bully my Rowen.”
“Young miss, please defer from insulting, sir Baron. Miss Adel!”
“Haaa—, Luise, stop this already. if sir Baron is doing so, he must have his reasons for why he does not want him to go.”
Ultimately, as Luise was trying to push or pull Rowen, lady July and miss Adel were trying to pursue her otherwise. But Rowen who could not move at this moment was forced to watch forward, at the incoming six flying cultivators that were landing in the middle of the area, while Luise was still pulling at him, as she was constantly trying to verbally abuse or threaten sir Baron, into letting him go. — [Maybe Levis’s choice to run away from here, was the right decision.]