In the following two days, Rody carried his mother during the day and rode in a small four-wheeled wooden cart pulled by Marcus and Emma at night, making his way through the wilderness.
Continuously traveling day and night, he finally reached the border between Kolo and Doha. Rody dared not return to the main road and continued to walk through the mountains and forests. Although it was very dangerous, he had no better choice. Once he crossed the Kolo Mountains and safely passed through Doha, Rody could leave the Mesbustania country of the Rhein family by taking a ship from the Yassu seaport along the coast of Doha. He could either settle down on a remote island or find a small village in a major country to live in obscurity, as only anonymity could ensure his and his mother's survival.
Rody had planned the escape long before.
However, he didn't know much about foreign countries and had no idea where he could go from Yassu seaport. But he wasn't too worried about this, as he had more money than originally planned.
The gold coins left by Nicholas weren't many, but they were enough to solve Rody's travel expenses.
Two days later, after the sleeping potion wore off, Rody's mother woke up and was surprised to find herself on her son's back in the midst of wild mountains and green forests.
"Mom, father doesn't want us anymore... He wanted to burn us alive! Lotte is about to change his profession to a Temple Knight, and Lady Mary wants to dedicate the loyalty of the Rhein family to the God of Light. She plans to burn both of us alive at the stake. Mom, luckily Father Cedo warned me before he died and told me to take you and run away, otherwise, we would both be dead..." As Rody explained, his mother began to believe him a little.
Lotte's profession change was nearing, and it was indeed possible that Father Cedo had warned her beloved son. Otherwise, he wouldn't have set traps on the doors and windows to protect himself, and his recent behavior wouldn't have been so strange.
She didn't want to believe that her husband could be heartless enough to burn his son and herself alive, but she fully believed that Lady Mary could do such a thing.
Despite wanting to comfort her son, seeing his exhausted face and sweat-soaked head, she couldn't help feeling heartbroken.
"My dear, you are very brave, you protected mom." Rody's mother reached out her hand, gently wiped the sweat off Rody's face, and smiled, "Fate always plays tricks on us, but that doesn't matter. As long as mom thinks that the merciful Holy Mother was willing to give you to me as a son, that's the greatest happiness in the world. Let mom walk on the ground, look at you, you're already so tired."
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"Mom, don't move, this is already the Kolo Mountains, it's very dangerous with wild beasts lurking..." Rody refused to put down his mother.
It was not easy to see the flaws of Marcus and Emma following behind with his mother on his back.
Moreover, if she got down, it would be impossible to carry her again.
"Marcus? Emma, the couple, why are they following behind?" Rody's mother inadvertently saw them and was very shocked.
"Mom, these two wanted to harm our lives, but before Father Cedo died, he used the 'Divine Sleep' spell from the magic of light to hypnotize them. Whatever I say, they will do. I thought it was too dangerous for just the two of us to travel through mountains and forests with wild beasts, so I had them follow to protect us. Don't be afraid, they are asleep now and know nothing..." Rody didn't know if there was a Divine Sleep spell in light magic, but he knew his mother didn't understand these things and believed in Father Cedo.
"Their eyes are indeed closed." Rody's mother looked back several times and believed it.
"Lady Mary paid ten gold coins to bribe them to poison us. The black bread they brought earlier was a slow-acting poison. Mom, we can't leave them in Kolo; as soon as we leave, they will go and report to the guards." Rody whispered, "Mom, you should eat something first. I picked some figs on the way. They are a bit sour, but now, while the wild animals are resting at noon, we better not stop for a meal and make the most of this time to hurry."
"My darling, I'm not hungry, don't worry about me." Rody's kind-hearted mother pondered for a moment, then said, "Once we reach a safe place, we'll let them go and set them free, okay?"
"I'll listen to mom..." Rody quickly pretended to be a good child, concealing the fact that Marcus and Emma were his slaves of darkness.
In the afternoon, a sudden downpour struck the mountains.
Rody's mother refused to hide alone under the tarpaulin and, like Rody, got completely drenched. Although she drank some holy water for healing, her already frail body, having slept for two days and then exposed to both sun and rain, soon developed a fever. She forced herself to get down and, supporting each other with Rody, traversed over mountains and valleys. By midnight, she fell ill with a persistent high fever.
Perhaps the greatest cause of her illness was the heartless abandonment by her husband and the sorrow of fate.
If it weren't for her dear son, she might have tired of life and chosen suicide long ago.
Rody, although prepared with healing potions, saw limited effectiveness. His mother's fever subsided somewhat, but she was still delirious, muttering the names of her husband and son in her sleep, alternating between crying and laughing, evidently her dreams filled with tears.
Rody, having overextended his mental strength for three days, was forced to stop and rest.
Despite the danger, he had no choice. His body was also not in good shape, and the constant strain on his mental strength had severely depleted him, causing splitting headaches. He held his mother and found a low tree branch to rest on. Marcus and Emma were placed below the tree, ready to protect himself and his mother at any time.
Fortunately, despite hearing wolves howling and beasts roaring, no danger occurred overnight.
The next day, Rody, having regained some strength, carried his drowsy mother and set off with gritted teeth.
Crossing the Kolo Mountains, Rody looked back at the tens of kilometers of mountain forest below him, feeling like he had escaped from the jaws of death. Finally, he and his mother had safely escaped from Kolo.
But their luck officially ended there.
His mother's illness did not improve, and Rody and his group were now being stalked by a terralizard.
The terralizard, a carrion-eater, moved on all fours and weighed as much as three or four adult men. It was incredibly strong, crawling in the mountains and preying on small animals, with a preference for rotten flesh. Perhaps it saw Rody carrying his mother and thought he was close to death, or maybe it smelled the stench of decay on Marcus and Emma. Either way, it followed them at a distance, waiting for the day Rody would fall.
Although the preservation potion was effective, the bodies of Marcus and Emma gradually began to deform slightly and emit a faint stench of decay after being exposed to the sun and rain. Rody's troubles were far from over. First, he couldn't hide the truth from his mother; second, the stench would attract more wild animals; and most importantly, Marcus and Emma needed to expend more mental strength to move under the sun, which was a significant burden for Rody, whose mental strength was nearly depleted.