Three uneventful days passed by, with each night Rona and I were always on alert for immediate action regarding Commander Blue's condition. I thought it was a pretty big burden for the rest of the team to share the night watch rotation with just the five of them. When I raised my concern they just waved it off and said that taking care of Commander Blue is much more important than the night watch rotation since she's higher on the rank of importance except for myself.

Each day was quiet and mundane but with each passing moment that we spent being cautious and at the end of the day nothing happens, it was tiring us out more often since we were keeping our vigilance up at all times. Weariness and fatigue were almost upon us but we were able to reach Greenfield Town without much delays.

We were granted entry without much fuss but we were discreetly led by the guard captain towards the mayor's office. Thankfully we didn't attract much attention with only a single additional guard that went along with the guard captain to escort us. Imagining the commotion we would cause if we were essentially parading with an group of guard escorts.

The mayor's office here didn't look that different from the governor's back at Auburn City since these are cities whose leader were granted the responsibility to represent the ruling lord of the territory. A maid was called over to be our new guide.

She gave us a bow, "Welcome to the Mayoral Office of Greenfield Town. Follow me to the reception room. Mayor Hubeck has already been informed of your arrival." I nodded and let her lead us to the reception room.

It was a room that looked to be about as big as a village chief's house, though I only have one for comparison, but it was enough to accommodate us all on sofas without having to be squeezed in shoulder to shoulder. As I was about to ask for assistance with Commander Blue the maid took initiative, "The healers are on their way with a doctor, please wait a moment."

Seeing that it was already decided, we waited for a bit before a knock was heard on the door and the medical team was ushered in. The doctor that was leading them looked like a man on his forties sporting a goatee and side burns, "Pleased to make your acquaintance," He dipped his head and continued before I could greet him back, "If you'll follow us to the next room we'll be able to treat your..." He glanced at Blue lying on the stretcher we had, "companion and verify if there any complications. The room we'll be using has already been sterilized."

I shifted my eyes to Cameron and he agreed wordlessly, "In that case we leave her in your capable hands Doctor." They left the room with Victor and Ian who were carrying the stretcher as we entered the building. After a few minutes they returned back to the reception room. "How was it?" I asked Victor who sat across me.

"It's just two rooms down, and it looks like it was regularly used as a clinic for the building so nothing should be amiss." I breathed a sigh of relief. Even though we are already a few days away from Auburn City, there's no telling if those mysterious assassins had other collaborators in other cities and if whoever left Commander Blue in that state when we found her is the same mysterious assassins, their collaborators, or a whole new party altogether. This is so stressing, I have to request for better hazard pay when i get back.

When the maid returned to the room she had another maid following behind her pushing a tray. The leading maid bowed, "The mayor sends his apologies, his prior commitment is taking longer than expected." The maid who was pushing the tray then went forward and served us tea and sweets. "For now I ask for your patience as Mayor Hubeck does what he can to finish his previous commitment."

The maid who was preparing the treats looked younger than the maid who was guiding us since we've arrived but she was experienced in table setting the snacks and tea elegantly and swiftly. After serving them, the team was able to relax a bit and enjoyed the snacks prepared for us. I took this time to further gather my thoughts on the matter. It was a frustrating matter to consider that the mysterious swordswoman who attacked us was hostile to us but didn't pursue us much lingered on my mind ever since the encounter and was the main driving force for my anxiety regarding our surroundings.

After that, there was that series of disappearances regarding the local information network back in Auburn, which prompted our hasty exit and then stumbling into Commander Blue out in the forest. There were too many unknowns but the biggest of it all was the mysterious death of Lucian, the main target we were supposed to bring back to the Imperial Capital. If only my upper-classmen from back at the academy were here I'm sure she'll be able come up with something. Intricate plans like these weren't really my expertise since then.

While I was stewing with these thoughts, a voice announced the arrival of the mayor before it was opened and he entered the room. Everyone stood up and greeted him, with me leading the introductions. After the pleasantries Mayor Hubeck moved to sit behind the desk near the one of the windows and asked for details that led to our current situation. I obliged but I also left out other details that he didn't need to know incase the mysterious assailants target him.

He sat silently with his eyes closed before exhaling a loud sigh, "I understand the situation somewhat and agree with your decisions to head here for immediate treatment but that leaves us with the question, 'what do you plan to do next?'". His eyes were focused on me, as the leader of the team for this assignment.

I already had a plan though I didn't share it with the team yet but I have a feeling they'll all agree with it.

"Delivering our report back to the Imperial Bureau is of utmost importance, especially since the mission turned awry in more ways than one." I left some sense of graveness linger before continuing.

"As it stands, merely passing on the letter to messengers, or even to express letter deliveries may give our opponents the opening to hamper our communication, costing us more time and resources than needed. Thus, it is prudent that we'll be leaving the care of our friend in your hands while we require swapping out our wagons to individual horses and carrying provisions to make the journey quicker and easier."

Mayor Hubeck smirked just faintly enough that not many would notice it, "I see. With individual horses and enough provisions for each one strapped to their own horses, you can minimize being limited by size while also giving you more speed and access to narrower roads." He kept nodding and eventually gave out orders to the maids waiting by the door.

"See to it that they have the best horses we can spare, as well as provisions enough to last them the journey to back to the capital on horseback with some leeway."

The maids bowed and without a word they both left the room and replaced by a butler who took their place by the wall. The butler nodded to Mayor Hubeck.

Taking that as a cue, he stood up, "I apologize for the brisk reception but it seems my next appointment is here. I'll see to it that you have rooms for tonight and will bring someone to tell you of when you can depart. For the meantime, Jean here will serve as your guide in the interim."

"Much thanks Mayor." I thanked him and he left the office, leaving us to turn our attention to the butler who still stood attentively.

The butler looked to be in his late twenties, with a greyish-hair and an unassuming face.

"If you'll follow me esteemed guests I shall show you your quarters for the night." He quickly turned around and exited, not bothering waiting for a reply. I exchanged some skeptical glances with the other team but was only met with strained expressions. With no other choice to to follow him, we did so reluctantly.

Jean led us to one of the houses near the vicinity of the office. Apparently some of these properties acts as dormitories for government officials here as well as for the servants who would maintain the properties. We were led to the guest house since it was the usual house used to host guests in the city.

It was still fairly big inside, with enough rooms for four individuals on the second floor, with additional empty rooms on the third floor.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"There would be personnel dispatched to this house to take care of cleaning as well as cooking, laundry and other housekeeping matters periodically."

I nodded at him and he went on his way back towards the office I assume. "Alright team, I'm sorry for springing that plan up like that earlier but I assumed none of you were objected to it?" I asked bit hesitantly.

Cameron answered on behalf of the team, "Given the situation, that was the best call. One I would bring up myself should you not broach it with the mayor."

Inwardly, I sighed in relief, "Got it. Then, let's all enjoy some well deserved rest for tonight. I know I'm tired from the past few days. But don't let your guard down fully just yet. Once Mayor Hubeck has arranged for what we need, we'll have to race back to the capital if need be. Who knows how impactful this situation is to the Empire as a whole."

Thus everyone was free to enjoy the rest period we have before heading back outside the city. For dinner however, my presence was requested by the mayor and seeing that everyone else was tired I opted to answer alone.

Being led back to the mayoral office and to a dining hall I sat across the mayor. This wasn't a private dining hall too, this atmosphere was close to a cafeteria with other officials and personnel eating their own dinner in other tables.

"I apologize for summoning you at this hour but please enjoy dinner first, we'll talk about the reason after we've enjoyed a hot meal." He said. At least he was reasonable and so I gladly took him on his offer.

Dinner past by rather quickly, given that the food served looked like it was prepared regularly by the chefs instead of catered to guests however there was a bit more flourish to it in terms of presentation and side dishes.

Mayor Hubeck sets down his utensils audible enough for me to register that he has finished eating as well.

"Now that we've had our fill I'll be explaining why I requested your presence rather urgently. I've received a detailed report from the physician who treated your companion and the contents of it are rather intriguing to say the least." He slid a sealed envelope towards me.

"We'll do what we can here but I concur with his opinion that you should seek assistance from those in the capital. They have more resources to cure what ails your companion." I nodded gravely at what he implied to be something rare and probably dangerous.

"With regards to your departure however, preparations have gone rather smoothly and you can expect to leave here shortly after the first bell tomorrow. We've been able to acquire the finest horses that are suitable for the journey as well as ample provisions to last you around two weeks at most."

I nodded eagerly at his generosity. I just hope that it isn't all rations for two weeks. I'd rather starve than try to consume it all.

"You have our gratitude Mayor." I offered a bow of my head as a sign of thanks but he waved his hands off,

"No no, we are glad to be of service to the Imperial Bureau!"

I smiled faintly, "Very well then. I will see to it your assistance will be rewarded."

I retired to one of the rooms on the second floor. Each room had two beds by the way and Melanie and Rona were already sharing one so I was using this room alone. Nobody was on night watch this time since Mayor Hubeck also dispatched some guards to keep watch around the house vicinity.

Laid down on the bed, I stared at the dark ceiling above me. The sinking softness of the mattress really does a number on our fatigue. I can already imagine myself melting away in bliss.

"Starting tomorrow it's going to be a race against time to head back to the capital before we can get intercepted and if we do get intercepted..." I decided not to finish that thought since if its the masked swordswoman again I doubt all of us would be able to escape unscathed.

Grumbling a bit about my unfair situation being saddled with this special field operation mission, I slowly fall asleep.

My eyelids opened to the not so familiar ceiling I saw last night. Feeling a bit groggy I remained laying down and sorted through my thoughts once more. I haven't done this much thinking since I was preparing for the Imperial Entrance Exam. After breakfast today we'll be heading off, leaving behind Commander Blue here along with her mysterious ailment. It would typically take us two weeks to reach the capital city but on horseback and with a bit of speed we can make it in seven, maybe eight days, assuming nothing springs out of nowhere to halt our travel that is.

"Ugh, this is just too stressful. I applied for secretary to avoid these kinds of situations, wanting nothing more than to just sort and organize paperwork all day and be graciously paid for it." I groaned and grumbled a bit more but once more sunlight spilled from the window I got up from bed and did a couple of stretching to get into shape a bit.

While I was in the middle of my routine somebody knocked on my door, "Excuse me, breakfast will be served shortly."

From the sound of it, a maid had come by to inform me. She probably informed the others as well. I guess it's time to finish up my routine. I don't want to be all sweaty during breakfast and it would be tyrannical of me to have them draw me a bath when we'd be leaving after breakfast.

We were all gathered in the dining hall near the entrance and there would a handful of servants bringing in the food from the kitchen in the next room over. I'm pretty impressed that they were all prepared to do all of this in such short notice.

After we were all done with breakfast I gave my thanks to the crew who served us today and just as I was about to call everyone to head on to the mayoral office, another butler came into the room and announced that Mayor Hubeck is at the door.

Moving to the door, we found him along with more staff as well as horses, enough for seven people with bags which I presumed to contain our supplies.

"This is the most we can do with such urgency but ideally we'd prefer to-"

I cut off him off with my hand before he could continue, "Do not fret about it too much. A steed and ample provision is more than enough to help us accomplish our mission."

He backed down rather reluctantly but I guess most nobles and their governors are loyal to the Imperial Family within the central regions. "Once again thank you for your assistance. The next word you'll hear from us will be probably be a different team to retrieve our companion and transport her to the capital."

I turned my attention to my team gathered behind me, "Alright! Mount up and let's get on the road. You know the mission and the path so let's get right to it!"

They responded with cheer and vigor and eagerly mounted up on the horses and headed towards the road that leads back to the Fort Stoic.

We started our return trip with a brisk pace. Greenfield Town was located a bit southwest of Auburn City. Instead of tracing our steps back to Auburn, we'd be skirting around to the western part of it, occasionally stopping in small towns and villages along the way to rest our horses. Usually when heading towards the Capital City, one would stop over at Auburn or at Mineras City before heading towards Fort Stoic which would usually take a week or so to regular travelers but since we're aiming to reach the Imperial Capital urgently we'll be skipping making stops in those two major cities and opting to stop in the smaller settlements dotted around.

At dawn we'd eat a hearty meal and ran our horses like the wind, covering as much distance as possible before the sun rose high. By noon, we'd be slowing down a bit as we try to calculate which village we'd spend the night on. Once we settled on a destination we'd let the horses rest and get tended for as well as eat an early dinner and then get some sleep. We'll then repeat the process the next day.

Through this, we covered a lot of distance in the past three days and we'll be passing by Mineras City once we find the next village to spend the fourth day on. Our mounts were healthy and sturdy and I can't thank Mayor Hubeck enough for his generosity.

We've already slowed down but comparatively speaking, we're still galloping through the well maintained roads which also contributed to our speed in making in back in a week's time. However, Victor, who was leading ahead and scouting with his wind magic signaled to stop with raising his hand and slowing down before coming to a complete stop. Everyone else behind him comes to a stop as well.

I tugged my horse forward, "What did you find?" Even though we weren't doing the fastest we could, I was still breathing heavily.

"Not sure if its hostiles, but looking like a group of miscreants up ahead. Bandits most likely but they don't feel like bandits."

I nodded and turned to Cameron, "Alright, plains combat formation. Form up!"

Everyone quickly settled into formation. Victor was still leading but Ian was right beside him. I was in the middle with Cameron, and Joran while Melanie, and Rona were at the back of our formation. We continued our approach towards what seemed to be a turn with an overlooking cliff further beyond. A perfect place for an ambush.

All of us are ready with our wands in hands as he grasped the reins, ready to imbue them with mana at a moment's notice. Once we got a bit closer, a group of people sprung from atop the cliff and loosened arrows.

Ian grunted and summoned forth displaced rocks to intercept the arrows while Melanie and Cameron launched counter volley with their long ranged magic. It was a disaster for these bandits but they didn't look at all that panicked but rather desperate.

A surge of mana erupted from behind the cliff and a couple more bandits emerged, this time they were both unarmed but were surging with mana around their bodies.

"The Federation!" I quickly shouted, "Scatter!"

Mages from the federation all experimented on non-mages for magic augmentation and in some cases, lesser mages. Once those proved fruitful they would gradually test it out on more capable mages to create the perfect super soldier, or at least that's what the Director tells me at times.