“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.
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“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.
This massive blue projectile soared through the air and crashed into the barricade with a thunderous impact. The logs and debris exploded outward, sending splinters flying in all directions. The bandits that had been lying in wait ran to the side, some of them being pushed away by the occurring explosion while others were incinerated by it.
“S…sir…”
“Don’t worry and keep going, everything is going to be fine.”
For some reason, the coachman felt a strange belief in Roland's words. The man talking to him had an aura of confidence that made the man trust his claim. A large hole had been produced by the blast, and under normal circumstances, the carriage would certainly have crashed into this space and been halted. However, not long after, a dark purple light surrounded Roland’s body, and from various areas, more of the same floating objects emerged.
They were all of the same dodecahedron shape as the one floating object used as a spy drone. They gathered around the carriage and started producing flat layers of a glass-like substance made from mana energy. Once they all connected to each other, the entire carriage was encased in a mostly transparent shield. Then, with a little jolt of mana, just as they were about to ram into the explosion area, they lifted off the ground.
“W-what’s happening outside?”
“Woah, I’m floating!”
“Hah, this is fun!”
The voices of the young girls could be heard inside the carriage as it soared through the air for a few seconds before landing back on the ground. The coachman gulped and craned his neck to look at the bandits they had just blown past. The carriage was unhurt, and all four wheels were still in place, so they continued unimpeded. The man, though shaken, maintained his grip on the reins, guiding the magical equine beasts forward.
The carriage settled back on the cobblestone road with a soft thud, and Roland examined the area around them once more. After making sure that there were no further obstructions ahead, he called back the hovering runic drones into his spatial space that could be now expanded around him.
Satisfied that the immediate threat had been neutralized, Roland floated back down to the carriage door. There he was greeted by surprised looks from the young women and also the maid.
“Is everything alright now, Professor? What was all of that about?”
Margaret asked, her usual confident demeanor slightly changed as she attempted to fix her hair. None of the girls actually knew what this all was about as it was impossible for them to see the hidden bandits trying to surround them.
“Yes, everything is fine. There was a small obstruction on the road but now it’s gone.”
“A small obstruction…”
Margaret looked towards her maid for confirmation, but she just nodded back, implying that it was better not to pry into the matter. Soon they resumed their trip, which became much quieter after the strange incident. They quickly continued their journey towards Ballac, and the girls eventually came to terms with what had happened.
Lucienne, though still worried about her brother, couldn't help but marvel at the sheer power he possessed. She was aware that he wasn’t much older than her and younger than their other brother Robert. He was someone with many secrets who acted too mature for his age. However, he was becoming someone she could count on, and she believed even more that somehow they could save their sibling.
They were now back on track and the carriage continued its journey. Swiftly and smoothly, the magical beasts pulled them at an unmatched speed. The landscape outside gradually changed, with the dense forest giving way to rolling hills and farmlands. The transition from rural to the more populated area signaled they were approaching Ballac.
As they neared the city, the atmosphere within the carriage grew more tense. Roland could sense the apprehension among the girls, especially Lucienne. She was worried about her brother, and it was uncertain what was waiting for them in Ballac. The carriage started to slow down as they arrived before the main gate and took their spot in a waiting line to get inside.
The large, fortified gates of Ballac loomed ahead, guarded by stern-looking sentinels who scrutinized each carriage and pedestrian entering the city. The surrounding area buzzed with activity as merchants, travelers, and city folk moved about. This was a true large city and even though Albrook had been developed further, it could not compare.
Roland took a deep breath and looked over at Lucienne, who was fidgeting with her hands. He wanted to reach out to give her some reassurance but with the other girls around, it wasn’t possible. Luckily, they were quite responsible young ladies and almost instantly noticed that something was off. Margaret placed her hand on his sisters and gave her a reassuring nod.
‘Now then, there are a lot of them… the guards are mostly tier 2… but there is one tier 3 within the tower…’
The concentration of soldiers was much higher within Ballac than in Albrook. They were well-organized and appeared ready to jump into action at a moment's notice. Using the suit, Roland began scanning the area, creating a three-dimensional map inside his databank. Once he had some time, he would analyze the structure for any potential weak spots. His runic drones, which had been flying about previously, had to be hidden, but perhaps during the night, he could venture forth and prepare an escape route.
“Um…Professor Wayland?”
As the scanning continued, Lucienne posed a question. The other girls were here with them but there was no reason to hide what they were aiming for.
“We need to find your mother first, Miss Lucienne, she should be somewhere within the city in the noble district.”
Roland knew that their plan wasn’t too great. Lucienne didn’t give him enough information to form a proper tactic and her mother Francine Arden didn’t explain anything. She was supposedly here working to free Robert from the De Vere household. He didn’t like going into things without a proper plan but there was no other choice here.
‘That woman, Francine… I wonder what she would do…’
As the carriage continued to inch forward in the line at the city gates, he continued to worry. One of the reasons that he had left the Arden estate was because of this woman. It was no secret to anyone there that she despised him and would pit Robert against him whenever she could. He was without a mother and ways of defending himself but he wasn’t truly alone.
‘Martha was there too, I hope she is doing well.’
He started replacing a few incidents involving him hiding out in the pantry and the maid discovering his location. Even when asked about his whereabouts, she would lie to the mistress and her son. She saved him from a lot of fights and probably thanks to her he was able to survive those five years with minimal damage to his pride.
This had become quite a serious matter and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to conceal his identity from this woman. There was a possibility of his other two elder brothers appearing but he wasn’t sure if they would care for Robert enough. Even back when he lived with them, the children from both wives didn’t interact with each other too much. Their mothers created somewhat of a barrier between the siblings.
Robert and Lucienne weren’t Francine’s only children as there also was a second daughter named Dianna. She was the oldest of the bunch and had married another nobleman somewhere. From what he knew, this person wasn’t that wealthy or exceptional to help them in this situation but perhaps some help would arrive from this side of the family.
“You there, come forward!”
Finally, the carriage neared the front of the line at the Ballac's gates. The guards called out to the coachman and a stern-faced guard approached, peering inside. Roland was aware of the procedures here and just needed to show some identification to move it along. Thus he quickly produced the Institute insignia and flashed it towards the guard who was probably not fully aware of its significance.
“We hail from Xandar’s Institute of Wizardry, let us through.”
His voice was altered by his armor's magic to sound lower and more menacing. The guard instantly realized that they weren’t guests that could be ignored. The girls looked like young nobles, there was a maid inside and a strange mage-looking person that was probably their bodyguard. With haste, the man just nodded and waved to the others.
“Let them through!”
The way was clear and the carriage rolled forward into Ballac. They had made it here before the sun could set, now they just needed to find Francine Arden and see if it wasn’t too late to save their elder brother.