Akira's Perspective

As Allegro quickly handed over the reins and drove the magic carriage across the bridge, we knew we were racing against time. We had no choice but to hurry.

"That's strange," murmured Allegro, contemplating our situation. "If the thieves' goal was to prevent us from making the morning paper, the best strategy would have been to target the horses. Attacking the passengers doesn’t make sense."

"That makes sense," I responded. "It seems then, their plan is to divide our forces. Chopin and Bouree are our strongest assets, so it was crucial for the enemy to separate them from the group that they were guarding."

"Maybe we should turn back and pick them up," suggested Sonata.

"Right," I said, calming down and deciding to turn back.

But then we saw it—the bridge was on fire.

The horses, terrified, refused to approach.

"What an elaborate trap they've set for us," I remarked.

"But now, at least we know it’s definitely a trap. We could proceed to the newspaper office at a slower pace while being cautious of further traps," Elize considered.

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"No, the likelihood that this is all orchestrated by Councilor Amadeus is high, but we can't completely rule out the possibility of real bandits. Guesswork is just guesswork. We must keep moving quickly; that’s still the best strategy," I argued.

After saying this, Allegro and I switched roles at the reins.

"This is an emergency. Even if, in the worst case, everyone else falls from the carriage, we must ensure that Ms. Klaire can reach the newspaper office alone if necessary. Let's teach her how to cast the magic carriage's reins spell!"

"Alright," agreed Allegro.

"Can you do it?"

"I'll try."

If our predictions are correct, the thieves would likely try to isolate Klaire.

After potentially taking out Allegro, Sonata, myself, and Elize, their next move would be to target her life.

While the best case is that no one falls off, we needed to prepare for the worst.

"Wide Wind Barrier!"

As Elize cast a barrier around the carriage, I helped to extend its range.

The enemy might not use the same tactics again, but failing to prepare for them would be foolish.

As the carriage sped along, true to our concerns, a blade of wind targeted Allegro and Sonata again, but the barrier protected them.

"So, they are indeed trying to divide our forces."

"Dangerous!"

This time, arrows flew at us. If wind defense fails, they try physical attacks.

Allegro shot down the arrows with a shout spell.

If not wind, then physical, and if physical fails, they might resort to fire.

It would be ideal to have a spell that could protect against all types of attacks broadly.

Just as I pondered this, it happened.

"Fire!"

A jet of flame targeted Allegro and Sonata.

The two were knocked from the carriage.

Even though we anticipated it, it was frustrating to realize a more cautious approach might have been warranted.

The regret was palpable.