Chapter 60. Road to the Desert (6)
12.
“But that’s not true.”
Ian’s teacher, Paladin Master Cadel Dune Shanktus, is currently away due to being chased by a group of Abyss worshipers.
Is it because I don’t have a teacher who was always strict?
Ian had a great day. He joked around every day and often missed training.
‘If it weren’t for the sudden change that came recently… … .’
There probably wasn’t any change in his skills either.
When I was reminiscing about the past like that.
Ian’s voice was heard again, breaking Laurea out of her thoughts.
“So, I ask you to explain that part carefully. “In return, I won’t tell Ulan either.”
Of course, Ulan won’t care.
Still, Laurea is different.
After all, a woman in love tends to pay excessive attention to even the smallest details.
And Ian’s guess was correct.
The proof was that Laurea’s face scrunched up and she growled in anger.
“Wow, you’ve grown a lot. “Now they even threaten me.”
“I learned everything from watching the saint.”
Ian fights back without losing.
After a while, the two looked at each other for a while and smiled. The strange confrontation ended after Laurea nodded her head.
“good. “I will tell Lord Shanktus well.”
“Yes, then I will shut my mouth too.”
After some kind of deal was concluded.
The two warriors looked at each other and smiled silently.
Then.
smart!
Someone knocked on the carriage door.
What appeared later was the leader of the Holy Knights who was preparing to leave outside.
“Holy lady, preparations for departure are complete.”
The leader bows his head respectfully.
Other paladins and priests also bowed their heads respectfully. Perhaps because it was right after receiving the trust, his attitude seemed quite different from before.
“Yes, then please leave.”
“I will follow your orders.”
After a short conversation.
The paladins and priests mounted their respective horses. The leader bowed his head again and turned to get on the horse waiting at the front.
But at that moment.
“oh! Wait.”
Suddenly, Laurea hurriedly stretched out her hand.
Round amber eyes.
It was the expression of someone who remembered something they had forgotten. The leader, noticing this, stopped his steps and looked back at Laurea.
“Do you have anything to say?”
“Yes, nothing else, but I want to slightly change the route to the desert.”
“If it’s a travel route… … ?”
“It’s here.”
Laurea unfolded the map.
The white finger soon pointed to the border of the mountainous area bordering the desert. She continued her words with her eyes sparkling.
“I have to stop by here and then move on.”
“Well, it’s the land of the Principality of Arpen.”
The leader muttered while stroking his beard.
With a slightly perplexed expression. After a while, he scratched his head and opened his mouth.
“Changing the route itself is not a big problem. However, entering the Principality of Arpen requires a separate procedure, so time may be delayed… … .”
“Oh, that’s okay.”
Laurea smiled brightly.
As if you don’t have to worry.
“The story has already been told.”
“Then there will be no problem. All right. Then, I will stop by here as you asked.”
“yes! thank you.”
After completing the change in travel route.
The leader of the Holy Knights immediately turned around and got on his horse. Eventually, as the carriage departed, Ian, who had been silent until now, spoke cautiously.
“Hey, saintess.”
“why?”
“Why is the Principality of Arpen suddenly… … .”
“Oh, Noah sent a letter.”
“A letter? when?”
“Right before I received the oracle at dawn.”
Laurea responds indifferently.
She soon revealed the contents of the letter.
“They asked me to bring the bard who is staying at the border guard of the Duchy of Arpen.”
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There is only one person called a bard.
There is only Perticia, half human and half spirit.
Meanwhile, Ian, who heard this, muttered with a puzzled look on his face as if he did not understand what was happening.
“yes? But wasn’t she with Ulan and the others at Arsene Academy? But she suddenly wondered why she was in the principality… … .”
“I don’t know the details.”
The content of the letter was extremely short.
All I had to do on my way to the desert was to stop by the border guard of the Principality of Arpen and ask them to bring Perticia with me.
“It just seems important. “I told you to bring me here without being seen by anyone as much as possible.”
“Hmm, what on earth is going on?”
“I’m going to go and ask for more details.”
If you think about it here, you won’t find an answer.
Ian nodded his head silently as if he agreed with what she said. After thus concluding her conversation, Laurea turned her gaze out her window.
‘The next three days.’
After escaping from the boring eastern jungle, we only have to travel for three more days to reach the desert.
From then on, you will have to follow the oracle to find the successor to the faded star and prepare to face the great abyss.
The enormous task weighed heavily on her shoulders, but Laurea’s expression was bright.
There is only one reason.
If you go to the desert, that man will be there.
‘… … Ulan.’
Just thinking about him made Laurea forget about her hardships and smile. So he hoped that this boring time would pass quickly.
Dreaming of being reunited with Ulan.
13.
Meanwhile, right after leaving Count Deorg Castle.
After setting the destination and route, Ulan continued his sprint with great momentum.
Quagga-ga-ga-ga!
As all of his strength was focused on movement, Ulan’s sprint boasted incredible speed.
In addition, the fact that the road to the destination was straight was a driving force that allowed Ulan to focus on running.
Is it because I ran so non-stop?
Ulan showed off his spirit by being able to cover a distance that would have taken more than two days even by horse, in just one day.
However, the cost of dramatically shortening the time was passed on to the girls who were traveling on Ulan’s back.
“Uweek!”
A sound that breaks the silence of the forest.
It was the sound of Sirpi, who had come down from Ulan’s back after a long day, venting her pain.
And one more thing.
There was a girl who was in bad condition.
“… … Ugh, I feel like I’m going to throw up.”
Delia, too, leaned against the tree with a pale face and was out of breath. She then looked at Noah, who seemed relatively fine, and spoke to her.
“You look, surprisingly, okay.”
“Yes, I’m used to it now.”
From the time he first left the plains and headed to the academy until now, Noah has traveled with Ulan and experienced many worse things than this.
Perhaps thanks to that, I can now just laugh off most things. So, while I was smiling awkwardly, I felt a familiar presence.
“Everyone has arrived.”
A Myoin hunter wearing a hood.
It was Sven who had moved ahead of Ulan. He was in charge of giving directions from the front so that Ulan could focus on movement.
Sven, who had joined Ulan and his group again, muttered with a somewhat surprised look on his face.
“But I arrived earlier than expected.”
“… … “Yes, of course it is.”
“that’s right. “I broke down all the rock walls that were in my way and just jumped off any cliff.”
Delia and Noah nod at the same time.
As they said, Ulan moved like an angry bull, destroying all obstacles in his way.
That’s why I was able to catch up with Sven, who moved quickly alone.
“I see. The one thing left behind is… … . Ah, it looks like we’re almost there now.”
Sven, who had been silently nodding, pricked his pointed ears. Afterwards, the last remaining member of the group appeared where his gaze was directed.
“Ugh, this is going to be hard!”
A blonde girl covered in sweat.
It was Ibella who came running under her own power. When she found Sven and Ulan, she flopped down in her seat with a tired look on her face.
“Ha, I can’t believe I’m so tired just from following you. “As expected, I still have a long way to go.”
“No, that alone is great.”
Noah shook his awkward face.
Just by running the forest path all day at Ulan’s speed in the first place, I could say that I had already surpassed the level of expert.
‘So maybe soon… … .’
If you meet the conditions for the Hero’s Trial to be activated, you will be able to immediately pass the trial and reach the level of master.
Based on his experience in the original work, Noah was so sure. Meanwhile, Bella managed to calm her quivering breath and looked back at her companions.
“So are you resting here today?”
“what? why? “The destination is just around the corner?”
“But you arrived much earlier than the day you promised to meet, right? “There are also kids who don’t seem to be in very good condition.”
As Sven asked curiously, Ibella glanced at the two girls behind Ulan’s back.
Sirpi and Delia.
The two looked to be in bad condition. That’s why she asked if she wanted to take a break for a while, but Ulan shook her head.
“No, you don’t have to.”
“Yes, it looks like they came to pick you up.”
Sven also agreed with Ulan.
As soon as the two men finished speaking, there was a sound of rustling bushes. Next, three men wearing gray masks appeared.
The masked people knelt down and bowed their heads towards Ibella without even thinking about who was first.
“Meet the little master.”
“You… … .”
“We are agents of the intelligence unit serving His Excellency Count Deorg.”
Come to think of it, I’ve seen it before.
These are the people who were by Istan’s side when Sirpi’s identity was revealed in the past.
“I have received your instructions and have been awaiting your arrival. Of course, I didn’t expect you to arrive this early.”
“Then I will guide you to a detour.”
After a brief introduction.
The agents turned and headed into the woods.
Ulan and his party chased after them, supporting Delia and Sirpi, and soon arrived at their destination.
However, it was a slightly unexpected place.
“A tunnel?”
“Why is there a tunnel in a place like this?” … .”
“In the past, we captured a group of smugglers traveling between the desert and the empire. “This is the secret passage they used.”
Cadres serving on the southern front at the time wanted to bury this passage. This was because it was judged that there was ample room for abuse.
However, Istan gave instructions that were completely opposite to theirs. There was an opinion that the passage could be used for other purposes.
“Afterwards, this passage was used as a warehouse to store emergency supplies in preparation for emergencies.”
“Of course, the exit to the desert is blocked, but you don’t need to worry.”
“I heard that the little master was coming here, so I opened the exit a long time ago.”
The agents finished explaining everything.
Afterwards, the party followed them again and stepped into the tunnel.
Contrary to what I thought would be dark, the inside of the tunnel was relatively bright. It was thanks to the magic lamp that scattered soft light.
And one more thing.
There was something different from what I expected.
“It’s wider and more comfortable than I thought.”
“I know. “It’s a bit surprising.”
“I think I know why they didn’t bury it.”
The width of the passage was not that narrow.
The area is large enough for Ulan, Sven, and Ibella to walk side by side. It was on a scale that made you understand why Istan preserved the tunnel.
How long did it take to walk like that?
When I realized that I had walked a considerable distance, the agents moving ahead spoke up.
“We’re almost there now.”
“The beyond is the destination.”
A place with supplies prepared by Istan for the party. Accordingly, the Ulan group increased their speed and soon arrived at their destination.
And that moment.
A low-pitched voice struck my ears.
“You came much earlier than expected.”
“… … !?”
A familiar voice, a familiar sight.
The group’s eyes widened at the subsequent appearance of this person. Meanwhile, the man who made eye contact with the group spoke with a relaxed expression.
“Welcome to the Southern Front.”
A sword that protects the southern part of the empire.
Ibella’s biological father and the person who wrote the letter to bring Ulan and his party here.
It was Count Istan El Deorg.
fantasy,
