Chapter 539: Coming True

Zaris

“Stop!”

I ordered as the enemy rapidly retreated into the forest. Following them would be foolish. We need to be careful.

Immediately after Lord Silver disappeared, all the bandits began retreating. He is still their target; getting him is more important than wiping us out.

I turned and looked at the battlefield. It couldn’t help but make me sigh and feel ashamed.

I had failed.

“You do not have to blame yourself, Lt. Colonel. They were far too prepared,” consoled Miss Glass.

Like me, she has injuries all over her, but unlike mine. Hers seem much lighter.

“Mage Aldridge, Lady Silver, please track the spell,” I requested. I didn’t have to tell them; they had started before I even said that.

My men began to deal with their injuries while those in good condition formed a circle.

We have learned never to be too careful.

I looked at the bodies of the three dead of my men. They were good men. Two had served with me for decades. I am the one who had brought them to Greltheaven from the empire.

“Are you alright, Mr. Jon?” I asked the rogue.

He is one of the most injured. He has some serious injuries and has minor wounds all over his body. One of the three doctors in our company is working on him.

“I will be fine,” he replied a moment later.

That woman he fought was one of the worst of the lot, but he still kept her away from Lord Silver. Though with a steep price.

I nodded and walked away while drinking a healing potion.

Everyone did well—better than I had imagined we would, seeing how prepared the enemy was. They brought people specifically tailored to deal with each of us.

Still, we held them off, and Lady Leila was even able to kill one.

Both of these siblings were more powerful than I had imagined.

Our internal intelligence stated that Leila Silver was the most powerful member of our group, but the power she showed was beyond expectation.

However, I was even more surprised by Lord Silver.

I had sparred with him and felt his aura, but the power he used today was on a completely different level than the one he used in our spars.

‘Azalea was right.’

‘She had said he shows his true power in battle, which is not his martial strength but the ability to improve.’

I shook my head and stopped beside the dead.

The cloth now covers their bodies. I will send them to the city, where they will get a funeral with all the honors they deserve.

“Lt. Colonel,” called Mage Aldridge.

“Have you traced the spell?” I asked. To that, the old mage nodded. “Just south of the Bor Extreme Magic Region,” he replied.

“Around here,” he said, pointing at a place on the map floating in front of him.

I looked at the other two, and they nodded. I turned to Vance. He is a ranger and studied the geography of the Baxzar.

“If we move fast. We should be able to reach the place in eight hours,” the ranger stated. I nodded and thought for a while before turning to Dan.

“Captain Bader, you will take the most injured, non-combatants, and dead; continue with the journey while the rest of us move toward Lord Silver,” I ordered.

“Yes, sir,” he affirmed.

“Shall we contact the authorities, Lt. Colonel?” asked Captain Sand.

To that, I shook my head.

“No, Captain. They might intercept our communication, or they may be involved in it. We will keep this to ourselves,” I replied.

A few minutes passed, and I checked everything. When the door of the blue carriage opened, Miss Margaux walked out; she had changed her clothes.

Others looked surprised. The only ones who are not are the three guards of Lord Silver, Miss Lena, and me,

I didn’t have to ask her. She understood the job she had to do.

She is the advantage we have over our enemies. She could sense Lord Silver’s location. Lord Silver had informed me about this a day before we left.

“Mom, are you leaving with them?” asked the teen girl, her voice shaking.

It might be the first time the young girl witnessed the battle of such powerhouses. It shook her.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Please don’t go,” the teen girl pleaded, tears streaming down her eyes.

“I have to, my dear child,” she replied with her voice firm.

These women are extremely loyal to Lord Silver and zealous about it. They will die for him without hesitation and some have died for him.

He invokes such loyalty.

He had made one whore a governor while others handled his business, with many having an influential position in city hall.

“Let’s go,” I said and mounted the beast. Others did the same, including the jeweler, Miss Charles.

The jeweler’s abilities are shocking. Miss Zela had apprised me about it. I was sure it was just an exaggeration, but now I know she understated them.

She had stopped not one, but several Grade IV spells with her protective dome.

I pushed those thoughts away and looked at the party. All mounted on their beasts.

Every person who couldn’t fight, aside from Captain Bader and four seriously injured guards, would travel to the closest city with other non-combatants.

The pursuit team rode into the forest a second later to rescue our lord.

…

Uloth Gul

I carefully watch him put away the map in his iles bag.

I want it, but they are damn too expensive, and I have other important things I need to buy first, including a Grade III spell.

I can’t cast them, but understanding them will help me tremendously in level-up toward Lv. 20.

“How well do you two know this area?” he asked, and I turned to Aya before we both turned back to him, seeing the curiosity in her eyes.

I am also curious about him but aware that this young man is dangerous.

I have seen the Lv. 30’s fight, and they couldn’t kill a Grade IV monster as quickly as he did.

He is also injured and was forcefully teleported. Looking at his state, he had run away from someone, and that someone was powerful, or they wouldn’t have been able to injure him as much as he is.

“Pretty well,” I replied cautiously.

“Do you know the road to Vudiz city?” he asked. “We are from Vudiz,” replied Aya nodding.

I wanted to curse my friend. She is smart, but sometimes, she can be pretty dumb.

I looked at the man and saw a smile appearing on his face.

“How would you like to have a job to escort me there?” he asked, and I shuddered with all the hair on my body rising.

“No, thank you. We are busy here,” I replied hastily before Aya could say anything.

I thought he would be disappointed. Even angry. Instead, that same smile was still on his face.

“I can pay really well. Far more than whatever you two were doing,” the man said, waving the hand at the monsters dismissingly.

“No, thank you. It is clear that there are very dangerous people after you,” I replied.

To that, he nodded.

“Yes, truly powerful people chase after me, but they are around seven hours behind. Which is a good lead, and, besides, I am willing to pay you according to the danger,” he replied.

“How much?” asked Aya before I could say anything. “A lot,” he replied without batting an eye.

I could see Aya wanted to agree. She would quickly agree; she is that desperate.

“Fine, we agree, but we don’t want money,” I replied, and the smile on his face became bigger.

The smile never disappeared from this bastard’s face. He knew we were desperate and would accept the job.

“First, I want to know if you are the enemy of the dominion. Are any tribes or cities after you?” I asked. If the tribes or cities are after him, we can never agree.

“As far as I am aware. No city or tribe is after me,” he replied.

“Good,” I said.

“Our conditions for accepting the job are simple. You will fix an appointment for my friend with Lv. 40+ healers or doctors specializing in bones and pay for her treatment,” I stated my condition.

“Ok,” he said simply; there was not the faintest hesitation on his face.

‘Who is this man?’ I couldn’t help but ask myself with worry growing.

Lv. 40 healers are extremely rare; their services are expensive, and we could never afford them. Even with money, getting an appointment takes a lot of influence.

One needs standing and connections for it.

“Also, you will buy us top a Grade III mage staff, a good offensive type Grade III spell of my friend’s liking, and an Iles bag,” added Aya, to my surprise.

I looked at the man, and there was no change in his expression.

“Fine,” he replied, and a moment later, he took out an inkpot and scrolled. Both of them looked expensive.

He began to write the contract while I turned to my friend.

“Thank you,” I said under my Privacy skill. Grateful for what she had done.

“Of course,” she replied. “Though, I will say, we have chewing at more than we can swallow by accepting this job,” she added.

To that, I couldn’t help but nod.

Without a doubt, it will be dangerous. If those chasing this young man caught up to us, there might be death, but if we succeeded.

Aya will have a good chance of being cured, and I will get what I have wanted for a long time—things that, on my meager salary, might take over a decade.

A few minutes passed, and finally, he put the quill down.

“Sign it,” he said, handing me the scroll and quill. We will not sign it unless I read all the conditions and am satisfied with them.

I took the contract and began to read it carefully.

It immediately surprised me. I assumed it would be a rough contract, not this professionally crafted one with all the legal jargon.

I know contracts. I work in a mage guild.

I looked at the conditions, and one of them is that we not only guide him but also fight. But the following clause surprised me.

We have the option to run if we feel the enemy could kill us without a doubt.

For the healing, he offered to pay for the first treatment, but within a certain amount. Though, when I looked at the amount, my eyes couldn’t help but widen.

It was massive.

He had also agreed to give a staff, Iles Bag, along with a spell.

The value of all is far exceeding what we could make in years. With this amount, the young man could have hired a bigger mercenary team with higher-level people.

I noticed one odd thing. His name is never mentioned in the contract. Instead, he referred to himself as the person who drew the contract.

“There is one problem,” I said, but he shook his head this time.

“There will be no change. Either you sign it or not,” the man looked at me and replied straightforwardly.

He is desperate and needs the guide, but so are we. We need those things; this is the quickest chance we will get them.

Not to mention. Declining isn’t a choice. We had seen his face. If we didn’t sign, he might kill us, and that thought wouldn’t be farfetched.

“Fine,” I replied after looking at my friend and signed on the contract.

Just as I did, I felt something I had never felt before. A silhouette of a tower loomed over me, radiating a feeling heavier than the mountain.

It lasted a fraction of a second, but I understood I could not break the contract.

It will kill me.

“Who are you?” I asked with my eyes wide.

Earlier, I felt we had chewed more than we could swallow, but now I became sure.

“You can call me John,” he replied, which is so obviously not his real name.

Aya looked at me worriedly, and I opened my mouth to ask her not to sign the contract when I shook. The contract warned me against doing that.

If I still did it, it would act.

Still, she understood what I was trying to say. It was evident in her eyes, and despite that, she sighed the contract.

…..

“Let’s hope this journey goes well without a hitch,” I said as I took the scroll from the two women while the prophecy rang again in my mind.

‘Under the sun’s unwavering gaze,

In green depths thick with woven haze.

A brazen foe will make its stand,

And fate shall turn in jungle’s hand.’

It had come true.

Everything it had said had happened. The enemies attacked under the afternoon sun in a thick forest, and it was brazen without fear.

Now, I have teleported into this jungle, which holds my fate in its hands.

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