Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 44 (Part 1)
In the end, they broke through the enemy’s knights and soldiers and entered the Kenas Forest. The Royal Guard continued running even after entering the forest.
“What is this?”
There were no allied forces in sight within the Kenas Forest. The expectation of receiving support from allies who had formed the front line here was off the mark.
Enemies were waiting, backing against the Kenas Forest. Naturally, they thought the forest was the front line between the Kingdom of Riaz and the Empire of Ingram.
‘This isn’t the front line?’
Hedler felt something ominous. His back felt cold, and he had goosebumps.
‘The moment you think you’re safe is the most dangerous. You need to be cautious then.’
Rodin’s words before the mission suddenly came to mind. Come to think of it, it seemed like the Empire’s knights and soldiers had intentionally opened the way for them.
“Could it be?”
Hedler checked the number of their forces. The casualties were not severe. There were about 100 men and roughly 60 horses. Yet, he could still see over 50 horses with riders on them.
‘So few casualties?’
Bad thoughts kept arising in his mind. They couldn’t stay like this.
“Lant! Jump off!”
“What?”
“Get off the horse!”
Without further explanation, Hedler jumped off his running horse. Despite its rider jumping off, the horse continued running along with the Royal Guard.
Lant was puzzled but didn’t ignore Hedler’s command.
Thud!
Lant jumped off his horse and lowered his stance. Hedler quickly moved next to him.
“It feels like a trap!”
“What are you talking about!”
“How are your injuries?”
“This is nothing. But why did you tell me to get off the horse?”
Lant had sustained many injuries while breaking through the front. He had more than ten slash wounds and one stab wound.
“I told you, it feels like a trap.”
“What made you think that?”
“We passed through too easily. It seemed like the enemy intentionally let us through.”
“So, you think the enemy set a trap here…?”
“Arrows! Take cover!”
At that moment, someone among the knights ahead shouted loudly. It wasn’t the voice of Count Freis but a knight named Bake.
“Damn it.”
“What should we do?”
“Let’s go around a bit. They can’t monitor the entire forest.”
As the direction changed, the distance between them and the Royal Guard increased. They moved slowly, keeping their heads low.
Fortunately, they didn’t encounter any enemies while moving.
Lant followed Hedler’s instructions without complaint. He knew that in dangerous situations, the best course of action was to listen to someone perceptive.
Whistle!
“Get down.”
Hedler and Lant lay flat on the ground. They held their breath and hid as dozens of knights and soldiers ran past them.
“Are they gone?”
“Yes. Phew, that was nerve-wracking.”
“Where are we going?”
“Let’s find a place to hide once we’re a bit further away. There are too many enemies right now.”
They moved cautiously, keeping their ears open for any sound.
They finally reached a place where they could faintly hear the sound of water from afar.
“Water?”
“Seems like it…”
Thunk!
At that moment, something flew towards them. Instinctively, Lant caught the flying object and glared in the direction it came from.
Swish!
Hedler immediately drew his sword, and Lant stood beside him.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know. Something flew at us. Look.”
Lant showed what he had caught. Hedler tilted his head, looking at the piece of wood Lant handed him.
“What’s this… oh?”
“Oh? It’s Cory.”
The piece of wood had “Follow me – Cory” written on it.
The unexpected name left both Hedler and Lant momentarily stunned.
“Is it really him?”
“How would the enemy know Cory’s name? It must be him. And…”
Hedler dropped the piece of wood he was holding. The wood, which should have naturally fallen to the ground, floated in the air and stayed fixed before them.
“It’s a spirit.”
“Yes, it’s a spirit. It must be Cory.”
The piece of wood slowly moved in one direction.
Hedler and Lant followed the wood, constantly watching their surroundings.
The wood led them upstream along a stream in a densely wooded area. After about three hours of moving, it finally fell to the ground.
“Huh?”
“What is this? There’s nothing here.”
“It’s the ground.”
The ground shifted. The soil moved aside, creating a small gap.
“Come in.”
“Cory! How did you get here?”
“Quiet. Just come in. The entrance is narrow, so Lant, you might need to squeeze in.”
Cory disappeared inside. Lant sighed as he looked at the small gap.
“I can’t fit. It’s too narrow.”
“You can. I’ll push you in.”
Lant stuck his head into the gap while lying down. His shoulders got stuck.
Hedler pushed with all his might, displacing the surrounding soil, and Lant was pushed inside.
Hedler followed him in.
Thud!
The gap closed. There was a sensation of something moving above them.
“Don’t worry. I had it arranged so that it wouldn’t be noticeable from above.”
“Oh!”
Even with three people inside, the space was enough. They could lie down side by side.
“Wow, you made this well.”
“I didn’t know you had such skills, Cory.”
The first thing they noticed was a magic lamp illuminating the space.
Under the soft light of the magic lamp, there was a half-eaten loaf of bread and a large bag beside it, along with a shovel used to make the place.
“Did the committee send you?”
“No way.”
“Then how did you get here?”
“It’s a long story. After you left, I was called in two days later…”
Cory explained what had happened.
When Cory mentioned that the committee tried to kill him, Lant’s eyes widened, and when Cory said he had dug a trap to deal with them, Hedler clenched his fists.
“Ah, so you escaped slavery?”
“No, I’m still a slave. I just got my slave rod back.”
“So, are you heading north now?”
Hedler and Lant learned that Cory’s destination was the Kingdom of Maven in the Central Continent. If they hadn’t met today, they wouldn’t have been able to say goodbye.
“I was planning to, but this area became chaotic. Thousands of people suddenly appeared, and I had to hide here. I thought I’d get caught.”
“With bows?”
“Yes, they all had a bow each.”
They remembered hearing someone shout, “Arrows! Take cover!” There must have been archers ambushing in the direction they were fleeing.
“Where did you get the shovel?”
“I stole it from the Empire soldiers. It’s good quality. I used it a lot, but it barely got scratched. Oh? Are you hurt?”