Volume 23 Chapter 2 Merging
Before sunrise, when the sky's just barely starting to fade, Al got to the spot where he told Desmond he'd meet him.
The Levy merchant guild's mercs were already there, sitting on the ground and taking a quick break.
Desmond and Leda were near the middle, talking in quiet voices with a few mercs.
Al didn't want to freak them out, so he landed a bit farther away, making noise on purpose as he walked over.
"I'm back. Glad I found you guys with no trouble."
"Oh, Al. You scared me there."
At first, Desmond and the mercs looked nervous about someone coming up, but then they saw it was just Al.
Al jogged over to join them.
"Everything on schedule? Where's Orson and Mr. Reginald?"
"Yeah. Those 2 went to check out some villa Viscount Eugene owns, it's supposed to be about a kilometer from here. If everything's cool, they'll be back soon. Also, there's something that's bugging me. I didn't notice it before, but since we got here and talked with the scouts, 2 guys said they thought somebody was watching us out there. Since you've done scout work, you probably know what I mean──it's that weird feeling, but when you look, there's nothing there. If it was just one person, I'd say never mind, but two of them? So we were just talking about what to do."
Desmond said that and gave an awkward smile.
Hardly anybody moves around town roads at night anyway.
Lucky for them, it was clear out, so there was barely enough moonlight to see the area in a hazy way.
But if the clouds covered it, they'd be lost in total darkness.
If you're moving around, just trusting a lamp, a light spell, or a magic tool, you probably really need to, or else you know the roads by heart.
And if somebody's watching at this hour, it's gotta be by accident──like some camper nearby──or maybe some local self-defense guys from a village on the road.
Yeah, if 20 people with weapons walk around at night, of course someone would wanna keep an eye on them from far away.
"I'm gonna check if anyone's around, just in case."
Al floats his 'Floating Eye' high up and looks around.
The forest is thick, so you can't see much, but it looks like nobody's there.
"Hmm, I think nobody's here?"
Leda sighs in relief when Al mumbles that.
Leda isn't that strong, so I wonder if she's okay after marching hard at night like this.
Makes me worry a little.
"When Mr. Orson and Reginald get back, I wanna move out."
Al nods at Desmond's idea.
Maybe it's fine, but it's always better to get rid of those bad feelings.
"Got it. Anyway, about Parker..."
Al starts telling everyone what he heard from Viscount Parker about 2 hours ago.
"You really are amazing, Levy merchant guild. That even His Excellency Viscount feels so grateful..."
Leda's voice is full of respect.
Desmond keeps nodding, looking relieved.
"In Parker, they call Baron Sennett──Sir Naresh──'Brother Naresh'. Everyone knows the Levy merchant guild helped him a lot too."
When Al explains this to Leda, the mercenaries smile big next to him.
"If things are good in Parker, then I can relax. Let's leave that to Lady Ruella and Barbara. As for us──"
Desmond nods.
"Yeah. Ah, someone's coming. It's Mr. Reginald, but... he looks weird."
Al sees through his 'Floating Eye' that Reginald's walking around, checking everywhere.
He's super tense and kinda rushing.
Looks like nobody's following him though...
"What's wrong?"
Al asked Reginald, who had come running back.
Reginald shook his head.
"We're in deep shit. We might've been spotted. We were checking out the mansion when lights started popping on all over the place. Mr. Orson's keeping an eye on things."
Desmond and Al exchanged a glance.
"Get ready to move out!"
Desmond barked the order to everyone.
"I scoped out the mansion, and it's bad news. It's like a fortress. The grounds are almost a perfect square, about 2 hundred meters to a side. The stone walls are 3 meters high, with a walkway and breastwork on top. The gate's double-layered with iron grating. There are guards on the walls, 2 teams, constantly patrolling. I climbed a tree to get a better look inside. In the center of the grounds is a 3-story mansion. I counted the windows, looks like about 30 rooms per floor. There's a tower in the middle of the mansion, and the top room was lit up with shadows moving around. There are also 3 stone buildings, one's probably a carriage house for horses and carriages, but I can't tell what the other 2 are for. Either way, the security is tight as hell. It doesn't feel like a viscount's mansion."
Reginald explained quickly.
If it was a noble's main residence, maybe, but for a noble who usually lives in the capital, this mansion is way too big.
The mercenaries adjusted their packs on their backs.
One of the women lifted Leda onto a horse.
There were a few other horses, and Desmond and Reginald mounted them.
Everyone else would have to walk.
'Orson, can you hear me? Can we talk now?'
Al sent a 'Telepathy' spell to Orson.
They were only about a kilometer from the mansion, hidden in the woods.
It should reach.
Immediately, a reply came back.
'Yeah, Al, did you make it? Good timing. Reginald's bad feeling might be right on the money. Right now, about 20 people on horseback just left the mansion and are riding this way.'
There's like 50 guys with weapons just wandering around inside the villa.
Al kept looking at those 2 pitch-black, boring carriages──they just rolled outta what looks like the carriage house.
Al couldn't help but pull his shoulders up and stare at the sky.
Characters:
- Desmond – Veteran adventurer hired by Levy. Based in Border City, Lester.
- Leda – She was an apprentice to Eric. A magician in training.
- Orson – An adventurer, he was 172 cm tall with a slight limp, which Al had healed, an act for which he was deeply grateful. A seasoned warrior, he often worked alongside Al and made the (Red-Faced Sheep) tavern his regular lodging.
- Reginald – He once protected Naresh when they were attacked by the Blood-Soaked Bandits. Mercenary for the Levy merchant guild
- Ruella – Eldest daughter of the Levy merchant guild. Former classmate of the protagonist in Margrave Rain's capital.
- Barbara – Guard/bodyguard for Ruella and Al. Employed by Merchant Levy.
- Baron Sennett/Naresh – He was in the same class as Alfred, and he is the second son of Viscount Lester, who was to be Baron Sennett, at the middle school in the capital of Margrave Rain's domain.
- Viscount Parker – Local noble connected to the situation.
- Viscount Eugene – Owner of the suspicious mansion. One of the legal nobility helping Margrave Rain in the capital. He serves as the Margrave's aide and is the Minister of State.
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