Volume 23 Chapter 9 After the Coach Attack
"I'm glad Mr. Eric is safe."
After making sure Cole and Rachel were tied up, Al relaxed and gave a little smile.
"Al, thank you. I'm sorry for the trouble. But Guildmaster Levy and Fitz are still captured. Can you help?"
Help? Did Eric think he was the one who needed saving?
Of course, Al wanted to aid the Levy Merchant Guild's mercenaries and Leda. But he also felt responsible for those who had caused him trouble. He never considered them as mere bystanders.
More than anything, Al was worried about Eric's condition. What would Reginald think?
"Of course. Please tell me about the situation over there."
Al said this, then glanced at the two tied up nearby. He couldn't hold a strategy meeting with them listening in.
"Hey, move those 2 a bit farther away. Al, I'm counting on you to keep an eye on the surroundings."
It seemed Reginald understood that Al could use the 'Floating Eye' spell to watch over the area. Al nodded slightly.
He doubted anyone would attack here now, but it was best to avoid having their prisoners shot from a distance.
Reginald's men led the prisoners away to a more isolated spot, and they all nodded to each other, confirming they were okay.
"How much strength do they have left over there? It seems a person named Brook is in charge..."
Al asked quietly. He remembered Brook, who had led the recovery team at the Six-Legged Tiger's den. Brook was skilled, but Al had never seen him use magic.
"I couldn't say exactly how many were left. But when they dragged us out, the place felt almost empty compared to before. Back then, besides the servants and maids, Viscount Eugene's house only had about 5 knights and squires. On top of that, there were about 20 who didn't seem to belong──probably Marquis Prentis's magicians and followers, 30 hired mercenaries, and maybe 50 thugs hanging around. All in all, a massive fighting force. The mercenaries seemed to be from 2 groups──Shining Shield and the Black Knife Gang. I'd met both their leaders before, but neither of them showed up here."
So, all told: Viscount Eugene's group, Marquis Prentis's, mercenaries, and thugs──about 105 in total. Out of those, they'd taken down or captured 20 on horseback, 50 on foot, and 10 magicians──that's 80. If the math was right, only 25 remained now.
Granted, the numbers were rough. Even though their side had more people, it wasn't time to relax. Still, it felt like they could power through.
"Got any idea how many magicians were mixed in with that unknown bunch? Or any magicians who looked really strong?"
"Let's see. There was one for sure who looked skilled, and 2 working under him. The rest, I couldn't tell."
Those 3 Eric mentioned were the magicians Al had beaten. Al stared hard at Reginald. Reginald nodded back, just once.
"Mr. Eric, from what you just said──the villa threw about 80 percent of its whole force at us, everyone except whoever they absolutely had to hold back. And we defeated that entire squad. They've got almost nothing left. The toughest one left is probably that Brook guy from Viscount Eugene's lot. That's all."
"Wha──!"
Eric nearly shouted at Reginald's words, shock all over his face. Leda rushed in and stopped him just in time.
"You... beat them? All of them? That's incredible."
Eric's next question came out small and apologetic. Reginald answered with a proud, eager nod.
"That's right. Al did most of the work."
Al scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.
"By the way, do you know why only Mr. Eric was taken?"
"Well, after we were isolated, a man named Cole was with us the whole time. He had a copy of the report I submitted to the magician's guild last year, and he questioned me in detail about its contents."
The report submitted to the magician's guild... so, it must be about the options for the 'Floating Eye' spell.
The expansion of vision, and the size adjustment of the 'Floating Eye' spell's eye.
"The magician's guilds are basically independent within each country, and there was almost no interaction, especially between our Sylvester Kingdom and the Tempest Kingdom, as they had banned trade with each other. So, even if there were rumors of war between the two countries, we didn't pay much attention. However, that person had a copy of the report I submitted to the magician's guild last fall, about the 'Floating Eye' spell options. Thinking about it now, he might have obtained it through Viscount Eugene."
"I see..."
Al replied apologetically. He hadn't thought much about it, as he didn't care about honor, but he hadn't realized there was such danger.
"Mr. Eric, that..."
Leda also looked apologetic. Leda was the one who succeeded in activating the spell with the options, according to Al's explanation.
"No, Al, Leda. Neither of you did anything wrong. Honestly, I was sick of being chained up, but that Cole person never hurt me. All he wanted was to talk──he just really, really wanted to hear about magic options. Also, he seemed convinced I was Al's mentor. He asked about the frontier mission Al joined, the diplomatic escort to Marquis Tagard's territory... a bunch of other things, too. But there was barely anything I could answer. Pretty much all I told him was, yeah, you used the 'Carrier' spell disc to give people rides."
That part... yeah, it was true. There was that time he gave Eric a lift. At least the main questions were handled, right? He checked with Reginald, who nodded.
"I see. So, they're poking around about spells, and about Al too. Earlier, that guard seemed pretty interested in Al as well. Looks like Marquis Prentis' family really has their eye on him. Well, can't blame them──he's made quite a splash."
"Al is a weird one."
Reginald's comment got Leda nodding beside him. Why, though? From Al's side, he really wanted to protest──say that wasn't true at all. But no words came out.
Character Notes:
Eric - Top magician in Lester. Mentor to many, including Leda.
Rachel - Late 20s, tall, voluptuous, long golden hair, carefully groomed, wears magician's robes. Bodyguard to Cole, only one detected by magic spells. Resigned/concedes defeat
Cole - A magician serving Marquis Prentis, described as unhinged and around 40 years old. He is one of Eric's captors in the carriage and is involved in the operation to transport Eric and others.
Fitz - Eric's assistant, also a magician.
Leda - She was an apprentice to Eric. A magician in training.
Reginald - He once protected Naresh when they were attacked by the Blood-Soaked Bandits. Mercenary for the Levy merchant guild.
Brook - A subordinate of Viscount Eugene, in charge of the team collecting Henry's remains. Described as having short silver hair, about 180 cm tall, and muscular. He is leading the operation at the villa and has been in contact with the carriage group, instructing them to return quickly.
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