Book Eater

Chapter 72: Convoy from the Capital (2)

Despite Theo’s and Ellenoa’s feelings, the convoy was rapidly ready to get underway. The magicians shed their fatigue from casting space magic and were ready to leave at any moment. They kept their guard up. There were less than ten high elves in the world, and each one was a precious treasure to the elves. If Ellenoa died in the Meltor Kingdom, there would be severe repercussions from Elvenheim. They had already independently confirmed that Austen indeed had been behind Ellenoa’s kidnapping, so they were trying to transport Ellenoa as quickly as possible.

Herman formally bade goodbye to Earl Bergen, “... Thank you for your cooperation, Earl Bergen. His Majesty will keep your loyalty in mind.”

The earl puffed up in pride. “Ohh, such glorious words! I was just doing my duty as a servant of Meltor; Herman, you don’t need to flatter me so.”

The earl lived up to his noble family’s eloquence, answering in a manner that showed his humility without hurting his dignity.

However, Herman merely nodded politely before turning. “Hmm, I understand. Excuse me.”

Unfortunately, Earl Bergen wasn’t aware that Red Tower magicians didn’t really care about noble protocol. Instead of continuing the conversation any longer, Herman briskly left the earl’s office. The earl could only stare as his chances of building up a relationship with Herman rolled away from him.

Dururuk… dururuk...

Herman’s wheelchair numbly traversed the hallways until it met an old man sedately walking toward the convoy.

As Herman drew abreast of him, Elder Shugel of the White Tower looked down at Herman and clicked his tongue. “How can a conversation end in less than five minutes? Did you just throw a few words at him? A person should use his mouth to get good treatment.”

However, Herman scoffed, “Stop talking nonsense. If I kept talking, it would take another two hours to leave. What foolishness.”

Elder Shugel retorted, “What is? Aish, it is no use talking to you. How can I teach manners to this ignorant man?”

Herman rolled his eyes and patted his pants. “At any rate, we can use teleportation. Don’t you know the importance of time? I’ll think about it if you give me a pair of useless legs.”

Shugel was forced to step back. How could he refute someone who didn’t even have legs to walk around? Even excellent healing magic wasn’t enough to regenerate lost limbs. The two elders bickered like old friends as they made their way to the convoy. They didn’t actually have any bad feelings toward each other. After doing this for almost half a century, it had become like a daily routine.

It would’ve continued for ten more minutes if Vince hadn’t intervened with a bitter smile. “Elder Herman, I need to talk to you.”

“Oh, Vince!”

The two elders stopped quarreling as they turned their attention to him.

Shugel turned away first. “Hmm, I'll return to the capital first, so we’ll meet there. Take care on the way back; casting wind spells may be a bit burdensome for you... Well, at this age, your joints probably feel sore. Isn't that right? Hahaha!”

“This damn old man...!” Herman glared at the chortling Shugel as the latter left, but didn’t try to start another fight. As elders of the Magic Society, they knew when to get serious.

Herman’s face returned to calm as he looked at Vince. “Yes, what did you need?”

Vince recounted the tale Ellenoa had told him and Theo. The two magicians had tried to use Gluttony’s question to get some more details, but they had come up dry. More than anything else, the information they had was too lacking. Herman’s expression grew serious.

“I roughly understand.” Herman’s brows knitted as he processed the information. “So the agents from Austen did kidnap the high elf, but another party had killed her guards first?”

Vince nodded. “Yes, that’s correct.”

Abducting a high elf was a risky endeavor. Elvenheim always noticed the birth of a mutant high elf and would send elite warriors to escort the high elf to Elvenheim. These elites were on par with aura users of any kingdom on the continent. They weren’t so weak that a single Janissary could kill them. Yet Ellenoa had not been able to meet her guards.

Herman’s brows knitted further. “The Elvenheim escort was eliminated without anyone knowing?”

Vince grimaced. “Perhaps. Ellenoa had been caught by the Austen agents while waiting for her escorts. It would have been simple for her to escape, but her friends were used as hostages and she gave herself up.”

Herman grunted, “Hrmm... It is hard to judge. There are too many things we don’t know.”

The two magicians went over what they knew, but they couldn’t come up with any answers.

“It can’t be helped.” Herman growled, “We need to move quickly. It might’ve been quiet for a few days, but if they haven’t given up on the high elf, we can’t guarantee her safety alone.”

Vince looked askance at him. “Isn’t it better to stay here?”

Herman grinned. “That would be the plan… if we didn’t have reinforcements on the way.”

Herman stayed composed despite being informed of a new threat. He noticed Vince’s confused expression and tapped his forehead. The other magic towers were different, but there was only one person that a magician of the Red Tower would trust with their lives.

“The Tower Master has been sent somewhere, but she is hurrying to join the convoy. If we move toward the capital, we can meet up with her sooner.”

“Ah...!” Vince nodded.

If they joined Veronica on the way, there was no need to be afraid of anyone. If the enemy were strong enough to kill Veronica, they would all be dead no matter where they were. Otherwise, Veronica would turn the enemy into chunks of charcoal. Vince had been concerned about Theo’s safety, but they melted away.

Herman cocked his head. “Why are you feeling assured? Aren’t you leaving your disciple here?”

“I can’t do that.” Vince smiled bitterly at Herman’s question. “If someone is tracking the high elf, there’s a good chance they’ll come for him. It would be safer for Theo to join the convoy and head to the capital.”

Herman nodded. “I understand, but will you stay here?”

Vince nodded. “I will grab the ankles of the enemies aiming for my disciple. If they come for me, I can hold on for a few minutes.”

Vince was ready to die at any time. However, he didn’t want to die in front of Theodore. Moreover, if his disciple was killed, then it would be the worst shame of Vince Haidel’s life. A wounded person was a burden on the battlefield, so Vince couldn’t join the convoy.

He was determined to remain alone in Bergen and risk his life to slow the enemy down.

Herman nodded. “I can’t stop someone who has already decided. Do your best to defend yourself. We will safely escort your disciple along with the high elf.”

“Thank you.”

The two of them shook hands. They may have been separated by decades in age, but they respected each other as war magicians who lived in the same era. They might have retired from active service, but they had not forgotten the pride engraved into their souls.

Thus, the two war magicians split apart at the crossroads.

***

Unlike normal carriages, the White Tower magicians climbed into seats behind the carriage as they shouted, “Let’s go!”

The sails started to unfurl as the magicians cast wind spells, causing three turbines to move the wheels. The magicians controlled their output as they accelerated to the speed of a normal horse-drawn carriage.

Theo was astounded as he watched the process. “Wow, there’s almost one hundred spells involved in driving this carriage... What is this obsession?”

He could see spells that affected the wheel’s friction, stabilized the carriage body, reduced air resistance, and steered the carriage. Theo was convinced that he could buy dozens of artifacts with the money and effort used to make this one carriage. This was the crystallization of the White Tower magicians’ obsessions to create a carriage that could be moved with wind.

Theo glanced down the convoy.

Security’s tight too. Even Canis wouldn’t be able to get within fifty meters of this convoy.

As the wind blew, Herman and the Red Tower Magicians patrolled around the convoy, maintaining a strict defensive line around Theo and Ellenoa. They could even stall a Master level enemy. Since Vince had informed them of another potential threat, the convoy maintained maximum vigilance as they traveled.

The White Tower magicians began to increase their output, and the carriage started to reach full speed.

Huuuuuuong!

What is that?

As the wind began to howl outside, Theo and Ellenoa cried out in shock as they looked out the window.

“Heok...!”

“Oh my god...!”

They truly didn’t feel anything, but the landscape outside the window was passing by at a truly terrifying rate. Trees and bushes were mere blurs as they flashed past in a moment. Theo now understood why they had been warned to keep their hands and feet inside the carriage. If they hit something at this speed, they might break a few bones.

Mitra was also staring intently through the window.

[Hoeee~]

Her eyes spun around like a tornado as she grew dizzy from watching the scenery passing by so quickly. Theo held her close as he tried to analyze how the spells on the carriage were interacting with each other. The deeper he looked into it, the crazier this carriage seemed.

I understand the principles behind it, but I can’t follow it.

Theo was convinced after a short moment that this was a feat only possible for those who devoted their lives to wind magic and were at least of the 5th Circle. It was easy to blow wind into the sails and accelerate. However, there were spells that took care of headwind and air resistance while ensuring maximal efficiency of their wind output. It was like using five different spells at the same time.

Theo mused that the end product seemed more like the result of controlling raw magic power than actually casting a spell.

“... Maybe we really will arrive in one day?” Theo had honestly thought it was a bluff, but they might actually make it if they stayed at this speed.

If this ridiculously fast carriage were to be made known to them, Meltor’s Merchants Association might go on strike. Theodore looked at Bergen fading into the distance half in admiration and half in anxiety.

He prayed unconsciously.

Please let this convoy reach the capital safely.

Then he would be able to reunite with his master, Vince.