Chapter 49 - Falling into Danger

[What are you…?]

Pendelok Palaios opened his mouth and swallowed his words. Still maintaining the connection, Azriel looked at the boy. “Do you have any other message you want to deliver?”

“Were you able to connect?”

“Yes, I already delivered your previous message.”

“Then that’s enough. Aren’t you tired? The wizards I’ve seen can’t communicate for a long time.”

“This much is fine. Then I’ll disconnect.” Azriel had so much mana that even if the communication was connected all day, there would be mana left. She refocused herself on the mana that was connected. “That is all I need to say. Then, bye now, Grandpa.”

[Grandpa… Wait, hey…!] With his last voice that seemed to be shocked in a different sense, the communication was disconnected. The boy smiled faintly. “I appreciate your help with all my heart, wizard.”

“I am Azriel. Azriel Esthera. What’s your name?”

“…Charles.” He hesitated a little and answered her. Azriel asked quizzically. “You are not a noble? What about your surname?”

“I’m sorry. It’s difficult to say under my circumstances.” Charles’ face turned dark. The boy’s lowered eyelashes looked like thin layers of pure gold. “If I wait here for a little, someone will come to get me. Can I stay here until then?”

“I will ask the village chief. He’ll probably allow it.”

“Thank you.”

“Then, make sure you rest well, Sir Charles.” Azriel stood up from her seat. As she was about to leave the room, she grabbed the doorknob and looked back. There was something that had been bothering her. “Ummm… Where are the knights who were with you?”

“The knights who were with me?” He asked in a wary tone as if asking her how she knew about them. Azriel quickly explained. “I’m the one who fixed your carriage yesterday. You didn’t see me?”

“Goodness, was that you as well?”

“Yes. Well, did something happen? If those knights are hurt too, I can treat them. Where are they?”

“They…” Charles clenched his teeth. Then he put on a distorted smile as if he was crying. “We just… parted our ways because we were going to different destinations. I got hurt because I met thieves. That’s all.”

‘Lie.’ Azriel gazed at Charles who was forcing himself to act calm and left without asking more questions. ‘It can’t be war, can it? If a war broke out nearby, the news would’ve been delivered to the village, too. Then is it a battle between nobles? Like a political dispute or… a struggle for succession?’ She gave up after guessing in different ways as she saw from the book. There were too few clues. ‘Anywho, it sounds like a big deal. I should ask Rhema, with the question about who Pendelok Palaios is.’ Determining so, she closed the room door. The guest room where Charles was staying was on the second floor. Azriel, who was heading downstairs, found strangers beside the village chief. A man with a black bandana lifted his head. Her eyes met the turbid eyes beneath the bandana. It was dangerous. Her intuition was telling her. She tried to use communication magic immediately. However, even before she was able to say the spell, she felt a strong impact at the back of her neck. “Ah…”

It was a clean skill. Azriel lost her mind and collapsed. A man in leather clothes carried her on his shoulder.

“What are you, gasp!” The black bandana stopped the chief’s mouth, who was about to scream in panic. He grinned. “Hush. You said that child is a wizard, right? It’s common sense to catch the wizard first. Hey, check it.”

When the black bandana made a gesture with his chin, several men quietly went up the stairs. A boy’s scream echoed briefly. Soon, they came out holding Charles, who had passed out.

“We got him.”

“ We are lucky. Hey, is there a wound in the back? I clearly saw him getting hit by an arrow.”

“No, there’s none. There’s a bloodstain and a rip in his clothes, but the wound is completely gone.”

“That’s crazy. I didn’t expect to find that thing in this ravine. We’ve found an amazing thing for an extra.” The black bandana marveled. As the situation was turning weird, the chief’s face became pale in blue. He thought the sudden visitors were servants of a noble family who came to look for their young master. They made him think that way. So, on a purpose to get rewarded, he told them about everything proudly, even the fact that Azriel treated the boy’s wound with magic.

“Oop, oop, woop!” When the village chief struggled, the black bandana made him kneel by kicking his knees. Putting a dagger close to his neck, he took off his hand from the chief’s mouth. “Don’t make any noise.”

Seeing the sharp blade against his neck, the village chief could not open his mouth. The black bandana said as he took out something from his chest. “Chief, think wisely.”

“…?”

“We are not bad people. We want to work as quietly and peacefully as possible.” He showed several sparkly gold coins to the chief. Chief’s eyes were widened. “Will you forget after receiving this, or…”

The blade of the dagger became closer. The village chief did not think so long. “I will forget about this! I will forget it clearly! I didn’t see anything.”

“That’s wise. For those who saw that boy, give them a suitable explanation.”

“Wh, what should I tell them?”

“Just tell them something like that he ran away alone after getting treatment. There’s a lot you can say.”

“Oh, oh, okay.” At the chief’s answer, the black bandana grinned and retrieved his dagger. After handing over the gold coins to the chief, he made an order to his subordinates. “Take both of them. We’ll leave right away.”

“Wait, sir! Why are you taking this child…?!”

As the men put Azriel in a sack, the village chief interrupted. The black bandana frowned. “What? Do you have a complaint?”

“Th, th, this child is not related to this, isn’t she?”

“She saw us. Besides, this girl is too talented for a countryside wizard to keep.” 

“B, b, but…”

“You said she doesn’t even have parents.”

“She has a master.”

“That wizard who lives in the woods? We’ll take care of that ourselves.”

“But this girl, if she disappears all of a sudden, everyone will doubt…”

“Shoot, you’re annoying!” The black bandana scratched his head roughly, took out a few more coins from his chest, and put them in the chief’s hand. “Just make up something. You’ll be good if you tell them that the wizard left with his pupil.”