777 Fear of Death
"Also, I will not die easily." said Angus.
Hearing Angus' unwavering confidence, Lizbet couldn't help but be surprised. She never found anyone who could face their death prophecy with a calm mind like him.
Even if they show a brave front, they seem to be trying to deny the prophecy or ignore it. In the end, they are still powerless, fighting against Fate and succumbing to death.
"Angus, are you certain about this?" asked Duchess Amberblaze.
"This is also a test for Miss Lizbet. With my current ability, only a few people could truly harm me, much less riddle me with spears. The chance of this scene to happen is almost none unless we suddenly meet a powerful being on the road, which is very unlikely."
"If her prophecy still happens anyway, it means she can see the real and fated prophecies. She has the potential to become a genuine seer and prophet. I don't think I should explain the importance of having a seer for our kingdom." explained Angus.
"Right. Then, I am afraid you will have to come with us on this trip. Don't worry. We will leave you in a nearby city just before our destination or when we prove your prophecy." said Duchess Amberblaze.
"E-Ehh!!" exclaimed Lizbet in surprise.
As one of the aristocratic noblewomen living in the capital city, Lizbet is like any noblewoman and has rarely been involved in the front battle since her academic years. At most, she will only learn spells from her mother or meditate to increase her mana reservoir.
Despite her third-grade level, Lizbet may be weaker than Jayna before heading towards the Endless Battlefield dimension. Therefore, she is surprised and scared at the sudden proposition of getting near danger.
Now, she knows why everyone in her peer group fears the Duchess, who likes to throw any nobles to the border or other difficult tasks. The prospect of getting near danger already gives a chilling sensation on her spine.
"I.. I can't. I need to ask my mother first." said Lizbet in panic.
Hearing this, everyone looked at each other with a grin.
"Don't worry about that. Duchess Sunarm will be notified by His Majesty. Besides, you are not the one in danger here. It is me." said Angus before making arrangements for Lizbet to the head butler Pavlon.
Knowing she could no longer escape after hearing His Majesty's name, Lizbet feels like falling into despair. After that, everyone continued their preparation and slowly departed the Victory Manor.
With the sudden bounty on Angus' side, King Leon sent more guards and knights from the Royal Palace as reinforcement at the last minute.
Although King Leon trusts Angus' strength to not die easily, other important people like Jayna and Duchess Amberblaze are still in the group.
If something truly happens on the road, it may implicate Angus and the others. Therefore, it is better to have more people even if they only work as meat shields.
Soon, the whole envoy passed through the street and left the capital city without any problem. There are three carriages in total. One is for Angus and his little family.
The second one is for the Duchess and Lizbet. The last one is for the maids and the female dwarves, along with various big magic tools. It is quite a big envoy just for a simple traveling and territory visit.
Seeing the capital city wall getting smaller in the distance, Lizbet could only release a deep sigh for the tenth time.
"You should not worry too much. Nothing will happen to you as long as you don't run around like those troublemakers." said Duchess Amberblaze.
"Huft… I…" said Lizbet while still holding her magic stuff tensely.
"*Sigh* You should relax a little bit. Just remember what you learn in your academic days and you will have no problem surviving without a scratch.
." said Duchess Amberblaze.
"Y-Yeah." said Lizbet, still not releasing her magic staff.
Like her mother and most of the high noblewomen in the Heart Kingdom, Lizbet also chooses to become a magician, which often stays in the back.
"Still, I am surprised that you decided to convince your bodyguard and servant to not go with you." said Duchess Amberblaze.
"I just don't want them involved in this matter. Besides, I am not sure if they are the ones that will hit us or not." said Lizbet.
"Hoo… You don't seem to trust your subordinate." said Duchess Amberblaze.
"As noble, it is foolish to trust someone. This is the first lesson I get when entering the noble circle." said Lizbet.
"Yet, you are trying to convince us to trust you. Tell me, Lizbet. Why did you go this far just to warn us? I don't think you care so much about this kingdom going into destruction." said Duchess Amberblaze.
"T-That's…" said Lizbet with hesitation.
"What's your true reason?" asked Duchess Amberblaze.
"I.. I just want to prevent my own death!!" replied Lizbet with difficulty.
"I know… I know my prophecy will always be right. B-But… I still don't want to die. I.. I will do anything to change it." said Lizbet.
'No wonder she reacts harshly to Angus' reply before.' thought Duchess Amberblaze.
The journey proceeded without any problem. To prevent any trouble, Duchess Amberblaze chose an unexpected and random route. This way, their path will be unpredictable and could throw off any bounty hunter.
It also reduces the possibility of getting ambushed and surrounded. With the reinforcement from the Royal Palace, an ordinary ambush from small bandits or thieves will not pose any problem to them.
As the knights moved along the road, 'Twenty people hiding 100 meters away.' a voice suddenly heard from everyone's mind.
The experienced knights and captain didn't panic and immediately raised their vigilance. They stop the carriage and send some elite knights to check the situation in the front. Not long after that, a series of cries were heard before they died.
Soon, the elite knights returned unscathed and reported to their knight captain. Then, they continue their journey. Along the way, they encounter the same small ambush several times until the sun reaches the west side.
'*Sigh* The enticement of 2 million gold coins is too much. Even a group of bandits dare to attack us despite already seeing our full platoon of elite knights and Royal Emblem carriage.' thought Angus inwardly.
During the day, Angus didn't lower his vigilance and kept using [Great Mana Echolocation] periodically. He will notify the knights and everyone when there is an ambush ahead. He didn't expect there to be a lot of people trying to ambush them.
If they just stay in one place after getting ambushed, they may get surrounded by another group of bounty hunters nearby without end. Unfortunately, the knights couldn't just keep traveling without stopping and needed to replenish their energy.
Therefore, they decide to camp in the wilderness during the nighttime. Although it will increase the potential of getting ambushed, Angus knows they will be safe since the night and darkness is Anna's world.
He had already lost count of how many people and bounty hunters were swallowed by darkness and shadow since the sun disappeared on the horizon. On the other hand, Anna herself keeps muttering bubbles like cursing them.
Jayna noticed Anna's strangeness but didn't stop her. She even pampers her, which makes Anna snuggle more to Jayna. Angus and Jayna may not have wanted Anna to become a brutal murderer. However, they also will not stop her from killing those trying to harm them.
Since these bounty hunters are trying to kill them, they must also prepare to be killed. Furthermore, Angus knows the one that did it is the darkness, not Anna. What Anna did is just asked Blackie to 'burst those annoying bubbles'.
The night passed by without any disturbance. All the bounty hunters or spies will be killed before they can even approach their camp during the dark night.
The next day, everyone wakes up early and continues their journey just when the sky brightens up a little bit. Their speed is faster than before as they didn't encounter any ambush thanks to the sleepy gluttony on Jayna's arm.
Another few days passed without any big incident besides the usual ambush from petty thieves and bandits. As the whole envoy moves along the road, Angus notices something fast heading their direction from a few kilometers away.
'Unidentified strong person approaching from the south!! Everyone stays on guard!!" said Angus through telepathy to everyone.
The knights immediately came down from their horses and prepared in defense formation. During the past few days, they realized Angus could perceive people up to a few kilometers away. Yet, he never said any of them was strong when describing the enemy.
They know the other assailant is not ordinary bandits or thieves they met during the last few days. Duchess Amberblaze also realizes this and comes out from the carriage. Through Angus' telepathy, she knows the other party is at least a strong fifth-grade.
"Stay inside the carriage. Only go out when the knights tell you!!" said Duchess Amberblaze to Lizbet.
Duchess Amberblaze is not stupid. The carriages may be heavily enchanted with various strong barriers. However, it is also a big target for anyone.
Facing a fifth-grade level, the carriage is not but a big turtle. It is sturdy but not invincible. A few strong attacks is all it takes to destroy it. Therefore, they couldn't be careless or may have some casualties or permanent injury.
"Everyone dies eventually, whether they have power or not. That's why you need to think about what you'll accomplish while you're alive." - Mary Macbeth, Kekkai Sensen.
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