“There won’t be any problem with the convoy returning. I placed the 3rd Battalion Commander at the lead in preparation for this kind of situation. If the Imperial Knights block his path, he’s the type to break through even if it means engaging in hand-to-hand combat, so it might actually be fortunate if they encountered him first.”
He answered as if there would be no problem with the convoy’s return after it had headed in the opposite direction. However, that was an answer as the Commander of the Council, not the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) response expected of one who served the Duke of Agrizendro as their lord.
If the reason the Council’s return convoy had stopped was the Imperial Knights—and their purpose was to pursue Leonardo Blaine—then in the worst-case scenario, there was a risk it would be discovered that the two had disappeared during the process of checking the personnel in the escort vehicles.
The moment it became known that the de facto leader of the imperial faction had intentionally tried to shake off the Imperial Knights, it would surely escalate into a major conflict.
They could make up an excuse that they had temporarily left the convoy due to vehicle maintenance or fuel issues, but someone might suspect there was another purpose behind this independent movement.
However, despite knowing his subordinate’s concerns, Hugo didn’t add anything more. The person who had been looking at the back seat turned his head forward again in the ensuing silence. It seemed that although his lord wasn’t showing it, his mind was tangled with various thoughts.
As silence fell again, Hugo, who had been staring out the window, slowly closed and opened his eyes.
‘If it’s really them, it’s earlier than expected.’
The Oldin Bridge they had reportedly passed last night was located closer to Fidele than other nearby territories. But with all portals to Fidele cut off now, the only way for them to come here was to cross mountains and fields on foot.
Moreover, he had heard that Cordelia Hareth had issued a blockade order within a 20km radius around the bridge, citing reasons such as preventing monster escapes and repair work. Therefore, even if they employed every method, including teleportation, unless their mana was infinite, their expected arrival time was around noon today.
Only about two hours had passed since sunrise, and location-wise, it wasn’t far from Fidele’s gate.
But in this situation—a sudden stop of the convoy... Although he hoped it wasn’t the case, anxiety overwhelmed him that they might have already arrived in the vicinity.
The fortunate thing in this misfortune was that no matter how much they were the Imperial Knights, they had no clear justification for an unannounced inspection of the Council’s escort convoy carrying urgently injured patients. Moreover, if they were visiting Fidele to perform duties related to disaster relief, there was no reason to send a messenger “secretly” in the first place, was there?
However, their actions—as if trying to move covertly—felt like they hadn’t received official permission to appear, or didn’t want this matter to draw attention by becoming known externally.
‘So even if they encounter the northern convoy, if their purpose isn’t to cause a commotion, they won’t be able to search the vehicles one by one. Then the problem is rather on this side...’
Even if they avoided a head-on confrontation for the sake of appearances, the moment such circumstances were detected, it would look strange in others’ eyes. In the end, the vehicle carrying “Hugo Agrizendro” must not be discovered by the Imperial Knights at the point of breaking away from the escort convoy. Especially not while carrying Leonardo Blaine, who was at the center of the controversy.
While enumerating the facts in his mind, Hugo had to admit that all of this was converging into a single anxiety.
He rubbed his tired eyes with the hand that had been propping up his chin.
‘What if we’re already surrounded? And why Leonardo, of all people?’
At that moment, a sharp sound of rubber grinding against dirt split the air—twice in quick succession. Simultaneously, the bodies of all passengers lurched forward as the vehicle came to a sudden stop.
Hugo leaned forward, bracing one hand against the front seat, and wrapped his arm around Leonardo’s head and shoulders. Following his instinct, the sloshing water cushion swelled, instantly enveloping Leonardo’s body.
The driver, who had also lurched forward, pressed her back against the seat and asked urgently:
“My lord, are you alright?”
“What’s going on?”
Hugo, who had quickly checked Leonardo’s condition, asked back with furrowed brows. The driver, gripping the steering wheel, lowered her dark-lensed glasses to the tip of her nose and stared ahead.
She narrowed her eyes and examined the rear of the vehicle in front, which had stopped suddenly. The red fog lights blinked several times. It was an emergency signal.
Just then, a tense voice came from the vehicle’s radio with a beep.
–Suspicious individuals spotted about 300m ahead, near the dam entrance at 10 o’clock. Estimated five people, all fully armed and mounted on horses.
At that moment, Hugo felt the back of his neck stiffen. Although he couldn’t see exactly what was happening due to the vehicle in front blocking the view, he sensed that what he had been worried about had happened.
The person in the passenger seat quickly pressed the fog light button to send a signal to the vehicle behind. Then, pressing and holding the radio’s transmit button, he turned his head to look at his lord. Hugo asked calmly:
“Have they spotted us too?”
Beep–
–They don’t seem to have seen us due to the undergrowth, but they appear to have heard the engine noise and friction sounds. Two horses are approaching our direction. Shall we retreat?
Hugo gritted his teeth. The dam entrance wasn’t a place that looked like a common passageway. It would have been difficult to spot, even hidden by the undergrowth—yet they were blocking that place.
Although he hadn’t completely failed to anticipate this situation, now that the encirclement had become a fait accompli, even the other escape routes he had considered earlier couldn’t be trusted. It was too late to turn back north; that direction wasn’t safe either. It was difficult to move rashly, not knowing where and how many of them might be waiting.
‘There must be more ways...’
As Hugo anxiously retraced the map markers in his mind, he suddenly recalled the moment he shook hands with the newly deployed Southern Branch battalion commanders.
‘There’s a quite wide forest path to the southeast of the territory.’
If the Imperial Knights had been lurking nearby at that time, they would have certainly reported to him, and assuming that Council vehicles were legally moving separately from the convoy, that was the path that would look least suspicious.
There was no guarantee it would be safe, but no other route came to mind. Having finished his thought, Hugo ordered decisively:
“Turn southeast, hurry!”
“Yes!”
As soon as the order was given, the drivers of the two rear escort vehicles out of the three simultaneously turned their steering wheels to the right. As the vehicles were still in development and had insufficient reverse function, they had to drive forward through the dense undergrowth to turn in another direction.
As a result, fragile grass and trees were mercilessly bent as they were pushed by the heavy bumpers. The large wheels began to chew into the dirt and tree roots, plunging into the forest.
At that moment, the agonized neigh of horses echoed all around like an ominous omen.
Beep–
–All five have started moving. This is Alpha 1, please go ahead. We’ll cover you.
The lead vehicle, as if trying to lure the pursuers, blocked the path with its body as the two rear vehicles broke away.
The noise of heavy armor clanking grew closer. The accelerating drum of horse hooves changed the atmosphere of the forest—where one couldn’t see an inch ahead—into something urgent.
The person in the passenger seat, watching the escort vehicle left behind, shouted urgently into the public radio:
“Don’t get caught—lure them appropriately, then shake them off!”
Meanwhile, the driver, who had floored it to maximum speed, dodged the endlessly stretching tree trunks with almost acrobatic skill.
Hugo, who had been embracing Leonardo’s upper body to mitigate the jolting, immediately opened the window and extended his left hand to concentrate mana.
He drew up the dew clinging to the dense undergrowth to a height of 1m above the ground, then finely fragmented it in the air to spray water droplets. A thick fog formed throughout the nearby forest, veiling the five figures following behind.
Behind the gloomy backdrop, the heavy engine noise and the horses’ neighing chaotically intermingled. The occasional unidentified shout hinted at the rough path ahead.
