Chapter 466: Chapter 466: Adina 19
A smile touched Tan You’s lips. ’So, there are no truly foolish people after all. Some of them can see the situation clearly.’
With Schubert and Sanders having made their decision, the other guards said nothing more and swore the follower’s oath, one after another. Just like that, Tan You gained nearly twenty capable followers.
After accepting this group of followers, Tan You dismissed the low-level Undead. They had been for self-protection, but now that everyone was on her side, she no longer needed to be so tense.
This display of power only further convinced the followers of Tan You’s extraordinary talent. After all, she had only been training for a few days. To have achieved so much in such a short time meant her future accomplishments were bound to be great.
While her followers were mulling things over, Tan You was doing some thinking of her own. She had to find a way to put this group to use. She considered for a moment before saying, "We’ve already been delayed on the road for two days and can’t afford any more. Tomorrow, I will escort you out of the Mist Forest. From there, you will travel to Kandapes on your own."
Schubert asked worriedly, "Miss, aren’t you going to Kandapes?"
Tan You replied softly, "Kandapes isn’t a good place for me to train; my location could easily be exposed. Lord Sean has a Mage Tower in the Mist Forest. I will be living here from now on."
Schubert offered, "Should I stay here to protect you, Miss?"
"There’s no need," Tan You refused. "You have a family of your own. Just go to Kandapes and live your lives."
"I will write several letters. Once you reach Kandapes, mail them to the Imperial City. After that, just focus on living your own lives. Of course, you must outwardly create the impression that I am living a secluded life. I will also send letters to Kandapes from time to time. I won’t perish here so easily."
Sanders glanced at the pits in the ground where the skeletons had emerged. "Miss, your talent is extraordinary. You will surely become a Magic God one day. How could you possibly perish so young?"
Tan You smiled. "You’re very clever."
Sanders replied, "I am merely clever in small ways. I cannot compare to your foresight, Miss, nor your kindness."
Tan You clearly understood what he meant. She fell silent for a moment before speaking. "You are all living people, and life itself isn’t easy. I can’t harm innocents for my own sake. However, I have my own concerns, and I must survive. I just hope you won’t resent me for my extreme methods."
"We understand, Miss," said Sanders. "You summoned those Undead soldiers only for self-protection. If you were even a little more ruthless, we likely would never have made it out of the Mist Forest."
Tan You sighed. ’What can I do? I was raised to be a decent person. How could I ever bring myself to take innocent lives?’
"Your lives in Kandapes might not be as glamorous as they were in the Imperial City. But I can promise you this: in Kandapes, your families—your wives, children, and elders—will be safe and sound."
Sanders nodded. "That is more than enough. When you think about it, we aren’t doing much for you, Miss—just keeping quiet about your affairs. That’s simple enough."
Tan You enjoyed talking to intelligent people. Now that they had reached a consensus, she said, "Then let’s proceed as I’ve laid out. Once I become a Five-star Mage, I will walk out of the Mist Forest on my own."
The guards couldn’t help but laugh. To them, the title of Five-star Mage was an impossibly distant goal. They’d heard that the youngest Saint Heir of the Divine Hall of Light had only become a Five-star Mage at the age of thirty.
Miss Adina was not yet six. Even if she possessed the same extraordinary talent as the Saint Heir, she would still need twenty-five years. That meant they had over two decades of peace ahead of them, which was not bad at all.
Besides, as long as Adina’s identity remained a secret, who would ever know they were her followers? Thinking it over, life in Kandapes didn’t seem so bad. It was just as Sanders had said: it would be peaceful there, unlike in the Imperial City, where they had to constantly worry about their safety.
After all, being a guard for a noble family meant putting your life on the line every day. You never knew when danger would strike.
Schubert, being more considerate, added, "Why don’t we at least escort you to the Mage Tower, Miss? We won’t have any peace of mind leaving you here all alone."
Tan You smiled. "I’ve obtained Sean’s belongings. He had an invisibility cloak. As long as I don’t stir up trouble, I can go almost anywhere with it."
The followers were a little envious, but then they remembered this was their own lady’s good fortune, and they all became happy for her. It had to be said, the guards Dumont assigned to Tan You were all of good character. This was perhaps the extent of his fatherly concern.
"As for the guards who got separated..." Tan You paused to think. "Find them if you can. Then, come up with an excuse to send them back to the Imperial City. It seems their only task was to escort me to Kandapes."
Schubert nodded. "Understood. We’ll take care of it."
After talking with her newly-minted followers for a while, the sky began to clear. The Mist Forest was exceptionally quiet, as if the previous night’s beast tide had never occurred. Everything seemed peaceful and pleasant.
Tan You stretched. "Alright, let’s go. I’ll see you out first. Once I’m settled in the Mage Tower, I’ll send you a letter. Also, mail the letters I give you to the Imperial City at a rate of one every three months."
Listening to Tan You’s instructions, Sanders smiled. "You’ve thought of everything, Miss."
Tan You arched an eyebrow. "I’ll take that as a compliment. Once you get to Kandapes, just focus on living your lives."
After walking for half a day, they finally reached the spot where they had camped the previous night. The carriages were still there, but they had been knocked about and lay scattered in disarray.
They all recognized the path from here. "This is far enough, Miss. We can manage the rest of the way on our own."
Tan You didn’t insist. "Then I’ll bid you farewell here. Take care of yourselves."
The men watched as Tan You turned and left, her figure quickly vanishing from sight.
Sanders inspected the carriages, climbing into one to look around. "A lot of the things inside are gone."
A faint smile touched Schubert’s lips. "The miss is meticulous. I imagine she anticipated this. No wonder she bought so many supplies before we left the Imperial City."
Sanders frowned. "By your logic, does that mean the miss knew long ago that she had... that kind of talent?"
Sometimes, a single clue is all a clever person needs to unravel a mystery. "So, she was heading to Kandapes in name only. Her real destination was always the Mist Forest?"
Schubert was reluctant to say more. "Let’s just keep that thought to ourselves. In any case, we belong to the miss now. If she prospers, so will we."
Sanders nodded. "You’re right. We have to take these carriages with us. Without them, we won’t be able to conceal the miss’s whereabouts."
Comments