Chapter 197 - [Bonus ]Worries

In order to avoid problems, Zaos and Erean were walking in the total darkness of the night. They could only see the torches that were illuminating the carriages back several hundred meters ahead. They were so far away because they will have a better chance of finding the enemies while they stay in the darkness. Still, they could be so quiet while Erean was moving in his full armor.

"Did you notice anything weird with the assassins?" Erean suddenly asked. "I know many types of armies and mercenary groups that are well-known in the other countries, but I never heard of a group of assassins that uses swords like that. Besides, I never heard of an assassin group so big."

"Well, from my perspective, our kingdom has been looking too much to the North, where the followers of the demon god can be found," Zaos said. "So, it doesn't surprise me that a group like that was able to remain hidden for so long. Besides…"

"Besides?" Erean asked.

"No… it is nothing," Zaos said.

Besides, there was this weird individual that was always following them in order to keep Ameria safe. So, it wasn't weird that assassin-like enemies were so hard to find or hear about. Most likely, the king has heard about them. Still, he decided to keep the information hidden in order to avoid problems.

"Zaos, about that technique you used before destroying the door… how did you learn that?" Erean asked.

"This is hardly the time to talk about something like that," Zaos replied. "Even if it weren't, you wouldn't notice or understand things even since you don't have any knowledge regarding mana."

"It makes sense, still, I find it hard to believe that you managed to do that all by yourself," Erean said.

"I didn't, the two blockheads helped me," Zaos said. "If it weren't for them, things could have become really dangerous."

After doing that much talk, Zaos and Erean decided to keep quiet and focus on the mission. Besides, even though Zaos could feel the presence of others, his range wasn't infinite. That being said, nothing happened at night. The real problem only started when the sun started to rise…

Erean and Zaos sighed in relief when the sunrise began to illuminate that part of the island because unless someone separates from the group, the chances of them being ambushed were pretty low. However, their deserved rest didn't come. Those two noticed that things were getting pretty noisy near the carriages. After a while, they saw some angry individuals leaving them.

"It is finally happening…" Erean said.

"What is the meaning of this, Orleand?" A short blond-haired man asked after he stepped out of the carriage. "You'd better have a good explanation for this."

When Erean and Zaos approached, they heard the arguments and the sound of a lot of people waking and complaining about their conditions. It was only natural since they had no idea what happened and where they were. All the carriages stopped because of the ruckus, and at the same time, pretty much every one of the unconscious guests woke up and left the carriages. They still had some ground to cover before finding the mines, so stopping now didn't seem like a good idea.

"We were attacked last night," Orleand said. "All of us were drugged and fell asleep during the final part of the party. If it weren't for them, all of us would have been assassinated."

"What kind of nonsense is that? Are you drunk?"

"What are your goals here, Orleand? Could it be that you are planning to kill us and get our riches?"

"If I wanted to do that, I would have done it during the night," Orleand said. "I know it is hard to believe, but if you calm down and think for a short while, you will understand that I am telling the truth. Otherwise, why would I leave my home with so few guards in the middle of the night?"

Some of the people realized that what Orleand was saying made sense, but still, even they were having a hard time imagining that they just escaped death since they didn't see any assassin. Since Zaos was more worried about the enemies, he didn't consider that such a thing might happen. Still, since Erean was more experienced, he had considered that.

"Things are getting out of hand, what should we do?" Drannor asked after he approached.

"Unless they see the assassins, they will have a hard time following the group," Zaos replied. "These kinds of people will only cause problems in the long run, so we can't force them to stay with us."

"If we let them go, they will die," Drannor said.

"Do you want to use force and then make them stay with us?" Zaos asked. "They will risk the whole group. Why do you think a chain of command exists in the army? It is to avoid letting every single soldier make their own decisions and making things even more complicated. If we want to survive this, we need to cut loose those who will be a burden."

"I understand that, but… just tell such things in front of the others," Drannor sighed and said.

"I know that," Zaos said.

Those who aren't soldiers might not understand why someone like Zaos would think that way, and he would look rather cold. Someone like Ameria might understand him, though. She knew what Zaos's thoughts were. He wanted to return home and then help his mother no matter what. Not to mention, he was a methodical person through and through. Despite that, she probably won't be able to realize the real implications of what Zaos wanted by freeing so easily of those who wanted to leave.

Eventually, entire families began to leave the group and head toward the opposite direction, Ameria and Noemi tried to convince them to change their minds, but it was to no avail. Still, Ameria couldn't help but show disbelief when Zaos and the others didn't try to stop them.