Chapter 199 - Alert

"Really… I heard of them," Ferdinand said, surprised. "I could swear that Orleand only invited the princess. I see, so they came as guards as well."

"I also heard about them, but I didn't think the rumors were true," Crow said. "I assumed the current heads of the families' manipulated information to make their kids look more than they actually are."

"I heard about their accomplishments in the North. What have you heard about them? Ferdinand asked.

"One of them is a talented spearman like no other, apparently, he is also close friends with the princess," Crow said. "As for the other, the rumors about him died down since he left the North. I assumed that was just the limit one's family could do by manipulating Intel, but it seems he truly is as wild as the rumors tell. A wild swordsman that can use magic while wielding a sword..."

"Are your men pursuing them?" Ferdinand asked.

"They should catch up to them before sunset," Crow replied.

Ferdinand rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Perhaps the report of the assassins wasn't exactly wrong. It was hard to believe that only three kids could have managed to defeat so many assassins. It was even weirder since the princess was within that group. Nevertheless, despite those unexpected enemies, the idea of giving up never crossed Ferdinand's mind…

Sometime later, around noon, Zaos and everyone else finally reached the mountains on the eastern side of the main island, and alongside with it, they found the abandoned mines. Hundreds of years had passed since any ore had left those caves, so it was only obvious that their interior was filled with web spiders.

"Ugh… I hate spiders," Ameria said while she was looking at the entrance of the first abandoned mine they found.

"This mountain is pretty big and there are many holes around," Zaos said. "Do you know if they are connected?"

"I don't think so, they are at different elevation points," Orleand said while looking around.

"We will check that eventually, first of all, everyone should go to that mine up there," Erean said. "You guys and the princess will make sure that the interior is safe enough."

"What about us?" Drannor asked.

"We will cook some rabbits in this cave," Erean replied. "Once the enemies get close enough, we will strike them down."

"So, that was what you were talking about earlier," Drannor said.

"I can help too," Ameria said.

While Zaos killed some boars with his magic, Ameria catches some rabbits with her bow. So her skill had already been recognized by everyone that morning. Still, it seemed that Erean didn't want to make use of her skills… the assassins won't make the same mistakes twice, so the next fights will become harder and much more dangerous for Ameria.

"I am sorry, but I cannot let you fight anymore, Your Highness," Erean said. "I won't even use my guys because we can only hide so many people inside the cave. At the same time, so many of them can leave the place."

Ameria recognized the fact that an ambush in such a place will never work if there are too many people involved. With that in mind, she decided to step down. Noemi approached and then patted her on the shoulders.

"Let's hurry up and rest as much as possible," Erean said. "Once the first ambush works, we will set other bonfires in front of the mines, so you will have the chance to cook your food. Just hang in there for a while longer."

Fortunately, most people there were more tired than hungry because of the trip, so they didn't complain. They just wanted a nice place to rest… it would be difficult to find such a place in those abandoned mines. Although they were hanging in there, Zaos and Drannor also wanted to find a nice place to let their legs rest. Still, Zaos ignored his exhaustion and began to meditate to recover some of his mana. He had regained some, but it wasn't nearly enough. Those assassins were bad news, so he couldn't take his chances with them.

In the end, Erean sighed because the enemies knew what he had planned for them. They never approached during the day, but he could tell that they were in the area… the forest around the mine looked more ominous, after all.

After resting in the caves for a while after finding some old pieces of clothing in some rooms that were used as warehouses, the people began to wake up feeling hungry… in the end, Erean had to let them make the campfire to cook the animals that they had caught. At the same time, Drannor and Erean split up to make fake campfires in the other mines. As for Zaos, he spent the whole afternoon meditating.

"That is some absurd level of concentration," Erean said after he met up with Drannor once they prepared all the diversions.

"One day, he went on like that for two days straight," Drannor said. "Without food and water…"

"They are here," Zaos suddenly opened his arms and then said.

"Oh, shit," Erean said. "We need to warn the others."

"That is easy," Zaos said and then fired a single Wind Sword at the mine where everyone was hiding.

Although the place was two hundred meters above, Zaos managed to hit the ceiling of the cave entrance. The people there almost pissed themselves due to the surprise, but Ameria recognized the warning and made everyone move. Everyone who had combat experience was already nearby, so they assumed their positions and hid themselves in some bushes. Since they weren't good at ambushing, they were forced to leave their armor behind in order not to make any noise. It was risky, but it was the only thing they could do.

Health: 720/720

Mana: 1990/1990

Stamina: 1860/1860

Strength: 360

Magic: 995

Endurance: 930

Resistance: 995

Focus: 07 + 01 

Sorcery Lv 61 (+ 02 UP), Meditation Lv 32 (+ 04 UP), Magic Swordsmanship Lv 38 (+ 03 UP), Magic Spearmanship Lv 11, Magic Archery Lv 13, Magic Martial Arts Lv 09, Alchemy Lv 09, Magic Resistance Lv 11, Magic Perception Lv 13 (+ 02 UP), Swordsmanship Lv 49 (+ 03 UP), Axemanship Lv 14, Spearmanship Lv 15, Archery Lv 23, Martial Arts Lv 12 Shield Mastery Lv 22, Pain Resistance Lv 30 (+ 02 UP), Blacksmithing Lv 15 

Lesser Heal, Heal, Holy Light, Detoxification, Cold Whisper, Mend Bones, Dispel, Protection, Magic Barrier, Stone Skin, Fire Sword, Water Sword, Earth Sword, Wind Sword, Earth Bullet, Ignite, Spark, Agony, Purification, Sanctuary, Soft Armor, Pain Nullification, Light Arrow, Light in the Dark, Cleanse,