Chapter 6 Bringing a Ticking Time Bomb
Author: M_W Cancer
Grammar Checker: M_W Nomral
Since they were already in the situation, Leo could only helplessly carry the woman in a bridal way as he slowly put her on the top of his horse.
They only brought four horses with them, so he could only put the woman on his horse.
He followed soon after as he rode the horse before quickly positioning the woman right in front of him.
"In this way, no one would suspect that I'm carrying the Princess of the Crimson Rose Kingdom," Leo said, trying to comfort himself to calm his panic nerves.
Everyone who would look at them at this moment will only think that Leo was just putting his woman in front of him to protect her easily.
"But, Young Master, you're putting yourself in danger!" Butler Xiao immediately persuaded Leo.
"Then do you expect me to just leave her out in the woods?" Leo replied in annoyance, "She's also wounded!" He quickly added.
Butler Xiao was left speechless. Of course, he knew that his Young Master was a kind man, but he should still know when to be kind or not, right?
Although his reply was like some kind of noble, Leo's thoughts, however, were actually, 'Do you think I don't know that I'm practically bringing a ticking time bomb with me! Dammit! How the heck am I so unfortunate to get myself into this situation?!'
Even though he could comply with what Butler Xiao had advised him, leaving the injured woman behind was just against his conscience and principles.
"Let's just go to Silver City! Let's face the problem the moment it comes our way." Leo said before urging his horse to move towards Silver City while feeling helpless deep inside.
"Haysss..." Butler Xiao and Fatty Ben said in unison as the two of them were feeling helpless, too. But they can't help but just follow it since it was the command of their Young Master, after all.
However, what Butler Xiao and Fatty Ben don't know, Leo is already concocting a plan deep inside his mind...
"You, return to the Heart City and report to Head Guard Kevin what had happened here, and tell him to prepare some men in case of any emergency. And also, just pretend that this thing didn't happen after completing your mission and take a rest." Fatty Ben turned around and ordered the scout while wearing a solemn face.
The scout nodded, completely understanding how complicated the current situation was. He immediately rushed back towards the Heart City on his horse.
'Since the Young master wants to save the princess, then we just need to prepare for the worst-case scenario as his loyal subordinates! Moreover, our Young Master is already 18 years old, but he has not brought or touched a woman yet.' Fatty Ben thought within his mind before urging his horse to follow behind Leo.
.....
Arriving near the Silver City south gate, Leo couldn't help but gulp a mouthful of saliva due to the nervousness he was currently feeling deep inside.
Well, who would not, right? Any time the ticking time bomb that Leo was currently carrying might just suddenly explode and cause them endless trouble. But still, he also thought that he couldn't just abandon a person in the woods with how kind he was, especially a devilishly beautiful woman. His man's instincts also told him to go and save the woman.
Also, Leo was truly curious why the Princess of the Crimson Rose Kingdom was injured and was then left in the woods unconscious. With her status as a princess, no one would ever think of running away with no deeper reason behind it, right? Not to mention, running away and getting injured in such a state.
There might be something deeper, something that could potentially destroy the entire Silver Kingdom...
Leo's mind was telling himself right now to know it so he could prepare for any danger in the future that might possibly fall in the Silver Kingdom.
However, he still needs to solve his current predicament before entertaining other problems.
"Ahhh! I should have just returned." Leo was agonizing over his decision to go to Silver City instead of just going back home after saving the unconscious Blood Race princess.
"Think Leo, think...." Looking around, Leo's eyes suddenly lit up brightly as he saw a merchant caravan approaching the south gate, "Bingo!" He quickly thought of a bright idea.
Leo's idea was pretty simple. He thought that since every merchant caravan only needed its product to be checked, then getting in with the merchant caravan without them and the Blood Race princess getting questioned about their identity would be possible.
This procedure was implemented in the past because it has proven to be troublesome to check every person within a merchant caravan since most of these merchants came from other places and some were even from other Foreign Races allied with the Human Race.
Thinking of checking and making them register every time they visit Silver City would surely consume too much time and effort, and might also discourage any merchant from visiting such a strict city.
Leo quickly told Butler Xiao and Fatty Ben about his idea before leaving them for a while. He left them to hold the princess for a moment as he quickly approached the merchant caravan.
As Leo got near the merchant caravan, one of the escorting mercenaries who noticed him approached and asked, "May I know what this young master wants?" With his years of experience, he could easily identify that the young man who unexpectedly approached them came from a Noble Household.
"Can I talk to your Boss? I want to discuss some business." Leo said as he opened a large treasure box full of gold coins in front of the mercenary. Fortunately, he had brought the treasure box full of gold coins with him, since it was the only way to go through with such a plan.
The mercenary was astonished by the treasure box, but he still sized Leo up from head to toe. He was a mercenary, after all, his job was to protect the safety of his employer. In addition to that, he had seen gold coins amounting to hills in the past.
After confirming that Leo was harmless and that the intention was just to discuss business, he then guided the former towards an exquisitely designed carriage.
"Madam, someone is here to discuss business with you!" The mercenary said while knocking at the door of the main carriage.
"Let them in!" A female voice replied from the carriage.
Receiving the reply, naturally, Leo was allowed to get inside.
Inside the carriage was an old woman with wrinkles on her face while smoking a pipe of some kind of plant inside, some sort of high-grade tobacco.
The woman was around 40-50 years old. She has black colored hair with some whites on, a wrinkled face but could still show that she was a beauty at her prime, and a slightly bit tall figure.
Leo started coughing as soon as he got inside the wagon. 'The heck with this smell!' He can't help cursing the smell since it is just too bad. He might be from a Noble Household, but that doesn't mean he is accustomed to smoking.
"What do you need?" The woman quickly asked with a slight frown.
"Do you happen to have any Mage-related books for sale?" Leo stated his purpose immediately.
"I don't have any here, but I do have some in my store!" The woman's instantly mood changed when she replied. She put down the pipe in her mouth on a glass-like container, as she focuses her attention now on Leo.
'Bingo!'
"Then let's go to your store!" Leo said in excitement.
The woman's mood changed for the better as she and Leo continued to talk about some other stuff that she could sell to him.
Naturally, the woman suspected nothing. She was already used to occasions like this. Some buyers would wait outside the gate instead so that they could buy the stuff they needed ahead of the others.
When Leo realizes that the woman has already fallen on his plan, he naturally proceeds to the next step.
"Can I call my friends with me?" Leo suddenly proposed.
The woman's eyes quickly lit up brightly as soon as she heard Leo saying that there were still others with him. Who in their right mind would not be happy with more business, right?
"Yes, yes, yes! You can call them in!" The woman replied hurriedly as she clasped her hand in delight.
Soon, Butler Xiao and Fatty Ben, who was putting the unconscious princess to his side as if looking like a playboy, came in.
The mature woman immediately sized them both up and down, and her brows furrowed briefly as she looked at the unconscious princess.
Everyone noticed the brief change in her expression, but nobody put much thought into it as they simply assumed that she felt disgusted by Fatty Ben.
Afterward, she called out to one of his men outside to give Leo and his group an empty carriage to ride and also strictly ordered that they'd be getting to her store safe and sound.
"What a brilliant idea, Young Master! We will get inside the city unnoticed." Butler Xiao applauded as soon as they got inside the carriage, astonished by Leo's great plan. They were already inside a carriage, so they weren't afraid of their voice being heard by anyone.
Fatty Ben also nodded in acknowledgment.
Soon, it became their merchant caravans' turn to be checked, and like most of the merchant caravans that came inside before them, the soldiers only checked the products they had brought with them before letting them in.
"Success!" Leo cheered silently deep inside as their group got inside the Silver City with no problem.
'Now I can finally do what I planned to do here, though with a slight change of plan... But still, the time I used getting here would not be wasted anymore!'
The carriage started moving towards its destination. However, things didn't go perfectly as planned.
"Ha?!" As soon as Leo turned around to look at the unconscious princess, his joyous mood immediately turned solemn as he noticed that the princess of the Crimson Rose Kingdom was already awake!
"Who are you?!!" The princess asked cautiously as she started moving herself to the very side of the carriage, while at the same time covering her body with both of her hands.
Leo stared at her action as if looking at a dragon, thinking as if it were a snake, "Why are you even acting as if we're going to rape you or something? You're the Princess of a freaking Blood Race, even a rapist wouldn't dare to rape you casually!" Of course, his thoughts were only said in his mind.
"I'm Leo Heart of the Heart City. Don't worry princess, we don't mean any harm, we just found you in a forest injured. So, I, as a kind Noble, helped you with no hesitation." Leo said shamelessly, thinking that it would calm the Princess.
However, the princess still didn't believe them. Her response became more cautious after hearing Leo's obvious sugar-coated words.
Leo wanted to explain further, but the carriage suddenly stopped as if telling them that they had finally arrived at their destination.
In front of everyone is a shop called Sword and Magic.