Lilith's mouth was dry as she started trembling from her mother's voice, but her mother continued regardless.
"Now tell me Lilith, my daughter, why did you have to smear my reputation into the floor?"
Hearing her mother start to get angry, Lilith's instinct to survive kicked in and she blurted out an excuse.
"M-Mother! It wasn't my fault! Everything was perfect, but then anomalies occurred and the plan went south…"
For the first time, the voice on the other side of the parchment got loud and yelled.
"I DON'T CARE! I RAISED YOU TO SUCCEED AND ALL I GET IS MY REPUTATION DRAGGED THROUGH THE FLOOR AS YOU MESS UP A MISSION?!"
The voice took a deep breath and spoke calmly, however the anger could still be heard as she ground her teeth together as she spoke.
"Look here Lilith, the dagger was a huge mess up. However, it isn't too bad as it was just coming to the regional branch for analysis. But messing up the mission and letting Partha see our shadow? If I was there personally, I would have slapped your head into the ground to make a new welcome mat. Now don't smear my reputation any further or I will be forced to send my own envoy down to that backwater country. Take care my little Lilith."
The moment the parchment stopped glowing, Lilith fell backward and fell unconscious, while a liquid leaked from her nether region. From the fear and adrenaline pumping, she had been so scared she pissed herself as she fainted.
-A week later on one of the main roads in Partha-
It had been a week of travel so far for Leon. When Leon started the trip, he was as vigilant as a hawk and looked out for any tiny movement, however after a week of nothing eventful happening his guard slowly slipped down to the point where only large commotions drew his attention.
The road so far had brought no surprises, although he did get to see many different travelers within the past week. Most of them were small merchants who made a living traveling from city to city as they hoped to one day strike it rich and start a company, however, most dreams would be dashed as most places were very unwelcoming to new companies. For example, Orsini was a big stronghold, but many big companies like the Medici's already held a strong grip on the merchant scene and would either absorb new companies or crush them. Occasionally there would be a company that fought back and managed to stay afloat and establish themselves, but those were like a miracle.
The other most common travelers that Leon would see on the main road were adventurers and common folks.
Adventurers were so numerous that some would be forced to go to another city or somewhere else to find a guild or work, which is why often the roads were filled with low leveled adventurers looking for somewhere to settle down and grow. While there would also be adventurers who took a job far away or that required them to be on the road like guarding a merchant as they made their way through the nation.
Common folks were often traveling via the main roads usually for two reasons. One was the fact that many families were split as they go to find work and sometimes other family members go visit their family in other places. The other common folks usually leave their village to a big city, stronghold, or the capital in search of finding work.
These sorts of people were always on the road, so Leon blended in as he was just an adventurer who was traveling, which was quite common for adventurers who looked to gain fame, fortune, or power.
The only other people Leon had seen on the main road was a noble who rode in a carriage and had a convoy of guards surrounding it as they rode down the road towards the center of the nation, where the capital was located.
However, the noble must have been a minor and weak baron as powerful nobles didn't usually take carriages as they had other expensive and rare methods to reach their destination which was less risky as bandits would often attack noble carriages even with an escort.
The sun was slowly dropping down as it fell under the horizon, while the pale flow of the moon started to appear as it replaced the sun. Feeling the chill of the wind from the night, Leon took out the map he had been using to map his route and found the general area he was most likely in.
'Hmm, I must be getting pretty close to the Veszely Canyon…'
Leon decided to make a major decision and decided to stop on the side of the road to set up camp as he didn't wish to cross the Veszely Canyon at night. After a week of doing this, setting up a nice cozy camp had become a routine that Leon was familiar with.
First, he took most of the supplies of the horse and set them in a pile on the ground, before tying the horse to a tree and leaving it in a grassy area with a bowl of water. Next, he had two options of sleeping on the ground or in a tree. Both had their own merits as sleeping in a tree would be safer as Leon would be alerted easier if someone was robbing or attacking him while sleeping on the ground would be more comfortable as he might be able to pitch a makeshift tent.
Usually, adventurers traveled in groups or pairs so they could take shifts to be on guard while the other one slept, Leon on the other hand was alone so he gladly chose to take his sleeping supplies up a tree near his horse.
Usually, Leon wouldn't be able to fit all his supplies on a branch, but the tree Leon sat on was quite big and he had left unnecessary stuff on the horse. Leon put on an extra layer of clothing for more warmth and had a shabby pillow that was like wood, but it did its job. Next, he took out his blanket and found the best position that wouldn't give him body aches to sleep in.
Before he slept, Leon did something which he had been doing every night since he had started his trip and looked up to the moon which was clear in the sky as no clouds covered it.
'So beautiful.'