This time, Colin used his true name.
He knew that the people in front of him were not like the rough-footed soldiers from the Firefox Mercenary group. If he continued to use the fake identity "Cain Sudor", there was a high chance he would be exposed.
Moreover, he didn't know who was plotting to kill him before.
Now, since he had pinpointed the potential suspect, there was no need to hide and observe any longer.
The only thing he wanted to do at this moment was one thing - revenge!
"Angler?" The female mage frowned delicately, as if she recognized the surname from somewhere but couldn't recall where.
"Grey Castle Town's Lord, Baron Angler, the Roaring White Bear." Knight Blis reminded from the side.
"That's right, my father."
Colin tucked his left hand over his heart, half-bowed, and performed a standard noble salute.
The female mage hesitated slightly before standing up and bending at the knees, while pressing her right hand against her waist and lifting the hem of her mage robe with her left hand, she reciprocated with a courteous bow.
Indeed!
This enlivened Colin, this female mage truly was a noble.
Ha-ha, a mage from the nobility.
That really was interesting.
Moreover, judging by Knight Blis's respectful attitude and his determined guarding posture throughout their journey, this female mage most likely had a deep bond with the St. Hilde family!
However, Colin had no intention of investigating her real identity deeply.
At present, the relationship between the nobless of the empire and the Mage Council was lukewarm, so her existence as a mage from an aristocratic background was indeed a rather awkward one.
And, the fact that she'd been concealing her appearance all this while also implied that she did not want others to know her true identity.
With the help of Little White, Colin came here hoping to establish a relation with the real rulers of North Territory - the St. Hilde family.
That was the key for him to take revenge for his predecessor, and for him to escape the current crisis thoroughly.
"Never thought that Knight Colin would be in the Mirror Lake camp as well." Blis looked at Colin expressionlessly, his indifferent eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny.
"It's just a coincidental encounter." Colin responded vaguely, then quickly switched the topic, asking the purpose of their journey, "May I rudely ask, what's our plan for the journey ahead?"
"Does Knight Colin have any suggestions?" Instead of answering, Blis countered the question.
While Colin's identity entitled him to contribute to the discussion, it did not automatically suggest that he would gain the trust of Blis and others.
Colin didn't mind Blis's suspicion, instead, he picked up a twig and drew a rudimentary map on the ground:
"If I remember correctly, the closest major city to us is Fallen Eagle City, to the southeast, about four or five days away. According to the direction we're heading, that should be our destination, right?"
"Yes." Blis didn't deny it when he saw that Colin was well-acquaintanced with the geographical surroundings.
Colin smiled slightly, circling the spot representing Fallen Eagle City with the twig in his hand: "Do you think we can make it to Fallen Eagle City?"
Blis didn't say a word.
However, Colin caught a hint of uncertainty in his determined eyes.
As they fled, the Cavalry Squad that belonged to the St. Hilde family and was stationed at Mirror Lake camp suffered heavy casualties. However, the enemies chasing them seemed relentless, and their pursuit had been getting increasingly intense.
Apparently, Blis was also starting to sense the threatening situation.
"Does Knight Colin have any suggestions?" This time it was the female mage who asked.
Colin smiled, drew a bold 'X' over the spot representing Fallen Eagle City, and definitively stated, "We can't go to Fallen Eagle City. That's a path to death!"
The female mage frowned, seemingly displeased by Colin's assertion.
However, Knight Blis on the side asked, "Then which direction do you suggest we take?"
Seeing that Blis didn't deny his words, Colin immediately understood that Blis must have sensed the trap being set around them, just waiting for them to fall into it.
Since Fallen Eagle City was their most likely escape route, the trolls would definitely set up heavy barriers in that direction.
"North!" Colin drew a gigantic arrow on the ground, pointing north.
"North?" The female mage exclaimed in shock, "Aren't we just going back where we came from then!"
Yes, going north would be towards the direction of Mirror Lake Camp.
But Blis remained silent, staring blankly at the basic map on the ground.
Colin held up his hand to calm her down and explained, "If you also think going north is an impossible option, doesn't that prove that the trolls would not expect us to turn back?"
"But… wouldn't that be…. walking right into the trap?"
"Indeed, there is a big net around us that is continuously tightening." Colin spread out his right palm, and then immediately clenched it, "But the weakest part of this net is in the North. If we want to break free from the restraints, our best choice is to turn back, head north!"
"Moreover…" Colin paused, "Marquis Charles' truer main force, should also be in the North, right?"
Knight Blis's eyes flickered, but he still remained silent.
The female mage, sensitive to the situation, didn't act surprised that Colin could guess Marquis Charles' battle intentions. Instead, she directly asked, "Do you think Marquis Charles stands a chance against the troll army?"
Colin spread out his hands and shook his head.
How could he guess the outcome of the battle when he didn't know how many soldiers Marquis Charles commanded, how capable they were, or how effective Charles' on-field commanding abilities were? He knew none of these facts.
"Regardless of whether Marquis Charles wins or loses, it doesn't concern us too much. Because, what we need to do first, is to escape the hunting net that's being woven by our pursuers.
Once we've escaped, we can send out scout cavalry, gather information about the situation on the Mirror Lake battlefield, and then make further plans. That way, we would have more room to maneuver."
After pondering for a while, the female mage agreed that there was some sense in Colin's words.
But, she had focused on arcane research from a young age and had not received any military education, so although Colin's bold suggestions sounded logical, she couldn't be sure and had to seek Blis' opinion on the matter.
Blis moistened his lips, thought for a while, and eventually nodded, "I agree."
Colin let out a sigh of relief.
While it was true that turning back and heading north was indeed the best chance to break free from the net, the actual reason he insisted on not moving forward was something he hadn't disclosed:
Further ahead was Fallen Eagle City, where his prime suspect for his predecessor's murder — his sister Kaitlin, was likely laying in wait!
If it were just a scheme concocted by Kaitlin, Colin wouldn't be overly worried.
However, if Count Uman of Fallen Eagle City was also involved, then to proceed there now, would be to walk right into a trap.
"Good! We will turn around first thing tomorrow and head north!" Upon seeing Blis too agreeing with Colin's plan, the female mage finally made up her mind.
Afterwards, she handed Little White back to Colin and asked curiously, "Why do you call it Little White?"
Colin smiled and took back the short-haired pure blue cat, "Don't you think the name 'Little White' is nice?"
"No, it's just… unexpected."
"Haha!" Colin laughed and responded suggestively, "Does revealing all your thoughts to everyone seem like a good thing to you?"
The female mage laughed, her big eyes instantly formed half-moons, "Fair point!"