Miscello is not a large area. However, it is fertile soil. Baron Letwick loved the people and land entrusted to him by the kingdom. That's how the man driving the cart with the power of two horses told Cyril.
"I've introduced myself, but you haven't mentioned your name." Cyril finally couldn't take it anymore.
They were approaching their territory and the two people who helped him had not yet given their names. As a person being helped, Cyril has no right to force if he has not been trusted. Luckily Cyril wasn't dumped in the middle of the forest on the way to Miscello.
Many times he accidentally called the old man and got the comment: How impolite you are.
"So my grandson and I haven't introduced ourselves yet?" asked the old man with an annoying expression of surprise.
One more fact Cyril knows about the two of them. The old man wasn't riding with his son, but his grandson. "I am Ballard and this is my grandson Alban. We are farmers in the village and occasionally go to the capital to sell agricultural produce, except in winter."
"You already know my name and my job, do I have to repeat the introduction?"
Ballard laughed so hard, his whole body shook. The slightly freckled old man loved to laugh out loud. As it happened, Cyril saw his grandson shrink, looking slightly embarrassed.
"How old are you, Boy?"
Instead of calling Cyril's name, the old man named Ballard loved to call him "Boy". Cyril didn't mind in the least but was slightly irritated. "Eighteen years, maybe," answered Cyril.
He sat cross-legged, crossing his arms over his chest, thinking of the time when the real Cyril was accepted as a knight in the palace at the age of 18. He was sure of that. "Yes, I am eighteen!" he said with certainty this time.
Ballard pushed his back, looking at Cyril with one side of his face. "How could you not know how old you are now? Very weird!" said Ballard commented. "If you are 18 years old, then you are the same age as my grandson, he is also 18 years old!"
The young man who was around Cyril's age turned his head, nodding as a form of greeting. The young man was very talkative. He only spoke to his grandfather, and never once to Cyril. He and Alband used sign language whenever they had to engage each other. Alban would point while Cyril tried his best to understand.
"Here we are!"
Cyril who was in the middle of the train crawled forward to look out. In front of him, there is a queue to enter the Miscello area. Luckily the queue was not long and quickly the horse carriage carrying Cyril arrived at the front.
"Hello, Ballards! How's the capital?" asked one of the guard knights in front of Miscello's entrance.
"I saw the crown prince's procession!" exclaimed Ballard proudly.
Cyril swallowed hard to hear it. Meaning this man was in the capital when Algis returned safely after exiting the warp created. Cyril had been on the train for several days, which was shaking badly along the way. The news that Cyril had run away had certainly reached Algis by now.
Even though he tried to forget with all his might, Cyril was still imagining how Algis' expression would get news about him.
"Who's in the carriage?" the guard asked Ballard.
Cyril tried to smile and said without saying much: I'm not a dangerous person.
"We found him halfway home. He had nothing but the clothes he was wearing. He doesn't look dangerous and looks like he just got robbed somewhere."
The guard climbed up one of the steps to climb beside the carriage, near Alban to get a very good view of Cyril. Cyril's clothes were indeed tattered and in some places traces of dried blood were visible. Most importantly, he wasn't wearing shoes.
"It looks so pitiful! He can enter if you guarantee it!" said the guard.
Ballard exhaled roughly and then searched his shirt pocket for something. Cyril sure had some in his room at the barracks that felt like his own because no one wanted to be in the room with a soldier of commoner origin.
"You don't have to do this, Mr. Ballard." Cyril stopped the act of bribery.
"You call me "Master" now. Didn't you just call me Old Man yesterday?" Ballard quipped. "I didn't do this to put you in debt. I do this because I want to. You can pay for this later after you recover."
***
"We can't find the escaped Knight anywhere, General Adelman!"
This is the last report Aldeman got this afternoon. The sun was already high enough. They mobilized nearly 20 people divided into four groups to comb four different directions since morning. Along the way, they encountered several black beasts left over from the previous invaders. Most of them have been injured or injured by now so it doesn't take much time to finish them all off.
Had Cyril been killed by the black beasts? Adelman gripped his sword tightly. Don't know what to do now. Many regrets gather in his heart now. The strongest one contains the question of why he didn't look for Cyril immediately last night.
"General..."
Adelman knew that this search would be in vain if he continued if Cyril had indeed been attacked by a black beast while on the run.
"Didn't you find anything?" asked Adelman.
"Sorry General, I found the tracks of the carriage wheels over there!"
Adelman knows the area. From the path that goes to capital, there are two intersections ahead one of which leads to Miscello, a small area that is thriving with its agricultural produce. Miscello's land is fertile and several times a month, farmers from there come to the capital to exchange agricultural produce for necessities that cannot be produced in their area.
"Are there also signs of an attack?" asked Adelman.
If the freight train owners were attacked by black beasts, Adelman would have to form another team to find the remains of the victims. Moreover, there was a raid yesterday, and even if the carriage passed after the raid ended--of course, it was at night--the remaining demon beasts would still attack.
"I found no traces of the attack, General. Fortunately!"
Adelman was taken aback by that. This is very strange. The black beast would not let a human-like creature pass by.
"We're back at the fort!" Adelman ordered the knights to join the search effort.
The knights under Adelman's lead lined up and started moving toward the Vander Fortress. Adelman reached the fort first on his horse. One of the servants on duty at the fort received the reins and held the horse as it dismounted. His deputy rushed over to Adelman as he walked toward the entrance.
"Give rest to the knights who came with me on Cyril's quest."
"Good!" Adelman's deputy replied immediately and in a hushed order alerted the running aide. "I've already sent a magic message to the palace. However, we have yet to receive a reply!" Deputy Adelman reported what had been done.
"If the message from the palace arrives, tell me what it contains!"
Because the next message will be a question about Cyril's condition. Adelman had to prepare an answer for the Crown Prince regarding the state of the young man who caught everyone's attention. The man is probably dead.
***
"No news yet?" asked Algis when the door opened.
Borneo, maid Algis bowed before speaking. "There is a message from the Varden Fortress sent via message magic, Your Highness."
Algis who had lost all will to do anything but leaf through the book by the window in the most hidden corner of his spacious room straightened his back immediately. The book that was flipped through with no desire to read it was immediately closed.
"Let's go!" cried Algis to Borneo.
The place where the palace magicians researched and practiced all the magic they had learned from their teachers was not far from the main palace. He was sure he could reach that place by running fast like the wind--plus a little magic.
"You can't go, Your Majesty! You are still being punished."
Algis quickly lost the happy look on his face. "Only Adriana who came with me, and only His Majesty the King know about the punishment. As long as you who are the only one here keep quiet, I won't be in trouble anymore."
Borneo shook his head again. "You must not cause any more trouble, Your Highness! I will die first if you do that."
Algis glared at him. "Why did my mistake make you die?"
"You have shortened my lifespan, Your Majesty. Please stay in your room!"
"Then find out what the message contains!" Algis exclaimed very annoyed.
"I have already done so, Your Majesty. The Witches of the Varden Fortress reported that they all survived the explosion this time."
Algis waited for the contents of the message he most wanted to know. However, there was absolutely no connection from that message even after waiting for quite a while. "No other?" asked Algis.
"Forgive me, Your Highness! However, that was the only message that the magician of the Varden Fortress spoke."
Algis glared back. He then paced in front of the door and Borneo just looked at him without interrupting. "Aren't their messages about how Cyril is doing?"
Algis could see Borneo shake his head. It only grew more frustrating. "I have to get to where the witches are right now!"
Algis didn't care about the penalty that would increase later. He had to know about the valuable candidate who had decided to remain in the Varden Fortress at the time of the explosion. Hopefully, that person is still alive.