CH189
Cain halted and glanced back.
"It seems we've been spotted. I felt someone watching us," Cain murmured.
His keen senses as a second-level wizard detected something amiss.
Helag sensed the approaching group and suggested, "Mr. Cain, should we leave?"
Cain nodded, "Yes, let's head back. It's best to avoid detection and contact with the locals."
It wasn't that they couldn't handle a confrontation, but they wanted to avoid complications.
Base 27 was newly established, and remaining hidden was crucial to minimize exposure.
The group turned back, pausing their mapping for the day.
On the way back, Helag sensed activity ahead but said nothing.
Soon, Cain noticed the situation as well.
Two border patrol soldiers had flanked them, and the group was surrounded from all sides.
It seemed inevitable they'd encounter them.
Helag took a herbal basket from his spatial ring, filling it with random herbs, and slung it over his back.
Soon, soldiers stood both in front and behind Helag's group.
Carrot scrutinized them and asked, "Who are you? What are you doing here? Where are you from?"
Cain smiled, "Greetings, officers. We're here to gather herbs."
"Herbs?" Carrot looked skeptical.
Helag placed the basket on the ground, showing the herbs. "These are what we've gathered."
Cain's group didn't want to fight, though it would be easy to kill the soldiers.
The problem lay in the aftermath.
These border patrol soldiers were weak, but killing them would invite investigation.
A missing patrol would be a significant issue.
Being at the border, the Norn Kingdom would send more to investigate.
Avoiding conflict was best.
Carrot inspected the herbs and asked, "Herbs? If you're really gatherers, why are your hands, clothes, and pants clean, without a scratch?"
Helag's group used magic to repel insects and brush, leaving no traces.
This made Carrot suspicious.
Living and patrolling the border, he knew what traveling through the forest entailed.
He immediately noticed Helag's group's anomaly.
Helag grinned, "We have some tricks to make forest travel easier."
"Tricks? What tricks?" Carrot pressed.
"Best not to ask, officer. Knowing too much could be harmful," Helag noted Cain's cold gaze.
The soldiers' suspicion meant they couldn't be left alive.
Carrot drew his sword, and others aimed bows at Helag's group.
"Come with us. Once we've checked your story, you can leave."
To Carrot, the four were suspicious, full of inconsistencies.
Years of border experience told Carrot they were trouble.
They had to be taken for questioning, possibly spies.
Carrot saw David and Helag as threats, both appearing strong.
The old man and woman seemed harmless.
Others aimed bows, ready to shoot if Helag's group resisted.
Helag and David were robust, with strong physiques.
Carrot, a seasoned soldier, sensed their strength.
He doubted he could defeat Helag and David.
But that didn't matter.
Battles weren't won by individual bravery.
They had numbers, bows, and knights.
They'd capture the two.
Cain, feeling overlooked, chuckled, raised his right hand, and opened his palm.
"Grasp of Death."
He clenched his fist.
Instantly, Carrot's group clutched their chests, coughed blood, and collapsed.
Carrot lay on the ground, consciousness fading.
He stared at Cain's group, thoughts racing, desperate to relay the news.
But there was no chance or time.
Carrot realized Cain was an evil wizard, capable of city-wide destruction.
For the Norn Kingdom, this was disastrous.
Carrot never expected to encounter a wizard here.
In the Norn Kingdom, encountering a wizard meant relaying the news.
The kingdom would summon powerful elves to eliminate the wizard and protect the people.
"Must return… must return…"
Carrot struggled to move, trying to crawl back.
But his limbs wouldn't obey, and his body grew colder.
Despair set in, not from impending death, but from failing to deliver the news.
Carrot glanced toward the Norn Kingdom.
There lay his home, family, friends, and all he protected.
Carrot's eyelids grew heavy, and as he closed them, he slipped into eternal darkness.
Cain surveyed the corpses, extended his hand, and whispered, "Coffin of the Dead."
Energy particles gathered, forming a black coffin.
Cain waved, and the corpses and blood floated into the coffin.
The coffin seemed small but held many bodies.
"Let's go back," Cain said after cleaning the scene.
To Cain, it was a minor task, easily handled.
The real issue lay ahead, with potential complications to address.
The soldiers' disappearance would draw attention, and the Norn Kingdom would likely send more to investigate.
CH190
Two months later.
Norn Kingdom, border region.
Tyron was the border commander, overseeing 50,000 troops.
Tyron was diligent, personally handling many matters.
A month ago, a mountain patrol team failed to return on schedule.
The team had been missing for a month.
Normally, such a matter wouldn't reach Tyron's level.
But Tyron, attentive to such issues, learned of the missing patrol.
"Strange, the Railey Kingdom hasn't made any moves. Why would a team vanish?" Tyron pondered.
The border mountains rarely saw powerful magical creatures.
Even if there were, the patrol had several knight-level warriors.
Even if outmatched, a few should have escaped.
If a neighboring country acted, it would take dozens to hundreds of troops to eliminate the patrol.
In the mountains, escaping into the forest made pursuit difficult.
Yet, the patrol had been missing for a month.
Tyron summoned his adjutant, "Send a hundred men, split into ten squads, to search the mountains for the patrol."
The adjutant asked, "Commander, is it necessary to send so many? They might just be lost."
"No, it's not that simple. Ensure the squads stay close enough to support each other," Tyron insisted.
Tyron ordered a hundred troops to search the patrol's area.
After Tyron's order, the elite hundred-man team quickly assembled.
The team included many knight-level warriors and three grand knights.
The hundred men marched into the mountains, determined to find the missing patrol.
They would find them, dead or alive.
***
Since encountering the patrol two months ago, Helag's group had a new task besides mapping.
They now patrolled and scouted for any approaching humans.
For two months, all was calm, with no humans approaching.
Helag's group diligently mapped and patrolled.
Life at Base 27 was dull, with no entertainment.
But wizards endured solitude, needing little distraction.
Wizards in the pioneering war sought advancement, not minor comforts.
Helag stood on a hill, observing.
The mapping was nearly done, having traversed most of the mountains.
Patrolling was boring.
The mountain scenery was nice, but even beauty grew tiresome daily.
Helag crouched suddenly.
"Someone's coming."
David and Reese joined him, crouching behind trees.
From the hilltop, they saw a group ascending the mountain far below.
The group numbered around a hundred.
Helag used binoculars to observe; they wore light armor like the previous patrol.
"Looks like Norn Kingdom troops, likely searching for the patrol. Let's report to Mr. Cain and Lord Parker."
Helag retreated, David and Reese following.
They quickly returned to Base 27, informing Parker and Cain.
"A hundred troops?" Parker pondered, then said, "Cain, keep everyone inside for now."
"Understood, Lord Parker," Cain issued orders to the base.
Parker continued, "If it's just border troops, no worries. They can't find Base 27. Just watch for spellcasters."
"Spellcasters? Wizards?" Helag asked.
Parker nodded, "Similar, just different names."
The hundred-man search began, with Base 27 on lockdown.
Everyone stayed inside.
Base 27 had concealment arrays.
The troops, even grand knights, knew nothing of arrays.
They could search a century and not find Base 27.
The hundred troops began searching, but the vast mountains were too much.
They couldn't cover every spot.
Several times, they passed Base 27's entrance.
But they saw only a cliff with a spring.
Thirsty soldiers drank and rested by the cliff.
They couldn't know a base lay beyond.
A month later.
The hundred troops withdrew.
"Commander, we searched the mountains but found no trace of the patrol. We saw signs of human activity, but can't identify them," the team leader reported.
A month yielded no patrol clues.
Tyron frowned, "It's complicated. If you couldn't find them, continuing is pointless."
He told the adjutant, "Post a mission at the Adventurer's Guild to search the mountains for clues. Maybe only spellcasters can find something."
Spellcasters were rare, holding special military status. Tyron couldn't order them to search.
Only adventurers could be hired for such tasks.
The Adventurer's Guild had many skilled individuals, whom Tyron respected.
The military often worked with adventurers, and this wasn't the first mission.
Some tasks were unsuitable for the military.
Adventurers were free, capable, and unrestrained.
Often, they worked faster and more efficiently.
The adjutant nodded, "I'll handle it."