episode_0073

We had one last conversation before we parted ways to go to each other’s destinations.

“Our gods have blessed you all, so if we get a chance, we can meet again.

At that time, I will treat you even more than the portion of the banquet that I missed this time, so please look forward to it.”

The female warrior spoke as she carefully lifted the druid girl, who still had little energy from performing the ritual all night long, into her arms.

Many complex emotions were conveyed in it.

Everything from joy at the success of the hunt, pity for the girl, and worry for our group heading to the battlefield.

“…At least I won’t have to starve when I come back to Britannia.”

For her sake and for everyone else who will hear me, including myself, I give a sly answer.

That he would return safely, and that he would come for peace even then.

“I definitely hope so. Imperial Hunter. No, Liber.”

The female warrior, who smiled brighter and called me by my name instead of my title for the first time, turned and walked away in silence.

And over her shoulder, the druid girl peeked out her sleepy face and slowly but slowly raised her hand and waved.

It was their own farewell.

We, who also waved at him, soon left them behind and turned to face each other.

“Let’s go.”

At my word, Emma’s hooves hit the ground roughly.

Of course, on the way back, there were three more people in the group than when they crossed the barrier, so Emma couldn’t run with everyone on board.

Since we can’t afford to neglect surveillance, even if we were to tie him up and ride him on Emma’s back with us, he wouldn’t be able to ride on Aladih and Ale.

Of course, the other two were also ancient demons and monsters feared by the natives of this land, so it would be more difficult to find people as fast and strong as them…

It wasn’t enough to keep up with the Centaur, who could run the fastest on land, even after running all day.

However, it would have been too complacent to leave them behind and tell them to follow me later, even though they were bound to me through a contract.

Especially if they make a mistake and escape…

At best, it was impossible to destabilize the stabilized Britannia region again ahead of the war with the Elves.

The formation of a two-sided front had to be avoided.

Of course, we had no intention of slowing down even a little in the rush of one o’clock, so we had to find another solution.

Luckily, Rubia came up with the solution before we left.

Luvia immediately asked the female warrior if that method was possible, and she said it was a good idea as well and told us about a village along the way.

Also included is a code among druids that the girl had given her that would guarantee her the ability to rent a cart in the village.

The villagers, who heard the sound of hooves and became aware of our approach, hurriedly armed themselves and blocked us, but when I first lowered the window and carefully told them to give me the password, they accepted the request with a skeptical look.

And after a while, they gave us a cart as instructed by the village druid.

They even refused to let me pay, so they shook their heads and went straight back into the village.

As Aladikh tied the spider web between the cart and Emma’s body, Emma frowned slightly, as if the sticky feel of the web gave her goosebumps.

It wasn’t until I slowly stroked her head that Emma’s expression softened little by little.

“There is no other way, so please be patient.”

“Don’t worry. master. I know very well that this is not the time to whine.”

Aladikh, who was riding in the cart with Ale tied up, smiled and said, as if he was intrigued by our sight.

“I’m sorry about this. It takes quite a while to pull out silky thread other than ordinary spider web.”

“If I have some free time later, it’s okay to pick it up in advance, right?”

“Hehe, I will do as you wish.

However, looking at the patterns of things hunters go through, I am a little concerned about when that time will be available.”

“…Then I guess I’ll have to run a little faster to make up for that.”

“…What are you saying- evil!”

Aladikh, who was tilting his head when Emma’s reaction was slightly different from what he expected, ran towards Emma and when the cart started to move, he fell backwards and rolled inside the cart.

The sound of Ale struggling underneath her was added, followed by the sound of hooves and wheels.

“…Hahaha! I didn’t know it would be this much fun outside!”

In the meantime, Aladikh’s laughter bursting out as if it was funny, and Ale’s screams of anger mixed together underneath it.

We ran back towards the wall.

When we finally got close to the barrier, I slowed down so I could identify the Legionnaires who were aiming their weapons at us.

The report was quickly delivered to the command post, so it wasn’t long before we saw the governor himself come out to greet us.

When he saw Aladikh and Ale in the cart, he looked happy or relieved when he realized that I had succeeded in hunting, but…

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for his face to turn pale again.

The governor, who soon called me aside to the command barracks inside the wall, immediately asked a question.

“…Is this information reliable? An invasion by elves? And the source is a warning given by the gods of this land in a dream…

Even though I don’t know much about mythology and magic and you are the best hunter in the empire, this…

To be honest, this is information that is difficult to easily accept as it is said.”

Although he was so shocked, his attitude of prioritizing the authenticity of the information made it possible to guess why he was appointed to the important position of governor.

“I understand. Governor. I have no intention of requesting anything additional.

We just ask that you arrange a ship so that we can travel quickly to the border area of Ermania.

I will personally persuade Her Majesty the Empress, who will grant permission for the relocation of the corps commanders and rear corps in the mainland, especially the border area of Ermania, to move as a messenger.”

When I finished speaking, the governor looked at me carefully for a moment.

Until he finally sighed as if he had reached a conclusion and continued speaking in a somewhat stern voice.

“…I hope that persuasion works, too.

Legionnaires should not be called up in an emergency for no reason and kept on standby.

I will send the letter to the mainland of the Empire on your behalf, so as soon as your galley is ready, go straight to the nearest mainland port to the east.

As soon as Her Majesty the Empress gives formal permission, I will support the troops who have been drafted and ready from among the legions stationed in Britannia to the Ermania direction on the mainland.”

“Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to prove it. Governor.”

Of course, since the original mission of the legions stationed here is to defend the territory the Empire has secured in Britannia, there will be a limit to the troops that can be drawn out for that purpose.

However, in a situation where an invasion on an unprecedented scale was expected, so much so that the gods themselves warned, the news of immediate reinforcements was nothing short of reassuring.

“I believe you will make good use of that opportunity. Then hurry up and go. I will immediately call the centurions and give them orders.”

“Yes. Well then, I’ll leave now. I hope the Governor is in good health. Oh, and I’m sorry, but the mercenary who guided me is – ”

“A pardon has already been issued.

It’s not his fault, but on the other hand, it’s thanks to him leading the way that you obtained such valuable information. Please tell me yourself.”

“I will do so. We’ll see you next time with more exciting news.”

With those words, I left the barracks and was met by a group of people who were surprised to see me come out earlier than expected.

The first person to approach me was a mercenary who had been semi-forcibly serving as a guide for amnesty during this hunt.

I smiled and said to him who was looking at me with a nervous expression.

“The governor already pardoned me. Don’t worry, just go back to your job.”

“Ah! Thank you so much! I-”

He bowed his head and greeted us several times, but soon hesitated, worried that he was holding us back in a hurry and worrying that it would be rude to express his gratitude just this much.

After I nodded, he said his final goodbyes and left.

Of course, I feel a bit sorry for him, but the rest of the world’s attention was naturally focused on other things rather than his pardon.

In particular, Yong Ah-byeong, who was concerned about his master’s well-being, urged me with an anxious expression.

“What did the governor say? When will we-”

“He said he would prepare a galley right away.

The letter will also be delivered to Her Majesty, and she promised to provide support to a portion of the legions stationed in Britannia toward the Ermanian front as soon as the Empress orders it.”

Her expression finally relaxed, as if she felt a little relieved, but her anxiety still remained in the questions that followed.

“Do you think that is enough?”

“You have already gotten as much as you can from this place.

So, in order to be sufficiently prepared… we, the messengers, must fill in the rest.”

What we lacked the most right now was time.

The various fortresses that the empire built along the border to keep the elves in check were sturdy, and were organically connected to each other to carry out efficient defense.

The legionnaires stationed in the fortress are also considered elite soldiers in the empire.

However, the goddesses of Britannia cannot be unaware of this fact.

Nevertheless, the warning was tantamount to hinting that the scale of the elves that would come this time would not be easy to stop even with them.

In the end, this means that it can be stopped only by redeploying the rear legions towards Ermania and reinforcing them…

The problem was that the elves would not just wait until this news reached the imperial palace, the imperial order was again given to the corps commanders, and the corps moved to the border.

‘No matter how fast it is, the invasion itself will eventually break out before the support corps arrive at the front line.’

In the end, the key was how quickly the empire could move before the fortresses were breached.

And it was our job as messengers to hasten the movement a little faster.