1 Prologue

Night time.

Not a good time to travel.

But a group still felt more comfortable moving under the veil of darkness.

They don't have a bad intention for this action. They just wanted to stay away from the sight of certain groups of people.

Camping outside will only bring more trouble. The enemy could come from anywhere. So it is best to find a safe enough city before they take a rest.

They have around a dozen of people in the group.

All of them are men except for one.

There is only one lady who has covered her face with a veil.

From their formation, they have while moving it is obvious that the lady under the veil is definitely the most important person here as everyone else surrounded her to protect her from any surprise attack.

They were all riding Gale Horse.

This breed of spirit beast is known for its speed and being able to do long distances without rest. And they are hard to tame and rather pricy. And these horses could be said exceptional even among their own kind.

This shows that these groups of people are quite wealthy.

Even if they were in the empire's capital, people would look at them and try to think of their origin. It is not only the money that you need to have steed like these. You'd also need authority.

But even with their high status and power, they are now on high alert. This shows just how troublesome the enemy after them is.

"Miss, why did you change our route at the last moment? The last two transfers were still good. But this place is a shithole." –the oldest one in the group said.

"I had no choice. I've learned from a reliable source that my elder brother got a hint about which route I would take at the last moment. So, I asked Royce to find another way as quickly as possible." –the veiled lady said.

"Even I don't know what the Eldest is thinking. At worst, they would go for the kill. And if that happens I don't they would send just anybody after me. I'm sure they would make it as clean as possible. So, you understand, right?" -she smiled bitterly under the veil.

"But don't worry. In the next portal, we will get into the fire lord's territory. So, things should be better there. As long as we can get through the fire lord's territory everything should be fine."

"Oh, so the Fire Lord's territory is next. As long as we don't get too deep in there, it should be fine." –the man said. "But we should still be careful. Fire lord's minions are quite dangerous on their own. Some might just come to the periphery to take a stroll. If that happens we would be in big trouble. So everyone, stay sharp." –he said the second part to the other guards around.

He is the leader of the guards here. He must ensure the lady's safety.

Even though he says big trouble, from his gesture he doesn't look too worried. For him even if a minion of fire lord comes it won't be too big of a problem.

At most some casualties may take place. It isn't going to hamper his mission. But he would like to evade this type of trouble if possible.

He looked at the person who was at the lead and nodded. He is in charge of scouting ahead. He was moving ten meters ahead in the front of the group.

Among his skillset, he has some sensory abilities and the best evading techniques in the group.

"By the way, where did you send Royce anyway? It's been bugging me for a while that I didn't see him when we left." –said the man again.

"Ho, why are you asking, Gallad? I thought you didn't like him. Are you worried?" –the girl said.

"No, no. Don't get the wrong idea. His character is shitty. I hate that guy." –Gallad denied. 

"But his ability is real. I won't ever admit it before him even if you ask me, but he is the best scout we have. If possible I would like to keep him as close to me as possible. Just to keep an eye on him unless he stirs something up."

Gallad didn't trust this Royce guy but in this kind of situation where they need real abilities, he is the man that could get the job done.

"Ho, so, it's like the saying 'keep your friends close but enemies closer'?" –the veiled lady said.

"Milady Elena, please don't get the wrong idea..." -Gallad replied. "I can't call him an enemy as there is no evidence of his wrongdoing."

"But I don't think he is as trustworthy as you think him to be. Things can be done in the right way or the wrong way. While there's no evidence of him doing anything wrong, the right things that he does are not white but rather gray. And the fact that you trust him makes me distrust him that much more." –Gallad continues.

"Hah, well that can't be helped. He is a thief after all. Anyways, I have already sent him with some other people as a decoy." –Elena.

Hearing that, Gallad's face contorted. He didn't know if it was the best decision to make.

If possible he would feed this Royce some false information and ditch him somewhere.

But now it's too late. Saying anything else will only make things worse now. The best he could do is to be more careful. The duty comes first. He can only hope things go as planned.

But, when do things ever go just as planned?

There was a group of assassins lying waiting in their path. The group got ambushed.

Even so, the fighters guarding the lady are some of the best fighters in the empire. So, it wasn't easy for the assassins either.

The battle that took place was fierce. Mountains got crushed, deep ravines were created and the climate around the area also changed.

As for the details of the battle… it was unknown as there was no survivor to talk about it.

People in the distance only saw a Flaming bird flying away through the night sky.

It made quite the spectacle for the watchers. But it soon disappeared from the horizon.