The rain has gradually subsided, but the footprints washed away by the rain will never come back. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

The direction that Mei Lufa had discovered through reconnaissance just now had become the only clue left. In that direction, there was a hill in which Daron deduced that Arato was hiding in some cave in the mountain. However, even though it is a small mountain, it seems that it will take a lot of effort to find the cave. Time was running out now, and Daron was very uneasy because of the words that Arato's words had left behind when she left, and if she could find Alicia a moment earlier, she would be less dangerous.

However, now Talon and his party, although on horseback, could only move at the speed of a normal human walk, because they had to wait for the nine men who followed.

Eight of the nine, dressed in shining silver armor, were knights of the regular army of Garbadia. The other person was a young man with a fair-skinned face that was more beautiful than a woman, and his rain-soaked gold was shining with a hazy light.

The young man, who claimed to be Lutien, was supposed to be a nobleman, and just now he had made a request to Daron and his party that surprised them.

Lutien used his unparalleled affinity to resolve a conflict that almost led to bloodshed, and Daron couldn't help but think that maybe affinity was a trait for him. However, the young man, who had never known them, then offered to help Daron and his party go to find Alicia, which made Daron a little embarrassed.

First of all, there were only four horses in Daron's group of four, and it was obviously unrealistic to carry these nine people. But Lutian, with a kind smile on his face, told Daron not to worry about the horse first, and tell him the details. So, in order to get rid of this somewhat difficult nobleman, Daron told him the reason why Alicia was kidnapped, and said that if he investigated deeply, he would inevitably encounter danger, so he would think twice. However, after listening to Daron's explanation, Lutian only nodded, and then called his bodyguard, Karen, patted him on the shoulder in front of Daron and said:

"He's the elite of the Knights of Garbadia, and the best martial artist I've ever met. Not only him, but all my subordinates are knights with a hundred, and it will be easier to rescue your companions with us. ”

Daron and Cullen reacted in the same way to Lutian's words, and they both furrowed their eyebrows into a V-shape.

"Your Excellen......cy," Cullen persuaded, picking out the words, "these people didn't explain the situation so clearly at first, but instead concealed it, and it seems to me that they are probably lying to you." ”

So I chose not to say it in order to avoid trouble, right?, Daron was really speechless to this serious and neurotic knight.

Lutian listened to Karen's advice, kept a smile, and said patiently:

"Karen, they didn't say it at first because it wasn't necessary. And now, they had to tell me the truth as a last resort to avoid getting me involved, and if they wanted to deceive me, there was no need to scare me away by saying such a dangerous thing. ”

Darlon's brow furrowed, this noble boy may have hidden a lot of surprises on his body. I didn't expect his face to be so delicate, but he has a pair of eyes that can see through the essence of things.

"As for horses, according to what you have just said, if your friend is indeed in that mountain, then you can only ride to the foot of that mountain, and you still have to walk on foot. In this case, the distance that can be advanced on horseback is only about half a kilometer, which is not a long distance on foot, right? More importantly, although the mountain is not high, it is still quite large, and it is estimated that you will not be able to find it all in a day. With the addition of nine of us, it would greatly increase the chances of finding your companions, wouldn't it?"

In just a few words, Dalong had nothing to say, and Dalong secretly admired the ability of this noble son.

However, Cullen still couldn't accept it, and kept telling Lutian to stop meddling.

"Cullen, as a nobleman, should do his duty while enjoying his rights. When the people are in trouble, it is natural for them to help, but I am trying my best to protect the face of the nobility that has gradually lost the support of the people. Luthien said meaningfully.

"Your Excellency......" Cullen knew that Lutian was talking about the tax increase caused by Yega's accession to the throne. Because Yejia blindly raised troops, the country's military expenditure increased greatly, so the people's taxes also increased correspondingly. The aristocracy should not only enjoy rights, but not obligations. For the people, the current aristocracy and royalty are just outright exploiters. Yaga did not fulfill the obligations of a nobleman and a king, so the people's lives became unbearable.

"Anyway, it's still some distance from the capital, and it's at least half the way to get there, and I've been in a hurry along the way, and I haven't met a few people. Now that there is an opportunity to help others, we cannot afford to turn a blind eye. ”

Eventually, Luthien was able to get a compromise from Karen, and Daron, with the unanimous approval of his companions, took Lutian and his party back, took their horses, and headed straight in the direction of the mountain.

Halfway through the journey, Daron turned back on the bumpy horse, and met Lutien's eyes with him, greeted with a natural smile. Then Daron turned his head back and leaned towards Kellloa, who was riding his horse, and whispered:

"Kyle, what do you think of this guy?"

"What do I think? You're a handsome and nice person. Kyeloa laughed.

"Don't play dumb, you know what I mean. The teased Talon said unhappily.

"There are a few things to be interested in. Kyeloa was still smiling, but there was a meaningful glint in his eyes.

"Oh? ”

"For one, these people seem to have been on the road for the past few days, but none of them are riding horses. Since we met them in a relatively dense forest, I deduce that these men deliberately did not ride horses. ”

"Why haven't they ridden yet?" asked Talon puzzled.

At this time, the owner of another horse leaned over and interjected into the conversation:

"Because walking in the dense forest is much easier than riding a horse. ”

It turned out that Valrhona had heard the conversation between Daron and Kyeloa and leaned over.

"It seems that you not only have sharp eyes, but also sharp ears. Daron exclaimed heartily. He and Kelloa were communicating in a very low voice, but Valrhona beside Kelloa could still hear it clearly, which showed how good his ears were.

"It was. Valrhon's praise for Valrhona is not modest, and this is one of her personalities.

Although Valrhona could hear Daron and their conversation, she didn't have to worry about Lutian behind them being able to hear it. After all, Lutien was still some distance away from them.

"Does Miss Valrhona know what I mean?" asked Kyrloya.

"All I know is that there are a lot of trees in the forest, and we have to go around and around when we ride horses now, and it's certainly not as easy to walk. Valrhona tilted her mouth and replied.

"Then why did they choose such a forest to walk in?" asked Kyeloa.

"Pick, you say?" Valrhona furrowed her crescent brow.

"Yes, we've deviated from our previous route to track Alicia, and if we follow our original route, we can continue back to the road shortly after entering the forest, so we don't have to go deep into the wooded forest. But looking at the route of the nine of them, it seems that they were heading towards that mountain from the beginning. Kyeloa said calmly as he controlled his volume.

At this time, after going through the map of Galbadia in his mind, Daron said:

"They mentioned that they were going to the capital, right? But if you go to the capital from here, it is faster to leave the forest and follow the main road, so why do you have to take a long detour to climb the mountains?"

"That's the problem. "When we first met them, judging by the nervous expressions on the faces of these knights, it seemed that they were escorting a very important figure, and I deduce that there must have been only one reason why they avoided the high-profile roads and deliberately chose the hard-to-follow forests and mountains. ”

Daron thought for a moment, and suddenly showed a sudden expression of realization, and almost screamed, but he still controlled himself and asked in surprise:

"Are you saying they're hiding from someone?"

Valrhona raised her eyebrows as well, and the hand holding the reins couldn't help but tremble. Zazacha had been watching their movements from behind, and he was also invisibly aware of something.

"Whose pursuit is it that they are evading? Since they are nobles of our country, is it to prevent the assassination of spies from other countries?" asked Talon nervously.

"I don't know, but there's something else worth playing. Kylloa wasn't as nervous as Darlon, but said calmly.

"Which point?" asked Darlon.

"That's what the young man named Lutian said, 'It's still some distance from the capital, and it's at least half the way to get there.' ”

Yes, he did mention that. ”

"It's about 700 kilometers from here to the capital, and since there is still half the way, it means that they have already covered 700 kilometers. So, if you push back 700 kilometers in the direction they are traveling......"

Halfway through Kelloa's words, Daron had reached for the map in his bag. He drew a straight line along a point on the map with his finger and stopped somewhere.

"It's the Los Border!" said Daron in surprise.

"That's right. Kylloa nodded.

"What kind of nobleman is going to take it from Loth?"

"That's all I can analyze. Kylloa said in conclusion, as if he had retired.

"You're amazing, Kyle, you can learn so much just by looking at them. Daron looked at his friend with some aw.

"It's nothing, everyone's abilities are limited, just like I can't fully see through the identity of that childe. "Kyeloa seems to be very plain in everything, including his own ability, which is also the good quality of a talented person.

"Since they are also the ones being hunted down, then our position is the same, and it is better that I will feel less guilty about involving them in this personal vendetta. Daron said with a self-soothing sigh.

"In my opinion, that handsome guy is helping us exactly what he wants, and you don't have to feel guilty at all. Valrhona said as she maneuvered her horse around the branches on the ground.

"I also think it's a little strange about this. Kyeloa said with a rare frown.

"What's wrong?" Valrhona asked.

"While Lutien seems to have a good reason to say it, and he has good reasons for helping us, there is a sense of far-fetched reasons for those reasons, as if he had deliberately made good reasons to convince us. ”

Daron listened to Kyllloa's explanation, and showed an expression that seemed to understand:

"What do you mean?"

"I always felt that he had other reasons for this, but of course, it was all my speculation, and there was no evidence at all. ”

"Well, anyway, you have to guard off this good old guy and handsome guy, it's really troublesome. Valrhona said with a sigh.

"I see, I'll take what you say to heart. Ah, at the foot of the mountain!" said Talon as the riders stepped out of the forest, and before them were a black mountain range. The reason why it's black is because it's not yet dawn.

At this moment, the sun rose quietly behind the mountain, outlining a white winding curve on the edge of the black mountain.

"Tie up the horses, and let's go up the mountain. When Talon said this, the other riders nodded.

Meanwhile, in a gloomy cave somewhere, a blonde girl tied to a stone pillar is contorting her face in pain. She felt the pain of piercing her heart, and from time to time let out a miserable sorrow.

Alato chanted an inexplicable incantation beside him, and as he continued the incantation, the magic circle at Alicia's feet was spinning and glowing, and her body was crawling with strings of flying black runes.

"Alright, it's going to be over, you're going to be my toy in no time. Arato, who pauses his chanting for a moment, said with a sinister grin.

The spell has reached its final stage, and with just one more chant, Arato's plan will succeed.

"Next, you will lose your sense of self and become my puppet, and when the time comes, it will be interesting to watch you and your companions kill each other. Arato said with some self-absorption, and then continued to chant.

At the end of the spell, Alicia couldn't bear the pain of being devoured by ten thousand ants, and screamed loudly. The strings of runes crawling all over her body seemed to gnaw at her nerves, and they had been destroying her for nearly an hour.

During this hellish hour, Alicia never cried, and despite the unimaginable pain, she did not cry. Because she felt that if she cried, it would be a kind of admission of defeat.

The black runes seemed to have gnawed away her flesh, and Alicia gradually lost her sense of her hands and feet, and her consciousness drifted away. In her hazy vision, she seemed to see some pictures that did not exist in this time.

The black-clothed mercenary warrior has always been a smirk, but he can always be his strong backing at critical times, and the calm sage in green clothes, with a clear mind and archmage-level magic power, is now his companion who was so far away from him. The reckless girl, with pink hair, is small but full of energy, and she has been working hard to gain her own recognition. And the proud and elvenly beautiful archer, the cold and silent young man of the Yi tribe, all of whom were now standing in front of Alicia, for which the blonde girl smiled like sunshine.

"I knew you were going to come to my rescue...... Because you are all ...... I...... of companions. ”

This was Alicia's last words, and after Arato chanted the last incantation, the black runes that crawled all over her body converged into a pitch-black sphere that enveloped Alicia's entire body.

"Hahaha, it's done! Now you're my toy, quick, let me see your new form!" Arato's wild laughter jumped back and forth between the stone walls of the cave, and he danced excitedly at the black orb.

After the next few seconds, the black orb will dissolve into water, and Alicia will turn into a black shadow, losing consciousness and becoming a ghoul at the mercy of Arato.

That's how things should have go......

"What's going on?" Arato's mood grew uneasy, the black orb had been there for more than a minute, but it hadn't melted away as Arato had expected.

"Hey, what the hell is going on, is there something wrong with my spell?" Arato, confused, walked towards the orb.

Then, for Arato, the unforeseen happened.

Cracks suddenly appeared in the black sphere, as if they were solid. From the cracks, a blinding white light shone through, and the leaking light alone had completely illuminated the dark cavern.

"What is this?!" Arato's horror was something he had never seen before.

There were more and more cracks in the light, and when they were completely saturated, a violent sound of shattering echoed through the cave, and the entire sphere exploded.

Arato's arms covered his eyes, not because he wanted to block the flying fragments of the orb, but mainly because he wanted to block the light that burst out of the orb.

Out of the sphere is a sun. The dazzling light made it impossible to look at directly, and the entire cavern was illuminated in a miserable white, leaving no shadow anywhere.

After a while, the light gradually faded, and a figure stepped out of the white light. She had Alicia's body and looks, but her blond hair was waist-length, and the expression on her face was as indifferent as frost. Her lips moved slightly, and a name kept repeating in her mouth:

"Ain ...... Ain ......"