Today was a new day with the sun rising from the east. Multiple horses stampeded across the wasteland, kicking up a trail of dust as they went.

Elric shared a glance with Jack, who looked up at the dust being kicked into the sky. “Slow down.” he barked to the other knights.

Each one of them pulled at their reins.

Reduced to a slow trot now, the horses continued in a straight line without as big of a storm as before. Though it was hot, the group had no choice but to travel under the blazing sun without stop. Very rarely did they manage to come across some shade for shelter or to hide their tracks. Having time to rest was even rarer. Sometimes the group would come across a sandstorm that’d cut even deeper into their rest times. In some cases the group had no choice but to keep moving even after the sandstorm passed.

It was a rough time for everyone involved since they could only travel during the early morning or late night. It was a tactic suggested by Elric to better escape their pursuers, and no one disagreed with him when it was mentioned. In a sense, Elric felt like he had become something akin to the commander of these knights. This was a sensation Elric felt unaccustomed to.

But it filled him with some sense of pride and accomplishment to see them follow his suggestion with success. The group hadn’t seen the bandits or magi at all since their first encounter, and Elric was starting to think perhaps they had given up by now. By now, Elric was worried more for Kite and the others. What if they were the ones in danger now? Did the two knights manage to make it back? And about the one knight that sacrificed himself…Elric never found out what happened to him. As much as Elric wanted to convince himself that the knight managed to survive, it was more plausible that the knight was already long gone from the world.

Cursing the sun and the infernal heat it brought with it, Elric came to a stop near a hill. It was time for a rest.

As usual, Elric busied himself with the preparations to erect another illusion. He had been using this spell to obfuscate their resting position just in case any of the magi were to fly above them.

His biggest concern was the hoofprints the horses left behind. This wasn’t too big of a concern earlier in the morning since the winds would normally cover them, but traveling during the day was far too dangerous. Even with the occasional sandstorms, the kicked up dust would be an easy giveaway on their position. Originally, Elric figured it’d be best for the group to find a place to hide during the brightest hours of the day, but speed was of the essence right now. The sooner they managed to get out of this gods-forbidden wasteland, the better.

Every knight was currently resting by Jack’s side inside the illusion. A map was laid out in front of Jack so he could study it. It was something of a habit nowadays. Whenever the map was out, Jack and the other knights would discuss what possible routes they could take for supplies or for something else.

He pointed at a spot near the edges of the wasteland, “We’ll need to arrive here by nightfall. Our safety’s guaranteed if we can reach Chizra Valley by noon tomorrow and exit from there.”

“Can we leave this place from anywhere else?” Elric asked after studying the map as well.

The spot on the map for Chizra Valley was a very distinct one. An ambush would clearly be set there if the bandits had even half a brain-cell.

“Afraid not,” Jack shook his head. “Valkner’s Mountain is the only other passage to Karth, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s been sealed off. We don’t stand a chance crossing there.”

The worry must’ve been noticeable in Elric’s eyes, as Jack hurried to comfort him, “We’ll be fine. Karth has most of their army stationed in their western stronghold, Melkruth. No bandit would ever dare to go there, not with nearly ten thousand trained soldiers there. Funny that our biggest obstacle is now our last hope of survival.”

Jack’s words did alleviate some of Elric’s concerns, but not all of it. He had a bad premonition about going to Melkruth.

While Elric’s group discussed the possibility of traveling to Chizra Valley, Kite and the main forces were currently discussing the possibility of going through Valkner’s Mountain. Participating in that discussion was the two royals, Hamon, Kite, Jerry, Madoshi, and the commander, Charle.

“Whatever is the matter?” Demanded the princess. Of the entire convoy, only she had the authority to criticize Charle or Madoshi.

She was the next in line to ascending the throne. As long as she didn’t marry and give birth, she was in essence the future queen of Sovereign. Not only was she royalty, but she was also a student under the direct tutelage of Archmagister Naga and was a considerable magus in her own right. Hardly a stranger to politics, the princess demonstrated far more knowledge and political sway than her younger brother, making her a more mature and far more authoritative figure than the latter.

There were many redeemable qualities to the princess, in truth. Astute and shrewd, the princess could almost be described as prideful and arrogant, but not to those who knew her. Her pride wasn’t so much that she’d belittle anyone for superficial reasons. She respected anyone who were authorities in their fields, even Kite, Belladonna, Jerry, and Elric. The latter two of the four might’ve embarrassed her, like Elric did in the court and Jerry does with his glib tongue, but she still saw value in the four.

They were treasures of the kingdom, ones that’d see to the prosperity of Sovereign if installed in the right positions. It was her duty and obligation to spot these treasures and make use of them to better the kingdom. That was her true feeling on the matter.

It was for that reason why Charle was put on this mission. He was handpicked by the princess for his capabilities, something she knew better than most. But recently, she was beginning to have her doubts. The convoy had been on the move ever since they learned of the ambush, and she didn’t have any objections on their path at first. The more they traveled, however, the farther away they were getting from Chizra Valley. Was Charle planning on taking them around Valkner’s Mountain then? That detour would take a month longer than their expected travel time and would most definitely hinder their mission.

Though they shared the princess’ feelings, no one dared to say a word. This wasn’t a situation they could involve themselves in. “Perhaps the commander is worried of an ambush at Chizra.” Hamon suggested.

“Perhaps, but does that require us to travel around Valkner’s Mountain?”

“Tha—that’s a question for the commander to answer.” Hamon flinched and backed down from the question.

“Isn’t Melkruth near Chizra Valley? Would the bandits really try to attack us within the area?” Kite asked.

“Maybe…the commander is worried we don’t have the strength to protect the princess and prince on the way to Melkruth?” This sentence alone made it obvious to the rest of the group why Jerry was never able to get along with the knights since the convoy was formed.

The glare given to Jerry by the princess also made it obvious that she thought his words were completely unnecessary and annoying.

Realizing how offensive his words were to the knights—the ones protecting him this entire time—Jerry began to apologize to everyone for his lack of knowledge and manners.

“If no one can answer this question for me,” the princess nodded at Hamon, “then call the commander here.”