The tests didn’t take too long to run, and Gaius tossed down a bunch of markers before Blinking back to Lumari. Forty people was doable, at least, and they needed to be in contact with Gaius, or be in contact with someone holding on to him. It was an iterative process, which meant that four people holding on to him would do, if everyone formed a human train.

“And that’s about it,” said Gaius. It didn’t take him that long to explain his findings to Isabelle — she was an able and apt listener, who had started to formulate her own plans for a vanishing act like no other. It was great that she was so perceptive and on the ball.

“So if I were to do this, and this…and this…” Isabelle was muttering to herself, and the boy suddenly got a feeling that the ad-hoc plan he’d drawn up was going to pale in the face of whatever overly-complex plan the Knight was currently coming up with. Gaius relaxed on the wooden chair — it hadn’t taken him too much time to locate Isabelle, who was staying in a rather luxurious inn.

The boy quashed the odd sense of inferiority welling up within him, before briefly wondering if Isabelle and Nexus might make a great pair together. The Knight just needed to face reality a tiny bit more, and she would make a great conspirator.

Yes, she just needs to be a bit more mature. She’d screwed up when trying to rescue her family, not recognising that her family was safe as long as they still hung on to legitimacy. For all her intelligence, she needed polishing and experience. Enough for her to recognise what the situation really was.

But for direct plans like this, Isabelle probably had no issue. It was what came after, the effect of plans she’d created.

After giving the Knight another fifteen minutes to ponder over her plans, Gaius rapped the wooden table in front of him. Isabelle’s head flicked towards him in reaction, and the boy could see the bemusement in her eyes, at the sight of a boy acting like an adult, before it faded away a second later.

“So,” said Gaius, “what have you come up with? It is your family after all, and the faster we can get them to cooperate with us, the better.”

“Leave that part to me,” said Isabelle. “After I instruct them to cooperate with you, we’ll just need to leave together.”

“If you say so.” Gaius rubbed his chin. “But have you thought of what comes after this? Right now, your family has only to two routes available — death or as fugitives. Do you…or your family has any plans for the future?”

“I’m not sure about my family,” said Isabelle. Playing with her golden hair, she pondered over her next few words, and Gaius had to suppress a faint smile. After a few minutes of silence, the boy gently prompted her.

“How about you, Isabelle?” Gaius asked softly.

“I would like to follow you,” she replied.

“You have always been following me,” said Gaius. He stood up and extended his hand. “That’s why I’m here. As for your family and parents, if they are as skilled as you claim in governance, they can head towards the Republic of Francois.”

Isabelle trembled. “Master Gaius…”

“You can drop the ‘Master’, if you’re not used to it. But yes, the Republic of Francois, a new nation in the making, is a good choice. Rebels, freedom fighters…many things change with just the name alone,” said Gaius. “The southern half of this continent belongs to the Republic, and they’re gaining a lot of ground and support. Now’s a good time to go over.”

“Why?”

“Try reasoning it out for yourself,” said the boy. “Remember, a basket of coal in winter is always more appreciate than a wagonload in summer.”

Originally, Gaius had wanted to bring the Lorenze family over to Tetsu, but the man had subtly hinted at a state of affairs within the small city of Desin that could be problematic. There were a dozen reasons the boy could think up of, and a whole lot more that he was too lazy to consider at all.

The girl blinked twice as she considered the boy’s words, and a lightbulb lit up in her eyes. “I’ll make a strong suggestion that they head there afterwards.”

“Make sure that when you inform your family about their current situation later, you are to use the correct words,” said Gaius. “The blame should be couched entirely on the new administration, or else you might have scenarios where some of them return back only to be killed. They must feel that they have been abandoned and betrayed by the system they placed their faith in.”

Gaius smiled mirthlessly. “Or else, should they return and die, their blood will be on your hands.”

Isabelle nodded.

“Alright,” said the boy, “let’s go save your family.”

He got up, and Isabelle followed suit. Before long, they were on the streets, heading towards the jail that her family had been tossed into and left to languish. Most of the people on the street leading up to the jails averted their eyes as they saw Isabelle, and Gaius couldn’t help but wonder if the Knight had resorted to asking everyone on the street for help.

Or if they knew about her and her current situation. In an age without electronic entertainment, gossip had the tendency to travel very fast, spreading from the upper echelons to the people at the bottom. And coupled with the fact that the event about to strike the Lorenze family was nothing short of a tragedy, it was a reasonable assertion to say that everyone had an understanding of Isabelle’s situation.

The boy smiled inside, while keeping his face straight the whole time. In a few hours’ time, there was going to be a new talk of the town sweeping through the entire city. A story where an entire condemned family, stripped of their titles and headed for the gallows, would vanish from the city of Lumari in less than five minutes.

It was going to be the jailbreak of the year and of the decade, and Gaius was going to be in the middle of that.

Keep leering, fools. Gaius, keeping in step with Isabelle, walked past a bunch of guards who were being rather blatant about gloating over an unfortunate Knight’s predicament. Isabelle’s hand trembled as they closed over a non-existent weapon grip, only relaxing when the boy gripped her hand lightly.

It’ll be fun to watch your face when they disappear under your watch. Gaius grinned, and followed Isabelle into the interview room.