Irlan didn’t like Aleph’s idea that much, but Edea looked pretty interested… if her clan uses that, they can move prisoners with ease and to areas where they won’t have the risk of being rescued; that would decrease the workload for her clan by a large margin. She was even thinking of other ways to use that idea…

“I guess it would be fine to keep him sleeping most of the time; I would have a lot of time to rest, too.”

“Good luck paying for all that medicine. Besides, that would slowly weaken him physically to the point that it would eventually kill him. Well, that might be your final goal regarding him.”

“We will head north immediately and then turn east in order to avoid possible pursuers. We will also avoid towns and villages from now on since they might be organizing their forces through ravens.”

Aleph didn’t know that communications worked through ravens, but it was good to know, finally. For a couple of hours, they moved north. Still, then, when the sun was setting and Elmer began to wake up, they began to move back to East, which gave them a margin of around twenty kilometers. Edea also had plenty of time to rest and not use her trait.

“... Why is it so dark… what is in my face?”

“It is for your protection. The scenario is a bit scary. We don’t want to scar you for life with the terrors of country life.”

Although Aleph didn’t show that through his face, it looked like he was enjoying himself. The others decided to stay silent in order to add to the atmosphere and make the prisoner feel tenser, which would make him behave a fair bit.

In any case, the group kept moving for a while longer since the breaks let the horses rest a bit, but soon, they decided to camp. Once everything was set, Heirina told Aleph and Kaitrine to check the area for anything odd. Aleph used his ears first, and when he picked the sound of something, Kaitrine went there instantly… and stabbed a few rabbits. The area was clear of enemies.

“It seems that the plan is working. Good job.”

“Don’t let your guard down yet. Besides, while he can’t use his eyes, his other senses will become a bit sharper, so don’t talk so loudly.”

“You sure know a lot, considering your origins.”

“I didn’t know that all those who are born free think that born slaves are stupid. There are many forms of wisdom. The important thing is to accept that you never know everything, and you can learn a bit from the most unexpected person.”

Heirina nodded… Aleph’s words could have been a bit sarcastic, but he was sincere with what he was sharing. The next day, Aleph and the others went to check for any possible marks that Elmer had left on the ground. There was some, and it was still pointing to the East, but he didn’t know that they were twenty kilometers further north.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what are your plans for him? I wanted to ask the location as well, but I guess we will learn soon enough.”

Irlan seemed a bit more interested in the matter than the others, but that seemed logical since he was a lot more talkative and knowledgeable as well. Still, the answer surprised him.

“We have tried to make him talk using mild techniques, but he ignored them all. There are some people close to the heart of the country who know how to make a person talk without cutting their flesh and making their bones, but that won’t be our problem anymore. All the information obtained from him will be directly sent to the emperor, and then the rest of us will learn about it later.”

“So, you received the orders to question him without using too much violence?”

“That is right; we can still use him to get some ransom, and we would need to return him intact, too. At times like this, we can’t create more crazy people that will only create endless conflicts.”

The more Aleph learned about the world, the more he learned that it wasn’t that fun… it was only natural. A world that would turn a blind eye to kids becoming slaves at the moment they were born couldn’t be a good place. Still, it was the first time he actually thought of that. Thanks to that, the expression on his face grew darker, and Edea couldn’t help but take a few steps back. 

“... What are you thinking that you are doing?”

“I am not doing anything except having a hard time keeping my anger from appearing on my face. I just realized that I didn’t like it. That is all.”

“Sure…”

Heirina couldn’t help but stay guarded. Kaitrine was even holding the handle of her weapon. It was the first time that Aleph showed that much anger, so that caught everyone off guard. The image that he passed until now was that he didn’t care about anything or anyone, but that was proven wrong right now.

From that moment onward, things got a bit awkward among the group, but at least nothing happened. To keep himself focused on something that didn’t fill him with anger, Aleph decided to focus on his training even more than before. Sometimes, the pain in his muscles was so intense that he sweated cold, but at least it kept his mind busy.

In the end, five days passed without any issues, and then on the morning of their eleventh day of the mission, they were able to see a large city in the distance… it was a weird place since it had several layers like a pyramid. Several sectors of the city were on different layers, but the place looked quite ancient. 

“That is the emperor’s home, the city of Tilia. A bit before that, we will find one of the four towns that surround the capital, and that is our destination.”

Aleph raised his guard even more than before… now it would be the perfect time for the enemies to attack. However, nothing happened along the way, and soon, they reached the town. The place had some armored guards patrolling around, and the people looked fine as well. They didn't mind that a new and unusual carriage appeared… it seemed that they were pretty standard there.

There was nothing unusual in the town, either… probably because it had been built to support the city of Tilia. Maybe the four cities worked as the first defense lines in case of a total invasion.

“There is a warehouse where people will be waiting for us. You can head there without being stopped. It is on the other side of the town.”

“I wanted you to lead the way, but I guess it is best if people think that we finished the job and we are here to kill time… if there is anyone watching us.”

Heirina kept driving, but it would be better if she didn't say that out loud if she truly wanted to fool anyone. In any case, the warehouse was hard to miss since it was open and the entrance was fifty meters long. There were some guards at the entrance of the place but they looked at Heirina once and just nodded to her to enter.

The interior was filled with boxes, and there was the smell of fish, meat, oil, and other things, so the place was truly being used as a warehouse; it wasn't just a front. After they reached the other side of the warehouse, they stopped, and then the floor moved a few meters away and revealed a hidden door.

“Quickly move the prisoner down here, only two of you. The rest stay out and then pack some boxes inside the carriage. They are those close to the wall.”

Heirina nodded at the others and then went downstairs with Edea and Elmer. The other three looked quite curious about what was hidden there, but it was probably a secret that few people should be aware of.

“Oh, there is a lot of food here…”

Aleph soon lost interest in the interrogation room when he found the food. It was a little more than they needed for the trip back, so it seemed that he would be able to eat like before the trip.

After half an hour, Edea and Heirina returned. It didn't seem like they waited to hear or see anything of what was happening there, so it was time to leave. Still, it looked like the others weren't in a hurry.

“Why don't we take it easy today and just relax? I miss sleeping on an actual bed.”

“I would be thankful for that, too.”

Since Edea was fine with Heirina's idea, and she also was the one who hired the services of the group, they decided to stay in the town for a day before leaving… It wasn't like Aleph was in a hurry to return to his old tent near the town of the Hei clan, but he missed the routine there and the fact that he could eat as much as he wanted as long as he had enough money.

The group moved to the other side of the town for an inn just to be sure, and then they rented two rooms there, one for the guys and one for the girls. Irlan fell on one of the beds, and he felt relieved like never before, and the tension began to leave his body.

“Great… I won't have to help a guy clean his ass ever again. Remember me not to accept this kind of job again, Aleph. Where are you going?”

“At a blacksmith shop nearby, I found something interesting there.”

The author here, everyone. Thanks for reading the book. I hope that you have fun reading the book as much as I have writing it. If you want to join our discord, this is the link: https://discord.gg/AQsYm99A

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