"Whatever we do, we can't take this lightly," Arlo cautioned, his eyes scanning everyone in the carriage before settling on Julian. "If Death senses that we're onto them, it could be catastrophic."
"What do they want?" Julian inquired. "Why are they after Constantine County?"
"I have a theory," Roy chimed in. "They want to reduce Constantine County to ashes to achieve their true objective."
"And what might that be?" Julian pressed.
"I'm curious too," Damien added, his gaze fixed on Roy. "What makes you think that the destruction of the County is only a part of their objective?"
Roy explained, "Constantines are the only ones with a long-distance teleportation array that links them to the capital. They enjoy this privilege because they're distant cousins of the imperial clan. Chaos and Death do want to destroy the County itself to disgrace the Sun. Bur Their real objective is much more sinister. It is to demolish the long-distance teleportation array. Once it's gone, the capital won't be able to interfere in the north as freely, giving them the opportunity to invade the land of us northerners. At that time, it will be just us against them."
His words hung heavily in the carriage, causing chills to run down everyone's spines.
They knew that without the teleportation array the fastest aid would arrive from the capital or any other region of the empire would be a month or so!
"That does make sense," Arlo remarked.
Creating a long-distance transportation portal was an extremely difficult feat. It required vast resources and incredibly talented mages, and constructing one in Constantine County had taken hundreds of years. Those who had accomplished this feat were among the most skilled mages of the continent.
Even with the empire's extensive resources and talent at their disposal, building a long-distance teleportation array would still take at least a decade. And it's not like the empire could halt all its operations to focus solely on just one project. It simply wasn't practical.
Everyone in the carriage felt nervous at the thought of an impending war.
However, Damien remained stoic, unfazed by the news. It was as if nothing in the world could affect him. He turned to his father with a look of curiosity.
"Arlo," he asked, "how did you come across this information? We're so far from Constantine County."
Arlo met his son's gaze steadily.
"It was only a few hours ago that I received word," he replied.
A few hours ago, the County officials had sent messenger birds to request aid from neighboring counties. The quaint and peaceful County was naturally ill-prepared to face the threats that loomed over it because it had mismanaged the funds provided by the imperial family. It only had a feeble army at its disposal. It was like a sitting duck, vulnerable to any external danger, and now, with an unforeseen peril lurking beneath its surface and an enemy at the rear preparing to invade, Constantine County was faced with more trouble than it could handle. They couldn't help but ask others for help.
The birds, with their fluttering wings and sharp beaks, were tirelessly through the skies, carrying the desperate plea for help to anyone who would listen when Arlo caught sight of them.
He had grabbed one straight out of the sky.
With the bird perched on his outstretched hand, he had deftly removed the letter that was attached to its legs. The letter was written in a hurried and anxious scrawl and spoke of the dire situation that had suddenly befallen the Constantine County.
Rat men had infested the sewers, and if they were not cleared out soon, they would pose a grave threat to the entire County.
Arlo's heart sank when he had found out about it. He knew that he had to act fast and reach the County as fast as he could to provide his help.
That's why he had gone to the Water Celestial.
He could no longer keep looking for Roy. He wanted the Water Celestial to locate where that brat had gone, and if Roy hadn't returned by tonight, he would have left for the county without him!
"How long will it take to reach the County?" Roy asked impatiently.
"With my skills and the speed at which we're traveling, we should arrive in just half a day's time," Arlo replied, boosting the sturdiness of the artifact and reducing the friction it was using his aura.
Roy leaned back in his seat, his gaze drifting out the window to the passing scenery. The carriage rattled along the dusty road, its wheels thudding against rocks and potholes.
"Half a day?" Roy repeated, his eyebrows lifting in surprise as he noticed that the moon was high in the sky and it was midnight. "So we'll be there by sunrise?"
Arlo nodded, "That's right. We'll be pulling into the County just as the first rays of dawn begin to light up the sky."
Damien's tongue clicked sharply against the roof of his mouth as he let out a sigh of disappointment. Because of his class weapon, he was subject to many restrictions and limitations. During the day, he was practically a vampire, rendered weak and vulnerable in the harsh glare of the sun. Even if the County were under attack by the time they reached it, he knew he wouldn't be able to lend a hand as the sun would still be up.
Just as he was lost in his thoughts, he felt a sudden jolt as someone grabbed his hand. He looked up to see Sandra, her eyes filled with a strange determination that made him feel deja vu.
"Master, don't worry about it," she said softly, her voice a soothing balm to his troubled mind. "As long as I am here, I will protect you from all harm until your strength returns."
She had a fierce sense of duty that urged her to protect her master at all costs. She knew that he was incredibly fragile during the day, his strength only truly coming alive once the sun had set. And so she had resolved to become his strength during the day.
Damien felt a sweet laugh bubble up within him, his heart warmed by the selflessness of his devoted maid.
"Then I will leave my safety in your hands." he said, "Make sure I am unharmed."
His voice filled with gentle affection. Anyone could tell that he had a thing for her. As for Sandra, it was clear that she valued him more than her life. She had already expressed her intentions clearly.
