At dawn on a new day, Vicente, Sarah, and Layla set out from Millfall to the east coast, where Ironcrest was located.
Vicente had made this journey before with his family by carriage, and it had taken him several weeks to reach that coastal city. This time, however, he would travel using his special ability.
Vicente could fly up to three times faster than an ordinary horse could move, even if he were to carry one of these women. As a result, their journey wouldn't take as long as the last time he made this trip. Even considering the rest stops he and Layla would need, they would reach Ironcrest in four to five days.
So Vicente set off from Millfall, flying while letting Sarah's body keep up with him, as Layla used her super-speed to follow close behind.
Since they were both Low-level Mages, there would be few problems on this journey, and time would soon start to pass more quickly for them.
...
Three days after Vicente left Millfall...
Nine people entered the city through the western entrance in three carriages bearing symbols known throughout the kingdom.
As these carriages passed through the first of the city's busiest streets, the locals immediately began to watch them, whispering to each other.
"This is the symbol of the royal family..."
"It looks like a group of important soldiers! Can you sense the level of the person in the second carriage?" An elderly-looking man commented to his grandson.
"Yes, he's a High-level Mage!" The young Apprentice had no trouble telling the difference between him and that Mage and was quite surprised to feel such an aura.
Mages usually hid their powers in unimportant everyday situations. But that soldier and practically his entire group didn't care.
"What are these people doing here?"
"It must be because of those Commanders who were in town recently..."
While the people in the streets were commenting on the arrival of this group, the soldiers sent from the capital to take care of Millfall's affairs were also talking among themselves.
Except for the High-level Mage in the second carriage, the others were all 3rd-stage magicians, with 3 Low-level Mages and 5 Mid-level Mages.
"We're finally here..." One of the weaker ones muttered as he struggled with the beast pulling the first carriage of the convoy.
One of the Mid-level Mages in the first carriage then told his two companions. "I don't sense any particularly powerful aura except for a beast on the city's east side. Could that beast be behind the deaths of our men?"
"Unlikely." The most experienced man in the carriage commented. "It would be too risky to kill soldiers of the kingdom with a beast. It would be like asking to die."
As powerful as beasts could be, they were not as good at hiding their actions as humans. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence would avoid using beasts to kill people whose deaths would be avenged.
Meanwhile, in the main car in the middle of the convoy, a Mid-level Mage was controlling the beast of that car when he lowered the front glass of the cabin and said to the High-level Mage there. "Commander Derek, we are in Millfall. The local headquarters are just ahead of us."
The person opened his eyes when he heard that, finally in this city after weeks of travel.
The capital was far away from this area! Even using a 3rd-stage beast to pull their carriages, this group had taken several days to make their way from the capital to Millfall.
'Finally here... Now, it's time to carry out His Majesty's orders.' This man thought to himself as he looked through the windows of his carriage, aware that he had many problems on the ground.
The king had sent him on this mission to investigate the deaths of the four Commanders who had recently been killed during operations in Millfall's area. He was also to choose a successor to the position of Commander in that town, restructure the local army battalion, and deal with the situation of the Symons family.
Halfway between the kingdom's capital and Millfall, he had received a communiqué about the fall of the Symons family with new orders from the king. As such, he would have to investigate the fall of this family and the possible involvement of other noble powers in the downfall of the Symons family.
All this would be a lot of work for him, so he didn't want to wait to start acting.
He said. "Austin, go to the Martial Court in this city and get access to the records of the Symons family's demise. We'll start investigating this incident from there."
A Mid-level Mage in the third carriage of the group heard this and moved off, easily separating from his group, accompanied by a Low-level Mage.
Commander Derek continued. "Emmett, you'll be in charge of investigating The Vile Altar. Go there and return as soon as possible. We won't act until I know more about what happened there."
How did Derek know about The Vile Altar if the forces in Millfall didn't have this information before? It was because the local group had already investigated the route taken by the three Commanders who went to The Vile Altar that night after Vicente. Those soldiers had discovered the probable location of such people's fall.
That had only happened after several days of investigation, and this information had only reached this group of Mages a day ago.
Since Derek didn't trust the local investigators, he wanted someone from his group to go there personally to investigate the area again.
With these orders, the second man and his assistant set off, leaving 5 Mages behind when they arrived in front of the army headquarters in this town.
Just as they reached the entrance to the building in the center of Millfall, Nova opened the door to the battalion Commander's cultivation room, leaving the place after nearly two weeks of meditation in seclusion.
But the time she had spent there had paid off, for she was now at the 3rd magic stage!
'At last! I can finally become a Commander!' She thought as she left her cultivation room, too happy to notice the powerful auras coming towards her.
But before she could be surprised, a level 5 Acolyte alerted her. "Captain, the emissaries from the capital have just arrived! They are at the barracks entrance and want to talk to you!"
"Oh?" She changed her expression, sensing that the time had finally come for the army to punish the criminals and delinquents in this city.
With the help of the envoys from the capital, she would certainly be able to put pressure on the right people and perhaps get to the truth more easily!
