Knights and Magic Wand
Chapter 117 - 117 78 New Hatred and Old Grudges_2

117: Chapter 78 New Hatred and Old Grudges_2 117: Chapter 78 New Hatred and Old Grudges_2 As for the ordinary packhorse that first brought the surplus baggage, it soon collapsed from exhaustion not long after they started fleeing.

Leon and the others had no choice but to pick up the important items and abandon most of their luggage and the nearly dead packhorse.

During a brief rest, Kovis and Azeryan finally had the chance to dismount and take off their embarrassingly flimsy dancer’s veils.

Leon also put back on his eclectic mix of Demon Hunter armor.

Because Lokhak just couldn’t bear to leave Leon’s noble serpent Armor behind yesterday, and to be prepared for combat just in case, he simply wore it himself before they rendezvoused last night.

This, in turn, freed up a set of Armor for Kovis.

Even though the Armor, a mix of leather and chainmail that belonged to Lokhak, hung somewhat loosely on the young man with golden hair, some protection was still better than none.

“…

You’re not from Atiyas?” Leon, having adjusted his Armor, asked the golden-haired young man by the river in surprise.

“Before the age of ten, I could have been called a Villanian, of course, but that Kingdom was long ago completely conquered by Atiyas, so that name no longer means anything.”

As Kovis replied, he led the tired horse into the shallow stream, letting it obediently lie down and soak its limbs.

An empire on the rise?

Leon also let his warhorse wade into the shallows for a cooling rest and continued to inquire, “The Atiyas Empire, is it very powerful?”

The golden-haired young man looked back at him.

His eyes flickered as if he had a thousand words to say, but in the end, he could only slightly move his lips, “…

Very strong…

so powerful that it’s despairing.”

Kovis crouched down, scooping up water to wipe down the horse’s body, “My homeland, Villania, is not much smaller than the Kantadar Kingdom, but the Empire needed only one legion to conquer it.

…And the Empire has ten such legions.”

Leon exclaimed in surprise, “…

then, approximately how large is each of these so-called legions?”

He was listening; it seemed like Atiyas had a complete and mature standing army.

“I can only guess that one legion might have around twenty thousand soldiers; I can’t be sure since, as a slave, no one would allow me to inquire about their military’s composition.”

During his recollection, Kovis noted, “In any case, in my memory, the Empire’s soldiers were always a dark and seemingly boundless mass.”

“So, at least two hundred thousand in a standing army….” Leon felt a headache coming on.

He wasn’t completely ignorant of the costs associated with maintaining an army.

If this number was accurate, it meant the national power of the Atiyas people was even more astonishing than he had estimated.

Seeing the worry on Leon’s face, Kovis couldn’t help but smile, “Don’t worry, even the Empire wouldn’t risk capsizing to cross the dangerous and vast ocean, squandering resources to bring an entire legion to this land.

You’re lucky not to border Atiyas; this land lies beyond thousands of hills and rivers from the Empire, at least you won’t have to worry about facing an army of Black Robes in your lifetime.”

“That’s good to hear, but indeed, Atiyas is located at the extreme east of the continent, is the world truly round?” Upon hearing this, Leon sought confirmation from Kovis.

His friend here had actually traveled across the ocean from Atiyas by ship.

“Hmm?…

You catch on quick, don’t you?

Normally one would think they came sailing along the edge of the continent.

You know, the Kantadar people have always refused to believe the earth beneath their feet is spherical,” Kovis said with a raised brow and a smile.

The golden-haired young man was about to continue when his expression suddenly changed, halting mid-sentence.

He stood up in surprise, struggling to reach his back.

“What’s wrong?”

Leon, seeing him in this state, thought the young man might have an insect in his Armor and so he got up and approached to ask, “Did something crawl into your back?”

Kovis unfastened the buckles, trying to remove the newly-donned Armor, “Could you help me check my back?”

Seeing the young man’s frantic manner, Leon quickly lent a hand to help him remove his Armor.

The others, who were nearby feeding the horses and resting, looked over as well.

As they peeled off the large Armor that belonged to Lokhak from the young man, Leon immediately furrowed his brows.

On Kovis’s back was a character resembling a burn mark, faintly emitting a glow.

“Did you see anything?

Tell me quickly.” Unable to see his own back, Kovis could only ask anxiously.

“It seems like a glowing…

rune?” Leon sketched the glowing character from his back on the ground.

“…”

The golden-haired young man stared at the text Leon had replicated in the mud, falling into silence.

“What’s going on?”

Leon asked with some concern, “Are you okay?

Could it be that Pilireno has a dying curse?

Did he leave another curse on you?”

“No, um, it’s nothing…

just an old spell brand, a false alarm.”

Kovis looked at the concern on the other’s face and could only laugh and shake his head, “We should hurry on our way.”

Seeing the youth’s expression return to calm, Leon felt relieved.

After helping Kovis suit up in his Armor again, everyone waited for the two tired horses to cool down and eat their fill, and then they continued northeast.

This time, they just trotted their horses, not the desperate gallop like last night.

Firstly because Kovis and Elena’s horses didn’t have enough stamina.

Secondly, after the full-speed flight last night, they were now quite far from the Western Port, and Felcon’s people couldn’t possibly catch up with them and find them in a short time.

However, as they reached a crossroads, Kovis reined in his horse to fall back to the end of the group.

Leon turned back in confusion.

“Everyone, thank you for helping me regain my freedom, but I have urgent matters to attend to right now and have to part ways,” said the blond youth, not waiting for a response, as he pulled on the reins and directed his horse onto the other road, heading west.

“Ah?

You’re not going to Orland with us?” Lokhak looked towards Kovis, feeling regretful—he had wanted to properly thank this brother who had looked after his sister in the embassy once they got back.

Kovis raised his hand to wave goodbye to everyone, “If I ever have the chance to travel to the Northern Kingdom, I will definitely visit Kosos County.

So, farewell.”

Having said this, the youth spurred his horse to quicken the pace.

Leon watched his departing figure, filled with a bit of regret.

From their short interactions and understanding, this youth from the Eastern Continent was gentle and knowledgeable, proficient in spells, and very aware of various matters concerning the Eastern Continent and Athias people.

If they could have talked more, he too would have learned a lot.

Sadly, everyone had their own paths to take.

“Let’s go, we need to make haste,” Leon quickened the pace of his Warhorse.

They all pressed on.

Yet as they walked, Leon, deep in thought on horseback, gradually realized something was off.

Something wasn’t right.

When they set off, they had informed Kovis of their destination where they sought refuge.

He had even invited him to stay in Selva.

At the time, the youth had readily agreed.

There was no mention that he had other matters to attend to along the way.

And being a slave who had been confined at Pilireno’s side,

Even if he did have some freedom to move, he wouldn’t be able to travel to such a place far from the Western Port.

Now that he was free, why would he rush to handle something urgent instead of fleeing the Kantadar, which had close dealings with Athias people?

The glowing rune he had just seen flashed in his mind.

Leon couldn’t help but connect that rune with Kovis’s sudden change of attitude.

Then, the thing on his back…

This kid…

Couldn’t really be…?

…

…Kovis flicked the reins, urging the weary horse beneath him to run faster.

His gaze continually swept the surrounding area, selecting terrain suitable as a battleground.

Only when he crossed the rugged hills did a dense woodland appear ahead.

Slowing his mount to a stop, the youth dismounted and grabbed the pack from the horse’s back, sprinting into the woods.

“Explosion…

Explosion…

Concussion…” Pondering how to set the trap, Kovis rifled quickly through a pile of Crystal Stones and jars in his pack.

Having selected the materials, the youth drew a shovel from the side of his pack and began to dig under the tree roots.

His digging had barely begun when he heard the hoofbeats on the ground from outside the woods, making his heart jump.

“They’ve arrived so quickly!?”

The youth turned his head with an incredulous look.