Book 4: Chapter 72 (1/2)
“Really?” Tafel asked, her forehead wrinkled. “It’ll take a month to go to England?”
“That’s right,” Frederick III said and dabbed at his forehead with his handkerchief. “If a rider rushes on a horse, it’ll take them a month at the very least. He’ll have to ride several horses to exhaustion and have the stations prepped in advance. There simply isn’t a faster way.”
Tafel frowned and rubbed her chin. The world had such an abundance of mana, yet no one knew how to use it. If this was back in her home world, there would’ve been teleportation gates everywhere. They cost a lot to power, but with all the ambient mana floating around, perhaps even a regular citizen could use one. Unfortunately, it was quite difficult for her to set up a teleportation gate by herself. Someone would have to be at the location she wanted to create a portal to holding one of her beacons, but if the distance was too far, they’d need a lot more mana than weeds could supply them. She shook her head and dismissed the idea of setting up multiple gates. A time mage couldn’t only teleport through space, they could also manipulate time in a local area. “I’ll ride there personally. I just need a guide.”
Frederick III nodded. “Are you sure you don’t want us to send a rider with one of your necklaces? You could wait here and magic yourself over there when he arrives.”
“It’s too slow,” Tafel said and stood up. “Is the rider ready?”
“Yes,” Frederick III said. “He was waiting for you to give the order.”
“Alright.” Tafel draped a cloak over herself and gestured for Frederick III to lead the way. After exiting the castle, she arrived at a courtyard where the stables were. A man was waiting next to a horse. He kneeled upon seeing Tafel, and she nodded at him. “Get up. I’m going with you to England.”
The man’s expression didn’t change as he rose. “Yes, Your Majesty. Shall I prepare a carriage?”
Tafel shook her head. “A single horse is faster.” She ignored the hand that the man offered her and leapt onto the horse with ease. She scooted back and patted the front of the saddle. “You’re riding here.”
The man glanced at Frederick III before climbing onto the horse. “The journey is a long one,” he said. “I’m not looking down on your ability, but are you sure you can handle this?”
“It won’t take that long,” Tafel said, her horns glowing silver. She patted the horse’s rump, and the face of a clock appeared on its skin. It was made of silver light, and the hands on the clock were rotating at blinding speeds until the naked eye could only see a circle of light. “Go.”
The man didn’t comment as he whipped the reins. The horse galloped forward, and it immediately screamed once its hoof left the ground. It whizzed forward, turning into a streak of brown light. The streak nearly crashed into a wall as it left the courtyard, and it came to a stop fifty meters outside of the castle. The man panted for breath, as did the horse. “I didn’t know horses could scream,” the man said and swallowed. “Your Majesty, what happened?”