100 The Departure. (1/2)

Ozul and Rufus chatted near the entrance when suddenly the gates of the Royal Palace opened, and 3 carriages rallied out.

All the carriages appeared far more fanciful than any ordinary person could ever expect to ride just once in their lifetime. The crest of the Royal Family hung on each of them.

The carriage in the middle stood out the most, as unlike the other two, this one had runes on its sides.

It was apparent to the trio that the person they were going to escort was probably in that carriage.

In a few seconds, the carriages came before the group. Those elegant yet sturdy horses stopped right in front of them. One of the men that looked like the person in charge got off the 1st carriage and came before Rufus.

”Chief Leader Rufus! Everything is prepared, we are ready for departure.”- the man said in a loud voice, kneeling with his head bowed in front of Rufus.

”On your feet, Clive!”- Rufus commanded with a heavy voice, unlike how he conversed with Ozul.

The man named Clive stood up with a jolt. With his hands behind his back, he stood respectfully to the side, waiting for further instructions.

”It's time to explain the mission details to the Mercenaries.”- Rufus said as the group moved outside the gates where all the other Mercenaries awaited.

Every one of them straightened their back in hopes of wanting to catch the eye of the Silver Knights' Chief Leader. Since Rufus was famously known as one of the most trusted men of the Emperor, everyone wanted to impress him.

There were more than 80 or so Mercenaries gathered for the mission—all a part of at least a Gold Rank Mercenary group. However, in front of the Rank-8 Mage, they couldn't keep control of their anxiety.

Looking at the confident faces of the leaders of those Mercenary groups, Rufus nodded in satisfaction before starting to explain the details.

”As you all may or may not have known, the mission that you have accepted is about escorting.”- Rufus said with his head held high, looking down at others.

”You all will have to escort a guest of the Royal Family back to their home. Your destination will be the Neutral Lands.”

The surrounding Mercenaries started to murmur as they heard the name of their mission's destination.

”Silence!”- The man named Clive suddenly shouted when he saw that those murmurs were never going to stop.

”As you all already know, the Neutral Lands isn't a place where just anyone would be able to survive. And there will be even more dangers on the way there. So if any group wants to leave, it's your last chance to do it.”

”If you try to leave during the mission, we will have no choice but to execute you.”

Rufus explained everything with a clear voice. He wanted everyone present to understand the risks that they were going to take and be responsible for it.

Rufus waited for the Mercenary groups to fully understand what he was trying to convey.

Some strong groups who believed in their strength did not even consider leaving at this point. However, not everyone was the same.

Those weak groups had joined in hopes of rich rewards, but hearing about their destination had removed those greedy thoughts and instead filled their hearts with the fear of death.

At last, only about 10 or so people wanted to leave the mission. These people were not able to get their whole group to join them since their leaders were determined on the rewards. It wasn't every day that they would get to accept missions directly from someone like the ruling family of Silverbird Kingdom!

Rufus sighed, looking at the number of people who had given up after already accepting the mission from the Mercenary Guild.

The people who had wanted to leave just left quietly, and while Rufus did not seem to pay any attention to that group, Ozul knew better.