Chapter 471 - Are We at a Dead End Already? (1/2)

Chapter 471: Are We at a Dead End Already?

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Crack, crack, whoosh, whoosh.

In the mountainous forest, one man and one woman flew by, one after another.

It was Kanorse and Annie who had just left the fortress. They’d already run more than ten miles and were panting for breath, but they didn’t dare slow down.

“Hurry, Annie. They’re catching up!” Kanorse urged from the front. He was a Level-9 Warrior and was much stronger than Annie, a Level-7 Assassin. He was in better shape.

However, he was totally out of breath too. When they faced those scouts from the MI3 earlier, he’d blocked almost all of the arrows. At the last moment, he even activated Battle Aura to escape with Annie. This used up a lot of his energy.

Annie didn’t speak. She maintained her breathing pattern and sped up slightly.

She was in bad shape. Her leather armor had split open, revealing many injuries. The deepest wound was at her waist. She’d been sliced by a dagger, and the blade had dug in half a centimeter. Every step sent pain flaring up her side.

After sprinting for half an hour, they burst free from the forest and returned to the main road. There were no soldiers here. They began sprinting again.

Tut-tut, tut-tut. Clattering of hooves sounded before them. Shaken, the two hid behind a tree and listened closely.

They heard voices.

“It’s so tragic. The epidemic appeared in Gladstone too.”

“They’re done. The Bloody Butcher is coming for a massacre again.”

“Ah, the world is becoming messier and messier. How are we supposed to live?”

“Let’s not care about all that. We’ll go south after getting our reward. I heard that Ferde is good right now. There’s a Legendary Magician protecting the place too. I bet it’s safe.”

“That’s right.”

The voices got closer. “They’re mercenaries for hunting demons,” Kanorse whispered. “Two of them. Judging from the sounds, their horses are good. Rest here, and I’ll go steal their horses.”

Annie nodded. She really couldn’t keep running. It would be better with a horse.

Kanorse ran out. After a while, Annie heard some muffled sounds and then a whistle. She walked out and saw Kanorse leading two horses over. Not too far from him, the two bruised mercenaries rolled on the ground in pain.

“Get on,” Kanorse called. He gave Annie a black horse that was more muscular of the two.

They mounted the horses. When they passed the mercenaries, Annie tossed down some gold coins. “Don’t go north. It’s not safe. Take the money and hurry to the South!”

The two mercenaries had thought that they had the worst luck and were about to cry. Seeing the money, their bruised eyes brightened. They immediately flipped over and fought for the coins.

After that, Kanorse and Annie urged their horses forward and galloped southward on the road. They only slowed down after half an hour when the horses were tired and changed to a trot.

By now, the strong tonic Annie had drunk earlier went into effect. Her side wound had closed and was both numb and itchy. It didn’t hurt anymore.

“Why would the general try to catch us?” Kanorse asked the question that had been bothering him.

Annie was drinking water. Hearing this, she answered coldly, “He went mad… I can feel that it’s not my father inside that shell. It’s a demon!”

“Your Highness, are you sure?” Kanorse was in disbelief. He thought Annie was just saying things out of anger.

Annie sighed. “It’s what I suspect. Earlier, he gave me a letter to send to the South. He specifically said that even if he sends someone to take it back, I should ignore it. He seemed conflicted when he said that as if there was another soul inside him.”

Kanorse was terrified at this. The venom of the Dark Serpent had invaded him before so he could relate to this feeling. At that time, there was another consciousness fighting for control of his body. When he lost control, it would be like he was asleep. He wouldn’t know what he did at all.

But when he had been controlled, he emitted strong dark energy. The general didn’t. The priest in the fortress said he was very normal.

So what was going on? Kanorse didn’t understand.

The two were quiet after that. They both had heavy thoughts.

After around half an hour, they reached a boulevard with trees on both sides. Here, Kanorse’s ears suddenly twitched. He pulled the reins immediately. “Stop.”

“What’s wrong?” Annie already had a crossbow in her hands. She looked cautious.

Kanorse also grabbed his lightning magic sword. “This road isn’t normal,” he whispered. “I think I hear something odd.”

The two looked around cautiously.

Cuckoo, cuckoo. A bird sang loudly in the forest, and a few birds flew into the sky.

Scritch, scratch. A few squirrels jumped around on branches and fought with each other. They looked normal.