Chapter 1019 - The Road to Survival (1) (1/2)
“Sonia? Sonia!”
Upon hearing the frantic screams, Sonia opened her eyes slowly and Lilian’s terrified face came into her vision. It was sunset. All Sonia felt was the aches and numbness in her body, especially the stinging pain on her back. She sat up slowly, only to find herself on a withered lawn. It was late autumn, where the fresh, green grass was gradually withering and the leaves were drying up. The cold wind from between the forest trees instantly sent Sonia shivering. She lowered her gaze, discovering that her clothes were completely soaked in sewage, suffusing a terrible stench. Lilian was nowhere better. Her little face was covered in strokes of black and white like a kitten. Her cloak was also stained by all sorts of filth. Not only that, but Sonia also felt pain and coldness in her left arm.
It seems like I was still attacked, huh?
Sonia calmed herself at this thought and stood back up.
“Your Majesty, this place isn’t safe. We have to continue moving ahead.”
“B-But… where are we going exactly? Also… are you alright, Sonia? Why don’t we find a place to rest…”
“No, we have to find a place to wash up, change our clothes, and continue moving forward, Your Majesty. The parliament will widen the search perimeter until they find us. We have to escape before that happens.”
Sonia gazed at Lilian’s pale expression and was hesitant about her decision. In fact, she wasn’t doing much better than Lilian now. If it weren’t for the fact that Sonia was a swordsman in the Elite Stage with a stronger constitution than most young noblewomen, she wouldn’t be able to walk now. But to Sonia, she had to continue walking even if she couldn’t. She didn’t know what would happen to Lilian if she were captured by Nakvard. But she was sure that nothing good would happen… Moreover, Rhode’s mission for her was to protect Lilian!
That’s right. This is the mission that Master gave me!
Sonia pulled herself together at this thought immediately. Even though she was exhausted and in pain from the constant running, it was nothing compared to the ‘teachings’ that Rhode had given her. And now, the most important thing was to lead Lilian as far away from Casabianca. Once they left this central region, Sonia could use her familiarity with the Country of Light to head to other regions and blend into the crowd. This way, they could avoid detection from the parliament. She was aware that there were regions dissatisfied with the parliament’s rule, so as long as they escaped to those regions, they wouldn’t need to fear the chasing soldiers. The resistance from the regions would be enough to give the soldiers a hard time.
“Your Majesty, let’s move on.”
“… Okay.”
Lilian hesitated at the sight of Sonia standing to her feet. But she continued to ask.
“… Sonia, where exactly are we going?”
“… It is no longer possible to board the floating boats and heading toward the Munn Kingdom is equally dangerous. If we walk on foot, we will be interrogated a lot. But if we go via sea, the threats will be similar to those on the floating boats. Also, I heard rumors about the unscrupulous sailors on the ships in the port. Perhaps they will harbor ill intentions if we head there alone…” Sonia pretended to be contemplative, before continuing. “Your Majesty, if you don’t mind, we can head down the Black Mist River and… perhaps pass through the Highland City and arrive at the Void Territory.”
“Huh?”
Lilian stared blankly and Sonia quickly became anxious. Sonia had the initial intention to bring Lilian back to the Void Territory. Even though the other reasons she mentioned were also valid, there were still other solutions, as a matter of fact. For instance, the port. Just like Sonia mentioned, although there were many shady ships, some ships were still legit. Once they sneaked into the ships, they could still head to the Munn Kingdom. But… as Rhode’s devoted servant, Sonia naturally wouldn’t give this opportunity to Lydia.
“Yes, it will be relatively safer, Your Majesty Lilian. We can hitch a ride from the merchants who are heading toward the border region. Actually, many trade associations have no relations with the parliament. We don’t need to worry if they check our identities. Besides, even if there are any problems, it will be easier for us to escape…”
“Sure.”
“Huh?”
Sonia was surprised by Lilian’s straightforward answer. The latter swung her tiny fists as she looked at Sonia with a delightful expression.