Chapter 135 : The Leader's Ambition
"Let's talk business."
Hohenheim coughed twice to hide his embarrassment, and I didn't want to delve deeper into that topic either.
"I heard the general situation from that adventurer called Carol Cat, but I still need to confirm the details with Anna-chan."
Hohenheim was being quite formal with his own guild member... but now wasn't the time to worry about such things.
"We also got a quest notification on our end. I'll share the information with you."
[Side Quest: Aid
The maid Anastasia is seeking help, hoping for assistance in ensuring Amaryllis's safety
Quest Objective: Amaryllis escapes the Kingdom of Michel
Quest Reward: None (Unknown)
Failure Condition: Amaryllis's death]
"Carol Cat also said Anna-chan wanted us to help transfer Amaryllis... We don't know the specific reasons, but we'll definitely support Anna-chan's choice."
"That's right, and the leader said just help the loli and be done with it."
"Anna-chan is justice!"
The members behind Hohenheim also actively expressed their enthusiasm.
"Thank you all. This quest... might lead to hostility with Duke Borgia."
"It's fine. Our reputation was already bad anyway, so losing a few more impression points doesn't matter at all."
Uwah... please don't give up on treatment...
"So what do you want us to do, Anna-chan? Find a breakthrough point and fight our way out directly?"
Chris asked curiously: "Can you actually fight your way out?"
"It would be very difficult. The [Barrier]'s several exits are not only heavily guarded by troops but also include large numbers of adventurers. Breaking through in a short time would be extremely difficult, and if Duke Borgia chooses to strengthen the [Barrier], we wouldn't be able to escape even if we could fly. What's more, I'm the only high-ranking officer from our group on the outside."
"Where are the others?"
"They're all in prison... or waiting to resurrect. The leader said he'd come support us if we can't hold out, and then there's Faust, but he won't go die when told to... sigh, our current situation is that our group severely lacks core damage output. We can manage delaying in direct confrontation, but tearing through defenses to carve out a bloody path would be very hard to achieve."
Hohenheim had already gathered all of Anna's Support Group's available combat power as much as possible, but in terms of numbers, the Black Eagle Mercenary Group wasn't worried at all.
"Well, we want to avoid direct confrontation. Our mission objective is to smuggle out, you know."
"Smuggling..." Hohenheim habitually adjusted his glasses. "Does this relate to the Watertown Merchant Association and suspicious personnel we're supposed to monitor?"
"Smart. Our plan is to reach an agreement with Enrique of the Watertown Merchant Association. You know about the merchant caravan for the Third Princess's wedding that's about to pass through Duke Obi's territory, right? Lily will hide in Enrique's caravan and smuggle out of the city."
"Enrique... that guy? I don't remember him being such a kind-hearted person..."
Although their guild types were different, Hohenheim had still dealt with Enrique before and didn't have a good impression of him.
"Right, that guy's condition is Anna-chan. You understand what this means."
"This..."
"Anna-chan is going to become a married woman? That would be even better... No wait! How can Anna-chan be stolen by that kind of guy!"
"Everyone dies eventually, but some people need a little help!"
"I'm going to kick his ass hard with my boots!"
Chris's words immediately stirred up public outrage among Hohenheim and the others. Hohenheim was still relatively calm, but the others were sharpening their blades, wishing they could immediately form a party to kill Enrique.
But this was exactly what Chris wanted to see.
"So I'm planning to rescue Anna from Enrique's hands. Will you join me?"
"We'll protect Anna-chan's purity!"
Chris made a victory sign at me—now she had allies to crash the wedding with.
"Actually, Lord Enrique hasn't stated his specific demands yet..."
"Anna-chan is so cute that if he doesn't want Anna-chan, he must definitely be gay."
"Lord Enrique will be coming soon. We're worried he might have other plans, so we asked everyone to monitor the Ende area."
"There are no anomalies around Ende."
Hohenheim guaranteed that there were no adventurers or other groups of unknown origin outside Ende. If anything, they were the most suspicious group themselves.
"Enrique will come to Ende around eight o'clock. We'll set out for the nearest exit within an hour. We're a bit worried about leaving the escort work entirely to Enrique's merchant caravan, so..."
"Escort work? Then you found the right people. When Anna's Support Group announces our name, even starving wolves will flee at the mere sight of us."
Having witnessed the mysterious power that automatically lowered morale upon their appearance, I had complete faith in Hohenheim's guarantee.
Honestly speaking, having Anna's Support Group as escorts made me feel much more at ease. I'd have to properly thank them afterward. Making an enemy of a duke was no small matter—it was equivalent to offending the most influential NPC in this area. In the future, it would be extremely difficult for Anna's Support Group to conduct any activities in Duke Obi's territory.
Hohenheim casually said it was no problem. He explained that Anna's Support Group was stationed in Duke Obi's territory simply because I lived here. If I were to leave the Kingdom of Michel, they would also leave to find a new base.
Their leader had also agreed to this decision. Apparently, the leader even expressed willingness to establish a mercenary nation in the wilderness for me, tentatively named "Black Beast."
Although the leader's naming sense seemed strange, I was truly moved.
