Chapter 186 - 187
Alistar was most wary of the high-ranking official that was leading the delegation, for a prerequisite of becoming a bishop in the Land of One Hundred Counties was that any considered for the position had to, at the very least, be an accomplished magus of the fifth tier. The section of the Winding Road that the delegation was to follow ran quite close to the cave’s location, so on the off chance that he was attacked by something and he did happen to let loose his unbridled aura, it was possible that the man in question might notice such a thing.
Why didn’t I just bring him the food yesterday?
He’d planned to restock Aglain’s provisions earlier in the week, but knowledge of Lessa’s looming departure and her insistence at giving him yet another gift for his Name Day had led to him making the foolhardy decision to push such an important matter ahead to the following morning. Only, he hadn’t expected Lessa to show up at the estate mere moments after he’d slid out of bed. After sensing that something was off about her disposition, he hadn’t had the heart to send her away.
Stopping at the kitchens to fill his bag with all sorts of dry foods, he left the estate at a sprint and hurried southward. Seeing the constant streams of people that were trickling into the city from its western gate as well as the countless others that were visible on the country roads beyond, he made sure to navigate around Mayhaven and hurried toward the southern section of the walls with energized steps.
The closer he drew to the county limits and the rigid, stony boundary that marked them, the more he began to berate himself for making such a monumental mistake. How could I have been such a fool? Steering clear of several farmhouses and a handful of hamlets, he eventually arrived at Distan’s southernmost wall. Without stopping, he grasped the hilt of his sword to stabilize his scabbard and then sent a great deal of swordsman’s aura coursing throughout his body, at which point he cleared the crenellations with a bounding leap and then landed at a roll on the other side.
Making sure that the string that bound the bag hadn’t come undone, he proceeded through the forest as quickly as he could while still maintaining a satisfactory level of quiet. As the youngest of Tramon’s disciples to reach the warrior stratum—even if he was only a lower practitioner that had been denied his stripes—he could now proceed with confidence throughout the forests that surrounded Distan. At his current level, it wouldn’t be difficult to take on a job as a senior guard in a city like Valay or Calei, a position that provided respect and good pay.
A short while later, Alistar arrived at the empty little clearing where the cave sat hidden in plain sight. Urging himself to make it a quick visit, he stepped through the threshold and into the musty darkness where Aglain lay motionless a few paces ahead of him. Lighting up the well-carved enclosure with a few floating, flickering flames that he conjured with a thought, Alistar strode forward and proceeded to unlock the unconscious man’s memories.
Coughing like someone that had nearly drowned, the emaciated prisoner blinked open his unseeing eyes and stared at him for a few seconds before grunting in understanding and pushing himself up into a seated position.
He noted that his accomplice had grown a decent head of wispy blond hair—more white than blond—and that, while worryingly skinny and possessing a sickly pallor, he at least looked like a living person.