"Get some rest early tonight. It'll take us many days to travel by ferry to Wizard City, and there'll be plenty of time to learn new magic." Seeing that she could not persuade Lynn, Joanne offered a reminder before turning to leave.
"Wait... Joanne!" Lynn tucked the Basic Magic Compendium into his clothes. Remembering his earlier suspicions, he hurriedly stopped her.
"What is it? Is there something else?" The silver-haired Witch halted.
"Are you sure no one besides us knows where this hideout is?" Lynn asked again.
"You suspect one of us may have defected to the Church?" Joanne's expression grew grave. She naturally understood what Lynn meant and had entertained the same suspicion, but after hesitating for a moment, she still shook her head. "That's impossible!"
"Before you arrived in Ur Town, we had already stayed in this village for a full week... The dangerous tasks of gathering intelligence and procuring supplies were assigned by drawing lots."
She had taken those opportunities to test every one of them. The fact that they had not encountered the Church's pursuit until now was the best proof!
Lynn was not surprised by this. Instead, he asked bluntly,
"Have you considered that the Church's primary target might not be us?"
Lynn knew very well that if an informant endured without acting, there was only one reason: to obtain greater benefits...
Joanne froze, her face filled with confusion.
"Lame Laud... the sea route to Greenriel. That is the Church's true target!" Lynn said, word by word.
He did not know what kind of connection Old Hawke from the [Drunkard] tavern had with Coru that made him willing to help Wizard Apprentices like them, but one thing was certain!
Such a secret passage leading directly out of the city could never have been made specifically for them!
In other words, Old Hawke was very likely an informant planted by the Land of Wizards in Nordland Territory, while Laud, who could help them set sail, was undoubtedly a far more important figure.
Lynn could imagine how many Wizards had entered the Secas Empire through this route over the years, and how many ships laden with supplies had departed from Nordland Territory's port for Wizard City...
By comparison, capturing a few Wizard Apprentices like them was utterly insignificant. It was merely a convenient way to appease Duke Nordland, which might explain why they had constantly been pursued by the Church outside, yet remained safe after entering Ur Town!
With Lynn's reminder, Joanne immediately understood as well, and her expression changed.
If that was the case, the Church had likely known their movements all along. They had simply held back, waiting for them to act before catching everyone in one sweep.
At that thought, a chill ran down Joanne's spine. They were like birds that had stepped into a trap, merely waiting for the hunter to raise his butcher's blade.
Joanne pursed her lips and remained silent for a long time, yet she could think of no way to break the deadlock.
"What should we do, then?"
After asking that, the girl did not expect Lynn to give any answer. In this desperate situation, surrounded by trouble on all sides, there was almost no hope left.
How could a group of apprentices who could not even trust one another possibly escape the cage so carefully woven by the Church?
Yet Lynn spoke.
"It's simple... wait."
"Wait?" Joanne was greatly surprised by Lynn's answer.
"You just revealed the ferry plan and Laud's information to them. We plan to leave tomorrow, and by then everyone will be watching one another. So..." Lynn declared resolutely, "tonight is the best chance to pass along the message!"
"Squeak, squeak—"
When the moonlight crossed the thirteenth star, Will awoke to the sound of rats. The dry straw on the hard wooden bed behind him stabbed and scraped painfully against his back like needles and blades.
Will struggled to sit up, only to see two or three rats gathered around the robe he had taken off, gnawing on half a loaf of black bread. Their long tongues hung from their mouths, while their pitch-black toes left streak after streak of marks across the blue robe.
"Damn it, you filthy beasts! Scum!" Will flew into a rage and kicked at them, sending the grimy black bread flying aside as he cursed viciously. It took several minutes for him to calm down. Then, with disgust, he picked up his robe and draped it over himself before cautiously pushing open the door.
The side hall was shrouded in darkness, with no one in sight. At this hour, everyone besides White Dove, who was on night watch, should have been resting.
Will did not dare linger for even a moment. He hurried through the corridor, entered a secluded storage room, and pulled the door shut behind him.
The old wooden door let out a series of teeth-grating creaks. Thanks to the mercenaries who had broken in, every lock in the manor had long since been smashed apart. The entire storage room had been rummaged into a mess, its wooden floor covered in dust, with several chairs and cabinets lying crookedly on the ground.
Will nervously crouched down and moved aside the clutter piled in the corner. A strange diamond-shaped pattern had been inscribed into the dusty floor.
When choosing their elective specialties after advancing as apprentices, Joanne had chosen elements, White Dove had chosen psionics, while he had mastered alchemy!
[By ship, harbor, Laud...]
Will engraved the characters one by one into the center of the magic array, then placed magic stones into the four circles within it. A faint glow gradually emerged, spreading along the array's lines...
Just as the glow was about to cover the entire magic array, a sharp whistle tore through the silent room. A Blade of Ice slammed into the edge of the magic array, and the dazzling spiritual light instantly dimmed.
"Who?" Startled, Will fell onto his backside and stared in terror toward the entrance.
The half-closed door had somehow been thrown open. Joanne stood there, her eyes filled with disappointment and confusion.
"Why did you betray us, Will?" Buck, whose temper was even more explosive, strode forward and seized Will by the collar, driving a fist into his face. "Answer me!"
"Why?" Will sneered, suddenly shoving Buck away. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he said heatedly, "You're asking me why?"
"I am Will Isk, the second son of an imperial Count!"
"If not for that idiot Coru, I should have been living in a manor in Isk Territory, attending extravagant high-society gatherings, enjoying fine food and the service of servants. One day, I could have inherited part of my father's lands and become a Baron of the Secas Empire!"
"But what about now? Every day, we can only chew black bread fit for those lowborn wretches and sleep in filthy ruins crawling with rats." Will cursed hysterically. "I've had enough!"
"Coru is a madman, a devil! What he taught us was the knowledge of demons. He turned us from lofty nobles into a pack of vermin that could only hide in dark corners..."
Before you continue