Guts had been reluctant from the start, so he was rather surprised when, over the next few days, the mother and daughter they'd rescued didn't slow him down at all. In fact, thanks to the carriage Schierke had conjured up—and a few subtle suggestions and misleading spells— they were able to race along unhindered, avoiding the chaos, checkpoints, and unnecessary fights along the way as quickly as possible.
And then...
Nothing else happened.
The mother and daughter were pitiful and had nowhere to go. Guts was preoccupied and indifferent to the outside world, while a certain troublesome little girl couldn't even take care of herself. So, unable to turn them away, Schierke gritted her teeth and kept the two with them until today, when they reached their destination, the former Earl's territory. Only then did she leave the mother and daughter at a refugee camp outside the city.
Soon after, the carriage carrying the three of them reached the city gate.
The Earl's family banner no longer flew above the gate. Instead, the walls were lined with unfamiliar flags: red with gold, each emblazoned with a golden cross formed by two opposing semicircles and a straight line. They looked nothing like the Holy See's banners.
But Guts and Annie recognized them. They were the banners of the Holy Light. Annie had shown them to that Clete before. She hadn't expected to see them being used now.
"Looks like we can't just ride straight in."
"Let's join the queue!"
At the city gate, a soldier on duty waved them to a stop. Schierke had no choice but to rein in the two white horses she'd conjured with magic and a Transfiguration spell. They slowed to a halt, and she joined the line of carriages waiting to enter.
"He wasn't strong at