Kidnapper

This was Donald's first time riding in such a luxurious carriage. Not to mention Uncle Mira's beat-up cargo cart, even the four-wheeled carriage Victor had hired when first bringing him back to the Magic Academy seemed shabby compared to this one.

Two sturdy red horses stood before the carriage, tall and imposing, their coats glossy and bright. Even standing still, they carried themselves with a spirited, dignified air that reminded Donald of Roger's posture. The axle likely had shock-absorbing springs, eliminating the sore-butt jolting he used to feel in Uncle Mira's cart—oh, and the seat beneath him deserved some credit too. Wrapped in fine sheepskin and stuffed with soft fabric, this chair might better be called a sofa, though no such thing existed in this world.

"How do you usually get around? Hire a carriage?" Lucia, sitting on the opposite seat, pulled aside the silk curtain blocking the light and gazed out at the monotonous countryside.

"I ride with Uncle Mira. Oh, Uncle Mira handles the academy's hauling. He goes from the Magic Academy to Dorn City twice every day. You wouldn't believe how many supplies the Magic Academy consumes unless you saw it yourself."

"What's so special about that? I'd guess ten carriages haul goods for my family daily."

"Then your family must run a very big business."

The girl let out a sudden laugh. She knew Donald was joking—when he joked, his expression turned even more serious than usual.

She hesitated, then asked, "Aren't you curious about what my family does?"

"I can't get curious about things too far out of reach. Besides, it's better not to know. Knowing would bring pressure. Sitting in a carriage like this already makes me uncomfortable." Having grown used to the hard life on the island, Donald wasn't accustomed to such extravagance.

"Pressure? Do you think people are divided into noble and base?" The girl's expression turned slightly serious.

"Wouldn't it sound strange if a pauper said people aren't divided into noble and base? Like a poor man saying money doesn't matter—even if he truly believed it, it wouldn't carry much weight."

"You're dodging my question."

Donald glanced up at Lucia, the corner of his mouth curving slightly. "I'm afraid the answer might shock you."

"Boring."

About five minutes of silence passed.

"Kelly likes you a lot."

"Mm."

"I like you too."

"...You don't know me well enough."

"Are you even a man? Are you that afraid of me?"

"I'm not afraid of you. I'm afraid of trouble. With Kelly, there'd be a lot less trouble."

Neither of them looked at each other inside the carriage, as if each was talking to the floor or the air.

"Because she's not a noble?"

"Not entirely. Because I know what she wants, and what she wants, I can give."

"And you don't know what I want? What makes you think you can't give it?"

"Precisely because I don't know what you want. What I don't know is what's troublesome."

As luck would have it, the trouble they didn't know came knocking.

The carriage gradually came to a halt. Lucia opened the door to find the coachman slumped in his seat, an arrow lodged in him, blood already pooling onto the seat.

"People in the carriage, come out nicely! I know you're from the Magic Academy. Unless you're confident you're faster than dozens of arrows, I suggest you behave."

Outside the carriage, on both sides of the mountain path, dozens of gleaming arrowheads were aimed at them. Neither Donald nor Lucia thought they could outpace that many arrows, so they had no choice but to surrender.

Cloth was stuffed into their mouths, black hoods pulled over their heads, and their hands and feet bound before they were thrown into another carriage. After who knows how long of bumpy travel, when the hoods were pulled off, they found themselves in a dilapidated little hut.

"Stay put and don't try anything!" The broken door slammed shut.

His feet were bound in three places from ankle to knee, his hands tied behind his back, every knot tight and immovable. Donald couldn't help but admire the knot-tier's skill.

Lucia's eyes looked over in terror. Their mouths were still tightly stuffed with cloth, secured by straps around the backs of their heads, completely unable to make a sound. It seemed these people knew that Magic Apprentices couldn't cast spells without chanting incantations—they just hadn't expected that among the two bound captives, one was an anomaly.

Donald shifted his body, found a comfortable position, and lay down against the wall. He shook his head at Lucia, then ignored her reaction and closed his eyes to rest. Lucia didn't understand what his headshake meant, but she had no choice. After struggling futilely for a while, she too lay down, resigned to fate.

As dusk fell outside the window, the same man came in again, hastily feeding them some dry rations and water. He only said "Eat" and nothing else the whole time.

Night settled in, and Lucia eventually fell asleep in her fear and unease. After who knows how long, she felt someone gently shaking her.

Faint starlight streamed through the window. In the dimness, it took Lucia a moment to realize it was Donald pushing her.

Donald pressed a finger to his lips, signaling Lucia to stay quiet, then helped untie the ropes around her and removed the cloth from her mouth. After having her mouth stretched open for so long, Lucia's cheeks were sore nearly to numbness.

"That guy just came by to check. Shouldn't be back for a while," Donald whispered into Lucia's ear.

The girl's whole body felt even more limp as his breath stirred her ear.

"How did you get free?" Lucia asked softly.

"That's not important. Did you figure out who these people are?"

"Who? Aren't they bandits?"

"They're not bandits. They didn't take the gold coins on me." Donald didn't mention the pouch of magic crystals in his inner pocket.

"Then it's kidnapping."

"Did you notice? Though these people are dressed in rags, their skin and hair are clean. Their leather armor and weapons are uniform. They speak concisely, and there's no ruckus near the camp. If I'm not mistaken, they're soldiers disguised as bandits."

"Soldiers? Then what do we do?"

"The fact that they won't let us see their true identities means they don't plan to kill us yet. But I can't guess their goal. Does Carl's family have connections with the military?" Donald's eyes were fixed on the door the whole time.

"I don't know."

"Then there's no choice. We can't afford to be lenient with them. We have to try to escape."

"Alright." Lucia agreed with Donald's assessment—they couldn't count on the other side's mercy.

"Wait a moment." After saying this, Donald crouched down, shuffled to the window, peered out a few times, then carefully shuffled back.

"I can't see what's outside, don't know where the horses are tied. We'll have to take the risk. Do you have any magic scrolls on you?" Donald remembered that back in Whispering Forest, Lucia had carried magic scrolls with her.

"I do." Lucia reached into her chest to confirm.

"Are they powerful?"

"Very powerful."

"How powerful?" Donald only realized after speaking that the girl's hand was still inside her chest, and suddenly felt his question was a bit lewd. Fortunately, she didn't seem to take it that way.

"I have one Third-level Ice Storm."

Donald fixed his gaze on Lucia. He hadn't expected her to be carrying a scroll of that caliber.

"In a moment, when we go out, stay as hidden as possible. Best case, we find horses and flee. If we're discovered, we'll have to force our way through. Remember, that leader is likely a Formal Knight—not someone we can handle. If you have to use the scroll, make sure it's on him. Can you do it?"

Lucia recalled the time in Whispering Forest when they'd encountered bandits. Back then, she'd thrown a First-level Frost Scroll directly without activating it. Donald was probably worried about that too. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded solemnly: "I can do it!"

"Stay close to me. Don't get separated." The boy's black eyes glowed with a dark light as he stared seriously at Lucia, then the corners of his mouth slowly curved into a handsome smile: "I'm actually nervous too. But even if we end up surrounded like in broad daylight, worst case, we surrender again."

Donald knew that being caught after a failed escape was one thing, but if a fight broke out in the process, the outcome was unpredictable. Saying they could just surrender again was only meant to keep Lucia from getting too tense.

Under a sky full of stars, in the desolate mountain wilderness, the abandoned hunter's cabin's wooden door creaked open silently. Donald slowly poked half his face out, looking around. Outside were a dozen or so tents pitched, with one person sitting not far away, facing sideways toward the cabin, apparently asleep. Dozens of horses were tied in a grove a few dozen meters to the left, along with two carriages—one of which was the luxurious carriage they'd ridden in during the day.

Lucia watched Donald pull back inside and take a deep breath, as if calming himself, or perhaps making some important decision.

When Donald leaned out again, a sharp ice spear the length of a palm had already condensed between his right fingers.

"Whoosh." The sound of the ice spear cutting through the air was very soft, followed by a short, muffled groan. Donald listened carefully. No other sounds. He took Lucia's hand and walked toward the horses, straining to control his leg muscles, moving quickly but trying to land lightly, making no noise. Halfway there, his calves began to tremble. The closer they got to the horses, the faster his heart pounded.

"Watch those tents. Have the scroll ready. If something's wrong, release it." Donald said as he carefully untied two horses. When he handed the reins to the girl, he felt her hands shaking too.

There was no movement from the cabin's direction. The two mounted their horses, controlling their pace until they felt they'd put enough distance behind them, then spurred the horses into a gallop.

Under the starry night, the two rode two horses straight north toward the Iris Twelve Stars. After about two hours, the horses' strength began to wane.

They'd already passed through countless groves and over countless hills without following any clear road. Donald decided they couldn't keep running aimlessly like this. The two found a hidden grove, tied up the horses, and rested.