A Small Matter Before the City Gate

The ice spread across the grass, engulfing everything within its range... including the grass itself, the wolf that dodged the throw, and the two others.

These were instantly stained with the color of ice, and a layer of solid, white, transparent material began to appear on their bodies.

"Awooo--!!!" Upon seeing such an attack, the other wolves immediately howled, and after pausing for a few seconds in front of Fran, they instantly fled.

One by one they disappeared into the nearby woods, leaving behind several wolves frozen in place.

Fran used her Telekinetic Hand to retrieve the Short Sword stuck in the ground. The runes on it had dimmed, and no matter how Fran tried to activate it, there was no response.

She knew that the runes on it had gone into cooldown, so it couldn't be used.

She silently estimated the power of this attack and found that it was even more powerful than the relatively advanced apprentice spell [Freezing Hand].

"If this rune were complete, would its power be at the level of First Order spell?"

Fran gazed at the now-dimmed rune, a sense of anticipation rising within her.

Although she didn't know what the missing rune looked like, and she couldn't possibly replace it, she could inscribe the rune and replicate it on other weapons.

"Go find that Enchanter's shop when you get to Gede Town."

She sheathed the Short Sword, then turned and unleashed a large fireball.

The fireball streaked through the air, leaving a scorching trail, and exploded directly between the three frozen wolves, engulfing them in flames.

Fran's fireballs are made of Dragon Flame, Dragon Flame can rapidly incinerate any nearby objects.

Before the flames on the ground could spread their heat to the surrounding grass, they had already turned to ashes.

The three-headed wolf had vanished without a trace, leaving only three clumps of gray and black dust.

Fran's Black Horse ignored the commotion behind it and continued on its way.

After traveling through the wilderness for three nights, Fran finally arrived at the gates of Gede Town.

There were still some mud and dirt residue on her boots that she hadn't had time to clean with her Water Control Spell, and some cotton wool from some unknown plant was stuck to the back of her robe.

She looked at the city wall in front of her, raised an eyebrow, and was somewhat surprised.

"This city wall is even higher than Loderis's."

The city walls of the entire city were noticeably higher than those of the City of Apprentices, and the city gates were rather narrow, only wide enough for one and a half carriages to pass through.

Meanwhile, a long queue had already formed at the city gate.

Using the horse's height, Fran could see a large caravan entering the city through the gate. One carriage after another slowly squeezed in, while some pedestrians squeezed out from both sides of the gate.

This time, the people in front of her didn't even turn around, as if they hadn't seen her and therefore didn't give way.

Fran didn't care; she'd just wait and see. She wasn't the type to bully others.

As the group slowly advanced, Fran noticed many signs of attack on the city walls.

One piece had burn marks and many cracks; another large pit contained small white crystals, and the exposed surface looked corroded.

All of this indicates that the town is frequently attacked by Magic Creature, which explains the presence of these traces.

Of course, this wasn't a large-scale Magic Creature wave. If hundreds or thousands of Magic Creature attacked the city, there wouldn't be the current state of the city walls, and the stone used to build them wouldn't be able to withstand such a large number of Magic Creature.

On the contrary, it was built to defend against attacks by small groups of Magic Creature.

Those Magic Creature could attack at any time of day, and they could attack from all directions. If we only rely on the guards to guard the area, we will be exhausted from dealing with them.

The city walls can withstand most Magic Creature attacks; once they realize they can't break through them, almost all Magic Creature will choose to leave.

If they encounter a powerful Magic Creature, the guards can simply ring a bell to warn them.

The procession moved quickly, and after a short wait, it was the turn of the person in front of Fran to be checked.

However, something seemed amiss, and a conflict broke out between the two sides.

Kate, her face grim, questioned the guard:

"I remember it was just a matter of checking documents and paying the entry fee, wasn't it? Why are you searching me?"

The guard then summoned the other two guards on duty before speaking:

"Idiot, look who's in line behind you!"

Kate turned around abruptly and realized that Fran was in line behind her.

"Only outsiders like you often don't look behind you when someone's coming. We members of the Alliance always check who's behind us..."

"Your documents say you're from the Highland Province, but I don't recall any laws there prohibiting mages from persecuting those standing before them."

"So be honest, if you don't have anything on you, then we can talk."

Kate was pale; she hadn't expected this to happen.

He absolutely cannot be caught by them; these guards are known for their brutal interrogation techniques, and he cannot withstand their torture.

He steeled his resolve, let out a slow sigh, and took a step back.

He picked up his bundle and rushed through the gap where the guards were standing, before the three guards could react.

"Grab him!!"

There's something wrong with him!

Several guards reacted immediately, running and shouting for the guards behind them to stop them.

Kate's heart was pounding faster and faster, but he didn't slow down at all, quickly dodging the pedestrians blocking his way and the carriages that were still moving slowly through the city gate passage.

He leaped sideways onto the wall, and using the incomplete Breathing Technique he had learned in his early years, he ran a few steps on the wall, dodging the guards who tried to stop him, and came behind them.

The passageway at the city gate was quite long. He managed to get past three waves of guards, but he was still five steps away from the exit.

And now, there was no one to stop him from getting to this final distance. A smile crept across his lips. Although it would be difficult for him to use the same method again in the future, at least he had escaped this time.

Just as he was thinking about which route he could take to avoid being blocked, a pressure suddenly gripped his neck and pulled his body backward.

This caused him to lose his balance and fall to the ground, whereupon the guards pressed him down and tied his hands.

"Thank you for your help, Venerable Master. Your materials are here; you may proceed."

A guard told Fran that he had only glanced at the documents before marking the itinerary as confirmed that Fran had indeed passed through their Gede Town.

When he saw the illusory hand, he knew that the mage had intervened, and he remembered this incident, reminding himself never to queue in front of the mage again.

Look how vengeful they are! They retaliated on the spot. It's true that the advice not to prioritize mages over mages was correct.

Fran did not respond and continued riding her horse slowly forward.