An Unexpected Reinforcement

Benjamin ducked behind the boulder, tapped it lightly, and whispered, "Come out. It's Benjamin. How did you end up here?"

At once, the two people hiding inside the rock revealed astonished expressions.

Working together, they pried up the stone and squeezed out through the gap beneath the massive boulder. Then, one on each side, they studied Benjamin with strange looks, exchanged glances, and finally nodded.

"That's right. It's really him, not someone from The Church in disguise."

Benjamin said helplessly, "If I were someone from The Church in disguise, you'd already be dead, okay?"

"Careful. This isn't a good place to talk. Let's hide somewhere farther away first," the taller mage said quietly, turning to glance at the encirclement in the distance.

Benjamin wanted badly to know why they had appeared here, but they really were too close to the encirclement. It was far too dangerous to stay here; they would be better off moving farther away before talking.

He led the two mages into a nearby thicket. After making sure there were no patrolling knights around, they finally relaxed and spoke at a normal volume.

"How did you two get here?"

The two mages looked at each other, patted their chests, and declared proudly, "We came to save you!"

Benjamin was left speechless for a moment. After getting stuck for quite a while, he finally said, "How are you supposed to save me? And... how did you know I was here? This is clearly classified information within the various nations. Where did you hear about it?"

"You have so many questions. Which one are we supposed to answer?"

"...Answer how you can save me first."

The shorter mage nodded and said, "That? It's simple. Everyone from The Church has been drawn away now. You just need to take us