Rendezvous

In the end, Benjamin led the two mages into a remote little town. There, they confirmed that they had shaken off their pursuers and were finally safe.

"This is it," the tall mage said quietly. "This is the meeting place we arranged with Elizabeth."

Benjamin shook his head helplessly. "So... this whole plan was put together by your mage mercenary group and Miles?"

He was not surprised that Elizabeth had appeared here. They were all part of the same group; a rescue plan like this must have involved quite a few people.

It was just... he truly had not expected this bunch to come save him.

How exactly did these people know each other?

It felt like... he had thought they belonged to two entirely different worlds, people who could never possibly know each other, only to turn around and discover that one had liked the other's social media post.

After disguising themselves and entering the town, they quickly arrived at the rendezvous point. On the second floor of a dilapidated inn, Benjamin pushed open the door and saw Elizabeth and Miles waiting inside. Miles was leaning by the window, lost in thought, while Elizabeth sat upright in a chair, meditating.

The moment the three entered, Elizabeth and Miles turned, opened their eyes, and looked over together.

"You're really slow. I've been waiting here for over four hours," Miles complained casually with a shrug.

Benjamin shook his head.

To evade The Church's searches along the way, they had minimized their use of magic. Much of the time, they had traveled by carriage, so naturally they could not move very fast.

Still, considering that this guy had saved him once, Benjamin decided not to say anything.

"When did you two meet? And how did you know I would be surrounded by