Chapter 36: Night Attack
Triss's words were not exactly subtle, but the riders couldn't gain an advantage in terms of either force or authority, so they had no choice but to turn their horses and gallop back the way they came. Darkness was already spreading across the sky; they had to hurry back to the posthouse.
Only when the startled birds flying off the treetops were out of sight did the fake noblewoman tentatively poke her head out from the carriage curtain:
"How can I possibly thank you enough? You just saved my son's life and mine!"
"How about you tell us your true identity? And why a noble's men would be chasing you?" Arthur said as he put his hand-and-a-half sword back on his shoulder.
"Ah, you all figured out I was an imposter?" The fake noblewoman looked up in astonishment, meeting a row of smiling eyes.
"Milhouse died a week ago and was found to have committed treason. If you were a real Knight's Lady, you wouldn't have failed to hear news this big," Kolgrim pointed out the flaw in her story: "I guess you must have dealt with the Lord quite a bit for business, which is why you mentioned his name?"
The fake Lady nodded: "You are right. I am indeed not a Knight's Lady, and my husband was never knighted. Lord Milhouse merely provided us with some convenience for our business."
Too many things had been building up in her heart, and she had repeatedly thought she was facing certain doom. Now that she could finally relax a little, she couldn't resist the urge to confide in them.
Her story was long, but fortunately, the bonfire was lit, and the smoked meat and beer were ready. There was plenty of time tonight.
The fake Lady's name was Mara Everett. She and her husband ran a lumber processing plant in the suburbs of Vizima. The Vizima market was large, and the city entry tax was even more burdensome. So, they supplied Lord Milhouse with first-rate oak while only receiving payment for the lowest-grade white wood, in exchange for the right to display Lord Milhouse's coat of arms on their carriage.
With this crest, they only had to pay the legally mandated portion of the entry tax, and the Everett family gradually grew wealthy. This good life lasted for ten years. Mr. Everett supplied an increasing number of nobles, including Sir Roberts.
Yesterday morning, Mr. Everett went to deliver goods to Sir Roberts as usual. Mara stayed home, preparing a pot of thick, flavorful stew, but her husband never returned.
Initially, Mara didn't worry too much, assuming her husband had been kept at the manor to discuss new business. But towards evening, two soldiers suddenly rode into the lumberyard and ransacked the place, then forced Mara at knifepoint to reveal the location of the account books.
Mara realized they intended to silence her, so she pretended to cooperate and brought all the account books and ledgers in the house. Then, she had young Everett pour all the sleeping pills her husband usually took into a bottle of Everlucia liquor and brought it out.
The soldiers, accustomed to drinking beer, had never tasted such high-quality liquor. They fell into a deep sleep after a few gulps, allowing Mara to escape with her son.
She dared not pass through Sir Roberts's manor, so she headed straight South—and that was where the carriage wheel broke, and Arthur and the others came along.
"When did your carriage wheel break?" Kolgrim suddenly asked.
"In the latter half of the night. Why do you ask?" Mara asked, confused.
Kolgrim looked at her deeply: "The road where we met is located on the border of White Orchard. If you ever travel at night again, you must remember to hire a few skilled swordsmen."
"Understood, I will remember that." Although she didn't understand Kolgrim's implication, Mara nodded in agreement.
She dared not ask about her husband. Given that Roberts was so brazenly sending people after her, Mr. Everett's fate was sadly predictable.
"So, what are your plans now?"
Triss held Mara's hand and asked gently.
Mara looked at her son, who was squatting by the bonfire playing pick-up stones with Adda, and shook her head with a slightly vacant look: "I don't know either. Maybe I should do as I said earlier and take a teleportation portal from Maribor to Novigrad."
"I heard that's a free city-state where no officials or nobles can extend their reach."
Kolgrim suddenly spoke: "The teleportation portal from Maribor to Novigrad is not cheap. I heard it costs several hundred Crowns per person."
Mara said sadly: "Right now, besides my son, all I have left is this pile of useless gold coins."
"As long as he can grow up safely, I don't care about anything else."
"But you have to find a way to make a living. The cost of living in Novigrad is not cheap," Triss reminded her: "You should first teleport to Flotsam. That city belongs to Redania, and Roberts's men won't be able to pursue you there either."
"Plus, the price to teleport to Flotsam is only half of Novigrad's. You can use the saved money to start a new business."
...
By the time they finally ran out of things to talk about, the night was very deep. Although she hadn't slept for a day and a night, Mara insisted on staying up to take turns standing guard with the men.
Arthur, being the most energetic and keen to retain the lingering skill-enhancement buff, volunteered to take the first watch.
Standing watch was not about sitting by the bonfire waiting for the next shift; it involved patrolling the perimeter of the camp to prevent sneak attacks, which was actually quite tiring.
But Arthur didn't care. The desolate slope and wild stream were perfect for practicing swordplay under the moon.
After his two-handed weapon skill reached the [Apprentice] level, practicing basic movements provided less and less proficiency. However, after the battle in White Orchard, his proficiency surged significantly, and he was on the verge of breaking through to [Expert].
Arthur scratched his hair, annoyed, and decided to practice his sword first.
Arthur silently recalled the swordsmanship competitions he had watched in his previous life and began attempting to reproduce the moves. Strangely enough, the techniques that had been dizzying even in slow motion now felt clear and organized when he tried them, and he could even vaguely guess the methods of generating force.
The pastime he used to kill time in his previous life had now become a treasure trove!
Arthur became increasingly excited as he practiced, completely oblivious to the wisps of mist rising from the ground beneath his feet.
Whoosh!
A mass of grayish-white mist seemed to be caught by the night wind and suddenly lunged towards Arthur's back.
As if sensing it, Arthur spun around and swept his sword horizontally. A sensation of resistance, like cutting through flesh, traveled up the blade, and the grayish-white mist split in two.
A line of text appeared in the mist:
[Two-Handed Weapon proficiency has increased. Current level: Expert]
A sharp scream erupted from the grayish-white mist, but no body fell. The mist, sliced in half, writhed and dissolved into the surrounding fog.
This... Arthur suddenly remembered a type of monster Kolgrim had mentioned, one that could be found in swamps, forests, mountains, and lakes. Their specialty was hiding in the mist, obscuring and confusing human senses.
Arthur's left hand conjured the Aard Sign and sent a fan-shaped shockwave toward the mist in front of him, instantly creating a narrow gap in the fog.
Fortunately, the mist is only enveloping me and hasn't gone toward the camp.
Arthur's mind settled. Before the mist could close in again, he held his hand-and-a-half sword protectively in front of him and charged straight out.
...............
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