"Thank you once again!" Ames thanked Luke and Noah as they were standing outside the restaurant and he was now about to leave the city.
"You paid us for our services, so no need for thanks!" Luke said with a smile.
"We should thank you for hiring and paying us more than we deserve! For the last few days, we just roamed the jungle and did nothing, you basically gave us a vacation in the name of a mission!" Noah said jokingly as all three of them laughed.
"It's time to say goodbye! But I hope we meet again in the future! Find me in the institute whenever you come to Ottenheim! You'll be my special guests then!"
"I hope next time we meet you'd have revolutionized the wizarding world!" Luke said.
"And you'll be known throughout the continent as the greatest S rank adventurers!" Ames responded as they nodded with a smile on their faces.
"Until we meet again then!"
"Until we meet again!" Luke and Noah responded.
Ames nodded and turned around. He pulled the hood above his head and started walking away. Slowly the distance between them increased as then he vanished amid the crowd in the street and they couldn't see him anymore.
"Do you think we can become S ranks?" Noah asked, his eyes hopeful.
"We will rise above that! All of us together will make it possible. We even promised him, can't back down now!" Luke smiled as he turned around and both of them walked away in the opposite direction.
Ames was moving towards the airship dock when he felt some eyes on him. His fingers moved, chants followed as he activated the tracing magic.
He found the same three people that were keeping an eye on him in Winchester.
He smirked and fastened his pace. The followers sensed that something was wrong as they started hurrying towards him.
Suddenly Ames turned towards an alley and moved inside. They stopped caring anymore and ran towards the alley. Just when they reached the alley and moved inside, they came to a stop abruptly.
Ames was nowhere to be seen. The alley was devoid of anyone other then them. They had lost him…again.
"This slippery bastard!" the leader of the three clicked his tongue in annoyance.
*****
A simple covered-wagon pulled by two horses reached the western exit gate of the Gemburn city.
A man in his forties, skinny, wearing simple linen clothes, probably a village merchant coming to the city to sell his good was sitting at the front.
"Going back Albert?" the enforcer at the gate asked and the other one moved behind the wagon to inspect as per the protocols.
"I've to get back before nightfall. You know I can't leave Cora alone." Albert said.
"How's she now? Any improvements?"
"It's even worsened! She can't even move out of the bed now." Albert sighed as sadness reflected from his eyes.
"Don't worry! Once you have saved enough, you'll be able to take her to the temple, then she'll be back on her feet in no time!" the enforcer consoled Albert.
"I hope so!"
The second enforcer came back after inspecting and nodded at the one talking with Albert.
"Alright then! See you tomorrow! Take care on the way."
"Thanks for your hard work!" Albert smiled at the enforcer and pulled the reigns as the horses started moving out.
The wagon moved out and moved forward on the Gemburn to Glaskow kingdom road.
"It's all okay now!" Albert said.
Just then a small wooden window behind opened and a voice came from inside.
"Thank you very much!" Ames said. He paid the man to take him out of the city, to get away from the ones keeping an eye on him.
"No worries! You paid me enough so no need for that!" Albert said. "Are you a wizard? How come the enforcer didn't see you?"
"I just know a few spells, nothing much!"
"Well…about the woman the enforcer spoke about…is she your…"
"She's my daughter!" Albert replied. "My wife died after a few days of giving birth! She was always weak and ill, and I think she passed this to our daughter too! Haha! She died but left a part of herself in our daughter!"
"I accepted your proposal because I need a lot of money right now! I'll take her to the temple to cure her! But I'm still a few hundred gold coins short! The temple is quite generous in its fees you know!" he said in a mocking tone.
"Is she suffering from any disease?" Ames asked in concern.
"I don't know! She's been like that from childhood!"
"How old is she now?"
"She'll be twelve in a month!"
"Then she's about to awaken!"
"Yes! That's what is making me worry! Whether her weak body would be able to bear the strain of the awakening! If she can't then…" Albert sighed in helplessness. He didn't wish to say the worst possible outcome, out loud.
Ames felt pity for the man in front of him. He was an orphan and never got to feel what the love of parents felt like, until he met his master, headmaster Blaze.
He was like a father to Ames and if he someday loses his master, he couldn't imagine the pain he'd feel. A long sigh escaped Ames.
"Would you mind if a take a look at her? Maybe I can find the crux of her illness."
"What! Really? I-I would love to…b-but I don't have much to give you…"
"You don't need to pay me anything! I'm just repaying the favor you did to me!" Ames said with a smile.
"I…I…thank you! Take some rest, we'll reach the village in an hour!" Albert said, his eyes now bright, for the first time in years, he finally felt hope.
Ames nodded and closed the window and lied down, trying to take some shut eye before arriving at the destination.
After an hour they finally reached the village. It was a very small settlement with about ten to twelve families between Gemburn and Glaskow kingdom. They survived on farming and selling their products in the city.
Albert greeted everyone on the way until he finally reached his house which was at the furthest end of the village.
Ames got out of the carriage and moved inside the house. It was a small hut made of earthen walls, woods and hay. There were two small rooms. The floor was made of bamboo and dried hay.
Albert moved inside the other room as he asked Ames to come inside.