The only difference was that the original Enri would have belonged to the Bone King's camp in the future, but now she had joined Lyle, standing on the opposite side of the Bone King.
After staying in Carne Village for a day to let Enri say a proper goodbye to her family,
The next day,
A carriage drove out of Carne Village.
The one pulling the carriage was the Ghost Hound. Lyle and the other two sat in the back, and the carriage had naturally been provided by the village chief.
On the swaying carriage,
Enri was wrapped in thick clothes, her cheeks red from the biting wind. She looked up cautiously at Lyle and the expressionless Emerald Leaf Witch.
Despite it being such cold weather,
Neither Lyle nor the Emerald Leaf Witch were wearing much, as if the freezing temperature didn't affect them at all.
"What's wrong? If you have something to ask, feel free to speak," Lyle noticed Enri's gaze and said with a light smile.
"I... do I really have the talent the Lord spoke of?"
Enri shrunk her neck, pulling her old clothes tighter around her. Her fingers, pale from the cold, peeked out from her sleeves.
Even now, Enri felt like she was in a dream, filled with confusion and uncertainty. She had heard from her father and Uncle Lachiem...
That the Lord before her was a "gold-rank" adventurer, a great figure who was both powerful and could earn a lot of money.
But...
Besides farm work, she didn't know how to do anything else.
"Trust me, you possess a talent you are unaware of," Lyle spoke with absolute certainty, then changed the subject:
"However..."
Enri quickly looked up, her brown eyes watching Lyle uneasily.
"I've mentioned it once before, but I want to tell you again: following me will involve some danger," Lyle said.
Enri tilted her fair neck back, speaking as if to bolster her own courage: "I'm not afraid!"
There weren't many ways to earn money in the village. Aside from planting crops like wheat and going into the forest to pick medicinal herbs, there were no other ways to make a living.
Enri also wanted to earn more money, perhaps even to help the village. She wasn't stupid; she knew why the village chief hoped she would accept the invitation and follow Lyle.
Calm returned to the carriage.
Enri actually really wanted to talk with the Emerald Leaf Witch beside her, but the cold attitude the other woman displayed made Enri's heart pound, not daring to be the first to speak.
"Little Black, pick up the pace," Lyle said to the Ghost Hound pulling the carriage.
"Awoo."
The Ghost Hound howled, its four limbs moving rapidly as it began to sprint across the snow.
The sudden increase in speed made the oncoming cold wind even stronger. Lyle and the Emerald Leaf Witch were naturally unaffected.
But Enri, being an ordinary person, couldn't help but shiver despite being wrapped in thick clothes.
"Emerald Leaf."
Lyle glanced at the Emerald Leaf Witch.
"Yes." The Emerald Leaf Witch hurriedly nodded respectfully, raising her slender arm. An emerald-green light emanated from her palm:
"Plant Growth."
Several leaves flew from the Emerald Leaf Witch's body, rapidly growing and expanding in mid-air to form a plant barrier. It enveloped the open carriage, blocking the biting wind from the front.
"So amazing," Enri said, her mouth hanging slightly open with a look of astonishment on her face.
With the Ghost Hound's accelerated pace,
What would have been a journey of more than half a day was shortened to two hours.
Tall city walls and towers appeared on the horizon ahead. The border city, E-Rantel, had arrived.
The soldiers guarding the city gate were momentarily dazed and nervous at the sight of the Ghost Hound pulling the carriage with its intimidating Aura. They instinctively gripped their weapons, warily watching the rapidly approaching carriage.
"Halt!!"
A soldier shouted, his voice trembling.
The Ghost Hound's current massive size was full of danger; it wasn't something ordinary soldiers like them could handle.
The Ghost Hound slowed down, taking composed steps. It lowered its head to reveal its ferocious face, its beastly pupils looking with contempt at the soldiers blocking the gate with their weapons.
Just a single look
was enough to make these soldiers' entire bodies tremble.
"That's enough, Little Black," a helpless voice came from the carriage.
The Ghost Hound paused, the bone chains on its body tightening slightly, bringing the carriage to an easy stop.
Swoosh!
The plant barrier covering the top of the carriage dissolved into a flurry of falling leaves.
Lyle stood up and leaped down from the carriage, taking the adventurer nameplate from his waist and walking toward the gate guards.
"I am an adventurer."
Lyle spoke while showing his adventurer proof.
Looking at the gold nameplate,
none of the city guards showed looks of surprise. To have a monster like a Ghost Hound pull a carriage, an ordinary adventurer certainly couldn't do that.
After a brief inspection,
the soldiers quickly cleared the way. Compared to the last time he returned to E-Rantel from the Great Forest of Tob, the intensity of the inspection was clearly much more relaxed.
Lyle guessed it was likely because the war between the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire had ended.
While he wasn't sure of the outcome, the probability of the Kingdom's defeat was clearly higher.
Just as Lyle was about to turn back to the carriage, suddenly, an excited voice rang out.
"Lord, are you the "Free Will" adventurer?"
A soldier standing relatively close to Lyle looked at the text on the gold nameplate, his spirit jolting.
Hm?
Lyle's turning motion paused. He looked at the soldier with some surprise, his heart feeling more than a little confused.
When he originally registered the adventurer name "Free Will," he should have been obscure. Not to mention he was out of the Kingdom's borders most of the time and hadn't taken any adventurer quests.
He shouldn't have any fame.
""Free Will"?"
"Is it that "Free Will"!"
"It really is black hair!"
"The black-haired Genius Alchemist, he really is an adventurer of our Kingdom."
"..."
Several city guards nearby, hearing the excited voice of the soldier just now, all looked over one by one.
When they clearly saw Lyle's somewhat conspicuous black hair, their faces also showed expressions of excitement and vigor, looking at Lyle with admiration.
Facing such gazes, Lyle frowned slightly.
He realized that the plan he had originally intended to implement had... already deviated somewhat.
The reason Lyle had used an ordinary method of travel this time was to implement a plan to "increase fame," serving as a foundation for his next objective.
However!
Seeing the state of these soldiers, Lyle realized his plan had clearly hit a snag.
But now was not the time to adjust the plan, but to figure out exactly what had happened.
He didn't recall making any big moves within the Re-Estize Kingdom's borders. Or was it that someone was using his name to act?
"Everyone, I wonder if you could tell me what has happened?" Several thoughts flashed through Lyle's mind as he questioned the soldier who first spoke.
"You don't know?" Seeing that Lyle seemed completely unaware, the soldier spoke with a still-excited tone:
"You are currently the most famous "gold-rank" adventurer among all adventurers."
The other soldiers nearby also crowded around, speaking over each other. Although it was a bit chaotic, Lyle finally understood what was going on.
As expected, "Martial King" Gagaran had left the Empire and headed for the Abelion Hills, just as he had planned.
And it was precisely because of this that a significant shock occurred in the Empire, even affecting the frontline army and giving the Kingdom's side a breather.
The final impact of this matter was the Blood Emperor's fury.
"So, I am now wanted by the Empire, right?" Lyle raised an eyebrow.
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