Chapter 278: Poor
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Saul had come in a hurry but he still brought enough carriages. The mages that came with him all had carriages. After the bulk of Saul’s men rejoined him, the mages were able to find a few spare carriages. Saul and Bruzuryano sat in the same carriage, and Ernest chose to sit with Anfey. Christian and Black Eleven were in the last carriage. Entos, on the other hand, chose to use magic instead of riding in carriages like the rest of them.
The carriages headed towards Mambo territory smoothly. The carriages all looked the same, but the atmosphere in each carriage was completely different. Niya sat next to Saul and was telling him about what she had experienced while she was away from the city. Her mind chose to forget the danger she was just in. She glanced down at Saul’s robe and said, "Father, why are you wearing this? It looks ugly on you."
"What should I wear, then?" Saul asked with a smile. He was relieved that Niya was safe. "I’m poor now, darling. This is the only thing I can afford."
"Poor?" Niya asked, frowning.
"The collection I accumulated over several decades was robbed, so I am poor now."
Niya grinned and shook her head, imagining Saul’s face when he realized his secret chamber was empty. "Don’t worry, father. All those things are in Anfey’s care."
"I’m not worried," Saul said. "Niya, he didn’t damage any of the books, did he?"
"He burned them," Niya said, "since they had no use to us."
"What?" Saul asked, gasping, his eyes wide open. Those magic books were rare books he accumulated throughout his entire life. It was all he could do not to go mad with anger after hearing this.
"Don’t worry, don’t worry," Niya said, patting Saul’s shoulder. "It’s a joke. We didn’t burn them. Why would we?"
Saul sighed and shook his head. If Christian or Anfey had told him what Niya just did, he would not have believed them. Of course, Christian and Anfey, unlike Niya, did not dare to lie to his face.
Bruzuryano watched Saul and Niya with a smile. He chose to stay quiet in order not to interrupt Saul and Niya’s reunion.
"Don’t worry, father," Niya said with a sigh. "I’m happy now. I’m safe." She smiled and leaned against Saul’s shoulder.
Saul looked at Niya dotingly and smiled, stroking her hair.
In the second carriage, there was only silence. Suzanna was still unconscious, Ernest had his eyes closed and was not talking, and Anfey was holding Suzanna and observing her expression.
Loss could cause some of the greatest pain, and hatred was torture. Having something you thought you had lost returning would bring overwhelming joy. Anfey had not experience such strong emotions in a long time, and he needed time to recover. He did not want to hide his emotions anymore, nor did he need to. He stared at Suzanna without blinking.
Suzanna shifted slightly and let out a grunt. Then she opened her eyes slowly. Her gaze met Anfey’s, and she quickly shut her eyes again.
"Suzanna," Anfey called. "Are you awake?"
Suzanna grunted. "Yes," she said, opening her eyes again. Her gaze met Anfey’s and she did not turn away this time. She still felt uncomfortable under Anfey’s gaze, however, and turned her head away. "Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked. "Makes me uncomfortable."
"Did I?" Anfey asked, then smiled awkwardly. He did not realize how intense his gaze had been. "I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. How are you feeling?"
"I’m alright," Suzanna said. "What happened? Why am I here? What happened to the necromancers?" She reached for her sword and realized it was gone. She frowned and asked, "Where’s my sword?"
"I believe you’re looking for this," Ernest said and held out Suzanna’s sword. He was a swordsman as well, so knew how important a sword was to a swordsman.
"Thank you," Suzanna said and accepted the sword. She frowned and realized she had never seen this man before. She was still leaning against Anfey, which was something she did not like to do even in front of her friends. She felt strange displaying affection in front of a stranger.
Suzanna pushed herself up, but Anfey kept his arm around her tightly. "What are you doing?" Anfey asked. "Don’t move too much."
Suzanna frowned and blushed. She had spend enough time with Anfey to trust him, and even though she could use combat power to escape Anfey’s embrace, she did not. She relaxed and let herself lean against Anfey, but she kept her eyes closed.
"It’s so rare," Ernest suddenly said.
Suzanna frowned. She did not open her eyes, but she was listening to the conversation. Anfey looked relaxed and she deduced that Anfey must know the man. He may even be Anfey’s close friend or family. Suzanna wanted to know Anfey better, and that included getting to know his family and friends.
"What is rare, Mr. Ernest?" Anfey asked. He was very happy and was smiling because Suzanna woke up, and the atmosphere became more lively. Anfey knew Ernest, and knew that he disliked formality and small talk. If he said "how are you" or "I missed you," Ernest may not even reply. Might as well let the conversation be more natural.
"She’s one of the youngest senior swordsmasters I’ve met," Ernest said with a smile. "And her combat power is close to breaking the boundary. If nothing goes wrong, she can become a master swordsman in a few years. If opportunity allows, maybe even sooner."
"Opportunity?" Anfey asked. "Does…what happened count?" Anfey did not want Suzanna to know what had happened, and so did not say anything more.
Ernest smiled and nodded.
Suzanna was shocked when she heard Anfey call the man Ernest. Ernest did not have the best reputation and was widely known as a man that relied on trickery and deception. When she just met Anfey, Anfey grew angry at her for mocking Ernest. She was very interested in the man after that. She wanted to know what kind of men could earn Anfey’s respect.
"By the way, Mr. Ernest, why did you let Jerrofick escape?" Anfey asked. Ever since he learned what had happened to Ernest, he wanted Ernest to get revenge. Compared to Saul, Ernest was much simpler and much more trusting. It wasn’t hard to guess what Ernest was thinking. This did not effect Anfey’s opinion of Ernest, and he felt angry that a respectable man like Ernest was called deceitful because of Jerrofick’s lie.
"It’s not my personal battle. He ran when he saw me. I couldn’t do anything after that," Ernest said, shrugging.
"I think His Majesty must be very happy now," Anfey said with a smile. Ernest believed it was not his personal battle, meaning that he must be a very obedient soldier. Ernest could not avoid serving Maho Empire anymore. Whether Ernest stayed or not depended on Yolanthe’s attitude. Saul was the only person who could help.
"Why bring up Yolanthe?" Ernest asked with a frown.
"Did you receive His Majesty’s invitation after the war?"
"Yes. Miorich was still on the eastern front so Yolanthe wanted me to take up the job of the head of the palace guards."
"How did you respond?"
"I declined the offer."
Anfey frowned and did not say anything. He wish Ernest would have stayed in Maho Empire, but Ernest had his own interests and pursuits, and Anfey had no right telling him what to do.
Someone knocked on the side of the carriage, then Entos appeared. "Did I interrupt anything?" he asked with a smile. Suzanna rolled her eyes when she heard another strange voice. She knew that Anfey would not let go of her, so she chose to bury her face in his clothes.
"Don’t worry," Anfey said.
Entos wiped his brow and sat down on the ground. Entos had been using a teleportation spell instead of walking or riding in a carriage. When it came to teleportation, he was better than most people in the world. This was the result of years of practicing the same magic. Of course, Entos was interested in teleportation in the first place, or else he would never spend his entire life studying the same spell.
"I have to tell you about something," Entos said.
"What is it?" Anfey asked, curious.
"No matter what you do, don’t mention Nana in front of Master Saul, understand?"
"Nana?" Anfey asked, frowning. "Alright. I see."