Surviving As A Cannon Fodder

Chapter 156

One week into travel, we crossed our first hurdle without any incidents. 

As the entourage crossed the golden gates, we were no longer in foreign territory. Angelica was now in Orion, which meant that the last of the restrictions that separated us were gone.

Still, the entourage will proceed as planned till Parthellam. As there were more factors in play, it would be wiser to move farther into the territory.

If I were to make myself known at the border, only for Angelica to run away with ease. Finding her again would be harder, as this time she would know I would be searching for her.

"So you finally found her huh?" Chief Tozier asked, following my line of sight to the place Angelica was standing.

As always, Angelica was surrounded by the beastmen of her group while waiting for the upcoming verification process. They seemed to be engaged in a deep conversation. 

Behind her at a safe distance stood two Dark Wolf Knights disguised as Orion merchants. They were standing guard and listening to their conversation while three more circled around the group disguised as guards.

"I did" I answered, without turning back to look at my old sword master.

"If you keep staring, you're going to bore a hole into her head" Tozier patted my shoulder and beckoned me to follow him to the guard tower.

"Now then. How was your journey, Your Grace?"

"It was quite fascinating"

Throughout our travel Angelica and I traveled side by side, spending most of our waking hours together. Other than the times she engaged in playful interactions with the rabbit beastman Eugene, we found ourselves having pleasant conversations about various topics or pass time in comfortable silence.

While it may have begun as a way I could keep her within my sights till we reached our destination. It also gave us an opportunity to learn about each other from a fresh perspective without any prejudices. It was undoubtfully a feat that could not have been possible if I had not been under a mask.

It made me wonder about a different reality. Maybe if we had met under different circumstances, would we have found each other's company as enjoyable as we do now?

Although the mission was to safely bring Angelica back into Orion, we were still in transit of an ancient relic which was also a part of the disguise. Thus a border check was mandated.

The relic was given by the Velven royal family as a part of the peace treaty between the two empires, which would then be delivered to Master Gilbert, who was an expert in the field.

The royal wedding between the two empires will be announced to the public on the upcoming foundation day. And the relic needed to be transported before the announcement on account of security.

As the peace treaty was signed right around the time I discovered Angelica's whereabouts, it became the perfect alibi to explain my absence in the capital. 

Aside from a select few, even the royal family was unaware of the true nature of the mission. As far as the capital was concerned, Edward Frost was in Velven as a part of the Orion envoy to address the conflict between the empires due to illegal smuggling. No one would think I would be searching after a ghost in the remote corners of another country.

Chief Milton Tozier who had also been my sword teacher during my younger years was one among the selected few and was well aware of the scheme surrounding the entourage. He was the Royal Guard posted at the border between Velven and Orion, having been stationed at the borders dating back to the Calvan War.