An Owl's Rise

While the carriages did not seem particularly fast at first, they continued to slowly build up speed until they were flying at a steady eighty kilometers per hour. At this rate they would reach the border of the Tyrannis Union in around four to five days depending on how many stops they made.

'Judging by the direction we are heading, I say it's most likely we are heading towards the Miris Sect, but it could still possibly be the Jaigi Sect as well. This could just be another attempt to throw off any pursuers.' Evelyn thought analyzing where they were going.

Even now that their mission had begun, no one had informed them where they were heading. The only real instruction they had been given was to drive away anything that got too close to the carriages.

Of course, since they were flying over undeveloped territory, all manner of beasts and magical plants roamed the area.

On several occasions flying beasts would rush to attack the carriages, and every now and then a giant moving tree would launch dozens of bladelike leaves towards them.

Thankfully none of these adversaries proved to be particularly powerful. Nothing above a mid-tier fiend beast appeared and it only took a couple of magical attacks from either Evelyn or one of her companions to drive even large groups away.

It was not until the sun was nearly set that the carriages began to descend to the ground.

Within a couple of minutes, they had set down in the middle of a clearing within the little forested area they found themselves.

"We will be camping here for tonight. Two of our guards will keep watch through the night, and we would appreciate it if two members of your party would as well." Edgar said, giving out instructions.

Lucia assured him that it would not be a problem and they began setting up camp.

While the others pitched tents; Evelyn instead focused on making dinner. Her cooking skills were the best among their group thanks to the alchemical cooking she had learned from Melisandre. Not only could she make dishes that tasted amazing, but they would also give magical buffs for several hours after being consumed.

"A dash of this, a sprinkle of this, and a great deal of this." Evelyn muttered as she worked on a portable magic stove she had pulled out of her storage cuff.

Her current main ingredient was several large cuts of pork she had obtained from slaying a high tier awakened boar. She then used several supplementary ingredients made from magical fruits and herbs to enhance the effects of the dish.

As she was cooking, Edgar slowly slinked over, with a hungry look in his eyes. He and the other guards from the Taidale Family were eating what looked like dried rations of some kind. They likely did not tase bad, but no way they were anywhere near as good as what Evelyn was making.

"Excuse me, Miss Evelyn. But won't this attract beasts to us. I can tell at a glance that you are using high grade ingredients that are briming with magical energy. No doubt every creature with a decent sense of smell in the vicinity will pick up the scent." Edgar said, his eyes locked on the food and his concern seeming halfhearted at best.

"Tell me Edgar, do you smell anything?" Evelyn asked, not stopping what she was doing.

For a moment he appeared to be perplexed, but when he attempted to sniff the air his expression changed to one of confoundment.

"There is no smell."

"That is correct. I'm sure you saw me use wind magic several times today. I've used a spell to prevent the aroma of my cooking from spreading." Evelyn explained. "Now, if you have no other concerns, I would like to get back to my work."

Evelyn turned the entirety of her attention back to her cooking and completely disregarded Edgar's presence. She did not care about making friends with him or any other human for that matter and was only paying him the barest amount of courtesy to keep up her cover.

Naturally she could tell he wanted some of what she was making, but she certainly was not going to offer him any.

The eyes of the other guards were on her as well, and she could sense the hungered looks they were casting towards her.

'Is he not going to leave?' Evelyn thought, her irritation rising.

Despite having no reason to linger, Edgar had not moved and was hovering around Evelyn's cooking station.

Eventually he worked up the courage and asked Evelyn if she would be willing to share what she was cooking with him and the other guards from the Taidale Family.

"Sorry, these ingredients aren't cheap. You can't expect me to hand them out for free. If you're willing to pay, I would be willing to give out a little bit." Evelyn said, her tone bordering on unfriendly.

She quoted them an obscenely high price for only a small potion, expecting them to back off.

Yet to her surprise, Edgar and all of the other guards shelled out the four red magical crystals she had asked for as payment. Her food just looked too good to pass up on. Though, this was only natural. She had been taught by Melisandre who was a master alchemist. Her food was far above what could normally be obtained.

'I hate to give them anything, but my funds are a bit lacking after the purchases I made at that alchemy store. I'll take them for all they're worth.'

Hatching a malicious plot, Evelyn began planning on using lesser ingredients to make meals for the Taidale guards and charge them a small fortune for the privilege to eat her food.

Honestly, she would rather not do business with humans in general, but killing and robbing them would set her back a great deal. Until she was certain that these people were no longer necessary, she would play nice.

"Your cooking really is the best, Evelyn. I'm not sure how I got by without for the last couple of years." Bylur said, scarfing down the portions that Evelyn had given him.

The others all praised her as well, though none of them could compare to Bylur when it came to flattery.

Unfortunately, the easygoing times did not last. Around six hours after the sun had fully set, Evelyn's wind magic that she practically always had up and surveying the area picked up several signals.

Except judging by the size, she could tell immediately that they were almost certainly not beasts.

'Unless a well disguised group like our own is ambushing the young mistress of the Taidale family, these are definitely humans.' Evelyn thought, pumping her detection spell with greater magical energy to increase its precision.

The approaching figures quickly became clearer pictures in her mind, and she counted thirty-seven of them.

This was no small raiding party, and each and every one of them was well versed in stealth. If not for Evelyn being at a higher rank and her magic control being as adept as it was, they would have slipped by unnoticed.

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