The commotion subsided, leaving the village much quieter. Siegfried sat in his "command post," reviewing the Travel Manual. The command post was really just a storeroom with a table and an abstract map so indecipherable that even Picasso couldn't understand it.
Siegfried, of course, didn't actually use it for terrain analysis; it was just for show, to create an air of strategic planning. The information in the Travel Manual was the key.
Lately, he'd been using the search function to look up maps of the kingdom, its history, and various facts about the Kiran continent. As he'd said in the church two days ago, he wouldn't be fighting on the front lines; he'd be strategizing from behind the scenes. This knowledge was for better planning.
The command post door opened, and Bobo, a dwarf, placed a steaming cup of coffee on Siegfried's desk. Fengtao Village, naturally, didn't have coffee. This was brought from Earth by Siegfried. Because he didn't have much, he always hid it and drank it secretly, to avoid Catalina catching the scent and demanding a share.
Bobo had become Siegfried's personal servant, taking care of his daily needs. Roland had initially wanted to kill this "traitor," but Siegfried had managed to save his life. It wasn't out of some saintly compassion; Siegfried didn't have that. He simply admired Bobo's exceptional acting skills and abilities. The fact that Bobo had managed to deceive Roland for so long was impressive. And to deceive even Krinhild, whose miracle could detect lies, spoke volumes about Bobo's skills.
Siegfried felt their camp lacked talent, so any useful person should be kept. There was also a personal reason: Bobo's short and stout build reminded him of a senior colleague from his company, giving Siegfried a sense of familiarity.
Thinking this, Siegfried called out to Bobo, who was about to leave:
"Bobo, wait. I have something to ask you."
Bobo flinched, stiffly turning around, reluctantly inching closer. Clearly, Bobo didn't want to get close to Siegfried.
"Sir, what do you want to ask me?" Bobo's voice was sharp and unpleasant, a result of a throat injury from a past incident.
"Oh, it's nothing serious. I'm just curious how you managed to deceive Krinhild and Roland."
Siegfried smiled warmly, like a kind and understanding leader. "Feel free to tell me, or if it's inconvenient, tell me anyway."
(Damn it! He didn't give me a choice!)
Bobo cursed inwardly, but remained respectful.
"Actually, sir, I've been following Lady Catalina for the past six months and never met Her Highness or Sir Roland." Bobo adopted a reminiscent expression. "For safety, Her Highness stayed in the carriage the whole time. I only met Her Highness with Lady Catalina after entering the Count of Conston's territory."
Bobo waited for a response from Siegfried but, seeing none, looked up. The sight startled him. Siegfried's face was grim, almost dripping with anger.
"What did you just say?"
Bobo fell to his knees. "Sir, please forgive me! What I said is true. You can ask Lady Catalina; she can confirm it."
Siegfried ignored him, grabbed his black robe from the chair, and rushed out of the room.
(Damn it! Damn it! Why didn't I realize it!)
He ran to Krinhild's room but found it empty, only an older village woman cleaning.
"Auntie, where's Krinhild!" Siegfried asked urgently.
"Her Highness went hunting with Old John and the others today. Is something wrong, Siegfried?" The woman noticed Siegfried's grim expression and became worried.
(Why did she have to go out now!)
After Bobo's words, previously ignored details and unanswered questions clicked into place. Why was the information about Catalina, Bobo, and the forty-plus soldiers completely new, while the information about Roland and Krinhild had such a large discrepancy?
Siegfried hadn't ignored this before, but he'd subconsciously dismissed it as a system glitch. However, considering the source of the Travel Manual's information...
[The Travel Manual's search data comes from the experiences of all travelers and the records of historians.]
That was Shannon's exact words. If his guess was right, then…
"Shannon! Navigate me to Darren's location!"
[Received. Locating… Location confirmed, Darren Hilruf is currently behind you.]
Siegfried froze, turning to find the half-elf boy, Darren, behind him, out of breath, as if he'd been following him for a while.
"Brave Sir, were you looking for me?"
Siegfried had no time for complaints. "Darren, I ask you, were your forces split into two groups these past six months?"
"Huh? How did you know?"
Darren was surprised. Very few people knew about this. To ensure Krinhild's safety, Roland had split the group into two upon leaving the capital. One, a decoy force led by Catalina, and the other, a stealth force consisting of Krinhild, Roland, and Darren, escaping via a different route. They were to meet at the border of the Duke of Baylan's territory, the Count of Conston's territory. To maintain morale, only the four of them knew.
(That's it!)
It wasn't a sophisticated strategy, but very effective. Siegfried would have done the same. His guess was confirmed. Catalina's group's information was updated, while Krinhild's group's information was from a year or even twenty years ago. The Travel Manual only recorded information from each traveler's experiences, meaning…
…a traveler was among the pursuing force! He'd frequently fought Catalina's group over the past six months.
"Darren! Cast an acceleration spell on me!"
"Eh?"
"Quick!"
"Oh, okay!"
[Stars shining in the night sky]
[Guide my path to the other side]
[In the name of wind and flowers, the Spirit King of the atmosphere commands]
[Wind! Carry him away!]
Colorless magic gathered on Darren's staff, transforming through an obscure incantation into emerald green magical energy that enveloped Siegfried. He felt incredibly light, as if a gust of wind could carry him away.
Fourth-order wind magic, [Dance of the Heavenly Wind]
He leaped, seemingly weightless, soaring into the air, disappearing into the distance at an astonishing speed, leaving the half-elf boy struggling against the strong airflow.
"Ugh~ What just happened?"