Ascension Of The Failed Mage

"I can understand why you must be on edge, especially after all that has happened today. You should both also get some rest." Noir began, calmly.

"I don't think our being attacked is the major cause for her being startled.

Even I could not sense your presence until you spoke. What kind of Spell was that?" Galand asked, unable to cage his curiosity any longer.

Noir Novo was a man of many mysteries. After rescuing them and fetching the young lady, he had spoken with Lorna and Galand for a short while.

Still, they hardly knew anything about him—except his name.

"Uhm…I don't know. I just… moved as I always do. You're not the first who has mentioned this, though." Noir stated plainly.

"Wow, you mean it? You're one impressive fellow, Sir Noir." Lorna's remark was bright—a sharp contrast to Noir's bland words.

"Thank you. And how is the young lady?"

"She is resting within the makeshift carriage, thank you for doing that for us." The excitable Maid answered immediately.

"No problem."

Noir sat by the campfire, where both Lorna and Galand had already taken positions around.

"So… how did your bath go?" An awkward question came forth.

Lorna's cheeks were a bit flushed, but she still gave a slight stare in Noir's direction.

"It went well, thank you. I have successfully washed away all the blood and dirt on my body and attire.

As you can see, I have also changed my clothing, so there's no need to worry about the smell." The mysterious man cooly replied.

"Oh! O-okay… that's nice."

As Lorna gave an embarrassed smile, Galand simply smiled knowingly. He was old and experienced enough to understand what was going on.

"By the way, Sir Noir, was it a good choice to let the Mage live?" The old Mage asked, switching to a tone of seriousness.

"Hm?"

"You said you cast a sleeping Spell on the rogue, but wouldn't it be better to retrieve whatever information we can from him and then dispose of him?" Galand asked.

"All in due time. He is still necessary for now, as bait." Noir responded unflinchingly.

"H-how do you mean?"

"According to what you've told me and what I have learned, the information concerning the time, date and route of your journey was within the inner circle—exclusive only to those who would take part in the journey." Noir began his analysis.

"Yes, that's correct. That's why we were not too tight concerning security, and also why the ambush startled us."

Galand's response caused him to nod.

"It's only logical that there was a mole among those that knew of the journey, and that mole leaked the information to your assaulters."

"That's true…" Galand muttered slowly, considering the possibilities.

"If I had to guess, I'd say the mole is a member of the scouting team." Noir mentioned almost immediately.

"They had the advantage of reaching your assaulters and have preemptive knowledge concerning your route, and there's also the advantage of time."

"That's true… but the scouts are individuals handpicked by the Duke himself, and they are extremely loyal to him.

They are also bound by Magic not to act in any way that would endanger the Duke, his family, and his property." Galand argued.

"That much is expected. There are two possibilities for the situation to occur, however.

One is that a member, or maybe more than one member of the scouts had his Magic Binding removed before the expedition, or secondly, one or more of the scouts were never bound in the first place.

Maybe an outsider disguised as a scout, while either capturing or killing the original guard." Noir calmly explained.

"Which possibility do you subscribe to?"

Upon hearing Galand's question, Noir placed his hand on his chin and gave a second of thought before answering.

"The second one. The reasons are simple.

It's extremely difficult to find a mage who can remove a magic binding, especially one as sophisticated as the one used on the members of High Nobility.

Even the assaulters didn't have a Mage of that caliber…

Secondly, even if he could find a Mage of that caliber, and managed to break the Binding, some sort of alarm system would go off to whoever cast the spell. It'd be easy to find the person who removed the Binding…"

"That is all true…" Galand managed to utter, marveling at Noir's analysis.

"…And then there's the root of matter. The reason you had to journey in the first place, instead of using a Rune Stone or Scroll.

You mentioned that the supply was delayed, but I believe it was all part of the enemy's plan.

They ensured you had no choice but to travel by carriage, and all they had to do was find out the route you intended on taking, which would seal your fate."

Galand and Lorna were already completely flabbergasted by Noir's impressive display of intelligence.

"T-that's true. Teleportation is Tier 6 magic, so not many Mages can use it. That's why it's usually used by Rune scrolls.

I never thought the enemy's plan was so meticulous… It seems we are dealing with quite the formidable opponent." Galand stated with

Noir shrugged upon hearing the old Mage's trembling voice.

"The mastermind is definitely someone of many means. The attackers and even the scouts are merely just pawns for the true brain behind this."

They probably even have ties with nobility, and their information network must be vast. You had better be careful."

"Thank you for your warning, Sir Noir… But what should we even do now?" Lorna, who had been carefully listening to the two men talk, asked.

The three of them remained silent for a while, observing as the night breeze flowed and the silence crept in the night.

Finally, Galand raised his head as he finally spoke.

"Sir Noir, I know it is shameless for me to ask this, especially after you have done so much for us… but could you please escort us and guard the young miss until we get to the Institute? A-at least until she passes her exams and is enrolled in the school!"

Galand gulped as he stared at Noir's uncomfortable face.

He then bowed his head to add more sincerity to his words. Lorna looked at both men, and it seemed the answer was inevitable.

"I…" Noir was about to answer but got interrupted.

"Please sir Noir… protect the Young miss, I beg of you." Lorna added as she closed her eyes, and bowed her head as well.

She braced herself for the answer Noir would give, praying it would favor them.

"I understand. Raise your heads" Noir sighed.

"I will fulfill your request, Galand. And I promise you, as long as I am here, no harm will come to your young lady." His words were firm, and his eyes were sincere.

Both Mage and maid knew that the young man meant what he said.

"Thank you so much, Sir Noir." Galand spoke out in appreciation, as Lorna also thanked him.

"No problem." Noir got up from where he sat and looked up at the sky.

He smelled the air and turned to both of the seated individuals who looked at him expectantly.

"You should both take cover…"

"Don't tell me—!" Galand's eyes widened in shock.

"It's another attack?!" Lorna murmured as her body started shaking.

They had to ask fast, considering it was already dark and they were at a major disadvantage.

However, just as the two were about to react in panic or fear, Noir's calm voice stopped them.

"It's… about to rain"

"E-eh…?"

Lorna and Galand looked at Noir's blank face with the most awkward expressions ever.

"It's going to be quite the downpour."