Alonso's house is on the outskirts of the royal capital, about seven or eight kilometers away from the city gate.
The dinner was impromptu but impeccable by local standards, with everyone dining around a long table in an elegant ballroom decorated with paintings, vases and fabrics.
The banquet was not large, with only about ten people. Those invited included Feng Qi and others from the reading club, as well as some mages and nobles who had a good relationship with the Alonso family.
Tasia actually took out an original little magic. It was called: Tasia's Vortex Wind. This magic could make a small object rotate continuously at a constant speed. She hadn't figured out how to use this magic yet. But Xiao Chen saw at a glance that it could act like a centrifuge in the laboratory.
Although it was a small magic, it was very difficult for mages to create any magic. They did not have an effective methodology for developing magic, and their knowledge of magic runes was also very limited. They basically relied on trial and error, luck, and experience. Therefore, it was commendable and enviable that Tashia, who was still a mid-level mage, could invent a new magic, and it was reasonable to hold a banquet to celebrate.
After the dinner, Xiao Chen was the last to leave Tasia's house. At this time, there were two women in cloaks beside him. One of them was naturally Tasia, and the other was her guard, the female knight Belia.
"You really don't have to stay with me." Xiao Chen said.
"Don't say these meaningless words. Today I will help you create a reasonable excuse so that you can lure out the enemy. Naturally, I will also try my best to ensure your safety.
You and Roger are too weak alone, but with Belia and I, there are four of us, so we can basically go anywhere. What's more, you swore to me that there would be no problem with the support and everything was under control, so I'll just take it as my companion to broaden your horizons."
"But, we may be attacked today, and we may even need to flee." Xiao Chen opened the collar of his coat, revealing the enchanted soft armor. "I have made all the preparations I can, but I still feel uneasy. I feel even more nervous when I bring you with me. If something happens to you, how can I face you?"
"You don't need to worry about me." Tashia touched her bracelet, and a light shield suddenly rose around her body. She gave Belia a look, and the latter gathered his fighting spirit and punched the light shield. With a bang, the light shield did not move at all. Tashia smiled and said, "I have several automatically triggered defensive items bound to me. Who do you think is more dangerous and who needs more protection?"
At this time, it started to rain. Xiao Chen looked up at the sky. If the rain got heavier, there would be more uncertainties. It was time to set off. He sighed. The more he interacted with the girl in front of him, the more he couldn't figure out her thoughts.
"Do you need me to sign a document to prove that I'm doing this voluntarily?" Tasia asked jokingly.
Xiao Chen knew that he couldn't change her mind, so he said, "Then don't be stubborn no matter what. I will do my best to protect you."
"Instead of waiting for your protection, I might as well rely on my Belia." Tasya said, and got on the carriage first.
The female knight Belia didn't say a word after seeing Xiao Chen. She just nodded to Xiao Chen and got into the car.
Roger, who was sitting in the driver's seat, was wearing a large cloak that covered the light armor underneath. When Xiao Chen got in and closed the door, he whipped the carriage and it drove into the night.
The horse's hooves hit the flooded muddy road, making sounds that were sometimes crisp and sometimes dull.
Xiao Chen looked out from behind the curtains and saw that the road in the forest was pitch black, with not even much starlight. Only the light from the crystal at the front of the carriage illuminated a small section of the road ahead, allowing Roger to tell the direction. The carriage was like a small boat in the dark ocean, moving forward alone.
What a great day for sneak attacks and assassinations.
Tasya, who was sitting opposite him, had an excited look on her face. She did not sit upright as usual, but instead peeked out through the gap in the curtain, her gray eyes moving around, as if she was hoping that an assassin would jump out right now.
"Don't get too close to the window. It would be dangerous if someone shoots an arrow at you."
"My left earring is constantly enchanted with the magic of deflecting arrows, and my right earring is constantly enchanted with the magic of reflecting energy." Tasya shook her head deliberately, and the two green pendants swayed with her ears.
Xiao Chen: …
After a while, Tasia said, "You haven't told me what the whole plan is."
“It takes about an hour to get to the city gate from here. Our ambushers are waiting in a forest one kilometer away from the city gate.
If we are attacked, we will run away and lead them to the ambush circle, and then someone will be able to deal with the assassin. "
"Who did it?"
Xiao Chen groaned in silence.
"Don't you trust me?"
"No, I just think I shouldn't involve you."
"When you opened the True Source of Magic, we were already sitting in a carriage." Tashia patted the cushion with her hand. "In fact, I know even without you saying it, it must be Roland's people."
"Well, they are indeed his people. To be exact, they are the Knights of the Wind."
"Roland is so bold that he actually used the Temple Knights to fight against the Temple Shadow Group."
"It's no surprise that the enemy within is often more dangerous than the enemy outside... and more vicious."
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About three kilometers away from Xiao Chen's carriage, there was a gentle slope where more than a dozen riders were quietly waiting in the rain, leading their horses. These people in the shadows were all wearing leather cloaks and carrying crossbows. Except for the occasional snorting of horses, the whole team was silent.
The sound of horse hooves was heard in the distance. Soon, two knights dressed identically came in the rain, rode up the gentle slope, and came in front of the leader.
"Sir Sancho, they are coming. They are expected to arrive here in twenty minutes." One of them reported.
"From the outside, there was only one coachman in the carriage. But we don't know how many people were in the carriage. They got on the carriage at Alonso's estate," said another person.
"However, judging from the depth of the ruts, there should be more than one person," the first person added.
"Okay, no matter how many people are in the car, they can't be the opponent of our team. We will act according to the plan later. If we can catch him alive, we will catch him alive. If we can't catch him, we will kill him." Sancho said.
After he learned that Xiao Chen was going to the banquet, he immediately reorganized the team. On the one hand, he sent people to follow him, and on the other hand, he returned to the headquarters to equip horses and bows and arrows and formulated an ambush plan.
He looked up at the sky covered with dark clouds and said to his left and right: "Let's get started. I'll be watching you from behind."
Everyone mounted their horses and rushed down the valley in two groups.