章節 11: Chapter 3: "Midnight" Part 6
Before leaving their base to intercept the carriage, Marcel and Henry went to fetch Luke so he could lead them to the road where they would intercept the carriage.
The trio soon approached the spot next to the road.
It was surrounded by a lot of trees and bushes which were perfect for cover, this was where they would wait to intercept the carriage.
They arrived in less than 30 minutes since departing from the slums, it was not too far but it was not that close either.
It would have taken a normal person a little over an hour to get there on foot even if they ran, but the trio were not 'normal' by any standards, they ran all the way there without stopping even once.
Had Luke not been the one leading them there Marcel and Henry probably could have reached their destination much sooner than that.
Luke was drenched in sweat and a bright smile appeared on his face as soon as their destination came into view.
He impatiently increased his speed depleting the last of his energy, he just wanted to rest!
It was a little after midnight and usually he would be sleeping at this time but Marcel asked him for a favor, which he could not refuse even if he felt like doing so, that is just how much he respected Marcel even though he was a year younger than him.
The trio approached a secluded spot next to the road, where a dense cluster of trees and bushes provided a natural cloak.
Moonlight filtered through the branches, casting dappled shadows on the gravel road below.
The cold wind rustled the leaves, creating a soft symphony of nature. In the distance, the full moon illuminated the landscape, enhancing the beauty of the surroundings despite the imminent tension.
Luke collapsed as soon as they reached their destination which was underneath a massive tree surrounded by smaller trees and bushes. He felt his fatigue seep into the earth as he laid down on the ground gasping for air.
Henry and Marcel calmly walked towards Luke who was lying on his back, they were both breathing regularly with Marcel being a little sweaty but that was it.
[Aaah! I am so tired! How are these two not tired at all!?]
Luke cried inwardly as he watched the two handsome adolescents in comparison to him who had a typical appearance approach him.
Marcel threw a water pouch at Luke who was gasping for air on the ground.
Luke drained the contents of the pouch almost instantly.
"Good work."
Said Marcel, praising his subordinate with a gentle smile on his face.
Henry was surveying their surroundings; the cold wind was rustling the leaves on the trees and shrubs making it hard for them to hear anything approaching from a distance away.
The top branches of the tree are where his gaze finally rested.
He spoke pointing up.
"Hey Marcel, we should climb up this tree so we can see the carriage approaching, these winds will obstruct our hearing."
Marcel nodded.
"Yes, that is a good idea."
Luke made an attempt to stand up and join them in climbing the tree.
"No, you can rest down here."
Henry said looking at Luke who was struggling to stand.
[Thank goodness!!]
Luke celebrated inwardly.
The duo effortlessly climbed atop the tree with their impressive cat like vertical leap, they landed on a thick branch.
Henry gazed at the green scenery, its beauty enhanced by the bright light from the full moon in the sky, though it was cold they barely felt it since they had just been running.
"They should be here soon."
Said Marcel gesturing towards the gravel road.
Marcel, with blood-red hair catching glimmers of moonlight, cut a distinctive figure. His scarlet eyes held a mix of contemplation and resolve.
Marcel's well-defined features hinted at both his strategic mind and the years spent navigating the challenges of their unforgiving world.
Despite the subtle sheen of sweat, his composed demeaner added an air of authority to the trio.
"…Yeah." Henry answered in an anxious tone.
Marcel glanced at Henry with sympathy but he chose not to say anything.
The brief silence was ended by Henry's question.
"By the way, who is Pitt?" Asked Henry with eyes full of curiosity.
"Ah well…" Marcel answered, scratching his head.
Pitt was a name Henry heard from Cain, not through conversation or anything like that since the two were not that close and had actually been avoiding each other, nor did Henry eavesdrop on Cain's conversations.
Rather it was a name Cain would often cry out in his sleep as if he was having a nightmare, and it was not a once off thing either, throughout the week Henry spent with them he counted at least five times where Cain would start screaming in the middle of the night.
Cain would scream out things like "Save me Pitt!" or "Don't leave me Pitt!" etc.…
Henry noticed that Marcel was a bit uncomfortable.
"You do not have to answer."
Marcel shook his head.
"No, it is fine… The truth is I do not know either, he does not like to speak of it I tried to ask him once but he just got angry."
Marcel said, shrugging.
"… I see."
Marcel added on:
"But based on what I have heard him scream out in his sleep, it seems to be his elder brother or something similar."
Henry gained a sense of familiarity to Cain. Perhaps even seeing him in a new light?
[No.] Henry quickly quelled those thoughts as he remembered the figure of the rowdy young man.
"Anyway..." said Henry seemingly changing the topic.
"Thank you for the weapon, it really suits me."
Henry said unstrapping the scimitar on his waist and handing it over to Marcel.
"I will leave it with you for now."
Henry handed it over to Marcel and sat down on the large branch.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, the silence was interrupted by snoring sounds that came from below them.
"… He must have been tired."
Henry said with a slight soft smile on his face.
"…Yeah" Marcel replied with a bitter smile.
[This bastard, if it was Cain, you would have gotten a beating!] Marcel shouted inwardly.
They sat waiting for close to an hour.
///
Soon They heard the sounds of the carriage approaching them, which had two horses pulling it and the coach driving it was an old man who seemed to be a regular peasant and beside him a soldier wearing regular armor.
Marcel stood up and narrowed his eyes at the fast-approaching carriage and turned his head to look at Henry.
"He is just a regular soldier; I do not sense any Ki from inside the carriage either."
Marcel said, looking at Henry.
Henry nodded in agreement and stood up from the branch.
"… Well then, see you at the raid."
Henry said and Marcel nodded. They both jumped down the tree as the carriage came closer and closer.
The carriage passed by them as if it was riding the winds!
Henry jumped onto the gravel road as soon as it passed, he coiled legs and took a deep breath.
He uncoiled his legs and began sprinting at frightening speed!
The horses were running at full speed but that was not enough to maintain a large gap between the carriage and Henry, it was almost as if it was moving slowly in comparison to him.
A few seconds later Henry caught up and entered the carriage.
Marcel stood besides the large tree and watched as Henry's silhouette get swallowed by the carriage, though it was veiled in dust he could still see it.
He glanced over to Luke who was still sleeping and frowned.
[How did he sleep through that commotion?]
"Wake up."
Marcel said, kicking Luke on the ribs.
"Ouch!"
Luke cried with his eyes wide open and immediately stood up, his fatigue from earlier was no more.
"Has Henry already left?"
Luke asked looking at the cloud of dust and Marcel nodded.
They were quiet for a brief moment before Luke asked another question.
"So… you really are going to use him to pincer the Baron's forces huh? He can also be used as a decoy to allow some of us to escape in case things do not go well."
Marcel furrowed his brow before responding.
"Well, he is also using us to find his little sister so we might as well use him too, right?"
Marcel said, turning his back on the disappearing carriage.
"We need this raid to be a success no matter what if we are to survive the winter, we have more mouths to feed than last winter, I wish we did not have to attack a Baron but we have no choice."
He added:
"Besides… He probably already knows my plans to use him, I assume he just took a risk to find his sister."
Luke followed him closely behind and said:
"I at least hope he finds his little sister there."
Marcel turned around and said:
"Yeah, me too… anyway let us head back."
They made their way back to the base, walking this time as there was no need to run.
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