The fog had not yet lifted.
The once sparse road was now filled with carriages and people, a panicky mood permeating the air.
Carl’s convoy was also among them.
By the time Carl arrived at the estate outside the city, Hibell had packed her things and arranged four carriages.
Tutor Adolf’s wife, Catherine, sat in a carriage, pulling back the curtain to look towards Sigerno City behind her, her face anxious.
Her beauty was astonishing, rivaling that of Lady Annie, though unknown to outsiders.
Back when Adolf was engrossed in witchcraft studies, he married Catherine despite their age difference, attracted by her beauty. Sadly, after many years of marriage, they still had no children.
Hibell, unusually dressed in a knight’s uniform that accentuated her beautiful figure, rode her horse up close to him and said, "You arrived just in time. I was thinking about how to get into the city to inform you. Are they your... friends?"
She blinked, a curious look on her face as she glanced at Jinsley and Iweni. It was normal for a nobleman to have several women of the opposite sex around him, but she knew that her junior, Carl, was not yet married. Could they be lovers? Sister lovers... my junior certainly knows how to have fun!
Carl briefly introduced his cousins Jinsley and Iweni. "It’s too chaotic inside the city. They’ll leave with us and get off when we reach a safe place."
"We’re going to Mutan City," Jinsley said. "Our mother has a sister living there, Miss Hibell. We’ll be relying on you along the way."
Though she had loose morals, she was not foolish. She knew very well whom to rely on for the coming period and was very polite in her speech at the moment.
Iweni did not speak; worry for her father and uncertainty about the future reflected in her eyes. Having never left Sigerno City, she had no idea what to do next.
"It’s no trouble." Hibell smiled. "It’s all the same direction. Just a slight detour is fine."
"The Kolong people are coming!"
Shouts came from behind. The convoy and pedestrians on the road panicked and hastened their pace. The already crowded road became chaotic in an instant.
"Don’t panic." Hibell frowned. "Old Harry, stabilize the convoy."
"Yes, Miss." White-haired Old Harry reached out for the reins, steadying the lead carriage.
Though he was old and served as a gardener on the estate, he was an experienced knight, which was why Tutor Adolf had hired him.
Under his control, the convoy moved orderly to the edge of the road.
"Miss." After looking back a few times, Old Harry said in a low voice, "Someone is deliberately causing trouble. There are no pursuers behind us."
"Oh!" Hibell blinked. "Why?"
"Probably hoping to take advantage of the chaos," Carl joined in. "Sigerno City is not on the frontline. There aren’t many Kolong soldiers coming. Even if they take the city, it’ll be hard for them to have the strength to pursue us."
"Yes." Old Harry looked at Carl with some surprise, seemingly not expecting him to have such keen insight. "Young Master Carl is right."
"Then let’s not worry about it," Hibell said, relaxed. "As long as they don’t bother us, it’s fine."
Her words were clearly premature.
As they moved further from Sigerno City, the ’refugees’ on the road headed in different directions, and their fellow travelers gradually became scarce.
"Be careful!" Carl suddenly spoke up, drawing his sword from its sheath and swinging it lightly.
An arrow shot toward them was deflected by his strike.
It wasn’t just one attacking arrow; rather, a volley, neither too large nor too small, rained down, covering the entire convoy.
"Take cover!" Old Harry’s eyes widened as he spurred his horse and swung his sword, deflecting arrows and directing the others to hide behind the wagons.
Several women, looking terrified, shrank back into the carriage.
A group of people charged out from a nearby dense forest. Some were on horseback, others on foot, all with menacing glares, clearly a vicious and malicious bunch.
"Kill all the men, capture the women alive, and take all the valuables!" one of them, holding a machete, roared loudly. "Brothers, follow me!"
Hibell blinked, looking at these bandits with their mismatched clothes and weapons, her face curious. What a coincidence, have they really targeted us? So these are the infamous bandits, huh?
"Yes," Old Harry nodded. "Our convoy has few guards yet carries many goods. It’s not surprising we were targeted. Miss, please be careful."
"I know." Hibell waved her hand, producing a thin Magic Wand about a foot long, and rode out to meet them.
Harry and Carl, however, showed no intention of helping.
This scene not only stunned Jinsley and Iweni but also made the approaching bandits laugh heartily.
"Have they really run out of people?"
"Is that thin wooden stick her weapon? Capture her! Let her taste my might!"
The group continued to rush forward, laughing, but didn’t notice the lack of panic on the faces of Carl and the others. Instead, they seemed very relaxed, as if they were sitting back to watch a play.
Hibell gently waved the Magic Wand in her hand. The cork of a porcelain bottle tied at her waist popped open, and a cluster of liquid flew out from it.
The liquid exploded. Though it wasn’t a large cluster, it spread out to cover a vast area when dispersed.
Countless streams of acid formed a curtain of rain, sweeping towards the attacking bandits and covering an area dozens of square meters wide.
"Control Water Flow!"
Hibell swung her Magic Wand again.
The acid rain in the sky, under her control, suddenly increased in speed, shooting towards the attackers like swift arrows.
The acid, capable of corroding metal, struck their bodies with rapid impact, instantly perforating them.