Chapter 196

Wood's emotions were complicated.

The closer he got to the border, the more hesitant he became.

Because after entering the southern region, he heard more about the chaos of the Chaos Wasteland.

Although he was a mage, a mage's nobility existed only within the kingdom, where the Magic Association and royal laws held sway.

In a place like the Chaos Wasteland, a mage's ability to protect himself was even worse than that of a titled knight.

Because titled knights possessed combat talents suited for close combat—even a bronze knight could easily handle seven or eight ordinary people.

But mages, unless they were mid- or high-level, had very poor self-preservation capabilities as junior mages.

Not only was their casting speed slow, but the range and power of their spells were also weak.

If enemies got close, a sudden ambush by four or five ordinary soldiers could easily eliminate a mage.

So, could this junior mage, Wood, really survive better than an ordinary person in the Chaos Wasteland?

What if he got unlucky and ran into a greedy, brainless bandit leader who imprisoned him or sold him as a slave? That would be worse than death.

But if he didn't go, he owed a mountain of debt in the capital—fifty thousand gold coins in total.

Such an astonishing sum meant that even if he worked making magical trinkets to pay it off, he'd never clear it in his lifetime.

The reason was simple: first, he was only a junior mage, so the magical trinkets he could make were of low rank.

Second, the compound interest was terrifying.

He blamed himself for being foolish back then, thinking his inventions would be desperately sought after, and ignoring the absurdly high interest rates.

"Black bread! Freshly baked black bread! Three copper coins each!"

"Roasted rabbit meat! Sizzling, greasy roasted rabbit! Thirty copper coins each!"

Grrrrrrl!

As the scent of roasted meat drifted through the air, Wood's stomach growled like thunder.

In the past, though he hadn't lived in luxury, he was still born into the honorable House of the Earl, with some family wealth behind him.

Thus, monster meat was something he ate every few days.

Beef, venison, and other meats were his daily staples.

As for rabbit and wild boar meat? That was food for the lower classes.

But now…

He patted his empty, rumbling stomach and remembered his nearly empty purse—only twenty or thirty copper coins left.

"What do I do?"

During his escape, he hadn't cared much about food.

But now that he'd finally reached the border and felt he'd escaped death, his guard dropped.

The hunger he'd suppressed for over two months finally flared up.

"To hell with it—I'm a mage! I'll eat my fill first; only then will I have the strength to reach the Chaos Wasteland. Once there, if I run fast enough, maybe I can just slip away!"

"Even if I can't escape… I'll just threaten them with my identity. These border regions are all minor noble families—they won't dare offend a mage if they don't know who I am."

Thinking this, Wood no longer hesitated.

After all, he was already fleeing to the Chaos Wasteland; if his trail was found later, it didn't matter anymore.

Soon, Wood bought a roasted rabbit from a stall on the nearby square, disregarding dignity, and sat down at an outdoor table to devour it.

After eating two roasted rabbits, his stomach—empty of grease and meat for two months—finally regained some vitality.

"Pack me two more roasted rabbits and five black breads!"

"Yes, noble guest!"

The servant didn't dare delay, quickly wrapping the roasted rabbits and black bread.

Though this guest looked disheveled, the strange silk ceremonial robe he wore revealed his status.

As a serf, he dared not say a word—even though the guest hadn't paid yet.

Of course, most importantly, this shop belonged to the lord himself; he had no fear of the guest skipping out.

"Guest, here are your two roasted rabbits and five black breads!"

Wood nodded, taking the wrapped food.

Not bad.

The shop was thoughtful—the roasted rabbits were wrapped in clean lotus leaves tied with thin string, and the black bread was packed in linen bags.

That way, he wouldn't dirty the food while walking.

"Noble guest, your meal totals one silver coin and thirty-five copper coins."

At last, the servant smiled brightly and reached for payment.

Wood cleared his throat, pulled out a money pouch as if it were real, and tossed it onto the table.

"That's the money—I've counted it already; it's exactly right!"

The servant froze, staring at the pouch.

He picked it up and found it heavy with coins.

But the drawstring was tied in a knot—he struggled for a moment and couldn't untie it.

He looked up. "Guest, your pouch is tied too tightly—"

The servant's words cut off abruptly. Wood had already taken three strides and vanished over ten meters away.

"Guest! Wait! You haven't taken your pouch! The coins haven't been counted!"

The servant still didn't grasp the situation.

The less he shouted, the better—but the moment he yelled, Wood broke into a full sprint, vanishing toward the edge of town.

The servant blinked, then finally understood. He abandoned the pouch and drew his small knife for slicing rabbit meat, slashing open the pouch.

Twenty or thirty copper coins spilled onto the table—but not a single silver coin.

"Guest! You didn't pay enough! Wait!" The servant's face turned pale as he chased after him.

But the more he shouted, the faster Wood ran.

And after two months of constant walking, Wood's physical stamina as a mage had improved greatly.

The servant couldn't catch up.

Watching Wood grow smaller in the distance, and sensing two soldiers approaching from behind, the servant turned back.

"Sergeant! That traveler ordered four roasted rabbits and five black breads—but didn't pay enough! He's short by over a silver coin—and he's fled!"

The soldier's face darkened. "Quick! Sound the alarm!"

They knew this shop belonged to their lord.

For someone to eat his food without paying? That was asking for death.

Jjiiii!

The whistle pierced the air. Normally, the sky-patrolling Swift Hawks would hear it and rush to the castle for reinforcements.

But before the whistle faded, a row of Swift Hawks swept overhead, heading toward the town's edge.

From the direction of the castle, a cavalry unit galloped toward them.

In the distance, it was unmistakably their lord and his knights.

"My lord…"

"Continue patrol. The lord already knows about the man!"

The soldier tried to report, but the lord rode past without turning, leaving only the faint command of Knight Migen echoing in the air.

"This… this speed is too fast!"

"And the scale… this is too big!" The soldier and servant stared in shock.

…

Besides them, another pair of eyes widened in shock—Wood, the mage.

He had seen the eleven Swift Hawks locking onto him from above.

And the thunder of hooves closing in behind him.

He'd only shortchanged by one silver coin, right?

Why did it feel like he'd stolen a gold coin?

And wasn't this the border?

Weren't border regions supposed to be filled with poor minor nobles?

Weren't they supposed to be desperately poor?

Why were flying monsters circling overhead and warhorses of such noble stature charging behind him?

Whoever says the border only has minor nobles again—I'll definitely smash them to death!