Chapter 272

After finishing his instructions, Gervas returned to the parlor with the Red Spirit Fruit.

Like the first Red Spirit Fruit he had received, its surface emitted a faint red glow—the sign of full maturity.

Under normal circumstances, a Red Spirit Fruit would fall and rot within twenty-four hours of ripening, losing all magical efficacy.

But those escapee adventurers clearly knew their way around, wrapping it in leaves of Magic Banana to slow the leakage of magical energy.

Of course, according to Naut's warning, Magic Banana leaves could preserve it for no more than two weeks.

By the time it reached his hands, the Red Spirit Fruit had already lost seven or eight days' worth of potency.

So if he delayed any longer, this precious magical fruit would be utterly wasted.

Gervas wasted no time; he sat cross-legged and immediately placed the Red Spirit Fruit to his lips.

The familiar texture, the familiar warmth—soon, Gervas felt his body begin to change.

First, the strength of his muscles intensified; then, his qi channels grew wider and more resilient.

Of course, since this was his second time consuming it, the effect had already weakened.

Added to that, his physical strength was already extraordinary, so outwardly, little change was visible.

Yet Gervas could not suppress the smile on his lips; his eyes brimmed with excitement.

"I can already feel the bottleneck!"

He couldn't help but be elated.

For he had suddenly sensed the bottleneck before breaking through to Silver Knight.

For others, reaching Silver Knight from Bronze Knight took two or three years at minimum.

Yet he, in less than half a year since starting, had already touched that threshold.

This was nothing short of monstrous—even the scions of great families might not match it.

Of course, achieving such speed meant he had poured in resources others could never even dream of.

First and foremost, these precious magical herbs and beast meat.

Second, the spiritual spring on the island and the elemental spirits in the castle's rear garden.

But most importantly of all, there was one other thing: Rose, the head chef, faithfully—no, vigorously—helped him train almost every day…

"My lord!"

"What is it?"

As Gervas's thoughts drifted, Old John's voice called from outside the parlor.

Normally, he had ordered no interruptions unless there was an emergency—no one would dare disturb him.

"My lord, Captain Evlan of the aerial squad says there's an urgent report regarding the border escapees you mentioned this morning!"

"Is that so? I'm coming!"

Gervas's eyes lit up.

The border escapees—of course, he meant the group from Mik's settlement being hunted down.

Fifty thousand people in one settlement? That was no small matter—it rivaled the size of a viscount's domain.

Of course, that was merely a comparison.

Even if such settlements were as powerful as a duke's, to the kingdom, they were still mere escapees.

And Gervas was interested in them precisely because their leaders were no ordinary men.

After all, in the Chaos Wastes, only the strong truly ruled.

So although they were escapees, it was certain that Mik himself—and those protecting him—were likely title knights.

And if he could recruit so many title knights, it would be like finding hundreds of gold coins!

…

In the Chaos Wastes, at the edge of a forest ten miles from Stormhold.

A group was resting.

Men, women, children, and elders—all wore exhaustion on their faces.

"Father, aren't we close to the kingdom's border now?"

"Almost there—we'll reach it in no more than an hour."

"Father, you always said nobles are dangerous. Won't they capture us if we enter the kingdom?"

"Rebena, nobles are indeed dangerous, but our situation is different now. Horton's settlement is hunting us to the death; the Chaos Wastes offer us no refuge."

"So the only way to protect everyone is to flee into the kingdom."

"Besides, nobles don't always capture escapees. On our way here, I've learned that the lord of Stormhold might be decent."

"Perhaps we can beg his protection and become his serfs."

"Become serfs?!" Rebena was stunned.

Escapees in the Wastes despised the word "serf" above all.

Most of them had fled the Wastes precisely to escape that very status.

And yet her father was the leader of a major settlement, a man who wielded aura.

He was actually considering becoming a serf.

But she vaguely understood—he wasn't doing it out of cowardice, but for her sake.

"Rebena, sometimes, if you meet a merciful noble, becoming a serf isn't so bad." Perhaps sensing her unease, Mik offered reassurance.

"Still, once we enter the kingdom's border, you'll need to disguise yourself a little."

"With soot from the iron pot on my face?" Rebena already knew how.

Mik was surprised. "Who taught you that?"

"Uncle Mike's wife, Aunt Layah. She said I'm too beautiful—I might draw the lord's attention!" Rebena replied.

Mik nodded. "Aunt Layah is right, Rebena…"

"Mik, leader! They're here! Horton's bastards have caught up!"

The entire Mik settlement panicked.

"How far away are they?"

"Leader Mik, they're close—no more than a mile!"

"How could they be this fast?!" Mik's face darkened, but he had no time to blame anyone. "Everyone, move faster! We're near the human kingdom! Once we cross into their territory, Horton's men won't dare follow!"

The group scrambled to gather their things. Mik rose, supported by Rebena, then climbed onto the carriage.

Soon, they all fled toward Stormhold.

But Horton's pursuers moved far faster than expected—dozens of carriages charged after them.

The Mik settlement, by contrast, had only three carriages.

One carried Mik, the wounded leader, along with much of their supplies.

The other two carried women and children.

Less than ten minutes later, Horton's group caught up.

"Rebena, go with Aunt Layah and the others!"

"No, Father—I won't leave you!"

Rebena, startled, immediately shook her head.

But Mik had no time to argue—he halted the column, seized Rebena, and threw her into another carriage!

"Go!"

With the order, the two carriages carrying families sped onward.

Rebena struggled, but Aunt Layah and the others held her fast.

Only when the carriages were far away did Mik turn back.

Just then, Horton's dozens of carriages drew near. "Ha! Leader Mik, you've made us chase you hard indeed!"