Chapter 212
Chapter 212 Strongest Sage, River Crossing
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Two hours after the meeting .
We"re currently at knight garrison along with Viscount Regido .
Our departure is to be an absolute secrecy to prevent this expedition be known outside the kingdom .
"I am very pleased to see you all are here answering to my call . . . May the fortunes of war be with you . Take care of the border . "
The king said so in front of us .
According to the princ.i.p.al, the king postponed his original scheduled plan and came here instead to send us off .
"By your command!"
Viscount Regido answered the king and off we went .
Our destination is Relaia Barondom .
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"We should arrive before sunset at this pace . It would be nice if every military campaigns could be this fast . "
Viscount Regido spoke as we hurried on the road toward Relaia Barondom .
It"s been five hours since we departed and our pace hasn"t slowed down at all .
"It"s one thing with 10 people, but an army that can move at this pace for a sustained amount of time only exists in legend . "
"That may be so right now . However it may very well change once the students who are studying at Second Academy have entered the army . "
Viscount Regido is only brining 10 knights as our escorts .
Apparently, they"re elites of the elites among the army unit the viscount commands .
And Viscount Regido himself is counted among these chosen elites .
Befitting of chosen elites, they"re quick with their feet, we"re blazing through a route that would have taken a normal army four days in just a day .
Horses cannot follow us at this pace, so everyone is running on foot .
The escorts are one thing, but to think even Viscount Regideo himself could maintain this pace . . .
They"re still slower compared to the Second Academy students running at full speed, but if they have this much stamina even before Second Academy-style training permeated through them, I can see why they"re called elites of the elites .
As such I thought our journey would go unhindered . . . but then the knight who was in charge of guiding us suddenly stopped running .
Looks like there"s something wrong .
"It appears that the bridge here has collapsed . "
The knight pointed at the wreckage of a bridge .
The wreckage looks very old, there isn"t any trace of it having been artificially destroyed .
It must be broken due to degradation over time .
We"re taking a route less traveled in order to shorten time .
It did succeed shortening our travel time, but we also encounter setbacks like this .
"This path is rarely ever used after all . . . Is there another route around?"
"If we turn about 30 kilometers back, we will find another bridge . That bridge was constructed 48 years ago, but it should be intact since it"s still being regularly used . Due to this alteration, our total travel distance will increase by about 80 kilometers . "
The knight replied to Viscount Regido without even consulting the map .
『That person is incredible . . . 』
『I wonder if he"s memorized maps of the whole kingdom . . . 』
Alma and Ruli murmured in comm magic .
As one you"d expect from someone entrusted to guide these chosen elites, he seems to be a map specialist .
Judging from the fact that he knew how long ago that bridge was built off the top of his head, it seems maps aren"t the only thing he has memorized .
"80 kilometers huh . . . That means we"ll be behind the schedule by half a day . Should we swim pa.s.s the river?"
"That"s a good idea . Mathias-san and you girls, can you swim?"
The distance to the opposite bank is about 30 meters .
Swimming is a simple matter . . . though there"s no need for that either way .
"I will proceed forward while setting barriers up, please follow my lead . "
I walk on the place where the bridge was while putting up barriers on the sole of my feet .
I"m sure this level of magic is normally usable by Second Academy students, yet it looks like the knight elites can"t use it .
" . . . I never knew barrier magic could be used this way . . . I"m quite sure our knights have started training in chantless magic too, can they use barrier magic?"
"We cannot . We have been training in chantless magic, but the training is specialized in magic for battle . "
"Indeed, magic usable in battle should be prioritized . . . But it might be a good idea to let some of the knights learn these kinds of magic . "
Viscount Regido consulted with the escort knight when he saw the barrier magic .
Apparently, the knights have started training in chantless magic themselves .
Prioritizing magic for battle is not a mistake .
As it"s battle magic that will decide whether you live or die through a critical moment, so putting all other magic in the back burner is one option .
. . . Maybe I should write a textbook concerning chantless magic that are practical for the military, with knights as the intended audience .
We crossed the site where the bridge was while I was thinking such .
"Can you employ the magic you used just now multiple times in a day?"
The escort knight asked me after we got to the opposite bank .
I get what this knight is trying to do here . He probably wants to take shortcuts in our route .
"Of course . And it only consumes a tiny amount of mana to boot . "
"Well then, please afford me some time to think up a new route under the a.s.sumption we cross valleys and rivers using that magic . "
The knight got lost in thought where he was standing .
Five seconds later, he looked up .
"We can cut two hours off the travel time . What a wonderful magic . "
He managed to recalculate a long-distance route in just five seconds huh . . . .
This knight truly is amazingly good with topography .
Even if they"ve still got a long way to go on chantless magic, these guys really are chosen elites of the knights after all is said and done .