The Legendary Mage (Alavin)
Chapter 197

Beside the manor, nestled within a stone cottage courtyard, the ladies of the Mallister family were rudely awakened. They hastily donned their garments and, with anxious hearts, stepped out of the stone dwellings to peer into the distance. Their gate was firmly guarded by two Protégés of the Cobalt Strike, who forbade them to leave.

"What's happening outside?" Oda clung to her aunt. Her fear was palpable, as the urgent tolling of midnight bells always struck terror in the heart.

The women gathered nervously around Helna, straining to hear the commotion beyond their walls.

"Fear not, Lucan stands watch," Helna reassured them. Lucan had protected the Mallister family for eight years and had rarely let them down.

Soon after, they heard Lucan and the guard troop rush towards the neighboring estate, engaged in what sounded like a heated dispute with Vandill. Eventually, the argument moved further away, towards the mining district.

It wasn't long before a squad of ten guards hurried to their location. "You've arrived just in time to take over the watch," said one of the departing Cobalt Strike Protégés in a rush, his urgency unmistakable. The squad leader, Einclar, entered through the door. He first bowed in respect, then soothed them. "Do not be alarmed. The chief is negotiating."

"Einclar, what has happened?" Helna approached the iron gate, looking out into the distance.

Oda and the others joined her and saw throngs of miners. They looked like a dark mass moving towards the mining district. Tens of thousands of people, as far as the eye could see, were all in a mood so somber it was palpable. With heads bowed, they trudged on, too exhausted and sleepy to speak, save for the children, who were newly woken and crying pitifully.

The sight was heart-wrenching.

"Vandill seems to have received sudden orders to relocate everyone by dawn tomorrow."

"To Mythic Boulder Valley?" Helna exclaimed in horror. Her worst fears had come true.

"Yes! We depart tomorrow and must reach it within a fortnight."

"Tomorrow? But wasn't it in a month's time?"

"Why the sudden move, with no prior notice?"

"Crossing the forest to reach Mythic Boulder Valley... I dare not even think of it..."

The women were in a panic. The journey to Mythic Boulder Valley was hundreds of miles, fraught with perilous woods, treacherous streams, and various Magi-Monsters and predators. They were gentle ladies without means of defense, and they feared they might be devoured en route.

Oda asked anxiously, "Who has the Cobalt Strike appointed as escorts? How many Protégés do they have?"

"Lucan is still inquiring. Stay calm, miss. Perhaps the Cobalt Strike forces will arrive by tomorrow," Einclar explained carefully, not wishing to frighten them further.

"What of Korb?" she asked. Korb was at where the male members of the Mallister family were, quite a distance away.

"Someone has already been dispatched there. Rest assured, all will be well."

"How can this be?" Helna embraced Oda. Her gaze was fixed anxiously in the distance, praying Lucan could buy them more time and secure more protective forces; otherwise, they might indeed perish on the road to Mythic Boulder Valley. Death didn't scare her. She feared for what would become of Oda, who was not yet fourteen, and all the other helpless girls, should she perish.

To the west of the mining district, three hundred Cobalt Strike Protégés, disguised as bandits, lay in wait in the shadows, eager for action. Three squads of a hundred each were positioned. Their captains made meticulous arrangements.

Once Vandill managed to draw away the Mallister family's guard troop, they had little to worry about. One group comprised women and the other the old and infirm, with virtually no combat strength. They were confident that their three hundred people could retreat without a casualty.

Five Cobalt Strike Protégés stealthily arrived to report. "The Mallister family's guard has been called to the square, leaving only a few to protect their kin."

"Move out, swiftly and decisively," Garrat ordered.

"Lead the way. Move out!" All three squads set off, brandishing common blades and tightening their masks. Guided by the leading Protégés, they stormed into the mining district.

One squad was tasked with creating chaos, wantonly causing destruction, and intercepting the Mallister family's guard.

Another squad focused on looting, killing, and wreaking havoc.

The third split in two, one half charging towards the women's quarters, and the other towards where the Mallister family's men were gathered.

The night was deep, and over two hundred thousand town dwellers had already gathered in the vast square at the heart of the mining district, leaving the surrounding area deserted and eerily quiet.

The three squads, embodying the guise of bandits, called out wildly, lit their torches, and set fires along their path with reckless abandon.

The mining district of Azure Mountain was vast, and with the crowd and guards deliberately drawn to the central area, they encountered no resistance, becoming increasingly bold. Houses, trees, and even tools were set ablaze, and the fire spread rapidly in the western part. The fierce flames expanded in swathes.

"Ha! Let's have a night of madness. Unleash yourselves!"

"Tonight, you are bandits, bandits!"

"Do what bandits must!"

"Where is the magical ore? The treasure?"

"Take what you can. The Elder decrees, what you seize is yours!"