After his private conversation with Karitan, Henwell gathers the group. He tells them, "Organize those who can ride horses; we're leaving this afternoon!"

  Cronin, the ceremonial officer, objects, "No way! Prince Arius hasn't escaped danger yet. We need to stall for two more days!"

  Henwell shoots him a gre, "We have at most one more day. I bet the duchy's pn kicks off today. Keep up the disguise for two more days? Once the message races here, the capital will know what's happening by tomorrow. After the initial chaos and verifying the news, they'll be detaining us the day after!"

  "That still helps the prince to get two days!"

  Damn! This old guy is stubborn as hell!

  Henwell patiently expins, "Baron, think about it! If we escape today, even if the capital sends pursuers tomorrow, they'll be chasing us, not the elusive Arius! As long as we run fast and far enough, we'll draw plenty of pursuers, making Arius and his group safer!"

  Seeing Cronin still hesitating, Henwell gets frustrated, "You're old, you've lived long enough. If you want to go down with the kingdom, don't drag us with you. We're all young and haven't lived enough yet! Especially me—I haven't even married or had kids!"

  In the end, Cronin is persuaded.

  The delegation consists of twenty-seven guards and fourteen members who can ride horses. Including those who know the truth, there are over forty people who leave the capital by noon. Once outside the city, Karitan pns to send Henwell and the others to her estate. However, Henwell declines.

  The group stops at a warehouse to rest, with Karitan's people waiting in the outer hall. Henwell leads the delegation into the storage area and opens a secret door to the adjacent room. Here, everyone changes into new clothes, mounts the prepared horses, and leaves the warehouse district. They've been instructed not to ask any questions and to simply follow Henwell.

  Karitan and her guards wait at the warehouse until evening. The knights grow curious about why 'Arius' hasn't returned yet. But Karitan cims she's tired and wants to return to her estate to rest. Her subordinates dare not question her further and escort her away from the warehouse area.

  Meanwhile, Henwell and his group, having ridden all afternoon and changed horses twice, are now roughly 200 kilometers west of the capital. Knight Chabri expresses concern to Henwell, "We can't keep going! The horses need rest, and we need a break too!"

  Henwell unfolds a detailed map, studies it for a while, then says, "Just a bit further, and we'll reach a rest stop!"

  The horses are exhausted and can only move slowly. After about half an hour, they arrive outside a small town. Henwell adjusts their direction and leads them to a farm outside the town, where fresh horses are ready.

  Henwell instructs the ceremonial officer to expin the situation to everyone, emphasizing the urgency of leaving the Kingdom of Billie. Upon learning the truth, the group is shocked but realizes the danger they're in, suddenly feeling less tired. After a brief rest, they mount the horses and set off again.

  Traveling at night poses significant risks, so the group can't push the horses to full speed, opting instead for a steady trot. Even at this pace, it's faster than running on foot, conserving the horses' energy but still shaking the riders. By midnight, some even fall and get injured. Despite this, they press on through the night without rest.

  That night, the kingdom assumes the delegation has gone to Karitan's estate, especially since Countess Karitan hasn't returned to the capital either. This grants them a temporary safety. However, some keen observers sense something amiss, like Princess Catherine, who has been closely monitoring the delegation's movements.

  Earlier, when Arius disguised himself and left with Taitnt under Henwell's identity, Princess Catherine suspected something was off. She immediately gathered her trusted aides and prepared for war. Though puzzled, her followers, loyal to Catherine, accepted the orders.

  In fact, a month ago, after a secret meeting with Henwell, Catherine had begun assembling her knights and army based on his advice. Upon hearing the delegation hadn't returned, she realized Vorry's pn was underway. Without dey, she left the capital that night, alerting her confidants to gather. Her goal was to reach her army's assembly point as swiftly as possible.

  The next day, news of the delegation's disappearance reaches the king. After verifying the situation throughout the morning, it's confirmed that the delegation is indeed missing and likely left on their own. Although the kingdom's top officials aren't sure what exactly has transpired, their instincts tell them that danger is approaching. To uncover the truth, they must locate the vanished delegation.

  By afternoon, the royal secret guards and the royal knights set out immediately. The entire intelligence network of the kingdom's upper echelons springs into action. By evening, they've pinpointed the direction in which Henwell and his group have fled.

  The kingdom orders the immediate detention of the remaining delegation members and dispatches forces to retrieve the others. If necessary, they are instructed to use force to bring them back.

  At this point, Henwell and his group have traveled several hundred kilometers. The relentless journey has severely depleted the delegation members' stamina, leaving them in poor condition.

  Henwell realizes they can't keep moving and decides to adjust the pn, allowing for a few hours of rest. He arranges for vehicles to travel overnight, pnning to switch back to horses at dawn to continue their escape.

  Unbeknownst to Henwell, time is running out. That night, urgent reports reach the capital. The Billie Kingdom's leaders learn of Vorry's alliance with Kosen Kingdom to unch a surprise attack on the northern borders. Kosen Kingdom has mobilized fifteen legions from Kitamori City, storming into Billie Kingdom's northern territory. Vorry, under the guise of a marriage delegation, seizes Luon City, a major strategic town in the west, with a force of ten thousand elite soldiers.

  Additionally, another legion, disguised as delivering a dowry to the countess's estate, has unched a surprise attack on Yosui City nearby. Vorry has deployed twelve legions, already penetrating 300 kilometers into the kingdom.

  This information is already three days old. In reality, Vorry uses Luon City as a strategic foothold, with their vanguard surrounding Harvest City, less than a thousand kilometers from the capital.

  Billie Kingdom initiates war mobilization, urgently redeploying several legions to the battle zones. Meanwhile, Princess Catherine swiftly gathers her private army of twenty thousand and a knight regiment of over seven hundred. She intends to observe the situation, aiming to seize the greatest advantage amidst the chaos.