Kingdom of Valentino, Alchemy Era 123.
This year was the most prosperous and flourishing year before the kingdom's demise;
At the same time, Valentino was also in a period of great turmoil in the country.
About half a month after Alphonse awoke, the true cold of the year began to sweep across the land like a ferocious beast.
In the Viktorel Inn, the exhausted boy, weakened by his physical condition and the severe injuries sustained during the monster attack, remained in a semi-conscious state.
To be honest, Priscilla has never seen an adventurer with such weak physical condition.
Even a novice just embarking on their journey shouldn't end up in such a miserable state after being attacked, right?
However, as the old saying goes, women are generally more sensitive and naturally have a caring nature – thanks to Priscilla's meticulous care over the past two weeks.
Alphonse's health has improved considerably so far, and he has returned to his normal state.
That day, the boy spent a short time packing his luggage—which consisted of just a bag containing daily necessities and some medicine.
"Thank you so much for taking care of me these past few days."
After sincerely thanking the girl and saying goodbye, Alphonse picked up his backpack and prepared to continue his journey.
Just as he was full of confidence and about to take his first step out of the hotel, his sleeve was suddenly tugged tightly from behind.
Priscilla stared at Alphonse with an unmistakable seriousness.
Alphonse also gave her a questioning look.
"Check your surroundings before you go out! Idiot! Come back first."
Sensing a lurking danger outside the noisy door, Priscilla, without explaining why, forcibly dragged Alphonse back to their original room.
"What's wrong?" Alphonse asked as Priscilla released her grip on his sleeve and carefully closed the door.
Instead of answering directly, she pointed out the window, gesturing for Alphonse to see for himself what was happening outside.
The view outside the window was quite unique—a clear and pristine winter sky…
"I told you not to just stare at the sky, you idiot."
Alphonse, who was being scolded by Priscilla, turned his gaze to the street, feeling embarrassed.
The light-colored houses, like still life, had their original outlines eroded by the snow.
On the clean road where the snowdrifts had long been cleared, foreign adventurers dressed in leather mingled with local civilians in plain clothes...
There were also several unidentified individuals hiding in corners such as street corners and piles of miscellaneous goods, where they were unlikely to be noticed by others.
"See those people? Those mysterious figures hiding in every corner, watching the hotel, are the 'Northern Thieves' who have been active in Valentino recently."
Just as Alphonse stepped out the door, Priscilla happened to spot the henchmen of the thieves lurking around the inn.
And her intuition told her that this strong, lingering aura of assassination was directed at this boy who was just recovering from his illness.
Priscilla had learned the details of the thieves' gang from her elders.
They were not originally citizens of the Kingdom of Valentino, and just a few years ago, either coveting the money in the pockets of the wealthy people of Valentino, or due to the kingdom's lax governance, or for various other reasons, they settled here and began to commit crimes and disrupt the lives of the people.
It is estimated that they are a bandit group from other small countries south of the kingdom.
Because their attire differed from the everyday clothing of the kingdom's citizens, their black, one-piece outfits gave them a strange, exotic feel.
“Look at the clothes of those mysterious people. They are obviously different from ours. And look at their short-sighted, beady eyes. It’s not hard to tell that they are definitely not good people.”
Alphonse suddenly realized, "Oh right! They really are a band of thieves! That was close." At the same time, he was secretly amazed by the girl's eagle-like eyesight.
"Oh, you know about the thief gang too?"
"All I know is its name."
Priscilla once again revealed that look in her eyes—her emerald green eyes were as clear as lake water, as if they could reflect everything in Alphonse's heart.
A woman's unique sensitivity and intuition told her that behind Alphonse's seemingly innocent face lay some unspeakable secret.
"The first thing to do now is to inform the knights stationed in Viktorel Town that the bandit gang has appeared and is targeting you. I'm going out for a bit, so don't step out of the inn until I get back!"
“No, it’s no use. The Knights won’t believe it,” Alphonse said calmly, as if he had experienced being seen as a lie by others before.
Priscilla was taken aback by this reply.
"Why are you so certain? The knightly order stationed there is the 'Royal Knights'!"
"Just imagine, a band of thieves would actually target and track an adventurer, it sounds too unbelievable. Besides, the Royal Knights wouldn't have time to concern themselves with the life or death of an adventurer."
"Don't be so pessimistic! Wait, you said 'tracking'? Could it be that the same group attacked you on the Buliza snowfield?"
Upon being exposed, Alphonse responded with a brief silence, then continued, "So, there's no need to trouble the knights anymore. I can escape on my own before dark."
Alphonse added, "They won't believe it."
"But the thieves have their eyes on you, that's a fact, isn't it?"
Ignoring Alphonse's pessimistic thoughts, Priscilla was determined. "Wait for me to come back! Until then, stay in the hotel and don't leave!"
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