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226
Evade the Hero and Flee! 233 Why Me? (1)
My leg muscles were screaming, but I had to go on.
“Daddy!”
My daughter smiled and waved her hand from afar.
“My sister is too carefree!”
That was one of her merits, and I ran to her as she waved on top of the Drake I had prepared.
“Bracelet.”
-Right.
If the Metal Bat kicked the Drake in the wrong way, it could not be ridden anymore. I, therefore, changed the Bat into a bracelet and rode on the saddle. Drakes could fly, which made it a much faster way to travel than carriages.
“Fly!”
I had ridden many carriages and thought drakes would be easy, but there was no response. Should I whip it more?!
It was then I saw dust clouds from afar. Someone was running at full speed this way.
“This soon?”
The Demon King was stronger than I thought!
“Damn! I should change to horses
”
“Instructor!!!”
However, the voice stopped me.
“Mirua?”
“Safe!”
Mirua jumped on the Drake in a fluid motion and tapped its body. The movements were too natural to stop, and the Drake started to fly with a shout.
“I know how to ride this one!”
“Did you learn to catch me?”
“Ah
”
Mirua’s smile diminished, and she avoided my gaze.
“Things are going crazy.”
Only a very few normal soldiers gained magic after many years of experience. However, that was one in ten thousand. Only the chosen could walk that path. Except for that route, a normal soldier’s highest goal was to become a cavalryman. Anyone could become one, but the training and management fees were severe.
Also, some cavalrymen could ride wyverns, griffons, and drakes! Training thoroughbreds were hard enough, and monsters would be next to impossible. Also, the maintenance and training fees were equal to an entire troop. Falling from a horse was a dangerous experience but from the sky? Mages had to wait during training, and troops that could control wyverns had to secure the area. That meant huge amounts of money.
“Tell me the truth. How many got that training?”
“Everyone trying to catch you.”
They did that to catch me.
“How many are there?”
“Umm
”
Mirua looked at her fingers and started counting.
“Two
”
“Two thousand?”
If there were enough monsters, that number could control the sky of these lands.
“No, twenty thousand.”
“What?”

However, the opponent was the Empire’s princess. She broke common sense.
“Twenty thousand?”
Did the Empire have that much money?
“We used most of the money from Howling to catch you.”
Howling had been the greatest evil organization in the Empire. We had to make transactions with cash and objects, which meant the Empire had to have

“You must have earned a lot.”
My secreted assets alone would feed a village for a century. How much would Howling have earned for a century?
“Training had been easy for us there.”
“Damn! Summoners
”
Since the academy’s summoners had gone under the princess, there would be no reason to call for mages and soldiers. I knew that some of them were already familiar with sky battles, so they and other summoners would be enough.
“That would save money.”
“Wyverns were also easy to get.”
“How?”
“You hit them with a bat like this!”
The Drake cried under Mirua’s bat.
“They listen to me well after this!”
“That is not why I gave you that bat
”
It seemed I had made the wrong decision giving the bat to Raine. They had even trained wyverns with that? I gave them the worst weapon.
-All your fault.
Damn! To try to catch me with my own methods.
“Do you want to know more?”
“
Yes.”
I hesitated but knew I had no choice. I needed information.
“Every empire soldier can receive a bounty for you
”
“What?! Everyone?”
“Yes.”

I knew that the Empire held about four hundred thousand soldiers. Maybe five hundred now. That would equal the population of a small country

“What the
”
“Also, diplomatic negotiations are underway to catch you on a national level
”
“Nation?”
“Yes.”

If Mirua was serious about diplomacy

“Have there been deals?”
“Yes.”
The princess seemed to have really negotiated with other countries to catch me instead of relying on power.
“That’s why
”
The Nayden Kingdom’s princess had fallen in love with the hero, which must have been part of why Nayden and the Empire had become allies.
“And
”
“There’s more?”
“This is the important part.”
What could be more important than this?
“Over one hundred sword masters.”
“What?”
“Divine summoners and equally strong summoners. Over fifty of them.”
“Say again?”
“Over ten high mages and a hundred mage teams.”
“Wait a minute.”
“They are all under her highness’s control
”
“Turn back! I will just fight the Demon King!”
Had I just heard the entire fleet of warriors to catch the Demon King? There was no other reason for such a number of elite warriors to gather.
“Tell me you’re lying.”
Mirua quietly showed me a dagger from her belt.
“Ah
”
I saw the blade flicker, and she then raised her hand to point at the empty sky.
“Flash!”
While she spoke a word, she used a lightning spell, and even in a perfect spear shape. It seemed powerful as well.
“I’m this good.”
“

”
I had nothing to say. She was a swordmaster, a mage, and could ride a drake? If she was a troop leader, how strong would her members be?
“You would not be able to escape anywhere
”
I had to agree. The sheer number of elites was astounding.
“So, just return to her place
”
I had to think things over as Mirua hummed. Staying near her highness could ensure my safety, as her authority and power were overwhelming.
“I refuse!”
However, I had to live with her highness, who went to these extremes just to catch me!
“Is that so
?”
I slowly raised my arm and grabbed the Metal Bat, which I had transformed.
“Instructor? We could all die!”
Mirua shouted, and I knew we were all high up. However, I needed her help if I wanted to survive.
“Is the food good in the palace?”
“What do you mean?”
I needed bait.
“There’s this legend in the Imperial Kitchen.”
“Are you
”
I took out the secret weapon I had prepared, just in case.
“This is my collection of imperial secret recipes.!”
“Oh!”
I recollected all my memories about the Imperial Kitchen and the recipes. Mirua was looking at me with bright eyes.
“I will give it to you
”
So please be my double spy for the Imperial Palace.