novelraw Chapter 68. Unexpected News.
Chapter 68. Unexpected News.
"Thank you." Ray said and Clara nodded before looking at the crowd with a bright smile on her face.
"The Church thanks Thornsville for its service and sacrifice. May the Goddess bless you all."
Clara concluded the formalities quickly after that. Then, she spoke briefly with Elaine.
Their words were quiet so Ray couldn’t hear what they were saying from where he stood.
But once she was done, Clara mounted her horse and was prepared to leave when one of her escorts moved closer to her.
"Sister Clara...." One of the guards riding closest to her murmured as he leaned toward her. "I forgot to mention this on our way here but I received word from one of our patrols concerning a certain healer."
"What did you hear?"
"I heard she’s a noble that had been imprisoned for committing a crime but now, she’s escaped and all other nobles have been warned to keep their eyes peeled. I believe we should do the same as we travel back to the capital as well." The guard whispered softly but Ray was able to pick up on what was said.
"Have anyone confirmed her whereabouts?" Clara asked.
"I heard she was last spotted near Blackwood Forest but the inquisitors lost her trail three days ago. There’s currently a bounty on her head but we still need to be careful on our way home."
"Thank you Dwayne." Clara thanked him and the guard nodded in response.
Meanwhile, Ray stood still as he watched Clara and her escorts leave the village.
Strangely enough, Ray couldn’t help but think that he might have heard about this happening in the past.
’A female noble, Imprisoned but escaped. Inquisitors are currently after her but yet she’s a healer.’
Ray tried to connect the pieces together but he couldn’t recall who this healer was.
And besides how was she strong enough to stop the guards during her time of escape.
Healers weren’t generally known for their strength and physical combat.
’But then again there are different types of healers.’ Ray uttered in his thoughts.
’So should I limit or broaden my assumption of what kind of healer she might be.’
’No wait, there’s something more important right now.’
’What exactly did she do for the church to want her badly enough to post bounties and send inquisitors.’ Ray wondered as he recalled how he sensed the urgency in the guard’s words.
Something about how they wanted to find her so badly just made him even more curious but Ray swiftly filed it away for now.
As much as he would love to know more about this healer, Ray couldn’t really allow himself to think too much about her because she was a noble and Ray hated their kind due to how he had been treated by them in the past.
Whatever messed up situation she might have found herself in, Ray didn’t want to bother himself with it, and so he turned around and walked back toward the house.
His training hadn’t ended yet, so Ray thought it would be better to simply resume his training.
Meanwhile, Helen, Emma and Mira had already returned back home.
Later in the afternoon, after Ray had trained to his satisfaction, he still couldn’t stop thinking about what he had heard earlier in the morning
The words the guard said kept circling in his mind and they settle in his mind like puzzle pieces that should fit together but didn’t quite align as well.
In fact, something about the phrasing the guard used kept bothering him, but most of all, Ray really wanted to know if he could recall her name or not.
Seeing that he was getting nowhere by simply resting on the floor and staring at the sky, Ray decided to have a walk along the village.
His eyes lingered on everyone working hard to rebuild their homes with better equipment than before, thanks to the fact that Lord Fluffybottom had reduced their tax, allowing them to use their savings on things that mattered more to them.
The atmosphere in the village felt animated and Ray couldn’t help but smile as he acknowledged the fact that he had only a few days left before he leaves the village to carry out his goal.
Leaving the village had been at the back of his mind recently but Ray didn’t want to leave his family without some sort of protection.
This was why he had decided to leave Helen and Emma with one of the wyverns once they had hatched.
A wyvern cub was still dangerous than all the villagers combined despite it being a child.
As long as it remained airborne, it’s advantage and chances of winning against any opponent was really high, so Ray saw it as a really good weapon to leave with Helen and Emma because it would definitely protect them if anything were to happen to the village.
However, with his newly upgraded <
Ray stared at his fingers but clenched it right after as he pondered on checking out his stats right now or not.
’Hmm, I’ll think about my abilities later.’
’Now is not the time.’
Ray reminded himself as he continued his stroll along the village to help him feel calm and relaxed.
Later that evening, Mira found Ray back at the yard behind the house, with just an hour before dinner.
He was sitting on the fence and looking at nothing in particular but his sword was across his knees and his hands remained still.
Mira approached and sat beside him without saying anything.
The two remained silent for a while until Mira broke that silence. "Ray? What’s wrong? You’ve been somewhere else all day."
Ray looked at her and replied softly. "I’m sorry. I’ve been trying to remember something that’s all."
"What is it?"
"I don’t know exactly, but I feel it’s something I must have heard a long time ago. Somehow I feel its connected to what that guard said this morning but I just can’t..." Ray stopped as he clenched his fist softly.
Mira waited for Ray to continue but he didn’t so she leaned closer to him and placed her head on his shoulder.
"It’s almost dinner time. Maybe you should try having something to eat and maybe you’ll figure everything out later okay?"
Ray nodded in understanding and the two stepped inside for dinner.