Chapter 63 — An Unforeseen Disturbance

Gawain handed the paper to Betty: "The alphabet is up top, and that down below is your name. Just practice copying them. Ask me if there's anything you don't understand."

Betty took a moment to react, then accepted it as though it were a priceless treasure, so delighted she nearly blew a snot bubble.

The tent floor was still bare earth, merely packed down hard. Gawain marked off a patch beside his desk as Betty's practice area.

After loosening the soil for the girl, he returned to his desk, while the little maid crouched nearby and began clumsily practicing those basic letters.

She actually looked rather convincing.

A passage from a textbook he had studied in his previous life flickered through Gawain's mind, and he shook his head with a smile. This little interlude had relaxed him a great deal, and his thoughts were stirring again. He drew out another draft and prepared to tackle the next problem.

But the quiet did not last long. Before many moments had passed, Gawain heard a clamor from outside the tent.

He reassured Betty, telling the girl to keep practicing here in peace, then strode quickly out of the tent.

Sir Byron was also running toward him. From the faintly anxious look on his face, Gawain knew at once that something had gone wrong.

When the other man came close, Gao Yang spoke first, before the knight could open his mouth. "What happened?"

"Sir, word has come from the soldiers guarding the mountain vault. They report strange noises from inside—sounds like rock grinding together, or things knocking against each other. But the vault doors are sealed, so they cannot get in to confirm what is happening. They had no choice but to send the message on."

Something had gone wrong in the ruins?!

Gao Yang admitted to himself that in that instant he truly broke into a cold sweat. Anything else could be borne—but that vault absolutely could not fail!

That was his real coffin money!

Yet he steadied himself at once. Had this news arrived a few days earlier, he would likely have panicked far worse. Fortunately, during these past days he had kept arranging for men to move the vault's vital supplies to camp in relays. Not everything had been hauled out, but at least a third was already transported. Even if the vault truly met disaster—even if the whole thing caved in—it would not be so painful as to kill him...

In short, after a round of self-consolation, Gao Yang was fully composed again. And now that it was dark, Byron had probably not noticed the cold sweat that had just broken out on his master's forehead.

The Xuanmai Sect's image was preserved.jpg.

Gao Yang weighed whether to set out at once to inspect the situation or to wait until tomorrow in daylight, and soon reached a conclusion: Sleep, my ass! With something like this hanging over his heart, what iron-headed fool could sleep?! Rebecca's state of mind would probably collapse too!

"Leave camp defense to Knight Philip. Find a few sharp, capable soldiers and come with me into the mountains. And bring Hetty along as well—her support spells should prove useful."