The area that Fitoria had indicated was massive. Motoyasu had been here a couple of hours ago. He should still be nearby, but he might have gained the Portal skill. Adrian paused. Of course, the simpler possibility was that he was using a filolial or a dragon. Unfortunately, that meant that his search radius was larger than he'd prefer.
The good part was that the population density of Melromarc was low. Despite the immense space that he had to investigate there were only two large settlements and twenty smaller ones. Monsters ruled this world. They were the dominant species in many ways. It made tracking the mana of a human using Mana Sight easy. Especially a human with a Weapon attached to their soul. Add in his hunting skills, high-speed movement techniques, aerial movement tricks and the lack of other humans in most monster-infested areas and it went from easy to effortless.
But first, he needed to get to the capital and secure the Vassal Cane. The only other option was to depend on Fitoria for rescuing Isis. Fury spiked at the sheer apathy of Fitoria. Adrian found himself irritated by the tedium. Fatigue wasn't helping matters. Neither was carrying Itsuki. It was wise. Adrian didn't want to leave him back at the base and have the Book Hero pick him up. The man had travelled between dimensions without using a Wave. Who was to say that he wouldn't do it again?
He knew that finding Motoyasu first was a higher priority. That was what logic dictated. Not only was the death or capture of a Legendary Hero a disastrous event for the world as a whole it was also a countdown towards Fitoria killing him. If Adrian secured Motoyasu and Itsuki than even if Naofumi did end up dead it would not matter. She was unlikely to kill him but if one of them died then all bets were off. Another factor was that Motoyasu and Itsuki could act as bait for the Book Hero.
Undeniable benefits both from a pragmatic and selfless point of view.
It still felt wretched.
Adrian knew that he was not betraying Isis by delaying the capture of Aultcray. He wasn't leaving her to die because he was taking a few hours to search for the Spear Hero. He knew that he had to free the slaves, capturing the trader and obtain monster eggs to raise an army with. But it didn't feel that way.
Adrian shook it off, moved high up into the sky and used his telescopic vision combined with Mana Sight to study the plains below him. He ignored the glare from the sun high above him and moved on after confirming that the only human below was a shepherd...well, sort off, she had some sheep-like things which were much bigger and whose wool trailed behind them like a cape.
He dashed, noting the next town on his Map, and how much the map had been updated. Surprise surged as he realized that he was nearing the capital. He had looked through more than half of his search area. The thought was encouraging and worrying. He hoped that Motoyasu was still alive.
Adrian tried not to think of how low the chance of a diplomatic agreement with Motoyasu was. The colder, more frightened part of him was clear. Motoyasu was a tool of Melromarc. Adrian knew how stubborn the man was. He had never believed Naofumi. Not even after the princess admitted to her guilt. Worse the man had rejected the power-up methods that Naofumi had spoken to him about. It was likely that in this timeline Motoyasu would treat Adrian with the same contempt. The man would not listen to anything and thus would be at risk of dying and would be a threat to Adrian.
Neither possibility was acceptable.
Soon the untamed wilds began to diminish. Roads and travellers became a more common sight which had Adrian moving higher into the sky. He moved Itsuki, whom he was holding in a fireman's carry, a little.
He spied on thousands. None of them was his targets. All were pitiful. Many were suffering, but they were not a concern. Not yet.
He promised himself that he'd help the poor and the broken later.
It felt as hollow as it had before. Adrian was starting to remember why he had chosen to flee the capital. He had almost convinced himself that it was because of the politics, the fear or even because of his party but it wasn't that. Or at least it wasn't mostly that.
Adrian moved on and braced himself as the Capital came into full view. He shifted a kilometre into the sky. Using Dash in short bursts so that Itsuki wouldn't be torn apart by the pressure changes. Confident that his stats would keep him alive. Once he was certain that no one could see him he pulled out a disc, projected some swords to keep it floating and bound Itsuki to it. Once the Bow Hero was comfortable he focused on the city below.
The city was full. Alive. Adrian realized that he had never activated Blindsight or mana sight or telescopic vision when the city was active. It had been late in the evening after their arrival from the Black Forest and he had left that night without looking back.
Adrian immediately focused on the four targets he was truly concerned about. The Walls, the Castle, the Church and the Guild. The Slave Traders were important in the sense that they were his target but they were not a threat. Merely a place to rob and conduct a rescue operation at.
The Walls were full of lazy soldiers, patrolling with the apathy of people who had done no real work for days or weeks. It was unlike the Border Wall. Shorter, with a lesser number of enchantments. He dismissed it after a moment. Paranoia had him wield a second glance using his appraisal skills. They confirmed his suspicions. This was nothing more than a simple defensive fortification.
The Church looked amazing but only because of the architecture and the Hourglass. The defences were non-existent and the Pope was absent. There were some interesting books and a fair amount of wealth. There were some warriors and mages with their robes, habits and rosaries but they were weak and he ignored them.
The Guild was nothing special at all and Adrian made it a point to try and find Andrea. After five minutes of scanning the city, he found numerous trails of her mana and her presence in parts of the city, but that was it. She was absent and the place that was likely to be her home was empty.
He considered that for a long moment and then checked on Agatha. Absent. Her shop had two boys in it. His suspicions flared and he moved his position glancing towards his main target. The Castle.
Unlike the rest of the city, the Castle was ornate and well defended. Not as amazing as the Border but far more concentrated. The good news was that Adrian could see several nobles and Andre, the Headmaster of their Mage Academy in the Castle. The bad news was that Motoyasu, Malty and Aultcray seemed to be missing.
To be more precise, there was a person who looked like Aultcray to his Blindsight, but Mana sight showed him the truth. The man did not look like a Hero. Heroes had unique dual-toned mana. Fitoria, Kyo, Naofumi and even Adrian himself was proof of that. An imposter or a stealth ability.
He shook off the bad feeling that manifested and scouted out the Slave Trader. The sight of the slaves tempted him to drop in and slaughter the bastard and his servants. Bound with a cruel seal and in a cage. It was a struggle to study their non-existent defences.
Adrian etched the sight in his mind.
He would remember this.
Still, there was one thing he hadn't given much thought to. In many ways, the slaves had more than some of the street rats. It was a bitter thought and one that made him consider trying to help some of them as well. The thought faded. He had other priorities.
Adrian took a deep breath and moved back up into the sky where Itsuki was lying down on his disc. The cold air gave him a measure of peace and removed some fatigue. He darted away from the capital and considered his discoveries. For a long minute or two, he did nothing. Uncertain and furious he paced on the wooden platform before realizing that he had been underestimating his enemies and this world. Aultcray was the King of Wisdom and he had realized a simple truth.
The best way to survive a battle against a stronger enemy was to never start the fight.
Adrian took a deep breath and pushed out his frustration. He relaxed his grip on his sword and marked the point in the sky he was in as a Portal Spot. The Sword Hero picked up Itsuki, stored the disc inside his sword and continued his search for Motoyasu. At this point, the only thing he was even a little certain of was that Motoyasu was somewhere in the area. He had to use that...and hope that Malty and Aultcray were with him.
For a moment he stared back down at the Castle and considered a third possibility. There was a chance that Aultcray Melromarc had never been the Cane Hero. Instead for one reason or another, they had created a lie. Perhaps it was spread to make him a suitable husband for Mirellia or to keep the Cane Hero's death hidden from the public or some other reason. Nonetheless, the actual Cane Hero was likely to be elsewhere.
It was odd to wish that Aultcray was the Cane Hero even if it was only because he was on a time limit.
Adrian removed his doubts. He needed a Vassal Weapon and he would get one no matter the situation. He wasn't quite ready to give up on the Cane, but even if he failed Melromarc was hardly the only nation with a Vassal Weapon.
