No great wizard could ever rise without the support of a massive power structure behind him. To achieve such heights entirely on one's own was nothing short of a dream.
But whenever one built up an organization and sought to amass wealth, one would inevitably offend many people.
Compared to that, the trouble the Faolan Family now faced was merely a minor inconvenience — the sort of thing Leilin would have to deal with eventually even if he had left the family behind.
Not to mention, the status of a noble was genuinely useful. It granted Leilin passage through any human settlement on the continent without hindrance, and he was unwilling to give that up.
At the pace of his advancement, the Faolan Family would one day be unable to keep up with his needs, so it was essential to expand the family's interests.
When one ate more, others ate less. Leilin had long foreseen that the Bodhi Archipelago controlled by the Louis Marquisate, along with its many natural harbors, would become an obstacle to his family's rise.
"Since that's the case, then I'll just remove it!"
Even without this incident, the Faolan Family would inevitably come into conflict with Marquis Louis one day. With that realization, Leilin's eyes were already filled with cold resolve.
"Of course, compared to the wealthy and powerful Marquis, the current Faolan Family is far from prepared. That means even if we win this round, we must keep a low profile. Ideally, we should… hm?"
Leilin's eyes suddenly widened. "That energy signature… Chip!"
【Ding! Task established. Scanning initiated. Suspicious individuals detected approaching! High-energy gathering alert! Assessment: targets are carrying high-energy explosives!】
On the Chip's display, the carriage seemed to dissolve into a ghostly outline, revealing streets and figures rendered in lines of data. Several pedestrians creeping closer were flagged by the Chip.
"Assassins? Jacob…"
Leilin's voice reached Jacob's ears up ahead, where the man was driving the carriage. Jacob's face froze for an instant.
"Don't stop! But don't show any suspicion or panic either. Change direction!"
Leilin's instructions continued to flow into Jacob's ears, seemingly inaudible to anyone else.
Jacob's hand faltered slightly on the reins — he had already chalked this up to one of a wizard's peculiar abilities — but the experienced servant immediately understood that the young master had noticed something.
Crack! The crisp sound of a whip rang out, and the carriage that had been moving straight ahead suddenly veered, turning into a different side road.
"They're still following? Heh… Is this the kind of mission where they won't stop until they've completed it?"
Leilin watched the assassin's movement routes on the Chip's display, and a cold smile crept onto his face.
"Jacob, follow the route I laid out!"
No matter what, as the young lord of Faolan Harbor, Leilin could not allow the port's prosperity to suffer. If word got out that the noble heir had been attacked in the streets of the harbor, it would deal a devastating blow to the port's reputation. Frightened merchants would sooner take the long way around than stop there to resupply. So even though Leilin had already detected the assassins, he could not simply engage them in the middle of a crowded marketplace.
Jacob clearly understood this too, and he stuck rigidly to the route Leilin had instructed.
Under Leilin's guidance, the carriage slipped along like an eel, quickly leaving the market behind and emerging onto the small country roads outside. The assassins, in turn, accelerated and began to close in from all sides.
"Ready, Jacob? The moment we start, break through and send the signal to rally the patrol guards!"
Leilin sounded perfectly calm and confident.
"But what about the young master's safety?!" Jacob's face still showed some hesitation.
"Don't worry about that. Don't forget — I'm a wizard, and stronger than you to boot!" Leilin said bluntly.
As if recalling the multiple times he had been bested by Leilin, Jacob flushed red. "Understood, young master!"
At that moment, several black figures lunged forward in obvious frustration.
They had clearly realized that Leilin had been toying with them back at the harbor! Their fury drove them to throw away any pretense of subtlety, directly launching their killing weapons.
"Goblin alchemical bombs, are they?"
Seeing several dark orbs hurtling toward the carriage, Leilin shook his head with mild disdain.
Had they been launched in the crowded harbor, even if Leilin himself emerged unscathed, Jacob would surely have been injured or killed — not to mention the civilians caught in the blast.
But out here in the open wilderness, with clear lines of sight and advance warning from Lein, even Jacob could dodge them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The dark spheres struck the carriage, and terrifying explosions erupted, unleashing enormous gouts of flame that quickly swallowed the vehicle whole.
The violent blasts tore the carriage to pieces, sending fragments flying in every direction.
But before that happened, two black shadows had already leaped clear of the carriage.