The perspective shifted to the scallion pancake stall, where a customer named Jerome stood.
While waiting for the owner to make the pancake, he couldn’t help but turn his head to look in the direction Freya and the other girl had just left.
Euphemia’s immediate reaction had been practically perfect, truly looking as if she had suddenly realized she’d forgotten her money, appearing stunned, embarrassed, and flustered.
But the problem was, Euphemia’s attire didn’t look like that of a commoner at all.
Both her single-framed glasses and her walking stick clearly indicated her noble status, and the probability of a noble forgetting to bring money when going out was certainly lower than that of a commoner.
After all, a commoner might be going out to work, but what would a noble be doing?
They’d definitely be going out to spend money and seek entertainment, not to go to work.
Of course, the possibility that Euphemia had “truly forgotten” couldn’t be ruled out.
But even if there were only a ten percent chance that the girl was acting, what was this performance trying to cover up?
The “shock” when she saw me?
But what was she shocked about?
Does she recognize me?
Jerome paid and took the pancakes the Boss handed over, all while thinking: the other girl next to Euphemia, with her white hair, closed eyes, and bare feet, was clearly a Beyonder of the Earth Pathway.
This meant the two girls he had randomly encountered were not ordinary.
Jerome mentally reviewed everything he had done so far.
His entire plan was still in the preparation stage, and he hadn’t left any clues behind.
The chance of being discovered was extremely low.
So, did that noble girl really just forget to bring money?
But…
even if there were only a sliver of a possibility that she had actually noticed something, that she really recognized him, Jerome didn’t want to take any risks with something so important.
(Note: Euphemia had bought too many clothes for Freya for the two of them to carry easily, so Euphie simply paid a small tip for the waiter to deliver them to the rented room instead of carrying them.)
The perspective shifted back to Freya.
Fortunately, the preparation of the Minced Meat Scallion Pancakes was quite tedious, and Jerome had ordered three, so the Boss took a considerable amount of time to make them.
By the time Euphemia finished mailing the letter and the two of them returned wearing the Invisibility Cloaks, Jerome was still there.
Euphemia said, “As far as I know, the War Pathway has no perception methods.
So, as long as we wear these Invisibility Cloaks and don’t get too close to him, we should theoretically be safe.
However, Frey, don’t use your perception ability to look at him, and don’t harbor any hostility toward him.”
It was now known that Jerome possessed a Beyonder item capable of blocking the Earth Pathway’s Heart Sense ability.
The two of them didn’t know what type of Beyonder item it was.
What if it was a consumable type?
For example, if it automatically consumed spirituality to block observation after being observed, then Freya constantly watching him would expose them, wouldn’t it?
As for the “don’t harbor any hostility” part, Euphemia explained, “The Rank 2 War Pathway has a Beyonder ability called [Intuition].
He can sense an attack about to be launched against him in advance, whether in or out of combat.
This is a passive ability, which means that sneak attacks are useless against someone of the War Pathway.
The moment anyone prepares to strike, they will be discovered.”
“And this guy is already Rank 5 now, so this ability must have been enhanced several times.
Maybe now he’ll even notice if we harbor any hostility toward him.”
Freya asked in confusion, “So what level counts as ‘hostility’?”
Euphemia pondered for a moment, “I don’t know…
Anyway, I’m certain I don’t have any hostility toward him.
He’s a Rank 5, after all.
I’m just a Rank 2 Scholar; if I went over there, I’d be asking for death.
I wouldn’t even try to provoke him, I’d be too busy running away.
How could I possibly feel any hostility?”
Freya opened her eyes, no longer using her Heart Sense ability.
Her cute green eyes looked at the man ahead, while she tried to clear her mind and think about other things to distract herself.
The two of them followed him openly like this.
Along the way, Euphemia even said, “See, I told you something good would happen if we went out for a walk today!
Look, isn’t my divination pretty accurate!”
Who could have imagined that after a week of high-intensity patrolling without finding anyone, she’d run into her target just by coming out to relax?
Time slowly passed.
All afternoon, Jerome wandered around like a loafer, stopping and starting, with no one knowing what he was up to.
Until the sky gradually darkened, and this guy actually found a roadside inn and checked in on the fly.
Euphemia, who was trailing behind, couldn’t help but have a huge question mark appear on her forehead, “Wait, what’s this guy doing!?”
Freya blinked and pondered, “Could it be…
that we’ve been discovered?”
Euphemia said, “It shouldn’t be.
If he discovered us, why wouldn’t he just directly kill us?
So…
what is he on guard against?”
Euphemia quickly thought back to her performance at the scallion pancake stall.
It was only possible that she had shown some flaw then.
She couldn’t help but say, “No way, is this guy really this cautious?”
After sighing helplessly, Euphemia said angrily, “Then there’s nothing we can do.
Now we just have to compete with this old man in patience to see who gives in first!”
As she spoke, she first led Freya into the inn, glancing around.
Fortunately, the inn’s lobby had a sofa, and the two quickly went over and sat down on it.
Freya seemed to have guessed what Euphemia wanted to do and asked in disbelief, “You can’t possibly be planning to camp out right here, waiting until tomorrow, and then continue tailing that guy, can you?”
Euphemia said, “What else should I do?
I refuse to believe it.
If that guy is still staying at the inn tomorrow, I’ll keep camping out until the third day, the fourth day, until he returns to his base!”
After a pause, she continued, “If you don’t want to wait, Frey, I can send you home first, and then I’ll continue camping out here myself.
I’ll tell you immediately if I get any information.”
However, Freya shook her head, “No, I’d rather stay and keep you company.
That way, there’s someone you can talk to and pass the time with.”
Otherwise, a stakeout mission like this would be too boring for just one person.
Hearing this, Euphemia couldn’t help but give Freya a hug and said, “Mmm~ Frey, you’re really too kind!”
But…
that said, as the night grew deeper during their wait, even though they had been chatting the whole time, Freya slowly started to feel sleepy.
Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep, leaning on Euphemia’s shoulder.
Hearing the steady sound of breathing in her ear, Euphemia turned to look at Freya’s cute sleeping face, and a smile couldn’t help but form on her lips.
She reached out and gently poked Freya’s cheek, whispering, “Good night~”
Afterward, she took a book out of her crossbody bag and began to flip through it.
The next morning, Freya was gently woken up by Euphemia rubbing her face.
She opened her eyes groggily, only to see the other girl pinching and kneading her cheeks with both hands.
Euphemia said softly, “Don’t sleep, don’t sleep!
Wake up~!”
Freya quickly snapped awake and looked around.
“What’s wrong?
Has that guy started moving?”
Euphemia said, “Not yet, but Grandpa sent me a reply.
Let’s leave this place first and find somewhere to read the letter.”
The two of them quickly left the inn wearing their Invisibility Cloaks and found a quiet corner.
Euphemia raised her right hand and extended her index finger.
Normally, the little pigeon should have appeared directly now and landed on her finger.
Then Euphemia saw that her messenger indeed appeared, but after flapping its wings twice, it landed on top of Freya’s head.
Euphemia: “?”
The corner of her mouth twitched slightly, but she still reached out and took the folded envelope from the little pigeon’s beak, deftly tearing it open. Get faster updates on g.com.
Freya also leaned over to look, their heads thus gently pressed together.
Then, the first sentence on the envelope was:
[This is not a guy you can afford to mess with, stop investigating, and run as far as you can!]
Seeing this, Euphemia frowned slightly, revealing a very dissatisfied expression, but she still patiently continued to read:
[But that said, I also know I cannot sway your thoughts, you’ve been like this since you were a child, once you’ve made up your mind, you’ll never turn back even if you hit your head bloody, sigh]
[According to your description, that person is most likely General Jerome of the Tarapaca Kingdom’s ‘Third Vanguard Legion.’ It is said that some time ago he seems to have had some argument with His Majesty and was temporarily suspended from his duties and sent home to rest]
After that, the envelope went on to describe General Jerome’s various details in depth.
For example, about seven or eight years ago, the Tarapaca Kingdom did not have the War Pathway, which was the official mainstream Pathway of the neighboring “Pentagram Alliance.”
Because the two countries shared a border, frictions often occurred, and they had fought several skirmishes, both large and small.
To better understand this powerful neighbor, some spies infiltrated their territory and stole some of the War Pathway’s potion formulas.
Then, a group of people led by General Jerome were the first to consume them, figuring out how to digest the potions and uncovering their abilities.
Only by understanding your enemies can you better defeat them.
Of course, seven or eight years ago, Jerome was not yet a general.
He was just an ordinary grunt, a guinea pig who volunteered, a volunteer.
In the letter, Euphemia’s grandfather even described him this way: [This man is an unquestionable patriot.
He once abandoned his own family, his own wife and children, for the Tarapaca Kingdom, throwing himself recklessly into the front lines to fight bravely.
The “Third Vanguard Legion” under his command is also famously valiant among all the legions.]
[According to your description, although I don’t know why he wants to create a disaster in Auxerre City, there must be some reason for it.
You can hand this letter to the Special Operations Division and let them try to communicate with Jerome.]
[And if the worst-case scenario comes and you truly have to fight him, you must never fight him while he is prepared.
Instead, you should try to reduce the number of soldiers around him as much as possible.
That is a Beyonder ability called Battle Array, which can proportionally add the strength of all the soldiers around him to everyone, including himself and all those soldiers.]
Besides this “Battle Array,” in the letter, Euphemia’s grandfather also introduced all the other abilities of the War Pathway.
At Rank 1 of the War Pathway, physical fitness will be comprehensively enhanced.
At Rank 2, one will gain Beyonder abilities called “Intuition” and “Posture Reset.” Euphemia had already explained the former, as for the latter, it allows a War Pathway Beyonder to instantly restore their “posture” to its peak state during combat.
For example, when clashing with an enemy, a person of the War Pathway might unleash a devastating heavy blow, putting in ten or even twelve points of effort.
A normal person would definitely be exhausted for a while after that, wouldn’t they?
There would have to be a “vacuum period” where the old strength has just dissipated and the new strength has not yet arisen, right?
But as long as they use “Posture Reset,” they can immediately deliver another heavy blow with twelve points of effort.
When knocked back by an enemy, they can also use “Posture Reset” to instantly regain their balance, and even perform a double jump in midair.
This is actually a very powerful ability that can produce miraculous effects during a clash.
Next, at Rank 3 of the War Pathway, one will obtain “Battle Continuation” and “Blood Rage.” The former allows a War Pathway Beyonder to forcibly survive for a period of time even when facing a fatal blow, much like a health lock.
If their heart is pierced, they can probably still live for over a minute?
Even if their head is blown off and only their body remains, they can still live for another ten seconds.
As for Blood Rage, the worse their condition and the more severe their injuries, the more their physical fitness will proportionally increase.
Especially when the “Battle Continuation” health lock skill is triggered, it can even double their entire physical fitness on the spot.
Seeing this, Freya couldn’t help but part her lips slightly and say, “No…
this…?”
She thought about the abilities of Rank 2 and 3 of the Earth Pathway and compared them to this one from the War Pathway.
Was the difference a bit too large?
This combat power was far too strong, wasn’t it?
She felt that if Rank 3 of the War Pathway and Rank 3 of the Earth Pathway clashed, the Earth Pathway person would probably be directly torn into several pieces.
As for what abilities the Rank 4 and Rank 5 Generals of the War Pathway obtained after class change, Euphemia’s grandfather didn’t know in such detail.
The Rank 4 General would obtain abilities named “Adjutant” and “One-Man Army,” but the specific effects were unknown.
Rank 5 would have “Battle Array” and another unknown ability.
After reading the envelope, Euphemia also fell silent for a while, obviously scared by this somewhat exaggerated ability.
After a moment, she finally said, “I only knew that people of the War Pathway were covered in muscles, but I didn’t expect these muscles to be so exaggerated.”
Just then, with the sound of footsteps, Jerome walked out of the hotel.