After the party was done with Kimberry town, now they're heading northward, toward Northpoint, the largest city of the northern region.
Huey and Cheryl was now sitting outside of the wagon together so Huey can see around better, looking out for any potential attacks.
Another reason is because they have more companion, the armoured knight Brigid.
"It's so squashing in here~!" Angie complain as now the inside wagon has less spaces due to Brigid's gears, which consist of armour, big shield, and infantry's lance, which taking a lot of spaces to store which their small wagon aren't meant for it.
"Just get used to it." Huey reply.
The reasons for Brigid to come along with them was not just because he was Cheryl's junior knight, but also because of their need of frontal unit with stout defense, the trait that the three lacking.
The party's journey was easy so far, as they only encounter some lost wolves, but no bandits.
"I through we're gonna face more bandits." Huey said as he look around.
"Me too, normally they should scattering around after such huge failure, but it's looks like they're just disappear." Cheryl reply.
"Let's keeps our gaurd up, anything could happen."
"Agreed" The two said as the party approach the city wall, after days of treavel, they're finally at the biggest city of the northern region. Northpoint.
Northpoint city was and still, the biggest city of the northern region, rich with large furtile lands and woods nearby, along with being at the crossroad, making this city serve the kingdom as both agriculture hub, trading post, and woods exporter.
All these factor make the city technically uneffected by the kingdom's slavery abolition act, since the city has a lot of sources of income already.
The party arrive at the city gate, and encounter with the city's guards.
"Halt! State your business!" One of the guard stop their wagon with serious tone.
"Cheryl Reeds. On oficial porpose." Cheryl step down from the wagon and show the guard his knight seal and letter.
"...Oh, we didn't know that the royal capital would sent you here." The guard change his tone into more friendly manner.
"It's alright, our porpose here is not a serious matter anyway." Cheryl reply with his polite smile, despite lying to the guard about his 'seriousness'
"Understood, your party are welcome." The guard said as he let them in and go check another more travellers.
"Not serious, you say?" Huey jest Cheryl.
"It's not serious for them, this big city would not be attack by those ruffians anyway." Cheryl reply with gremlin smile.
"Didn't know sir Cheryl would lying normally like that." Angie said from inside the wagon.
"Unexpect, isn't it~?" Brigid reply, stretching his arms as he looking outside.
"Still a lively place, even at time like this."
"Town folks probably still not know about Marques's passing." Angie said.
"So, where're we gonna stop?" Angie poke his face out of wagon and ask Cheryl.
"At the tavern, the largest tavern of this city. There might still be some rooms for us all." Cheryl reply.
"You know this place?" Huey ask.
"Yup, back when I was still a squire, me and my brother was garrison here for short times."
"I don't know you have a brother." Huey ask.
"He's not a socially person, he's now station at the northern border."
"Can't imagine how he's looks like." Huey wonder.
"If you mean sir Cecil, he just looks like sir Cheryl but longer hair and with bad mood." Brigid reply from the wagon. Causing Cheryl to hush him.
"H,....hey!"
"By the way, Huey, You know Marques Mannstein before, so you pobably know this city well, right?"
"Well, I mostly stayed at the outer layer of the city, hardly come this deep unless meeting with the Margrave."
"I see." Huey and Cheryl talking as the party arrive at the city's biggest tavern.
"You three rent the rooms and have some dinner ahead." Cheryl telling them as he get down from the wagon's seat and taking his gears and formal cloak from the wagon before put it on.
"Where're you going?"
"We're here to meet young lord Mcbeth about his father's matters and bandits problems, you remember? So it's better to meet him as soon as possible, it's evening now so better hurry before it went dark."
"I'll go with you then, as his father's acquaintance and for if something went wrong." Huey said as he's about to preparing himself too.
"Not now, someone need to drive the wagon to the parking place, I'll tell the young lord and have you three go meet him next day." Cheryl reply.
"Okay, just don't come back late." Huey agree as he get back on the seat.
Cheryl watch his friends driving off, before turning around and walking off.
"Welcome, sir Cheryl. Don't think you would coming this late." At the Margrave's manor, Cheryl is now sitting in the guest room, with another person sitting opposite to him.
Mcbeth Mannstein, a son of late Margrave and his heir. A boy in noble outfit consist of black top and shorts, along with white scarf and silver trim red cloak on his shoulder, the boy also holding a walking cane of his father in hand. He has blonde, silky hair cut short, brown eyes, resemble to his father in almost every traits, with exception of his round and beauty face which he's inherited from his mother.
"Regarding about your father's passing, I sincerly sorry for your lose." Cheryl tell the young lord with great respect to his father.
"It's alright, my father was ill for some times now, I too through he would've made it. But, well...."
"I carry both respect and worry from his majesty regarding your father, it seems the new about his passing has been leak." Cheryl get straigh to the point.
"Recently, there was an attack from bandits at Kimberry, the attack was repel, but the bandits was strangely organize, I believe that maybe they know about the news and get bolder."
"I'm aware of this as well." Mcbeth reply.
"I was given the authority to investigate about the disturbance of the region, I hope you would understand and cooperate."
"About that..." Mcbeth whispering, as he look at Cheryl sipping his tea.
".....?" Cheryl then feels strangely sleepy, looking at the tea cup and quickly realize what's wrong.
"What...., lord Mcbeth....?" He look at Mcbeth for answer, but the lord just keep silent, with a mysterious figure in cloak appear with grim smile on her face.
Expect the royal knight to collapse and fall asleep soon, but Cheryl did something unexpect.
He break the tea cup, then stab his own hand with it, forcing himself awake with pain.
"Wha-...!?"
"My, that was unexpected." The two lift their eyes, with Mcbeth surprise of what he see and the figure looks impress.
"What the meaning of this!? Don't you tell me you've had anything with these disturbance?" Cheryl questioning the young lord, his voice is shaking from both surprise and the effect of the drug.
"About that....."
"Well, yes. Our young lord just agree to help me with my business. Seriously, you and your friends causing a lot of fuss back at Kimberry that my plan gone wrong." The mysterious figure interrupt the two and telling Cheryl about her involvement, before the room's door open, with several rough looking men coming in.
"Those are.....?" Cheryl quickly recognize them.
"You're involve at Kimberry? I through you're just sla-...!?"
"Shhh, don't be too loud, young lord, or your men will know that you're in kahoot with slaver....." The figure quickly shut Mcbeth with her finger and whisper to him, while Cheryl try to hold himself together.
"Damn it...., should've listen to Huey...." Cheryl blaming his carelessness as he chant his spell.
"Tempestas!"
"Protego!" Mcbeth quickly cast his defense spell and block the aggressive wind from Cheryl while the figure swinging her rope slings and throw at weakening Cheryl, causing him to get bind and fell to the ground.
"Don't worry about your friends, I'll deals with them soon enough."
"You-...Ugh!?" Cheryl try to talk back at the figure, but then her henchmen rising back from his spell and hold him in place, before tying a thick cloth around his mouth to keep him from casting another spell.
"Sleep well, little boy." The mysterious figure closing her face to Cheryl and whispering at his ear, as the knight being overwhelm by sleep drug's effect.
"....(Hu...ey.....)" As his last strenght fade away, everything went dark for Cheryl.