The next morning, the Aqua Deer Squad set off eastward on their flying brooms.
Compared to the Black Bulls, who always traveled together in a single vehicle, the Aqua Deer Squad, with each member capable of independently flying a broom, resembled a more organized military force.
However, those who understood knew that the rogue Mages acting as a regular army were often incredibly eccentric individuals.
The Aqua Deer Squad flew at a considerable speed, even quite fast.
Before noon, they had already appeared on the border between the Clover Kingdom and the Diamond Kingdom.
The border between the two countries was easy to distinguish: one side featured lush forests and mountains teeming with various birds, while the other was a somewhat barren wasteland overgrown with weeds.
Sometimes, one couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of nature; despite being only a line apart, the environments underwent drastic changes.
"Woo~ Is that the territory of the Diamond Kingdom over there?" Rill shielded his eyes from the sun and gazed into the distance.
"This is my first time leaving the Clover Kingdom.
I'm so excited! What different things will there be on the other side?"
'Heh heh... as expected of Captain Rill, still full of anticipation at a time like this.
We are not allies with the Diamond Kingdom.
Appearing on their land makes us enemies, and we'll be hunted down!'
Sesk, who always upheld caution and prudence in his missions, suggested, "Should we disguise our entry into the Diamond Kingdom?
If we fly straight in on our brooms, the Diamond Kingdom's Mages will probably discover us very quickly."
"It wouldn't be good if we attracted a large number of enemy forces."
"No need," Thor, who was leading the way, said.
"No matter how we enter the Diamond Kingdom, our tracks will be quickly detected by reconnaissance Mages.
Minor skirmishes are almost unavoidable."
"Our destination isn't far from here.
After crossing the border, we'll fly at maximum speed to avoid direct conflict with the main Diamond Kingdom reinforcements."
With that, Thor manipulated his flying broom and shot forward.
A long blue trail appeared in the air, and immediately, the members of the Aqua Deer Squad also ceased their hesitation, surging with magic as they sped forward.
Crossing the border, they appeared on the land of the Diamond Kingdom.
Below them was a barren wasteland.
After flying for some distance, several Mages in black robes appeared among the sparse bushes, their square-covered grimoires hovering beside them.
They were indeed the Mages of the Diamond Kingdom.
"Vine Creation Magic: Exorcism Roots!"
"Wind Creation Magic: Hurricane Tornado!"
"Rock Creation Magic: Scattered Flowing Rocks!"
In an instant, thick, verdant vines, swirling storms, and a rain of dense rocks assailed the Aqua Deer Squad flying in the sky.
"Watch out!"
Fragil called out, warning everyone.
Unbeknownst to them, Captain Rill of the Aqua Deer Squad had already lowered his flying altitude by one tier compared to the others, as if he had already anticipated the incoming attack magic.
A paintbrush stained with sky-blue paint appeared in his hand.
"You can't lay a hand on my squad members~"
"Painting Magic: Rain of Extreme Frost!"
As the paintbrush danced, an astonishing chill condensed countless icy raindrops in the air.
With a gentle downward motion, the raindrops poured down like a torrent.
The vines, storms, and rocks froze into ice and fell in the heavy rain.
The Mages of the Diamond Kingdom who had cast the spells were also splattered by the falling raindrops, and prismatic ice crystals sprouted, freezing them all in place.
But the battle was not over.
Black specks appeared in the distance in the sky, flying in from all directions and encircling the Aqua Deer Squad.
One of the Mages in a magic robe stepped slightly forward: "Surrender, Mages from the Clover Kingdom!"
"Regardless of your objective, you are now surrounded.
Do not offer futile resistance."
Thor, at the forefront, scanned the surrounding Mages of the Diamond Kingdom with his golden eyes.
A blue grimoire, subtly flickering with lightning, hovered beside him.
Without any hesitation, he directly unleashed his magic.
"Lightning Creation Magic: Thousand Screaming Thunderbirds!"
Frenzied blue lightning spread from his hands, radiating outwards, and in the blink of an eye, it proliferated.
The lightning branched out like tree limbs in the air, then rippled through the crowd like water, flashing with electricity and emitting sharp cries.
Instantly, the Mages of the Diamond Kingdom standing on their flying brooms plummeted downwards, blue electrical arcs still dancing on their bodies.
'His magic power is quite strong, not even inferior to... a Magic Knight Captain!' Bai En, at the back, observed Thor's first move and made his assessment inwardly.
With the impeding Mages incapacitated, the Aqua Deer Squad continued to speed forward.
After the Aqua Deer Squad's figures had flown far away, a fat man and a thin man, who had been lying on the ground, concealed by sand and rocks, slowly crawled up.
They patted away the dust around them.
"Fortunately, I listened to you and didn't make a move.
Otherwise, we would have been taken out in one hit just like them.
That was a close call."
Olm, the fat man, gasped for breath, then thought for a moment and asked, "But, Cajole, how did you know they... would be taken out by the Clover Kingdom's Mages?"
Cajole, who was as thin as a monkey, glanced at his teammate beside him and sighed helplessly: "Have you ever seen a rabbit dare to wander in front of a tiger?
If they didn't have some strength, would the people from the Clover Kingdom dare to enter our territory like this?
Are they stupid?"
He glanced at the guys lying slumped on the ground in the distance: "Hmm, they really are stupid."
Recalling the group from the Clover Kingdom just now, Cajole began to analyze: "If I wasn't mistaken just now, the cloaks on their shoulders should belong to the Aqua Deer, one of the Clover Kingdom's nine Magic Knight Squads."
"To be able to take out so many of us in an instant... the leader must be a Captain or something."
"A Captain? Isn't that equivalent to our General?"
Olm became excited: "Hey, Cajole, let's inform General Ladoros about this, shall we?
Maybe then he won't dwell on us losing Mars last time, and he'll transfer us back."
"You still bring that up!
If you hadn't let it slip last time, how would we have been discovered?" Cajole was furious.
Olm scratched his head shyly and chuckled.
After a long while, Cajole pondered and then said, "Let those guys from the Clover Kingdom go.
We'll just pretend we don't know anything.
See~ just like the guys lying on the ground, we were defeated by the enemy, but luckily, we weren't seriously injured."
"Huh? Why?"
"Use your head!
Is the pay for our current job the same as before?
Although patrolling the border every day is a bit further, isn't it much better than the days of constantly being on edge?"
"That's true... but we should at least strive for something..."
"Olm, listen up.
For people like us, who have neither prominent status nor exceptional talent, and whose strength is mediocre, chasing grand dreams and ambitions is just nonsense."
"Our goal and motto in life are: do less, get more, reap without sowing, stay away from danger, be safe and sound, and survive until the very end!"
"Ah... oh..."
...
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