As we neared the city gate I started having concerns. Our carriage was drawn by undead horses and our driver was a dullahan. However, my concerns were unfounded. Likely the guard had heard of us by now. The raid on the thieves guild had made Kaito famous, I suppose.

"So, how long until the first ambush? Any bets?" Skadi asked.

"We have not packed any armour but there are arming swords under the seats." Hatsumi said.

"What?" I asked, while looking under the seat. It was just a wooden bench with a leather cushion.

"There, they strapped to the bottom of the bench. We also have some more blankets underneath the bench, in case you want to sleep in here at some point." Hatsumi explained, while pointing at the swords.

"I also have a small bag down there with a few potions." Cassie added. "If we get attacked I can just throw some."

"What do you think they are going to try next? Mercenaries? More goblins?" Helena wondered.

"My bet is on undead. They want Hatsumi and Kaito. They will bring necromancers to capture them and throw their undead at us to slow us down." Skadi theorised.

"With an assassin coming for Koyuki. Distract us with minions, take her out, then dominate the tier threes." Cassie added.

"You are forgetting the cats, besides, they would need a good necromancer to capture a tier three." I said.

"I don't think they understand the power of cats." Skadi said.

Cassie nodded, while grabbing Kasai. She lifted the cat to her face and rubbed her cheek against it. "Look at the cuddly thing! Nobody would fear them." Kasai rubbed her head against Cassie's cheek and purred.

"And then they get eaten." Helena added.

"Concerning the ambush, there are a few places where it could happen." Hatsumi said, while unfolding a map. "We are following the Jinso, so one side will always be protected, unless they attack from the water. We are going to pass through the same area where the goblins attacked during the field trip. This time we won't cross the river, we will continue to follow it towards Neth. There is a chance that the goblins will be back for revenge. We have never learned how they were bribed to attack in the first place."

"It's crazy how much faster this carriage is than walking." I mused, while looking at the map. During the field trip we had been ambushed during the third night but with our carriage we would reach that place in one day.

"Coffee is a strong horse and the carriage is drawn by undead. We can travel faster than most." Hatsumi stated.

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"And we can travel without crackers!" Helena added.

"Um, did anyone pack snacks?" I asked. I had been focused on the exams and left the packing to my undead. Did they consider food? We had plans to stop at an inn in the evening but it was still a long way until then.

Hatsumi smiled. "I would be a bad maid if I forgot the snacks. We have cheese, fresh bread and smoked sausage for dinner. We can restock at the inn for tomorrow. I also brought cooking gear."

Having a maid, a willing maid, was very useful. I wondered how my life would have turned out without discovering magic. My hand almost tried to touch the non-existing collar but I caught myself in time. I was getting better at that.

Nyx distracted me from my thoughts as she settled down in my lap and demanded pets. I obliged.

Our journey continued uneventfully. We stopped briefly at midday to give Coffee a break and to stretch our legs. We also enjoyed lunch and then we were on the road again.

We passed a few travellers. Our undead horses spooked some of them but Kaito made sure to slow down and give them some space. Despite sitting a lot, I was exhausted in the evening. To our surprise no one had ambushed us on the first day and we made it safely to an inn.

It was an interesting building right next to the river. It even had a small wooden dock, in addition to the expected stable. The inn itself was two stories tall and built from stone, with a wooden roof. Despite the warm weather I saw smoke rising from the chimney. It meant they had a fire going, likely to cook something.

Our carriage came to a stop in front of the stable. A young boy emerged to greet us and froze when he saw the horses.

"Greetings." Kaito said. Seeing the dullahan did not help.

"AHHHHHHH…." The boy ran away, towards the building.

Meanwhile, Hatsumi opened the door and all of us left the carriage. Kaito hopped down from his bench.

"Apologies, I did not expect that reaction." He said.

"Not your fault. Maybe we have become used to the way undead are treated in Lupos." I replied.

Soon the door to the inn opened and three armed men emerged, weapons drawn. They wore chain shirts and held spears of reasonable quality.

Hatsumi approached them. "Greetings! There has been a misunderstanding. One of the young ladies is a necromancer, they are students from the Royal Military Academy on their way to Neth."

They looked at her suspiciously. Her eyes were not normal but her maid uniform had the desired effect. They relaxed.

"I see. So you got some skeletal horses? And a monster for a driver? A goblin?" One man asked.

Kaito stepped forward and tipped his head. "Greetings gentleman, I am Kaito, the humble butler of these ladies. Also, I am an undead in service of the esteemed necromancer Koyuki."

"Uh… your head's a bit loose." One man commented.

"Never seen a goblin like that. Never seen a polite goblin." The third muttered.

"We would like to stay the night, if that is possible?" Koyuki inquired.

"Um… sure. Gotta talk to the boss. Those undead… they are safe? Like, they won't eat the horses?" The first man asked.

"They are perfectly safe." Kaito replied.

With the situation cleared up we were allowed to enter. What greeted us was a large common room with ten tables. I could see a few people going back to their seats, they must have watched through the window. The guards escorted us to the man behind the counter, who watched us closely. He was bald but he did have a brown mustache. He wore a beige cotton shirt. It was not fancy but it was clean and in good condition.

"What's with the headless goblin? What sorcery is this?" He asked.

"Necromancy." I replied.

"Good evening. The ladies would like to spend the night." Hatsumi said.

The man looked at her, then he studied us. Suddenly he looked a lot friendlier.

"Ah, welcome then! We don't see a lot of necromancers here, I have never seen a headless undead. He looks like some magical goblin. We have had some trouble with goblins recently."

"No worries, good man. I have no affiliation with my mortal brethren and am but a loyal servant of the esteemed Koyuki." Kaito introduced himself. "We would like two rooms, if possible."

"Certainly, certainly. We also have servants quarters. They are free if you choose a suite. It comes with two bedrooms." He said.

"We shall take one suite then." Kaito replied.

"Sure, that will be one gold. Breakfast and dinner are included." The man replied and Kaito paid him.

The man nodded at the guards and they left the common room. Some of the other patrons still watched us but no one seemed to panic. Good. I was looking forward to some food, and a drink.

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