Vincent looked at the two briefly before waving them to come closer.
Meanwhile, he was wondering if leaving that guy alive was the right choice.
'Well, he didn't see my face so there was no reason to kill him.'
If he correctly understands the situation, that man will be dead tomorrow.
After all, they must've held captive the two elves for a purpose. A bad one at that, so their sudden disappearance will surely stir up a lot of higher-ups.
Vincent put this matter to the side of his head as he felt nothing regarding the future of that man.
Right now he needed to get those two out of the city as fast as possible.
Only then he would be able to plan how to help them return to their home.
With this in mind, he went to a nearby bush and picked two hoods that he prepared just in case.
With a motion, he showed them to put them on themselves.
The two females understood what he wanted and put the hoods on.
Vincent nodded and led them through a safe route towards the city's exit.
As they moved through the streets, the two females couldn't help but feel shocked.
They didn't encounter any problem on their way as if this man knew in advance where the guards were.
It wasn't without a cost.
Vincent's head was in pain. He was barely holding himself from fainting.
But the exit was close, he just needed to hold up a bit more.
The two females also noticed that something was wrong with him, but they couldn't understand what was the reason.
Finally, the exit was in sight, just a hundred meters away.
Vincent decided to deactivate his soul force. He could no longer maintain it and stay conscious at the same time.
He felt as if his head was about to explode.
Arriving at the exit, the trio didn't see the guards.
Vincent was curious, but leaving the city was a top priority and this was the perfect chance to do so.
He could no longer use soul force, so he couldn't move as stealthily as before.
Vincent quickly waved the two to follow him as the exit was clear.
The trio successfully passed the gates.
Vincent finally felt relieved, but the moment he relaxed…
"Hey! Do you know what time it is? It is forbidden to leave the city at this hour. Go back and–" a guard suddenly appeared through nearby doors and shouted with both a lazy and orderly voice.
But he didn't finish as he was forced to catch something.
He glanced at the object and suddenly smiled, "Oh, sorry I must've forgotten that there is still a minute left until the restricted time."
Vincent didn't reply and the trio finally left the city.
The guard looked at the departing trio, 'Another rich guy with some weird hobbies,' he thought and stopped bothering as he observed the gold coin with excitement.
Corruption has its benefits if you have enough money.
If he had killed him, this would bring a lot of trouble in the future.
This way, even after the guard realizes tomorrow who they were, he'll stay silent for his own sake.
…
After the trio left the North Star City, they went into the nearest forest.
The two females had already put down their hoods as they walked behind Vincent through the forest.
At this point, the taller female touched Vincent's shoulder, stopping him.
He looked back.
The female began to speak with some gestures.
He couldn't understand a thing from her words, but some gestures he was able to identify, though partially.
'Does she say that she wants to stay here?'
Vincent nodded.
The two females began to speak with each other while Vincent decided to move a bit further away and stay on guard.
It looks like they've recognised something in this forest.
Vincent decided to take a needed rest to restore his soul force. By tomorrow he should be fine to go.
But suddenly, as he was about to enter meditation, he heard a female's shout behind him.
This alerted Vincent, and turned around only to be stunned by seeing a tall male silently standing behind him with an odd dagger right beside his neck as it was about to touch his skin and separate the head from his body.
Vincent shivered. He had almost lost his life without even knowing it.
Staring at the tall man with silver-gold hair, Vincent suddenly chuckled.
The tall man narrowed his eyes, then slowly withdrew his hand. He whistled some signal and immediately several more tall men with the same hair colour appeared on the tree branches.
They all looked to be in their twenties, but Vincent knew that they weren't.
According to this race's description, their appearance did not determine their age.
As far as he knows, if someone has silver hair, it means they are below 100 years of age and if older, their hair will change to silver-gold.
Vincent took a deep breath, but his heart couldn't help but tremble as he observed those 'young' men in brown robes.
At this moment, the tall female that Vincent saved stepped forward towards one of the men who wore a bit different robe than the others before saying something, pointing at Vincent.
The man nodded and suddenly moved towards him.
To Vincent's surprise, the man began to speak in human language, though it was broken.
"Me can't express how I appreciate your work. I invited you to follow me. Don't worry. It's safe," then the man suddenly bowed towards Vincent. The other men also followed suit.
"..."
Vincent was lost for words.
Taking a deep breath, "I don't mind following you, but I need some rest or I would have to decline your invitation."
The man straightened up but he didn't reply right away as if trying to understand what Vincent just said.
After several seconds of silence, "Will wait."
Vincent nodded and sat down, "Please, don't disturb me for the time being," he spoke and entered meditation to restore his soul force.
'Looks like I'm granted a rare opportunity to witness an elven place of living with my own two eyes.'