As he followed the smell, Julian finally found what he was looking for.
A vast desert stretched before him. The ground was covered in endless dunes, rising and falling like waves frozen in place. The air was dry and hot.
He was forced to wrap the desert robes around his face so he wouldn't be eating dust with every inhale. Still, despite the vastness, there was a clear paved pathway made of cobblestone leading far into the desert, past several dunes.
Julian was about to follow it, but for starters, he decided to have a look around.
Aliyah mentioned she lived right outside the desert, so looking for it shouldn't be too difficult.
...Was what he thought. But no matter where he searched, the plains seemed endless. Since there wasn't a mountain in sight, he wasn't even sure what to look out for.
'Feels like I'm looking for a needle in a haystack. She could've at least been more specific...' Julian grumbled.
But right as he was about to give up, he spotted a single tree amidst the tall grass. It was an apple tree, and with his slightly enhanced eyesight, Julian saw a few words etched into the bark.
After approaching it, he finally read the words, which, to his surprise, had just one name.
Aliyah.
He glanced around the tree, then tapped the bark a few times, almost as if trying to enter a code. But that was when time suddenly slowed down. His perception clearly picked something up, and it didn't take him long to realize what.
Through a small peephole in the tree, a needle came flying, aimed straight for his throat.
Julian sighed and caught the needle between his fingers. After that, the barrage stopped as a single apple fell from the tree.
Curious, Julian picked it up. On it, the letter 'N' was written in black ink.
Taking it as a sign to look north, he was met with a parting in the grass and, of course, a hatch leading downward.
Julian smiled and followed that hatch, climbing down and finally entering what he assumed to be Aliyah's home.
It was an underground cavern with a wooden house in the center. The cavern was lit by bright fireflies, and he could even see a garden off to the side with a few tomatoes already sprouted.
She really wasn't kidding when she said she was living a cozy life. He would definitely become a shut-in if he lived here.
But just like his and Adam's camp in the woods, he could tell this place was empty. After entering the hut and observing the cozy interior, his thoughts were only further affirmed by a note left on the kitchen table, which he went ahead and read.
—
To my mysterious stranger,If you're reading this, then I'm probably dead or stuck somewhere. I'll be heading to the Saharan Empire to help out a friend. If this letter really is still here, then make yourself at home, seriously. Anyways, I was never good at letters. Bye bye~
—
A faint chuckle escaped his lips. She started out formal and then forgot how to write halfway through. Even so, he knew where she had gone, and he wasn't someone who would take over the home of a friend, even if they were dead.
'Though, the Saharan Empire, huh?' Julian mused. 'If it's really the strongest force, then it's going to be pretty dangerous. I'll have to go with the infiltration route in that case.'
Since he already had their gear, all he needed to do was get rid of the bow.
And that was exactly what he did, placing it down on the table right beside the note.
Now, he only had two sabers. Of course, since he was thorough in learning everything necessary for the exorcist exam, Julian learned how to use the sabers too. Five styles, two of which were dedicated to fighting on uneven ground such as the desert.
However, now that he had his next goal, Julian calmly left Aliyah's hut the way he came and headed back toward the pathway he saw earlier.
And after making sure his face was really covered, Julian began walking down the paved cobblestone pathway.
***
Hours passed in the blink of an eye before Julian finally saw something that made his eyes widen.
A massive city stood in the distance, surrounded by high sandstone walls that looked solid enough to withstand a siege. The main gates stood tall, carved from solid sandstone, and beyond them rose dozens of castles built from the same material.
Three rivers flowed toward the city, each crossed by walls and smaller sandstone gates that served as checkpoints. Even from far away, Julian could see the guards lined up across each bridge, their golden armor catching the light as they stood watch.
There were also several dozen guards dressed just like Julian. However, they were being dragged around and forced to do tasks. If he had to guess, this kind of uniform belonged to slaves or mercenaries.
But to make his act that much more convincing, Julian climbed atop one of the dunes and spent the next few hours observing the slaves.
Their backs were hunched, and their hands trembled. Their throats shook unnaturally, indicating a stutter. Also, every single one walked with a limp and held only one saber instead of two.
Sighing, Julian buried one of his sabers in the sand, leaving himself with only a single uneven-ground fighting style meant for a single saber.
As the sky began to darken, Julian finally made his move.
He followed the cobblestone pathway all the way to the first checkpoint. The gate looked much larger up close, and he also realized that there were ballistas atop it aimed directly at him.
For that reason, he made sure to keep his act perfect. A limp, a single sword, and even a hunched back.
And so, when the golden-armored guards finally saw him, they raised their sabers and, in cold voices, yelled,
"Halt!"