Roksu stood beside Cale silently, listening and observing as Cale talked with Lord Clovis and Deurthâover a communication deviceâabout the current situation. With Lord Clovis's presence, the official matter was now handed off to Deruth's work and under a direct subordinate. While Cale had held down the fort, he was also no longer entailed to the information he had been getting so freely.
This is what Cale had explained to him privately, thus giving Roksu a justification for Cale's escapade with Ron and Beacrox. Not that Roksu gave him approval. It was a reckless plan and could've caused a bigger mess. Standing here, he knew Cale was withholding some informationâif anyâhe found from the journey. It was clear because he had said mentioned new pieces if the topic was brought up or necessary.
It was so clearly thought out.
Even with Cale's arrogant stance and his frustration, Roksu knew each word was weighed and said for a purpose.
Lord Clovis spoke minimally, mostly holding up papers and explaining his findings and the breakdown of the current situation, and the prospective punishments for the men. Deruth and Lord Clovis would organize a transport of the criminals to Rain City, where the official crime will be tried for.
Cale didn't understand, "Why do we need a trial? They've committed treason upon the county,"
"Even though, we are yet to grasp the extent of their crimes and how deeply each man is involved in," Deruth explained, "Additionally, we must see if there is next of kin,"
"One of the men has a wife and a son," Cale frowned, "But even so, does that garner any sympathy? Having regret is of no use now. As Lord Clovis said, we don't know where the goods have gone or how far a thread has spread through the territory,"
Lord Clovis eyed Cale for a moment, then turned to Deruth, "My Lord. I propose we send out troops to bring in close family or acquaintances of each man,"
Deruth nodded, "Alright. Also, Cale. You went to meet them this morning, correct?"
"Yes, Father,"
"What occurred?"
"They're in cahoots with a noble. They're not sure which one but they assume the person is a noble by the posture and manners, along with the quality of cloak and clothes" Cale recounted the information, "As Lord Clovis said earlier, they've transported a number of items from drugs and artifacts. This is not the first trip,"
Roksu clicked his tongue, "How many trips have they made?"
"A couple. Less than a dozen but each load seems to be pretty decent," Cale sighed.
Lord Clovis frowned and Deruth's expression tightened. Roksu couldn't help but wonder how this situation was resolved in the novel- if resolved at all. He also couldn't help but consider the possibility of this having connections with the Secret Organization.
This was the group that played the main antagonist role for the hero Choi Han. They were responsible for the massacre of Harris Village, the massacre of the Blue Wolf Tribe, the Terrorist Attack during King Zed's 50th Birthday Celebration, and how Venion Stan got his hands on the black dragon egg. The identities of the organization were not revealed even by the fifth volume, thus, Roksu had no idea who they were.
He asked carefully, "Was it just a noble planning everything?"
Cale's lips pressed into a thin line. He then said, "This is unclear. No matter what, those men wouldn't give me that answer,"
Lord Clovis glanced at Cale, "Young Master, how did you get them to speak to you?"
Cale stared at the three older men before letting out a nasty chuckle. His eyes glistened and a smirk took over his lips, "I promised them I'd ease their sentence. Of course, it was a lie. I have no intention of helping them,"
Roksu felt a chill go through his body at the cruel and arrogant expression. He glanced at Deruth, curious to see his expression. The Count seemed to have stiffened and a nervous and hesitant emotion was in his eyes. Before the Count could speak though, Lord Clovis let out a surprised, "Hah!"
A sharp and almost impressed smirk came over his face, "How amazing. Is there more information, young sir?"
Cale blinked once before his eyes sparked for a second. He shrugged casually, "Of course! They were begging on their knees with my earnest promise. What a fun show it was!"
Roksu watched with hidden terror as Cale gave out the detailed information he had grappled with his lie. Of course, Roksu had zero surprises Cale had managed to fool the men, but for the others, the achievement was questioned. Of course, this incident will most likely be written off as a dumbdown on the merchants and the help of Ron. After all, unless Cale or Ron said what happened, everyone would fill in their own narrative.
And that was probably what Cale wanted.
Roksu shook his head softly, 'What a troubling brat,'
The information Cale got from the cells was as follows:
The men were carrying out their orders by a man they assumed was a noble. They knew zero physical features except for an approximate height and that the noble was a man. The group was given the route and paid half of the intended price upfront. The second half was given after they handed off their goods in Disheller. The group said that this had been their third time bringing over some items. They all admitted that the amount of goods had always been rather small in size and quantity, more or less mixed in and hidden with their actual goods. The details of their meetings with the noble were this: they would receive a correspondence with an encoded letter that would dictate both time and location. They would then meet the noble and receive all the orders and half their payments within 10 minutes max. Additionally, other than the disguised noble, there were always six other people within the room dressed in long robes with masks covering their faces. It was clear though, that they were some sort of guards.
"...The specific drugs or illegal items they were bringing would be brought to them an hour before departure with their actual goods under the guise of food supply for the merchants. These goods were always within boxes and they only got to check the items once before they departed. The route they took each time was different and the village they handed off goods in also changed. The first two locations were Hevry and Tember,"
Deruth sighed, "Border towns. But smaller and less visited,"
"It's hard enough to get into the Henituse Territory because of all our mountains. Merchants would seldom it if not for the market," Roksu said, "The noble must be giving quite a sum and the goods must not be too difficult to handle the passage,"
The Henituse Territory was not only the 5th producer of marble and finest winemakers on the continent. Along with being a knights family, the Henituse territory was located in a particular place. As the protectors against the Forest of Darkness in the North, the territory was abundant in mountains. Past the eastern border was a few smaller noble territories and the sea. As such, the Henituse Territory could be considered a golden corner of the Roan Kingdom. Not only were they a powerful family economically, but their geographical barriers have served them to aid in trade and protect the land. Despite the mountains, merchants were always eager to make the journey through the undeveloped region to pursue the renowned products manufactured by the Henituse territory: wine and marble.
"It is odd," Cale looked down, "Our territory is one of the riskiest places to try and open a market. Additionally, the exporting and importing of goods are difficult due to all the geographical barriers,"
The only reason the two convoys were able to make it to Disheller from Rain City was because the stagecoaches are familiar with the roads and the Henituse County does consistent road maintenance for easier and smoother travel. It has boosted the transportation within the territory. But from in and out, the mountains are still a big struggle.
Lord Clovis pursed his lips, "I wonder if the idea of a black market is a cover..."
Cale tensed while Roksu immediately felt a bad feeling. Deruth's face darkened, "Damn it,"
Cale bit the inside of his mouth, hesitating for a moment. He said carefully, "Father. Those who were prepared to receive the goods have already vacated Disheller. Though, the location seems to be some sort of general store for travelers. It sells anything a traveler could need, including maps,"
Lord Clovis stood up, "I'll take some men and check it out. Count, please pardon me,"
"Go ahead," Deruth nodded. The Count then turned to Cale, "Cale, you've done well. Rest for the remainder of your time to prepare for your journey tomorrow. You'll be traversing past a few complicated roads and then into Tolz territory,"
Cale felt a sour mood at the mention of the Tolz family. Cale nodded once and then said, "Then, I'll be going now,"
"Yes, of course. Be well, son,"
"Mm"
Roksu bowed and Lord Clovis turned off the device. He turned to the two, giving a bow, "Pardon me,"
"Don't cause a scene. We don't need the residents to know what's going on yet," Cale ordered.
"Understood, young master,"
Lord Clovis left the room first, leaving the two teens alone. Roksu turned to Cale, "That last bit of information. That wasn't from your false promise, was it?"
Cale smiled, "Nope!"
Roksu sighed, "Where else did you look into?"
"The inn, the place where they stored their goods, and the nearby vicinity to the places. We didn't find anything and neither Ron nor Beacrox felt anything dark," Cale told him, "It'll be relieving if it's just another failed attempt,"
"The presence of a noble doesn't seem to be bothering you,"
"Hm, well. I've already had Ron send a letter to a few members of the web," Cale gave a sly smile, "We'll see what information I receive and how it corresponds with what Lord Clovis finds,"
Roksu's lips twitched, "Hm,"
Cale, who saw the suppressed smirk, grinned. Even if Roksu tried to hide his sly side, Cale knew all about it. It was amusing to watch.
"Well, you heard the Count. Let's just relax the rest of the day," Roksu patted Cale on the back gently.
Cale followed him out of the room and stuck to his side, "I'm going to train,"
Roksu's face turned appalled, "What?"
Cale blinked, "What?"
"You slept late taking care of everything, woke up early to interrogate criminals, snuck out to investigate, did our actual work, and socialized with two people you clearly didn't want to, all BEFORE passing on information and exchanging reports and protocols with Lord Clovis and the Count. And now you want to physically exert yourself?"
Cale was silent for a moment.
"...yes?"
Roksu groaned in frustration, 'This punk is crazy! Completely crazy!'
Cale remained staring at Roksu, waiting for any more words. However, after a bit of observing the disapproval and confusion, Cale turned his head away and mumbled, "I'm not strong yet,"
Roksu's cursed grumbles of Cale's lunancy paused and he looked at the younger, curious, "Not strong?"
'What's he talking about? Cale's already doing well with the training I've seen. Even when it was just hand-to-hand combat, the force behind Cale's strikes was decent for someone who had not done such endurance in years,'
Oblivious to the thoughts, Cale nodded. He thought back to Roksu's calm yet firm stance the day before. Without even a word, Roksu had grasped the severity and gotten the correct people in a short time. He supported Cale and controlled him from spiraling into anger. Even though he didn't have to, Roksu stayed up with him late into the night and organized reports and information, gathering and even making sure Cale had some sweet tea when it was clear there was so much to do.
'Hyung has an ancient power and he's a smart person, who is kind. He is someone who does not have to taint his reputation with someone like me. I have nothing but money and connections. That's all I am, but it is not enough. Especially for what's coming. I couldn't even protect Basen and Lily when the castle collapsed and we were separated in the chaos. By the time I had found Lily, she was alreadyâ'
Cale bit his lips harshly, fingers curling into fists as his chest twisted and throat became clogged. He swallowed with difficulty, forcing himself to control himself and keep the memories from his face. He could feel Roksu's eyes watching him, could notice when the older's posture shifted in response to Cale suddenly stiffening up.
"Cale, whatâ"
"I didn't get to train yesterday. I feel pent up," Cale forced out, pulling away from the hand that rose towards him. He pretended he did not notice it and kept walking. He ran a hand through his hair, subtly tugging at the strands and giving a firm ruffle, "It feels weird considering I've been going every day!"
He turns to Roksu and grins mischievously, "Don't worry. I won't break anything! It'll just be some simple cardio!"
Roksu stared at the grinning teenager. His hand lowered to his side and he clicked his tongue, "Brat,"
Cale grinned wider, walking backward and keeping himself facing Roksu for a little longer, "Join me, old man!"
"No way,"
"Aw come on!" Cale pleaded, "I want to practice Korean too. If we do both at the same time, we can finish things early and go to bed!"
Roksu hummed at the logic but still looked displeased at the idea of exercising. Cale huffed, thinking he was going to be rejected. Roksu, however, agreed, "Fine, I'll join. But we stop when I say so,"
Cale perked up, "Yes!"
Roksu sighed at his poor life.
~~
The carriage door clicked behind Cale and Roksu. The younger of the two immediately sighed in relief. Outside, the entire Baron Family was escorting them.
"Pfft-"
"Stop laughing," Cale's teeth were gritted and his expression was displeased. He glared at the ground, "Marriage, seriously? After their fuck up do they honestly think I'll marry their daughter!"
Roksu's shoulders trembled as he bit back his laughter.
During breakfast and just as they were leaving, the Baron and Baroness had proposed Cale and their daughter(and son) "become friends" and "send letters". When Cale began to adamantly refuse, the Baroness had become more blunt when Cerisa was seeing them off
"Oh my! You two look so good together!"
Roksu had found it hilarious. Had it not been for Ron noticing the situation and Cale's temper obviously rising, the redhead would've been much more blunt with his denial. Cale held his face in his hands as he heard another suppressed laughter from Roksu, "Seriously! It's enough rumors are going on about me and the Princess. I don't need another talk of this crap!"
Roksu smiled, "What an honorable young man!"
Cale kicked him and Roksu cursed in pain, but the amusement never left his eyesâ rather, it only sparked as Cale exclaimed, "Shut your mouth!!"
'Hehe! Definitely payback for almost having my limbs fall off yesterday! Seriously, why would you hold a plank for so long?'
Cale's expression remained bitter even as the carriage pulled out of the Estate. He remained in the sulking position until they'd left Disheller and onto the last stretch of road before they officially left the territory. This meant they would now be traveling down a shorter distance at a slower pace due to the mountains. As such, Roksu had Balint place some pillows in the carriage and stressed the two of them wore some comfortable and less heavy clothes. Cale had agreed with him and thus, the two of them were dressed more chic than anything.
"Let's hope it doesn't start snowing,"
Roksu frowned at Cale breaking the silence with pessimistic thoughts. He gave a deadpan, "Don't jinx us,"
Cale smiled slightly, "I'm serious though. Being in the mountains when it snows will be annoying. Plus, we need to save the kid as soon as possible,"
Cale ran his hand over the fur of his cloak, "A dungeon hidden away in a cave behind the Tolz Villa...tsk! That child is getting tortured every day but in winter, it's probably even harder to handle!"
Roksu watched the anger rise up in Cale. He had given Cale details whenever he was asked, thus, Cale knew practically everything Roksu did. Coupled with the items they'd got from Billios before they'd left, Cale had asked him to confirm parts of the plan that he'd inferred. Any time the topic came up, Cale became noticeably upset and frustrated on the dragon's behalf.
"Once we screw the Tolz and Stan family over, the kid can live freely,"
Cale raised his head at that. The anger quickly became snarky and a mean grin came over the youthful face, "Yes! Let's screw that bastard Neo over!"
"Mhm,"
Cale giggled at the possible look on Neo's face. It was already thrilling to strike fear into him at the New Years Royal Party, but for Neo to fuck up and his family now having problems with the Stan March? Oh, that sounded delightful.
Roksu sweatdropped at the look in Cale's eyes. Every day, it seemed he was reminded that Cale was categorized as a 'minor villain' character in [The Birth of a Hero]. Shaking the chills off, Roksu decided to shift the conversation, "After we leave the village, we will head to Puzzle City. It's the center transporting goods in the northeast, so the biggest property we'll be looking at is there,"
Cale hummed in agreement, "You said you also had something important to pick up, right?"
"Yes,"
Roksu planned to pick up his second Ancient Power. It was a healing Ancient Power that would keep him completely safe. Any injury he got, including a loss of limbs, would be healed by the power. That was why Taylor Stan was looking for it. In [The Birth of a Hero] Taylor Stan and his best friend, the crazy priestess Cage, both came here in search of Tayllor's last hope, the Vitality of Heart. In the hope of regaining mobility in his legs, the abandoned Taylor Stan looked for all sorts of ways to fix his legs. However, this ancient power was useless as the injury had happened before Taylor had it, therefore, it couldn't heal him. Like this, Taylor Stan fell into despair until two months later, he was killed by Venion.
'Since I'll be taking away his last hope, it's only right I give him new hope,' Roksu thought to himself.
This would be an Ancient Power belonging to Crown Prince Alberu called 'Star of Healing'. It was a one-time use of Ancient Power from the Prince's late mother and the Crown Prince didn't use it even during the Plaza Terror incident. However, Alberu's personality was one that was greedy but in a good way. He used people for the benefit of the Kingdom. His glib tongue was a precious weapon. This is what got Choi Han loyal to him. After the Plaza attack, instead of using his Anicet Power, the Prince raised Choi Han as a hero for the kingdom and gained the loyalty and support of the hero party.
Roksu thought back to the party Cale had attended 'the Crown Prince had tried to gain the support of the neutral Henituse Territory through Cale. But of course, he underestimated Cale and like everyone else in the kingdom, has fallen victim to Cale's facade. Thus leaving him unprepared and at a disadvantage,'
"Is it difficult to get?" Cale asked him.
"I don't think so," Roksu shook his head, "I might have to hike a little,"
Cale tilted his head in thought. After pondering his eyes widened slightly, "Ah! Are you going to get another one?"
Roksu raised an eyebrow slightly, "Yes, how did you know?"
Cale let out a proud giggle, "I'm really smart, don't you know?"
A sigh escaped the black-haired man, "Of course, my mistake,"
Cale let out another chime of joy.
Roksu just listened to Cale patiently. When the sound faded, he spoke again, "I'll have to venture out of the city for a bit. It's in a cave up a hill,"
"I want to go with you,"
"You can't come with me," Roksu denied.
"I won't come into the cave. But I want to come up the mountain with you. Do you think you'll be able to just sneak off? If I say we're going out and order it, no one will dare test me," Cale argued, "Not to mention its winter!"
"Hmm, fine. But bring a weapon with you," Roksu pursed his lips.
"Of course. I'll train while I wait,"
Roksu's expression immediately turned blank, "Crazy..."
Cale ignored the usual reaction. He huffed, "I wonder what type of Ancient Power we'll get for me,"
Roksu thought about it. There were a lot of different types of Ancient Powers. Of course, most of them were some sort of elements. Others, like the Vitality of Heart, did not have a specific connection to one of the main five elements or any of their derivatives. The Indestructible shield, for example, was a wood-based Ancient Power. The other two ancient powers he planned to pick up for himself were a wind-based and a fire-based ancient power. Now, moving away from their core element, Ancient Powers also varied and were unique in many ways. The indestructible shield was a metal shield, while the fire-based ancient power he would get later was an offensive power. The wind-based was good for running away. Then, with healing, Roksu will have enough power to protect himself.
Any of these could be beneficial for anyone, but sometimes, an Ancient Power could become useless. The reason Roksu did not hesitate in taking the Ancient Powers mentioned in the book was simple: they were useless to the hero party or their original owners.
The shield was never picked up.
The Vitality of Heart only served to crush Taylor's hope and he died soon after anyway.
The wind-ancient power was picked up by a blood-thirsty tyrant from the Whipper Kingdom and was practically useless to him.
The fire-ancient power while assisting the elf who had picked it up, was eventually useless due to the death of that elf.
'I might as well pick them up so nothing unnecessary happens,'
He looked at Cale again, "What type of power do you want?"
Cale hummed, "I'm not sure. Something helpful, I suppose? Something I can use to protect my people,"
"Hm, an offensive power then," Roksu thought aloud. A thought crossed his mind, "Ah, actually. What happened to the ancient power Madam Jour had?"
Cale stared blankly at him, momentarily surprirsed by the mention of his Mom. He wasn't used to anyone mentioning her, except the voice in his head and old relatives. His face then twisted awkwardly, "I... don't know,"
Roksu was surprised. Usually, when an ancient power user dies, their ancient power releases from their body. Assuming the former Countess's situation, there were most likely many people around her when she took her last breath. Roksu frowns in displeasure, "Someone probably took it,"
No matter how much the former countess was beloved by her people, if she died and released an ancient power there was a high chance it had been taken up by someone.
Cale's expression turned dark, "No. No one took it,"
"Huh?"
Cale spoke with an emotionless tone, "I saw her die. There was nothing that followed except the cries of my Father,"
A silence takes the carriage like a cold wind. Roksu pupils had dilated in surprise, expression slightly shifting at the confession. Roksu was no stranger to loss. He was also no stranger to watching people die in front of his eyes. It had happened more times than he could count with the apocalypse.
A Record briefly played in his mind. Two bodies in front of him among the rubble and bloody. One leaned against his sword speaking words Roksu did not wish to process at the moment. He pressed his lips together and muttered, "I see,"
He shut the Record off, focusing on the other human in the carriage. Roksu had been well past adulthood when that incident had happened. Thinking about what he had just learned, he could not help but highlight the fact that Cale was not even 10. He was eight, a child by any other means.
The simple and blank statement was recited with no hesitation or emotion. But to Roksu who felt like a mirror had been placed in front of him, he felt that through the unbothered wall mounted in Cale's eyes, he could see the memory that Cale could not forget.
He doesn't comment on it.
He nods once, "Hm, maybe there are exceptions,"
"It's possible it's located at her grave," Cale shrugs, "Instead of releasing when she passed, it stayed with her at her final resting place,"
"That's possible. Ancient Powers are said to be given to those who pass certain tests set by the previous owners,"
Cale nodded, "Mhmm. No one but me knew Mom had an Ancient Power,"
"Even the Count didn't know?"
"Nope. Mom said it was just a secret between us," Cale smiled at the memory and the excitement he had felt when learning the fact. It was something just for him and his mom.
Roksu let out a soft hum and the conversation ended on a gentle note. The two of them remained in silence or shared gentle conversations and bantering as the carriage rattled along. Eventually, they stopped at the point before they would descend the mountain so the horses could rest and everyone could eat some snacks and tea. Cale was pleased he didn't receive lemon tea until he took a sip and found it bitter. His face twisted and he glared at the smiling Ron.
Roksu drank the tea without a word of complaint, even as Balint stared at him, expecting a request for sugar.
'Sorry Balint, but I'd rather not set that dangerous old man off any more than I already have!'
After Cale had downed his tea in pure spite, he stood up and stepped out, "I'm going to stretch,"
"Alright," Roksu nodded.
Cale chuckled, "Too much moving for you?"
"I'm perfectly fine here, you brat,"
Cale snickers and the door shuts behind him. Cale stretches his arms and glances around the side of the path they'd stopped at. Some guards were sitting and eating, others were stretching or readjusting some of the uniforms. He noticed the horses were all being fed and provided drinks. Additionally, it seemed everyone was doing well.
Cale took his attention to the area. He took note of white spots dotting some of the trees. He glanced at Ron, "I thought there would be more snow up here,"
"It's because the Count had the routes maintained in preparation. All heavy snow was cleared away from the paths and the stability of the land was checked," Ron explained, "If the Young Master was to go deeper into the trees, he would find the regular padding,"
"Father did that?" Cale was surprised.
Hilsman grinned, "It is the Young Master's first time going out by himself, after all!"
Cale stared blankly at the bright-faced guard. He looked away and scowled, "He's done something unnecessary,"
'How much extra work did Father do to get this done? Tsk, he's always overworking himself,'
Hilsman observed Cale with the same smile twinkling. It had Cale sigh and ignore him, walking towards the road. He stared down the path, "How difficult is the path down?"
"It shouldn't be too hard," Ron answered.
"Hm. Let's be careful but swift. I'd rather not test the weather," Cale turned to the people in the clearing, "If the Count had the roads cleared, let's make the most of his generosity,"
"Yes, Young Master!" Hilsman answered with vigor.
Cale gave him another odd glance. Ever since Disheller, Hilsman, and the other Henituse knights had acted odd. Before they were hesitant and stiff, but it seemed that Disheller had caused them to relax.
Cale shook his head as he got back into the carriage, 'They must be getting along with the Nyphan Guards. It's good if they're having some joy in leaving the territory,'
Cale had zero idea of the real reason the guards' attitude had changed. And he remained oblivious.
The journey down the mountain was uneventful and thankfully they were not assaulted by heavy snow. Just a little bit of snowfall. When Ron had knocked to report, it was Roksu who had parted the curtain and raised a finger to his lips, pointing to Cale who was lying down, cloak draped over his body like a blanket and had nestled on one of the pillows. The redhead was deep asleep even with the slight bumps of the carriage.
Seeing this, Ron abandoned his report and simply turned away. He smiled slightly at the feeling of Roksu's annoyed glare. He could've reported it to Roksu, but because the two of them were petty, this situation occurred. Roksu returned the curtains to their place grumbling, "Scary old man,"
By the time late afternoon had rolled around, they had reached the bottom of the mountain. The road from here into the Tolz Territory was a flatter road. Thus, moving away from the mountains, the convoy did not stop to rest and continued onwards. Roksu glanced at the sleeping teenager across from him. He pondered over the idea of waking him up.
On one hand, it seemed Cale wasn't having any nightmares. But on the other hand, Roksu couldn't be sure if Cale wasn't having nightmares and just not outwardly reacting.
A sigh passed his lips again.
He let the younger sleep until Balint knocked and told him they'd entered Tolz Territory. After entering the territory, Roksu moved forward and crouched down shaking Cale firmly, "Oi,"
Cale flinched after a bit of shaking, his eyes cracking open tiredly. Roksu removed his hand and spoke casually, "I hope you had a good rest. We've entered Tolz Territory,"
Cale let out a tired hum before slowly pushing himself up. Roksu sat back and watched as the cloak slid down to rest on Cale's lap, a soft yawn escaping the 16-year-old. He interlaced his fingers and stretched his body, "Hmm, what time is it?"
"Just before high tea," Roksu checked his watch.
Cale made a soft noise of surprise, "Wow, I slept for a while,"
"Yes. Even the change in air pressure didn't affect you,"
Cale rubbed the back of his neck, "Hm...it's rare to have no dreams at all. Good or bad,"
"Here," Roksu held out a wrapped cloth, "Balint gave me some cookies earlier,"
Cale happily took the cloth and unwrapped it to reveal two cookies. He quickly took a bite of one, the sweet flavor causing him to smile in pleasure. Roksu snorted softly, shaking his head in disbelief, 'How this punk has managed to hide for this long is unbelievable'
Unaware of the thoughts, Cale prompted, "So, whats the first step?"
"Once we find an inn, we'll use the box you got from Billios four days prior to leaving Rain City,"
Cale remembered what he had been asked to get. He had ended up using much of his allowance. He'd spent money, but really, the price he had been asked had ticked him off. He and Billios had gone back and forth until Billios lowered the price for him.
'Seriously. As if I am going to pay a billion gallon for one tool like that. That swindling bastard. After giving him such an important role to play, he was considerate enough to lower the price to a reasonable amount. A billion gallon purchase would've been too noticeable'
"The Mana Disturbance Tool,"
Roksu nodded, "Yes. We'll have to hide it when we arrive,"
"Billios said we must hide it 27 hours before we intend to use it and that it will activate for 40 minutes. If there are mages, 5 to 10 minutes," Cale recited the information as he wore his cloak again and wiped the crumbs from his fingers.
"Hm, well, since its a dragon, there wont be any mages around except Balint," Roksu shrugged, "Using what you rentedâ"
"Rented?"
Roksu looked up, "Did you buy it? Was it not expensive?"
"The original price was 1 billion. But that's unreasonable considering all I'm doing for that punk so I got it cheaper," Cale looked blankly, "I paid 50 million gallons,"
Roksu's lips parted in disbelief, 'This- this crazy richâ'
Cale tilted his head, "What?"
"N- nothing," Roksu stuttered, "Would the count not notice?"
"I just asked him for money over the course of a few days and it was enough," Cale blinked, completely unaware of the situation, "Was I not supposed to buy it?"
"N-no you did great, Cale,"
Roksu cleared his throat, 'Few days of allowance? How much is his allowance???'
Cale opened his mouth to ask something else, but a grunt of surprise echoed as the carriage suddenly jolted and shot to the side. Roksu and Cale both grabbed the walls and seat, the muffled sounds of startled horse neighs and surprised voices of the guards hit their ears. When the carriage came to a stop, Cale moved towards the window and pulled the curtain away, and clicked the window open, "What the hell was that?!"
Ron's face showed up, "Young Master, there was a small incident,"
"What sort of incident?"
"A carriage moved to avoid an elderly man and came at a sudden speed towards us, startling the horses,"
Cale sighed in frustration and he pulled away from the window. Roksu watched as Cale opened the door, "You're going out?"
"If I don't, then what?" Cale grumbled and stepped off. His eyes turned ahead towards the other carriage and where he could hear the clambering at voices. He takes a simple notice of Roksu following him down the carriage. As the other carriage comes into view, Cale's expression turns dark, "Hah!"
Roksu stands by his side, "That sigil?"
"The Tolz Viscounty,"
Cale walks forward, cloak fluttering with his steps. He sees two commoners crouched on the ground as a familiarly distasteful face glares down at him as his attendant talks with the Henituse guards who show displeased expressions. Roksu followed silently, staying in pace with Hilsman and Ron.
"You're recklessness nearly caused harm to our party!"
"There was an obstacle in the way, sirs! I did not mean to startle your horses!" The coach apologized.
The knights bristled slightly. The "obstacle" was two living humans.
"Well, it seems the trait of testing the Henituse County runs within the Viscounty," Cale's cruel tone echoes over the area and Neo turns towards him.
His expression stiffens and he walks forward turning away from the commoners that his carriage had nearly hit, "Young Master Cale, to what do I owe the pleasure of you on my land?"
"Hah!" Cale scoffs, "I'm not here for you. I'm just passing through on my way to business,"
"Business?" Neo repeated, before smirking, "How odd? Since when did someone like the Young Master dabble in household workings?"
Neo let out a small laugh, "Could it be...the Count has finally sent you off?"
The atmosphere around the Henituse-Nyphan party bristled. Cale's eyes widened before a mocking laugh of disbelief escaped him, "How hilarious?! It seems Young Master Neo has been eager to chat with me!" His grin turned sharp and he leaned closer, a dark and almost crazed look in his eyes, "Have you missed me since our meeting at the palace?"
At the memory, Neo swallowed and stepped back slightly. He grimaced and glared at Cale, but the redhead just remained his arrogant expression. He shrugged with one arm flicking his wrist, "Have you finished blocking the road? Get lost then,"
"Young Master Cale seems to be unable to understand the situation. It was not I blocking the road,"
Cale's eyes glanced off to the side where an elderly man was crouched down, supported by a younger looking man. Upon Cale's gaze, the two flinched and lowered their heads. The old man shook, "I- I apologize,"
"Tsk," Cale clicked his tongue, annoyed, 'The road is wide and they avoided the residents at the last moment? An old man is already slow. It would be obvious to notice and move out of the way. What a ugly situation,'
He ignored them and looked back at Neo, who sneered down, "Seriously...some people just are so unaware of their place," the light brown eyes met Cale's again, "Wouldn't you agree?"
Cale crossed his arms lazily, "Are you done?"
"Hm?"
"Are you done wasting my time?" Cale spat.
Neo bristled and clenched his jaw. Cale was amused at the obvious reaction. Really, Neo was pathetic.
Cale turned to the commoners stepping up to them. The younger of the two pulled the old man close, "Y-Young Masterâ"
"Where's the inn?" Cale cut him off.
"Excuse me?" The man flinched and raised his head slightly.
Cale raised an eyebrow, "The inn? A place to stay the night? Rest our horses? Do I need explain more?"
"A-ah! My apologies!" The man stammered, "Um- this- our place is the only inn in the village,"
"Hm,"
He then glanced at Neo, who had watched the scene. Cale gave a challenging glare, "Ho? With the way you were driving, I assumed you were in a hurry. What are you still doing in front of my face?"
"Young Masterâ" Neo almost spat but his attendant hurriedly whispered, "Young Master Neo, you must meet with someone soon,"
Neo's expression shifted and he frowned. Cale narrowed his eyes slightly, maintaining an arrogant look as Neo clicked his tongue and turned away, "I'll be taking my leave, Young Master Cale,"
"Get lost then,"
Neo clenched his fists and Cale watched as he entered the Tolz carriage and went off. Cale turned back to the commoners and then towards the other members of his traveling party, "Hilsman. Handle it,"
"Yes, Young Master,"
"Hey," Cale speaks down again, "Take us to the inn,"
The commoners look up at the noble redhead. Even though he exudes a thorny atmosphere and speaks rudely, compared to the earlier barrage, the redhead is much kinder. Cale frowned at them, expression tightening, "Hilsman, the old man seems to have hurt his wrist,"
The two commoners glanced down where a bruise was being nestled. The elderly man who owned the inn pushed himself up and finally spoke, "There is no need,"
"Just take it while I'm offering," Cale scowled, "It's annoying to look at,"
Roksu walked over and he placed a hand on Cale's shoulder. The redhead takes this as a sign to turn his back and head back towards the carriage allowing the guards and butlers to handle everything. Roksu glances at the second butler that had accompanied him, "Pimley. Assist the Vice Captain in booking rooms at the inn,"
"Yes sir,"
Entering the carriage, Cale waits until the door is shut and the windows are closed before hissing, "...old man. Does Neo know about the dragon?"
"Probably,"
Cale's expression twisted. Roksu spoke with complete confidence, "Don't worry. He and Venion will both be a mess very soon,"
Cale glanced up and Roksu smirked, a promise of cruelty glistening in his eyes, "Such rude bastards..."
"They'll definitely get what's coming for them,"