As the carriage rolled toward their destination, Alex inquired, "Do you know where my sister and Maya are?"
Freya nodded. "Your sister wanted to explore the city, and Maya was eager to show her around. They left early this morning. It seems they're quite close," Freya smiled warmly, continuing, "I had never seen Maya so happy and excited as she was yesterday. For that, I wanted to thank you."
"You don't have to," Alex replied with a smile. "Maya is a dear," he added, his expression turning playful as he whispered, "But don't tell her I said that; I need to maintain my image as a teasing and strict teacher."
Freya giggled and nodded. "Your secret is safe with me. That actually reminds me; I wanted to thank you for teaching her how to defend herself over the past few months."
"You don't have to, but I must admit I was curious to see how she would progress with her abilities," Alex said. "I was surprised to learn that the heiress of the Drazen family didn't know how to defend herself."
Hearing this, Freya let out a deep sigh. "The elders of the family are to blame for that," she explained. "They judged that, given her abilities, she was more suited to be a scholar than anything else, so they practically decided she would spend most of her time in the library they specifically created just for her."
Alex nodded in understanding. He couldn't entirely blame the elders; at first glance, it might seem that she was more suited for study. However, he knew there was much more to her potential. With her abilities, she could also become a formidable fighter.
For the remainder of the journey, Alex and Freya discussed various topics, from the culture in Drisidd to the anticipated duration of the auction.
Minutes later, they arrived at their destination and immediately got down to business—well, there wasn't much work to do. Alex simply summoned a few puffs of healing smoke, using it to heal the injured soldiers Freya had mentioned.
A group of scientists, armed with clipboards, monitored the newly healed men, comparing the effectiveness of Alex's healing smoke against the results of traditional healing potions.
As expected by Alex, the tests revealed that his healing smoke was more potent than grade 3 healing potions.
The scientists could hardly believe their eyes.
"Sorry to bother you, sir, but is it possible to get a bottle for research purposes?" asked the chief scientist, a man with orange hair reminiscent of the Drazen family, bowing to Alex.
Before Alex could respond, Freya interjected, waving a hand. "Not now, Mirdiel, but I promise to get you a bottle later."
"Thank you, Matriarch," Mirdiel replied reverently before hurrying off.
"Now that the tests are concluded, I need to report to the elders," Freya said, turning to Alex. "I'll also see if I can arrange a meeting with the owner of the treasure that aids in memorization. I'll need to leave you here for now, but don't worry; another carriage has been prepared for you. You can explore the city, and it will take you back to the mansion afterward."
Alex thought for a moment before shaking his head. "There's no need for the carriage; I wanted to take a stroll through the city anyway."
"I understand," Freya nodded.
She turned to leave but then paused, glancing back at him. "If you'd like, we can meet later today, and I can show you the city." A faint blush crept onto her cheeks as she made the proposition, but she tried to hide it.
"Meet at night, huh? Like a date?" he asked with a teasing smile.
To his surprise, Freya's blush deepened, yet she nodded. "Yes, a date."
Alex whistled softly, admiring her straightforwardness. He had noticed this trait before, but it still amazed him that she wouldn't hesitate, even in this context.
"That would be my pleasure," he replied, allowing his mask to momentarily open to reveal his smiling face before it closed again.
"I'll take my leave then," she said, hurriedly turning to leave, as if trying to escape her own embarrassment.
Watching her rush away, Alex chuckled to himself. 'She surprised me by asking me out,' he thought, the already high regard he had for her elevating even further.
He appreciated women who knew what they wanted and weren't afraid to express it, and Freya's character was particularly likable to him. Plus, he enjoyed how she maintained a cool demeanor with others yet was warm and genuine with him.
"Well, I should get going too," he said, stepping outside the building.
He didn't see the carriage they had arrived in and assumed it must have been the one Freya was using.
"Since she suggested showing me the city, I guess I should head back to the mansion for now. That way, I can prepare several potions by tonight."
After he had this thought, Alex walked back to the mansion of the matriarch. With his mental capacity, it wasn't that difficult for him to find his way back.
As he was leisurely walking, admiring the hustle and bustle of the city as he returned to the mansion, a group of kids ran by him and one of them bumped against him before falling on his butt.
"Ouch!" the child cried out in pain as he held his forehead where a bruise had appeared.
Alex glanced at the child, smiled, and crouched to pat him on the head. "You should be more careful when you play," he said gently.
"Sorry to have bumped into you, sir," the child mumbled in a small voice as he got up.
"Don't worry about that," Alex patted his head once again before letting him go.
The kid waved at him before chasing his friends back.
'They must be a handful for their parents,' Alex smiled.
This altercation made him think about his own daughters when they were still children. 'They were such cuties,' he thought with a wide smile under his mask.
'I wonder how they are doing right now,' he mused. 'Well, knowing them, Viviane is probably either searching for a new sparring partner or painting. Alice might be ordering the mansion staff to try to keep things tidy; she always loved playing the landlady. Scarlett is surely doing some research or creating something. Meanwhile, Violette...'
He was ashamed to say so, but he didn't have an idea what his youngest daughter might be up to. During her early age, she liked doing the same things as him, but as of late, she completely stopped taking him as her model and didn't even want to speak with him. The result of that is that he knew next to nothing about what his daughter loved doing.
'I will have to menf our relationship like it was back then,' he reminded himself once again. 'Perhaps I should buy her some gifts here. Hmm, I think I will buy gifts for all of them,' he decided.
As he thought this, he recalled that those four weren't his only daughters, though; he had four other daughters whose conditions he didn't even know.
'I need to get stronger faster. If I take too much time, something bad might happen to Iris and the girls,' he thought.
Alex was walking and thinking of his family when he suddenly glanced around him in wariness.
There was nothing wrong in his surroundings and he was certainly not noticing something out of order, yet, he still felt uncomfortable.
People were still passing by him and the city was bustling with different sounds and noises just like it had been the whole time, but for some reason, there was an uneasy feeling creeping up on him.
He stopped walking altogether and carefully observed his surroundings, looking for anything out of place, but he found nothing. He decided to deploy his senses, but even then, there was seemingly nothing wrong.
'It must be in my mind,' Alex shrugged, 'what was I thinking about again?'
He moved to take another step and continue on his way when the uneasy feeling came back, stronger this time.
Alex frowned. 'There's definitely something going on.'
He attempted to take another step, but he failed to do so. It was as if his body had been rooted in the ground, completely refusing to move.
'What the hell?!'