"Can you see it now?"
John pointed his fingers at the domain, which was full of buildings and surrounded by huge walls. They had finally reached their destination.
Two and a half weeks had passed since they left Darell village. During this time, they mostly slept outside after lighting up a campfire. There were a few times when they stayed in some small villages.
"That's Agustus Kingdom."
As Jaden heard John say that, he put his head out to get a glimpse of the scene. His lips were left gaping for a while as his hair fluttered when the wind brushed past them.
The half-assed descriptions he had written for his novel flashed through his mind. It seemed like he had undermined Augustus Kingdom.
-The trade centre that had no other purpose aside from providing promising services for traders and people throughout the continent.
Most times, he showed protagonists travelling within the Dragonaria Kingdom, solving mysteries or exploring areas around it. There was only one time that he mentioned the huge empire in his work.
It was multiple times bigger than the Dragonaria Kingdom. Jaden couldn't hear the sounds of others around him as he stood mesmerised by the scene that he had neglected throughout two hundred chapters.
At first, he enjoyed writing the novel, but soon he started getting bored. That was the reason he rushed it's ending as quickly as he could.
A faint smile appeared on his lips before he let out a sigh. He pulled his body inside the cart again. Claire and Rudia were busy talking with Ricky.
As for Aliana, she was just sitting at her spot with her eyes closed as usual. Jaden rarely saw her interacting with others over the span of the past twenty days.
"It seems like it won't be long before we reach our destination."
Claire had a sad expression on her face. With a pained smile, she looked at Ricky. She had been enjoying her talks with him throughout their journey.
Jaden smiled lightly, seeing them enjoy themselves. His gaze shifted back towards Aliana. He wanted to say something, but a weird hesitation stopped him from doing so.
"What is it?"
Jaden flinched at Aliana's unforeseen question and folded his hands together. They never spoke much throughout the daytime.
The only time they talked was at night, when Aliana slept next to him. The request she made of Jaden after winning the bet was to sleep next to him whenever they got the chance.
"No. It's nothing."
Jaden shifted his gaze towards John's back. The huge gates became noticeable when the cart began crossing the bridge built over the river.
As the gates grew larger, Jaden felt that it was about time they bid farewell to the two people who gave them a lift. Aliana stood up as she heard the sounds of the guards approaching them.
"We will get off now."
She said this while pulling Jaden close to her with a smile on her lips. The cart had come to a halt after passing the bridge to enter the kingdom.
Seeing Aliana and Jaden get down from the carriage, Rudia and Claire followed. Claire said farewell to Ricky, hoping to meet him again someday.
"They are with me!"
John shouted loudly while holding a golden brooch high in the air, at the guard who had approached them. It was a type of identification provided by the merchants association to its traders who travelled around the continent carrying goods.
Seeing the shiny object glistening under the bright sun, the guard flinched and stood aside. Aliana took the lead in walking past the entrance, skipping procedures, and avoiding standing in the long line of people.
They waited for their turn for a long time. Some people who got to pass through because of some petty connections seemed like an eyesore to them.
Jaden could feel the hostile gazes set on them. He swallowed the bitter feelings he was having from getting unreasonably favourable treatment.
Thud
He wasn't paying attention while walking, which is why he ended up crashing into the back of Aliana. She stood still, thinking something deeply.
"Ouch... For what reason did you stop now?"
His eyebrows made a frown with discomfort. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Sometimes he even doubted that Aliana wasn't doing it on purpose.
"Hey! I am asking yo-!?"
Jaden's mouth was soon covered by Aliana's hand. She was looking straight in front of them. A person wearing a robe walked swiftly, moving through the crowd. Soon, he disappeared within the flood of people.
For a moment, Jaden thought it was someone Aliana knew. But he wasn't sure about it. Since Aliana had too many mysteries around her, Jaden couldn't help but doubt his assumptions.
"Who was that just now?"
Aliana maintained her silence, not answering his question. She moved further away from Jaden while pulling the hood of her robe over her head.
Jaden had understood by his experience around Aliana that her silence meant that she won't be answering his question. He felt frustrated as he bit his lips trying to keep up with her.
Claire and Rudia did nothing but observe their actions quietly. They had no expression on their faces, as it was the usual course of action.
Jaden asking Aliana something and her completely ignoring it was almost a common occurrence. Sometimes she did reply while trying to get on Jaden's nerves.
"We need to hurry up."
Aliana murmured to herself, but she had no idea that Jaden was able to hear her. His ears were very attentive, listening to Aliana's words.
"Before he reaches there..."
Jaden couldn't figure out who she was talking about. But it surely did have something to do with the person in the robe that he had just seen disappear amidst the crowd.
----------------
"Damn. It's so hot."
The man complained while pulling the collar of his robe. The sun right above his head was emanating heat, while the gentle breeze that moved past made him feel a bit comfortable.
Tink
The sounds of the wind chimes were being overlapped by the variety of sounds on the crowded street. An awkward smile formed on his lips, visible under the covering of his head.
'That familiar mana...'
He thought as he continued forcing his way out of the crowd. The ring on his finger reflected the sunrays when he tried to put his hand on his hood.
"To think that person is here..."
His red hair became visible as the hood fell off his head. He put his hand above while shifting his gaze towards the sun. The shadow of his hand covered his green eyes.
"It seems like she has noticed me too."
Blaise Edinburgh, the magic tower master, had decided to stop by Agustus Kingdom before visiting the elven forest. His senses had picked up an oddly familiar mana while he was strolling the streets.
Maybe the temperature was so high that he was sweating a lot. Or maybe it was just him feeling nervous after having an encounter with Aliana at an unexpected place.
The memories of what had occurred during the birthday banquet were still fresh in his mind. That was the most absurd thing he had experienced throughout his life.
The sensation of strands of hair on his arms raising towards the fabric of his robe made him rub them lightly. Despite the hot weather, he was feeling chills.
"I don't really want to get involved with her ever again."
His pale face looked expressionless as he stared at the back of his hand. He was getting a bad feeling for some reason.
Shaking his head sideways vigorously, he shut his eyes tight. He was wishing that it was just his imagination.
'That man was also by her side at that time...'
Blaise could remember the black-haired person who had cut off the head of a person without hesitation at the banquet. He was curious about a lot of things.
Just a while ago, he sensed the mana of three familiar people. And the man was among them.
'I wonder what he is going to do with her now.'
Aaachooo!
Jaden brushed the dust off his nose by rubbing his hand on it. He could smell the scent of old items that were in front of them.
He stared at Aliana, who had pulled them into an antique store. It didn't seem like there was anything useful for them. The items were all shabby and too old.
A while had passed since Aliana went away from the rest of the three to have a talk with the owner of the store. Jaden tried listening to them, but they were just further away from the distance Jaden could hear.
The only thing he had assumed correctly was that they were going to spend the night at some inn within the Agustus Kingdom before heading for the Elven Forest. For some reason, Aliana seemed to be in a hurry to get there.
'What is she even planning to do next?'
Jaden was being wary of his surroundings while observing Claire and Rudia, who were looking around the store. They both weren't touching any items since they didn't know what might happen.
Jaden shifted his gaze awkwardly towards Aliana. The owner of the store was sitting on a chair in front of her.
The three-piece suit and formal pants were the man's iconic clothes. Even though the four people visiting him seemed suspicious, he had a carefree smile on his face.
Jaden had a guess that the man was someone of extraordinary origins, like Aliana. Not surely, but that was the only reason he could think of.
"Shouldn't we find an inn or a tavern to spend tonight?"
Claire's soft voice fell on his ears. He had gotten used to it by now, so he didn't flinch a bit.
"Say that to her."
With his expressionless face, Jaden pointed his index finger towards Aliana. She was still discussing something with the owner.
Claire's face went pale. She preferred not to approach Aliana. Rudia was just observing Jaden and Claire silently.
"I think I will pass on that one."
The uneasiness in her voice was very clear. Both of them knew that messing with Aliana was a huge no-no.
Jaden let out a sigh of relief, just to flinch at the next moment. Claire could feel her heart drop out of her mouth.
"Is there something you wish to say?"
They didn't notice when Aliana reached behind them. She spoke in a monotonous voice, but with a smile on her lips.
Jaden was having a hard time figuring her out. Her mood kept changing from time to time. It was to the point where he couldn't tell the meaning behind her smile.
Unlike the three of them, Rudia was a person of few words. She only acted whenever anyone needed something to eat or so.
"Are you done with your work here?"
Jaden asked Aliana with a forced smile on his face. He was trying his best not to show his real expression. He was already bored and tired. And above all...
'When are we going to get something to eat?!'
Jaden was hungry, as he didn't eat anything else after having breakfast. He could feel his stomach rumbling.
"Hm. Follow me."
Aliana held his wrist in her hand after giving a gentle nod. Their other three companions followed them as they walked out of the store.
The street bustling with people was still the same as a while ago. Jaden looked at the back of Aliana, who was pulling him past the crowd. A light smile formed on his lips while his eyebrows frowned.
'Where are we even going now?'