The cart came to a slow stop.
Seven pushed the curtains aside, and what greeted him were the lined-up stalls and a busy merchant street.
"Hah…"
He hopped down with a quiet exhale. Lythian followed and stretched his arms with a heavy yawn.
Seven turned to the driver.
"...Thanks."
"For what?"
Seven hesitated. He wasn't sure for what reason he said thanks.
For the ride?
For letting them rest?
For not asking questions?
Or for believing his words that the Dukedom no longer exists?
But after a moment, he just smiled and repeated what he said.
"Thanks."
"No need."
The driver chuckled, shaking his head.
"But if you really mean it, visit our humble village one day. Briven is a quiet place, but… it's beautiful in its own way."
Seven noted the name in his mind.
'Briven…'
"Name's Brandon by the way."
"Seven. And he's Son–j… no. He's Lythian."
With another chuckle, the driver adjusted the reins. Then, he glanced and looked at them with a smile.
"You two take care, alright? The Kingdom's not as kind as the roads."
Neigh!
The cart rolled away, dragged by a pair of sturdy brown horses.
"Son-ji."
Seven called Lythian as Son-ji, his real name, as the name 'Lythian' rolled weirdly on his tongue.
"Hey, Son—"
He paused as he glanced beside him, where Lythian had been standing just moments ago only to find empty space.
'Where the fudge is he?'
Step.
As if in response, Lythian strolled back as he casually bit into an apple. In his other hand, a small sack bulged with… more apples.
Bite.
"Want one?"
Lythian offered with a mouth half-full, but Seven responded with a frown.
Instead, his eyes trailed toward a nearby stall where a merchant was loudly advertising his goods.
'Ten for one?'
Brandon was telling the truth. The taxes here were actually a doubled amount compared to the Dukedom, where the price was five Sevrins per apple.
Unlike here where it cost ten Sevrins.
But that wasn't what bothered him.
Shifting his gaze back to Lythian, who was still munching into an apple, Seven squinted his eyes.
"Where'd you get it?"
"The apple? Red stall."
"..."
Lythian tilted his head, confused by Seven's stare. He understood it then.
"Ahh…"
For a moment, Lythian scratched his cheek and glanced to the side.
"I… already had it."
"..."
"I'm serious. The guards didn't take the coins I had."
But Seven didn't buy it. He spoke nothing, but his gaze bore into Lythian's lies.
"Tch."
'Fuck.'
"I picked it up from the ruins while you were having your little 'family time' with the Archduke. Satisfied?"
"...How much?"
"Enough to keep us alive for a season, damn it."
Lythian extended his hand, the one holding a small sack.
"Just take a fucking apple."
"..."
"..."
"Let's go."
Step.
The merchant street was full of merchants shouting their prices, eager to catch the attention of passersby and customers.
Lythian laughed as merchants consistently offered Seven their products as they walked through.
"You sure are popular, pretty boy."
"Shut up."
"Hey, don't be rude to—"
"Again, shut up and give me the money."
"Fuck, what?"
"..."
In the end, Lythian had no choice but to hand Seven the pouch full of Sevtals.
Then, the shopping spree.
Or so Lythian thought, but Seven only bought what was necessary and just enough to last them a while.
He tossed back the purse to Lythian.
As they walked, they passed a massive fountain with a sign beside it.
[Othrelis.]
The Seventh Kingdom.
known as Concord of Crowns, a Kingdom where nobles are united. It was stable, yes, but stability never meant peace.
The fall of Hart Dukedom is enough proof.
Step.
Eventually, right after the fountain, they reached narrower pathways lined with wood and concrete buildings.
But one old building was purely made of wood.
Tring!
A bell jingled as they entered.
Inside, the air smelled of old wood and ale. A few patrons sat in the dimly lit common area holding a quiet conversation, though some were drinking ale in the far corner.
The innkeeper, a gruff-looking man with a receding hairline, barely glanced up as they approached the counter.
"One room?"
"Two."
Seven answered without any hesitation. Lythian, on the other hand, raised a brow but said nothing.
"One Sevtal per night."
The innkeeper said.
Seven glanced at Lythian. Without a word, Lythian tossed ten Sevtals onto the counter—enough for five nights.
The innkeeper grunted as he counted the coins before tossing them into a small wooden box.
He handed them two rusted keys.
"Upstairs. End of the hall."
Seven nodded and took the keys.
Step.
They climbed up the creaky staircase.
It wasn't a bad deal for a shabby inn like this. If it was any other normal inn, ten Sevtals could only last them a night.
Step.
At the far end, their rooms were side by side and were equally small. The inside was also equally unremarkable as it only had a bed, a chair, and a window with cracked glass.
Nothing more.
Seven tossed his bag onto the bed.
'A long day…'
From the other room, he heard Lythian drop onto his mattress with a loud thud.
Then a snore.
"ZzzZZ…"
"..."
Seven let out a quiet breath as he stared at the ceiling. Now that he finally had a moment to think, the thoughts he had been pushing aside clawed their way back in.
Eden.
Ciae.
The Dukedom.
The Archduke.
He turned onto his side, and the worn-out mattress creaked beneath him. His fingers dug into the fabric of the blanket, but no matter how much he gripped it, the questions remained unanswered.
"Why?"
It was a whisper. But in the empty room, it sounded louder.
'Why did Eden destroy the Dukedom?'
'Why is the Academy chasing the Archduke?'
'Why did that one student said Harts were traitors and wanted to kill him?'
'Why does the Kingdom want to erase Harts from existence?'
'Why…?'
That didn't make sense. All of it.
'Why did Eden go that far and killed me?'
Seven clenched his jaw.
For a moment, he imagined himself talking to Eden face to face.
"Wasn't I… your favorite?"
He thought back to the moments Eden had spoiled him, the original Seven, praised him, and looked at him like he was the only one in the world.
And yet, when it came down to it—
"Urghh…"
Seven groaned as he remembered how Eden pierced his heart.
"Hah…"
His mind raced, piecing together memories, words, glances—anything that could give him a solid answer.
But the more he thought about it, the more he realized something chilling.
He didn't know Eden at all
Even as a reader.
From the total of 7777 chapters, the author only showed the surface-level of information about her.
"What did she want him to see?"
Seven forced himself to sit up.
The room was dim.
There was nothing to see but the cracked walls. There was nothing to hear but faint noises of the city outside—the occasional clatter of hooves, the murmurs of the night, and Lythian's snoring.
Yet they all felt distant.
"Archduke…"
He had seen it himself.
The paleness, the fatigue, and the quiet moments where his father seemed lost in his own regrets. He was acting tough, but he would've died soon anyway.
But he chose to die by the Kingdom's hands.
There were so many pieces that he couldn't piece together for now. Instead, he took another deep breath before laying down on the creaking bed again.
"What now?"
Lythian had asked him that earlier, and he brushed it off with talk of heaven and hell.
Now, there was no avoiding it.
The Dukedom was gone.
He had nowhere to return to.
But Eden was still out there.
There were still answers waiting for him.
And the Sevenfold World was still his to explore.
'System. Progression Bar.'
[Protagonist Progression: 2%/100%]
'System. Points.'
[Total Narrative Points: 991, 540 NP]
Seven frowned. Until now, he still had no idea on how the progression bar works, nor where to use the points.
'Fudge it.'
He closed his eyes.
'Let's think about it when time comes.'