Astro woke up in the morning in a jolt. Five days remained until Abel's next shipment, and Astro refused to let a single one go to waste.
That morning, he unfurled a large map of the Kingdom of Bosco across the table, its edges pinned down by books and inkpots. The parchment stretched wide, its cities painted in faded lines, but Astro's focus was sharp. There may be no more light mage guild in this city, but so can't be said for other cities. One by one, he marked the locations where light mage guilds still stood in Bosco Kingdom..
Kael leaned on the table, arms crossed. "That's a lot of ground to cover. Even if we move fast, we don't have the numbers."
Astro didn't look up right away. His quill hovered over the map, circling a cluster of cities. Then, with a quiet voice, he asked,
"Kael… how many of the children are healthy enough to travel? Ones who aren't sick, who could handle the road if they had to?"
Kael blinked at the sudden question. "…You're thinking of sending them out?"
"I'm thinking of saving them," Astro replied firmly, then softened. "But I won't push them if they can't. They've already suffered more than enough." He finally turned his gaze to Kael, eyes steady but carrying a faint sympathy. "If some of them are too weak, we'll leave them here. I'm not going to break them just to make a plan work."
Kael studied him for a moment, weighing his words. "…Around a dozen can walk and keep pace with adults. The others are still recovering—malnourished, fevers, lingering poison in their systems." His jaw tightened. "I wouldn't risk those ones."
Astro gave a small nod. "Then we won't. Only the ones who are strong enough. And even then… they'll need protection. Trusted adults, people who can play the role of their guardians."
Kael frowned, suspicion creeping into his voice. "You're planning something with them, aren't you? You wouldn't ask otherwise."
Astro leaned back slightly, his eyes flicking between the map and Kael. "You're right. But I need you to understand—I'd never treat them as tools. If I'm asking them to walk into this, it's because they'll be safer in the long run, and because they might be the only ones who can open doors we can't."
Kael's shoulders loosened, though unease still lingered in his gaze. "…You sound too calm about this."
"Calm doesn't mean heartless," Astro answered. His voice softened again. "If it were just strategy, I wouldn't bother asking how many children could bear it. I'd ask how many we could use. But I don't want to use them, Kael. I want them to live."
The words hung in the air, quiet but heavy, and for the first time Kael saw in Astro not just the cold tactician, but the boy who still carried a flicker of compassion beneath the weight of his plans.
Only then did Astro set his quill down, tapping one of the circled cities. "And to make sure of that, we'll need help. More than what we have now. I can probably deal with Abel, But he has too many men scattered around the city, and except for his right hand man Riser, the others aren't that strong"
"But they are still mages, ordinary citizens can't fight them, so we need people who can.", Astro continued.
Kael listened quietly and sighed, agreeing to Astro's plan.
"Well, then let's go.I met someone interesting last night, Maybe they can help."
"Last night?"
Astro smirked a bit but didn't reply.
Kael followed without question, though the slight furrow in his brow showed he wasn't sure where Astro was leading. The streets grew quieter as they left the central square, the cobblestones narrowing into a neighborhood that felt lived-in—small gardens, laundry strung between windows, and children's chalk scribbles fading on the stones.
As they walked through the narrow streets, Astro kept glancing at Kael. His friend's usual sharp focus was… off. Kael's gaze lingered on corners, doorways, and windows as if memories were hiding there. His jaw was set tighter than usual.
"You're walking like someone stole your wife," Astro said, breaking the silence.
Kael shot him a glare. "I'm fine."
"Sure," Astro drawled, smirking. "Fine usually doesn't mean scowling at innocent walls..".
Kael grunted, clearly not in the mood. But Astro wasn't letting it go.
"Don't tell me someone you know live here? Old debt collectors? Secret admirer? Or…" he tilted his head with mock seriousness, "…did you break some poor girl's heart around here?"
Kael's step faltered just slightly.
Astro glanced at Kael curiously. He had always seen him as a steady leader—calm, dependable, a fatherly figure to the children, and a quiet force in the shadows of the city. But the man walking beside him now was different. Kael's eyes flicked everywhere with a restless guilt, his posture uncharacteristically stiff.
For the first time, Astro realized something simple: Kael wasn't just the unshakable guardian everyone relied on. He was also a man, barely thirty, carrying his own unresolved stories.
Huh… can priests even marry here? Astro wondered to himself. Well, Kael isn't really a priest anymore anyway…
He was still turning the thought over when they reached a familiar door. Astro lifted his hand to knock—but didn't notice that Kael had frozen behind him, jaw tight, glaring at him as if Astro owed him a year's wages.
The door opened. Elara stood there, and the moment her eyes landed on Astro, her face lit up.
"Astro!" she exclaimed, pulling him into a sudden embrace.
She was dressed in a revealing nightdress, the kind that left little to the imagination. Kael wasn't shocked—Elara was never an early riser. He remembered all too well her habit of sleeping past noon and drifting around in whatever careless attire she pleased. But seeing her now, pressing herself against Astro so casually in that state—
Kael's expression darkened. To anyone else, it might have looked harmless. To him, it felt far too familiar… and far too intimate.
Elara finally drew back, smiling brightly—until her eyes landed on Kael. Her cheer faltered. The warmth in her face stiffened into awkward silence.
"…Kael," she said softly.
The air between them tightened like a bowstring.
Astro, caught between their gazes, raised his hands defensively.
"Uh, just to clarify—we only met last night. She invited me to drink with some neighbors, nothing else."
Elara nodded quickly, almost too quickly.
Kael exhaled through his nose. "I'm here because of some plans this boy made. Can we talk inside?"
"Of course," Elara replied, her voice quieter than before. She stepped back, letting them enter.
Astro hid his amusement poorly. Yesterday, Elara was bold and confident. Now, in Kael's presence, she seemed more like a flustered village girl.
"Also… maybe put on something proper, Elara," Kael said at last, the edge in his voice betraying both concern and annoyance.
Elara glanced down at herself—and turned scarlet. "I-I'll be right back."
She hurried up the stairs. Astro's eyes almost followed the sway of her retreat—until a sharp cough from Kael brought him back to himself.
Astro chuckled sheepishly, scratching his cheek before looking away.
Kael only sighed, pressing his fingers to his temple.