The road to Vorkalis began to feel far longer than Aster had expected.
The cold of winter, the aching pain in his back from sitting still for so long, and the cart's constant jolting over uneven ground all piled onto his chest like a heavy main course—served with suffering as dessert.
'Good thing I don't really feel the cold,' he reassured himself.
That was true—for him, at least.
But what about the others?
Wrapped tightly in thick clothing, Suna trembled nonstop.
"When are we getting there?!" she complained in a near-crying voice.
Aster turned toward her.
"Sit closer to me. You won't freeze as much."
Suna shot him a sly, fox-like look.
"Are you trying to take advantage of the situation?!"
During the time Aster had spent living in Alaris's estate, he had learned a few important things about Suna.
First—she wasn't the kind of girl he had initially imagined.
Yes, she was pretty and charming, but her personality… that was another matter entirely.
Second—although Suna was merely a servant of the duke's household, an ordinary maid, she had no fear whatsoever of teasing Anna when the two of them were alone.
Every time Aster witnessed that, he nearly grabbed his collar in panic.
How could anyone dare mock the granddaughter of one of the empire's two dukes?
To Aster, it felt like standing on a broken chair with a noose around one's neck.
And his understanding of Suna didn't stop there.
The more he learned about her, the closer they seemed to grow.
And indeed, that closeness soon extended to him as well.
The jokes that were once directed only at Anna slowly began to include Aster too.
Annoyed, he spoke in a sharper tone.
"Nothing like that. If you don't want to, I won't force you."
Seeing his expression, Suna snickered.
"Alright, don't get mad," she said, scooting closer to him.
At first, the maid simply rested her hand on his shoulder. Feeling the warmth coming from his body, she couldn't help herself and moved even closer.
"So warm," she said, grabbing his hand.
Aster sat there silently, turning his face away, trying desperately not to show his flushed, embarrassed expression.
No—it wasn't because this was his first physical contact with a girl.
Nor was it because of Suna's teasing tone.
The real problem was something else entirely.
'My hand… my hand is touching something soft!'
Suna had pressed his hand against her chest and wrapped both arms around it. Aster's heart began pounding violently, heat rushing to his face.
As his body temperature rose, Suna noticed it—and tightened her grip even more.
"I feel like I'm hugging a stove."
'No, Aster. Don't think about it! Don't! Meditate!' he scolded himself internally.
Suddenly, the cart jolted, and Suna—already close—ended up pressed even closer against him. What he had only felt with his hand before, he could now feel with his shoulder as well.
'How am I supposed to meditate like this?!'
At that moment, an intentional—but carefully disguised—cough sounded from across from them.
Aster had completely forgotten there were three people sitting in the cart.
Anna was staring straight at them with a serious expression, her gaze unblinking.
'If she misunderstands this…'
He swallowed nervously.
Cold sweat broke out across his body.
Unable to bear it any longer, Anna spoke first.
"Aster…"
His heart nearly stopped.
"How can you see?"
The question caught him completely off guard.
"Well… how do I explain it? It's kind of like seeing—but also not."
Suna turned to him.
"How is that possible? You can see and not see at the same time?"
Aster scratched his head.
"I just feel things. Up to a certain distance…"
Both girls stared at him with strange expressions.
'I sound like an idiot.'
"Anna said it's sensing mana," Suna added.
Aster looked confused. Anna continued.
"I've only read about sensing mana in books. So that means… you're like that."
"For example, I can tell what's inside this box, or—"
Mid-sentence, Aster suddenly realized something was wrong.
Suna pulled away from him.
Confused, he looked at both girls.
Their faces were red, and both were covering their chests with their hands.
It took him a moment to understand.
"No, no! That's not what I meant!"
"I didn't think you were that kind of person," Suna said with a disgusted expression.
'Why did I say that?!'
Aster grabbed his head in despair.
After that, none of them spoke again—until they reached Vorkalis.
***
The cart stopped in front of the city gates.
Six soldiers clad in armor inspected the cart carefully. Only after confirming there was no threat did they allow entry.
Vorkalis was a city located in the northwestern region of the Blackwood Empire.
At the same time, it was a hidden hub—far from the capital—where unsavory dealings quietly took place.
As the cart rolled forward, Aster felt a dark aura emanating from the city. His skin crawled.
The black brick walls stretched upward, merging with the dark clouds that covered the sky. There was no warmth in the expressions of the people walking the streets.
This place was nothing like Northstat.
As the cart moved through one of the main streets, more and more hostile gazes turned toward them—eyes filled with hunger.
Sensing danger, Aster subtly gripped the sword he had hidden beneath the covering.
'I need to stay alert.'
The cart finally stopped in front of a building that looked close to collapse.
Its wooden walls sagged inward, as though it might fall apart at any moment.
Valorant turned toward those in the back.
"Alright. We're getting off."
Sven gestured toward the building.
"This is the best inn in the city. Cheap, too."
Standing in front of it, Aster thought,
'Is it cheap because it might collapse… or because staying here guarantees death?'
Valorant stepped down and looked at Sven.
"Thank you for bringing us this far."
Sven nodded.
"No need for thanks. Walking gets tough at your age," he said with a laugh.
Though meant as a joke, Valorant didn't find it amusing. His brows twitched as he forced a smile.
"There's a doctor two streets down. You can take the boy there. Well then—see you around!"
With that, Sven cracked the reins and drove off.
Under his breath, Valorant muttered irritably,
"I'm old? I'm in my prime for an elf!"
Hearing this, Aster glanced at his master.
'Master… maybe it's time we admit we're human,' he thought silently.
Valorant suddenly turned and stared at him.
"Do you agree with me?"
"Yes, of course," Aster replied, forcing a smile.
He knew exactly what kind of punishment awaited him if he didn't.
Valorant motioned for the girls to follow and pulled their hoods lower as he pushed open the inn's creaking door.
The moment it opened, a swarm of unpleasant gazes greeted them.
Every single person inside looked ready to kill at a moment's notice.
Seeing this, Aster placed a hand on Suna's shoulder and stayed close behind her.
'I didn't see anything… I'm blind,' he tried to reassure himself.
Through his hand, he could feel how badly Suna was trembling.
Despite her fear, she held tightly onto Anna's hand.
Valorant stopped in front of the tavern counter, where a large man was pouring drinks into oversized mugs.
"We need two rooms. Each with two beds."
"Forty silver coins. Just for the night," the man replied, slamming the mugs down loudly.
Aster's eyebrows shot up.
'Forty?! That's robbery!'
At that moment, he understood why.
Every single person in the tavern was armed. Their hands never strayed far from their weapons.
One wrong word—
And their lives would be decided right there.