The sun had just passed its peak when the group left the village borders. Unlike Kaiser's previous journeys, which were always shrouded in silence, this time the clinking of Cines' iron armor and his two squires constantly broke the silence of the forest. Atop one of the horses, the little girl who was to be the offering sometimes looked at him or Sol-yure with a quiet curiosity.
Kaiser, along with Sol-yure, walked beside the horse at a constant pace.
These soldiers treated the girl better than Kaiser had expected because of her future identity as the young lord's concubine. If she were to be harmed, in all likelihood, their lives would be gone instead.
"Sir Knight," one of the squires slowed his pace until he was level with Kaiser. The third-tier knight looked eager to satisfy the curiosity he had been holding back for some time. "If I may be honest, your style of dress is very foreign. May I ask you, where do you come from?"
His fellow squire caught his breath, his body going stiff, while Cines let out a weary sigh. They had not expected him to ignore his own mentor's warning.
Kaiser turned his head toward the man. "This is from my late mentor. He is from the far eastern continent."
Cines quickly backed up and positioned himself next to Kaiser before his subordinate could ask any other questions that might complicate the situation. "Forgive me, Sir Kaiser. My squire questioned you disrespectfully. I will punish him personally later."
"It's fine. He only asked about something he did not know. If I dislike it, I'll say so."
"Thank you for your generosity, Sir Kaiser."
Kaiser merely gave a slight nod with no intention of prolonging the explanation.
[They are afraid of you, Warrior.]
Kaiser turned his gaze toward Sol-yure, who was watching the surroundings in silence. Kaiser did not reply immediately and shifted his gaze back to the path ahead.
[Wary would be a better word than afraid. If they were afraid, that squire wouldn't have dared to question me at all.]
The journey continued until night began to drop its curtain. The party decided to make camp in a fairly open forest clearing. Cines' two squires briskly gathered firewood and set up a small tent for them all. Meanwhile, Cines treated the bruises on the hands of the girl, who was sitting at rest on a fallen log. A blue liquid was applied little by little until it was completely covered.
"Good grief, we could die over a stupid bruise like this. Those wretched villagers made me waste this expensive healing potion," Cines muttered under his breath.
"Thank you... Sir Knight," the child whispered to Cines.
"Thank me by telling the young lord that this wasn't my fault later, young lady."
Kaiser did not turn around, but he felt Sol-yure a few steps behind him, watching him with blue eyes as deep as a silent lake. "Where are you from?" Kaiser asked the snake lady, who then came and sat beside him.
"Just looking around."
Sol-yure shifted her eyes toward Cines and his two squires, who were resting near the lit campfire. The little girl had already moved inside the tent to rest. Unlike the soldiers, she was just a weak, ordinary child.
"How does it feel to meet humans again, Sol?" Kaiser asked, handing a piece of homemade smoked meat to Sol-yure.
"The only thing that makes all this worth is your presence, Warrior," Sol-yure replied, "Son of Nous still doesn't bring much difference from the last time I saw them."
"But I'm sure there are some differences in how they behave compared to the past."
"Of course, one of them is about these Knights. In the old days, their existence was limited to regions with the same kind of clothing as yours, Warrior. But now they can be found even in a place like this."
"It must be because of people like my late master."
[How far you've walked this path, Warrior?]
Kaiser glanced briefly at Sol-yure at the question, which arose through telepathy rather than a normal question.
[Grand Knight. The second rank before the peak.]
"A Grand Knight… challenging a Sacred Beast and successfully subduing it… had you accepted my horn back then, you could have already become a king."
"I do not possess the qualifications of a king."
"Such a strange son of Nous."
Kaiser did not reply. His golden eyes reflected the light of the burning campfire.
***
"Finally," Cines exclaimed. He turned toward Kaiser and Sol-yure. "Sir Kaiser, Lady Solus, welcome to the Tomavel Barony."
"Thank you for the welcome, Sir Cines," Kaiser replied with a smile.
"I apologize for not being able to guide you personally, Sir Kaiser. However, please enjoy your time, we will go for duty."
Cines and his two squires left Kaiser behind. Their assistance had already eased Kaiser and Sol-yure's path inward. That was enough for a traveler like Kaiser.
"Now what, Warrior?" asked Sol-yure, who was beside him.
Kaiser looked at the town scenery, which appeared normal, with the inhabitants going about their own activities. "The plan is to obtain dry ingredients that can be carried along the way."
Water, flour, salt. In this era, sugar was still a commodity that could only be accessed by nobles and wealthy people; Kaiser would have to spend a great deal of money if he wanted to get sugar. Alternatively, he can use wild honey if he finds some later on.
Kaiser stepped aside to the edge of the street and stopped. He scanned all the stalls on the street and held his chin in contemplation. "Looking at it, the one at the end of the previous alley is better than its competitors… its price-to-quality ratio is ideal and cheaper on average."
"What are you doing?"
"Looking and comparing each product."
Having Evil Eyes that focused on observation made life much easier. By judging through the mean, Kaiser could assess whether a product was worth buying or not. Kaiser's life prospects were not always about combat; he could utilize his eye ability in other matters.
"Do all humans do the same as you with their Magic Eyes these days?"
"I'm not sure. I've only heard one story about Evil Eyes before we met. That story was about a young girl born with Evil Eyes that could turn anyone who looked at her eyes into stone. I don't know the truth of it, but people say that's where the term Evil Eyes originated."
"Is that so?"
Kaiser nodded, "If you're asking me whether other owners of Evil Eyes do the same as I do… it seems not. They would probably try their best to hide their Evil Eyes from the world."
After all, these eyes were called Evil Eyes for a reason. They could destroy the lives of their owners and those around them without their control. Generally speaking, the exact origin of the Evil Eyes was not yet known. However, as one of their owners, Kaiser did not need to use Aura or Mana to utilize his Evil Eyes' ability.
This was the second time Kaiser had visited a city. The first time was when he intended to seek information about the Ormr Simulacra. It was also in that first city that Kaiser immediately obtained vague information about the presence of the Ormr Simulacra at the foot of Mount Opus. The problem was that he did not know much about standard prices in the city yet; as they looked around, Kaiser kept hearing people mention various amounts of money and goods at the stalls.
"With the standard of prices here, we can stay for a day and get enough food for one blue moon cycle." In the standard of Nousterra, one blue moon cycle was already enough for a month on Earth.
Sol-yure turned to face him. "So we are staying in the city for tonight?"
Kaiser nodded. "For what it's worth, I am still a human who needs rest. Not just for the physical, but also for the mental recovery."
Sol-yure had no reason to refuse. Each of these things was a new experience that made everything interesting for her.
"Then, where will we sleep?"
"You will see." Kaiser did not say much. He led the way toward a building with a stone foundation and wooden pillars. The place was larger and more spacious compared to the buildings around it.
Sol-yure read the name sign carved into the display wood in front of the building.
"Dragon Grass Inn… this is the place those knights told you about when you asked for a place to stay temporarily."
"Yeah. My reason for asking them was to find out about the local's. So as not to be deceived and also not to lose our direction."
Kaiser walked into the inn with Sol-yure following from behind.
From behind the counter, the person who was wiping the table looked up for a moment toward Kaiser and his companion who had just entered.
The clerk's eyes followed the direction Kaiser walked from behind the desk for a moment before returning to his work. His hands did not stop moving even when he saw the potential new customers.
"I haven't seen you before. Newcomers?" He struck up a conversation while continuing to wipe the table.
"Yes," Kaiser replied, "Sir Cines and his two squires recommended this place to us."
The clerk's hand stopped moving. He turned toward Kaiser and stared at him more intently.
"Cines— Sir Cines?" The clerk tried to confirm.
Not only him, but the employee who was sweeping behind the counter stole glances while bowing his head.
The clerk's gaze, which had previously looked at Kaiser like someone who was bored, instantly changed as if Kaiser were some wretched boss who could fire you from your only job just like that if his mood was bad enough.
"... I see. So, what do you need?" The man's voice did not change much, but Kaiser could feel a displeasure that you could only realize if you truly paid attention to his words.
"We want to stay for a day."
"A day? When do you leave tomorrow?"
"We will leave when the sun is slightly above the shoulder."
"Okay." The clerk nodded. "One or two rooms?"
Kaiser turned to Sol-yure. "What do you think?"
"We've shared a place before, why not?"
"One room, then."
The clerk stood up. "The price is 30 coppers. Follow that boy."
After handing over the money, they followed a boy who directed them to the room.
In the hallway, the boy slowed his steps and turned toward Kaiser. "Mister, if I may ask, where do you come from? I've never seen your clothes before," the boy asked.
"I come from the south. These clothes are a legacy from my teacher. The reason why these clothes are different from the usual ones is because he came from the eastern continent."
"The eastern continent, what's that?" The boy asked back as he opened the door to Kaiser's room.
"You know that besides Tomavel there are other cities inside the Lionheart Kingdom, right?"
"Yes. Uncle Johan earlier was the one who taught me about that." The boy nodded.
"Lionheart is actually also located on an even larger land with many other kingdoms. A land containing a collection of kingdoms is called a continent. Well, there isn't just one continent either, one of the continents I mentioned earlier is the eastern continent."
"Oh...!! That sounds cool. I've never explored all of Tomavel because of its huge size, let alone Lionheart, which has no visible end. And you're saying that there is an even larger land out there, Mister?"
"That's right." Kaiser smiled faintly.
The boy stepped closer. "Then, then, have you ever been there, Mister? Are there Sacred Beasts there that can grant wishes?"
Hearing that question, Kaiser and Sol-yure met each other's eyes. Kaiser's lips formed a smile as he snorted in amusement. "I've never been there, but I've spoken to someone who has seen a Sacred Beast before coming to this city."
"Wow… then what do Sacred Beasts look like? Are they very, very big? Did they punish that person? Are they like gods?"
"Hey Alicent! Don't disturb the guests!" The clerk, who had just appeared, pulled the boy's hand quickly. Kaiser could see the tension in the counter keeper's expression, which was hidden by the dim light of the candle.
"Please forgive him, sir. I will punish him right after this. I hope you have a wonderful night." The counter keeper took the boy away without giving the boy a chance to speak.
They left, leaving Kaiser with Sol-yure inside the room they had paid before.
"They are that afraid of you, huh?" Sol-yure commented as she walked calmly toward the bed and sat on its edge.
"I don't know, maybe because I mentioned Cines' name earlier. Besides, my master once told me that unlike the east, on this continent, Knights are considered untouchable, just like nobles."
Kaiser closed the door, placing his belongings on the table before lying down on the other side of the mattress.
Sol-yure shifted her body and turned toward Kaiser. "Then, why don't you try to tell them that you are not like the others?"
"Telling with words is not always better than telling with actions. I could have just kept telling that boy if he dared to ask more questions even though someone scolded him."
Kaiser shifted his gaze from the ceiling of the room and met Sol-yure's eyes looking at him.
"Even if I were his family, I wouldn't just hand over what I know to him, Sol. Just like a mother bird that will drop her chicks from a height for them to learn how to fly."