In the middle of the vast expanse of green meadow, the atmosphere now felt much quieter. The only ones left on the meadow were Arvin, Kylen, Vian, Tania, Ziona, Anna, and the six elite guard soldiers from the Flamort Kingdom.
Arvin turned his body around, walking toward the shelter house building that was now completely empty without any occupants.
Once standing right in front of the house, the blue-haired youth fell silent for a moment. His eyes stared intently at the sturdy building that had been a safe residence for all of them during their stay in the capital of the Victoriaz Kingdom.
"Thank you for being our shelter during our time there." Arvin said in a very gentle tone. The gentle morning breeze softly swept through strands of his blue hair. "Now, it is time for us to part ways."
The youth slowly extended his right hand forward.
Within seconds, the entire material of the shelter house shattered and dissolved into tiny shards of ice and dust particles, which then drifted and disappeared completely, blown away by the morning wind, returning the place to a pristine meadow.
"Darling, are you ready to go?"
Kylen's call broke the silence. Arvin lowered his hand and turned his body to look at the Flamort group already waiting for him.
"Yes, I am ready!" Arvin replied while walking casually toward his spouse.
They all then walked together toward the horse carriage. However, as Arvin was about to step inside and looked into the cabin, he furrowed his brow slightly. The space inside the typical royal horse carriage was indeed luxurious, but its size was truly quite cramped if it had to be filled by many people for a cross-kingdom overland journey.
"Do the five of you always squeeze together when you are in there?" Arvin asked to confirm, truly not expecting that the inside of the royal carriage would have such minimal space capacity.
"What else can we do?! There is nothing else we can do!" Kylen answered while scratching the back of his neck, feeling a little embarrassed by his husband's question. "The size of this carriage has indeed been like this since we first departed from there."
Hearing his spouse's resigned answer, Arvin immediately let out a long sigh in front of Kylen, Vian, and the others. Imagining them having to sit crammed together for days made him feel uncomfortable.
"Wait a moment. Let me change the inside of this carriage first." Arvin instructed.
"Okay, Darling!" the prince replied with great enthusiasm. "I leave everything to you!"
Arvin stepped closer to the carriage. He placed his right palm right on the carriage door, which was made of high-quality wood.
By concentrating his mana flow, Arvin utilized his alchemy magic at a high level of precision. He began to manipulate and alter the dimensional size of the space inside the cabin without damaging its outer physical form, expanding it until it was large enough to serve as a shelter and sleeping quarters for all of them, including the six soldiers tasked with escorting their journey.
"Go inside!" he said calmly while pulling his hand back after finishing his work.
Kylen, Vian, Tania, Ziona, and Anna began climbing the small steps and entering the carriage one by one. However, right after they stepped past the threshold, the quiet atmosphere outside was instantly shattered by loud voices from within.
"Arvin!" Vian exclaimed from inside the carriage, his voice echoing with sheer disbelief. "The inside here is no longer a carriage at all, but the size is already like a luxurious private room for all of us!"
"You truly created something that makes absolutely no sense!" Ziona chimed in with a loud voice, her eyes sparkling as they swept across the entire room that now felt so spacious and airy. "I am so amazed by your alchemy skills!"
"My husband is amazing, right?" Kylen exclaimed in a tone full of pride, even though in reality, the prince himself also felt so astonished that his jaw dropped upon seeing how magnificent the room he had just entered was. "He is the best and greatest husband in this world!"
Feeling curious about the commotion of praises inside, the six guard soldiers exchanged glances before finally gathering the courage to climb up and enter the carriage cabin. And in that very instant, the reaction of shock they displayed was exactly the same as Vian and the others.
Inside the modified cabin space, there were now ten plush sofas, twelve comfortable beds, and a wide dining table complete with its twelve neatly arranged chairs.
"Lord Arvin... what is that door?" Tania asked curiously, pointing toward a closed door in the corner of the room.
"That door is the bathroom door. There is also a toilet inside." Arvin answered casually while stepping in to follow them inside the carriage. "So, you don't need to trouble yourselves anymore when you want to relieve yourselves, or feel worried about your bodies smelling because you haven't bathed during this long journey."
That practical explanation successfully left them even more speechless. Arvin then shifted his gaze and turned toward the six armored soldiers standing stiffly near the door. The expression on his face slowly turned very serious.
"Listen to me. Tonight, the six of you must rest and sleep!" Arvin instructed casually, yet the glint in his eyes implied no room for compromise. "When it comes to camp security, I am highly sensitive to the presence of intruders. So, none of you need to worry about any sudden attacks."
Hearing the order that violated night guard procedures, one of the soldiers immediately opened his mouth.
"But—"
Before the soldier could even finish his sentence of refusal, Arvin cut him off sharply.
"I do not want to hear any refusals! You are humans who have limits of exhaustion and need rest. Don't all of you have families waiting in the Flamort Kingdom?"
The six tough soldiers fell completely silent. They exchanged glances for a moment, then nodded in unison, affirming the words of the youth before them.
"In that case, make sure your bodies are perfectly healthy once we arrive there!" he said again, this time applying a cold pressure to his final sentence. "If you dare to ignore my words and force yourselves to stand guard all night, then prepare yourselves to return home frozen solid!"
Receiving a direct threat from the figure of a Vedegra descendant who could kill without blinking an eye, the six soldiers instantly swallowed hard. They could only nod in understanding obediently, without a single one possessing the guts to answer, let alone defy, that absolute command.
On the other side of the room, Kylen and his five companions, who had been listening to the conversation the whole time, could see very clearly that Arvin was a protective figure and a true leader.
Arvin is truly crazy! Vian praised in his heart, amazed to see how the youth ensured the well-being of everyone in his group. He is truly already like a true leader. Even the soldiers from our kingdom are treated so well and taken care of by him.
However, the youth suddenly smiled wryly.
Even though... he conveyed it by threatening people's lives so his words would not be refuted at all. Vian thought again, followed by a soft sigh after finishing his internal monologue.
A few moments later, the horse carriage began to move. Its wheels turned, departing and leaving the vast green meadow behind to continue their long overland journey toward the Flamort Kingdom.