The Kingdom of Astadvran and the Great Empire of Ramaya signed a trading treaty and businesses flourished as a result. While the Ramayan currency was accepted in the said kingdom, Karel failed to realize how much a gold coin cost when converted to the Grantierran currency Ryuu.

  “This is the reason why I failed my economics subject miserably at first try,” he muttered dejectedly to himself while exiting the currency changer. “Might as well find a carriage to Norn.”

  A knight kindly led him to the famous stablekeeper in the city and only took a few steps in and they immediately turned him away.

  Karel sighed. “How unfortunate.”

  “I apologize, sir.”

  “Then, a horse?”

  The stablekeeper shook his head.

  According to him, the knights bought their remaining horses because of the sudden expeditions all around Astadvran, especially with the emergence of the subjugation war.

  Karel went to the pza dejectedly while holding onto his luggage. He sat down on one of the vacant benches and contempted his life choices. Maybe he should have listened to his uncle because his indecisiveness—

  “We meet again, Sir Karel.”

  This voice…

  The familiar brunet stood a few paces away from him, the same man who struck a conversation with during the voyage to Astadvran. He smiled a little, cheered up by the man’s curious demeanor.

  “Drop the formalities.”

  “And also, Kani is fine as I’m not a knight.” He chuckled. “It’s quite unexpected to see you here though.”

  “I need to travel elsewhere.”

  “Oh? Where are you headed to?”

  “Up north, to Norn.”

  Kani hummed, a finger pointing on his chin. “Norn? I am headed there too.”

  Karel sat straight. “Really? Mind if I tag along?”

  “I don’t mind. Although, we will be leaving tomorrow morning.” The merchant motioned for him to follow until they arrived at an establishment. “This is where I’m currently staying.”

  A decent hotel unlike the one he rented beforehand which boasted luxury. Choosing such a mediocre hotel rather than an extravagant one even when he’s a known merchant showed humility and his frugality. Karel had witnessed a lot of merchants funting their money like they cared not about going bankrupt and somehow, it’s interesting to see someone like Kani.

  When they entered the room, Karel didn’t move even when he closed the door behind him.

  Ah, this man is so unsuspecting…

  “Aren’t you afraid I’d take advantage of you?”

  Kani turned around and faced him, eyebrows raised.

  “Did you forget that I’m a Ramayan?”

  Kani smiled, motioning him to sit. “I have a good eye for people.”

  Those words elicited an unexpected reaction out of him. While the corner of his eye twitched, a pang twinged in his chest.

  “So, why should I be wary?”

  “What if I did something untoward to you?”

  Kani chuckled. “You won’t do it, sir. So, come and sit down to enjoy the tea.”

  This person is amusing, Karel thought.

  They exchanged a few more stories here and there and Karel really found the other man’s company enjoyable.

  He learned that Kani started merchanting at the age of sixteen and became successful at eighteen. He established his own trading company and built his reputation from the ground up without any aid, not even support from his family. Said merchant also always traveled around Grantierra and the Southern Isnds as well to expand his trading routes.

  “Then, it’s been a while since you’ve been in business. That’s awesome. It’s borious to do everything alone.”

  Kani chuckled, eyes turning to crescents. “I’ve been trained since I was young and like I have told you, I have a good eye for people. I should thank my mother for that.”

  He nodded. “In Ramaya, most cns also have their own assets but most of us like living in their comfort without a care in the world.”

  “Ah, yes. I heard some stories.”

  “An exception would be Kuju, since they are our bor force. You can find everything there.”

  Kani nodded. “I visited a few times before with my father. They surely have a great manufacturing business. It’s an honor to be partners with them.”

  Kani gnced at the clock hanging on the wall. “It’s already past nine. We should retire for the night since we need to depart early tomorrow.”

  Karel smiled. “Alright, thank you again.”

  The merchant chuckled, bowing a little. “You’re welcome. Goodnight, sir.”

  Karel disliked waking up at dawn even when he slept early and soundly st night. He groggily sat up on the bed, picking up the murmurs from outside at this hour. When he peeked from the window, he saw Kani directing his people to check onto their goods and the caravan nearly finished with their preparations.

  By the time he decided to eat breakfast, Kani stood by the bottom of the stairs talking to someone when he descended. The brunet gnced at him after dismissing the helper and said, “Come eat with me for breakfast.”

  They quietly ate in the common hall, and the other guests sneaked gnces at their table, specifically at Kani.

  “They always look at me like that,” he audibly muttered only for the blond to hear.

  “You’re pleasing to look at,” Karel nonchantly remarked, still eating while executing his perfect dining etiquette.

  When out of his trance, Kani shook his head but a small smile painted his lips.

  Once they stood from the table, every pair of eyes followed their movements. Kani walked ahead and Karel trailed behind him silently.

  “I suppose that’s Kani Liafor. He’s so handsome.”

  “Well, successful at such a young age, and he turned out to be a fine man.” The older man shook his head, menting. “If only I had better societal standing, I could have married my daughter off to him.”

  Karel almost snapped his fingers at what he heard but instead pressed them together, then slightly winced when he nearly strained them. He looked forward instead, at the brunet walking confidently in front of him.

  The caravan set out at the seventh hour the same morning, stopped for an hour for their luncheon along the way and moved until twilight came. The moment they stopped for the night, tents were immediately erected and they gathered around the campfire to keep themselves warm.

  “Can you tell me more about Astadvran?” Karel asked, putting down his now empty bowl and drank from his own jug.

  Kani smiled at him and began his narration.

  Astadvran already boasted a long history even before the non-aggression pact was signed between the other archipego nations. It’s famously known for the scenic sea cliffs, fjords and pteaus which attracted a lot of tourists. The temperate climate and natural formations also contributed to their rising tourism alongside the architecture built.

  Said kingdom was divided by four cities—Norn in the north, Weissdel in the south, Montes in the east and the capital city of Rouwen in the west. Rouwen and Weissdel were headed by the dukes; Norn and Montes headed by the two marquises.

  Karel hummed. “After knowing about the construction of Deorya, if I remember correctly, Astadvran reached out to us about trade.”

  Kani nodded. “My father’s ancestors lived in Rouwen all their lives and when they learned of Deorya’s existence, some of the family members migrated. They saw it as an opportunity to finally begin merchanting.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Because of the trade between Ramaya and Astadvran, the other nations of Grantierra criticized this kingdom. To appease the others and prevent them from being hostile, the king allowed the Enaryus Pontiff1The Enaryus Pontiff is the highest official of the Great Temple of Ena. to build a temple and ordained Padins—”

  “To monitor them.” He scoffed. “Sometimes, I’m relieved that my kind didn’t worship any gods. If there are, I assume they would revere the Heavenly Pilrs2The Heavenly Pilrs, also known as the Archwinged, are composed of 12 gods overseeing the whole of Trojka. They are the original and older gods prior to the Heavenly One’s ascension to godhood. instead of the Heavenly One3The Heavenly One, also known as Ena, was a mortal who ascended to godhood prior to the Great Immortal War and became the most worshiped god in Grantierra. He currently resides in the Heavens alongside the Heavenly Winged..”

  “Lower your voice, will you? Some of the helpers are religious people, please don’t offend them.”

  Karel held his stare for a few seconds before turning away.

  “Also, because of the trade, the immortals are welcomed here. There’s a bit of discrimination beforehand but over the course of time, they’re already quite open about it.”

  “Thank you for that. You should rest now, Kani.”

  Kani nodded. “You too, sir.”

  Due to the ongoing subjugation, they closed the road from Weissdel to Norn and rerouted it to Montes. During the fourth afternoon of their journey, right after traversing through the pass between Montes and Norn, a group of bandits barred their path.

  Kani seemed unfazed but eventually went out of the carriage to face them. The bodyguards he hired for protection obscured his vision, telling him to leave it to their capable hands. Karel, on the other hand, only observed the situation from the sidelines.

  The said fight sted for almost an hour and only a few among Kani’s people sustained light injuries. No need for an intervention on Karel’s part, seeing how they disposed of the bandits rather efficiently and he even inwardly praised them for that.

  Still, one strayed from the situation.

  Karel quietly slipped away from the caravan as the people now fussed about the destroyed carriage and the injured. Treading on light steps, he found one of the escaped bandits heaving deep breaths while holding onto a tree bark.

  A cowardly one at that, he thought.

  But even him, he would prioritize himself over matters if anything went south.

  A sword materialized out of thin air and he quietly pced it next to the man’s neck. It glinted as light reflected on it, making the bandit’s figure stiffen like a rock. He slowly turned around to face the blond and his intimidating crimson eyes elicited a shiver down the bandit’s spine.

  “Who sent you to ambush us?”

  Said bandit eyed the sword nervously as he stammered, “What… What do you mean? We are the bandits! Around this pce!”

  “Really?” Karel scoffed. “I don’t think so.”

  With a simple gesture, the man floated in the air. He wriggled while attempting to free himself from the invisible hold.

  “Let me go!” he choked out.

  “If I don’t want to?”

  “I tell you, I’m only a bandit!”

  “A bandit.” He scowled this time while pushing aside his cloak with his sword and revealed the armors. “Wearing a high-grade chainmail beneath the hooded cloak, and you’re bandits? Do you think you can fool me, mortal?”

  “Mortal…?” the man muttered. As he processed Karel’s words, his body trembled more as dread shook him. He profusely sweated, beads of it ran down his back while he attempted to wriggle himself free.

  After a few seconds, realization struck him. Fear ran through him when he realized there’s no chance for him to escape this predicament.

  “Speak if you want your head—”

  “It’s the Liafor!” he excimed immediately, tears now pouring from his bloodshot eyes.

  Karel snickered and loosened his telekinesis’ grip. When he turned around to leave, the man scampered away in fear.

  As he slowly walked away, Karel motioned his arm sidewards then an invisible force came from his position. A ssh echoed around followed by a loud thud. The man’s body colpsed to the ground, now with a severed head.

  “Hmph.”

  The blond cautiously walked back while using his Navigation Magic. Golden magic circles appeared by his feet whenever he paced until he determined that the surroundings were cleared of bandits.

  When he arrived, the others carried off the corpses while some dug a pit a distance away from the dirt road. He looked to the other side and the brunet approached him in rge strides. “There you are!”

  The brunet stood beside him when he asked, “How about the caravan?”

  “Our goods are still intact, although one carriage is damaged. We will stay here tonight to repair it.”

  Karel nodded pensively, his gaze a bit far away.

  “Is there something wrong?” Kani asked, noticing that ever since Karel emerged from the forests a little while ago, he seemed preoccupied.

  His tone went a bit lower than usual. “Just being wary is all.”

  They returned to their carriage and pulled out the tents. Karel volunteered to erect them and told Kani: “On our next stop, we should stop by an inn.” He looked at the people repairing the damaged carriage. “Everyone is tired. Let them rest.”

  “I pn to. Please don’t worry.”

  The blond nodded then retreated to his tent.

  The same night, Karel didn’t sleep together with bodyguards who took the night duty. They shared knowing looks whenever the forests stirred. Thankfully, until the next morning came, nothing happened and the caravan continued on their way.

  “We still have a long way to go,” Kani whispered as he sat beside Karel. They agreed not to stop for the night and continue to travel until they reach the next town. As the night went deeper, a sudden weight leaned against Karel’s left arm. Kani slept soundly, unbothered by the bumps along the way.

  Karel silently huffed, quite conscious of their distance. He never felt disgusted by Kani’s subtle touches unlike with the people he met before. Something unexpinable drew him to Kani; something pleasant—yes, not entirely bad, he could tell—and didn’t recognize whatever that was. Karel gnced at the sleeping man next to him. Judging by his beauty and grace, he’s definitely not human. Either he had elvish or beast blood in him.

  He looked outside. Hah, this is fine.

  The caravan already traveled a long way to Norn and he hadn’t slept a wink since a few days ago, not that he’s unused to such. When they find an inn in the next town, he would ask the merchant to rest properly. After all, he also needed it.

  After their arrival in the next town, Kani settled everyone down for them to get some proper rest.

  “We still have at least a few more days before we arrive in Norn.”

  Karel nodded. “And thankfully enough, there’s an inn by the roadside. You needed rest too.”

  “How about you?”

  “I will rest too.”

  After everyone settled down in their respective lodgings, Kani retreated to his room and stopped on his tracks to turn around. “Why are you following me?”

  Karel tilted his head to the side. “I thought we’re sharing a room?”

  If he noticed the blush forming on the brunet’s cheeks, he pretended not to see it. Kani slightly bowed his head and turned to the side, hiding his face. “The room only has a bed.”

  “The sofa is fine.”

  Kani muttered something incoherent under his breath before motioning him inside the room.

  The atmosphere turned tense and he didn’t like how it restricted his throat. Kani snatched his nightwear from his baggage and changed in the bathroom. When he returned, Karel still sat by the window, a pensive look on his face.

  “Is there something wrong?”

  Kani nearly jumped out of his skin seeing the intimidating crimson eyes sharply looking at him. Karel noticed his surprise and smiled softly. “Nothing, dear sir. I’m just not used to sleeping early.”

  “Is… Is that so?”

  “Yes. So, just go to sleep. I’ll rest by midnight.”

  Kani moved towards the bed, sat on it and peeked at the blond. “Can Ramayans go on without sleep?”

  The blond raised an amused eyebrow. “For a certain time. The stronger ones, however, if they willed it, they can stay awake for longer periods of time.”

  “But, every being, immortal or not, must rest.”

  Karel chuckled softly and smiled against the knuckles where his lips leaned on. “You’re right.”

  They dropped the subject off as Kani id down. He stared at the wall, still unnerved by another man’s intimidating presence in the room.

  An hour ter, he still tossed and turned in bed.

  Karel turned to his direction. “Is there something bothering you?”

  Kani shrieked, hearing his low voice. He slowly sat down on the bed and looked at Karel now sitting on the sofa.

  He stuttered, “The attack on the caravan…”

  “It’s already settled. Now, go to sleep.”

  Kani remained vigint and pretended to sleep to trick Karel. Something seemed off about his behavior and felt perturbed by it. Another Ramayan he met during his stay in Kuju Prefecture told him about a Ramayan’s instinct and if one appeared to be preoccupied, they tend to be wary of the surroundings and observe.

  Remembering those words, he wearily blinked. Through half-lidded eyes, he saw the silhouette moving in the room and he heard rustles next.

  “They aren’t stopping?” Karel muttered to himself.

  Kani, blessed with good hearing, heard his words. He shut his eyes now, seeing how the silhouette approached the bed.

  Two fingers touched his forehead, so featherlight yet warm. Seconds after that, he internally panicked, surprised by the sudden intimacy. Kani felt his long hair being tucked away from his face and tried his best not to appear awake.

  “Hmph. Just what do they gain from eliminating you?” Karel muttered grimly. The long hair then slid from Karel’s hand, flowing smoothly out of his palm.

  Ah, so that’s what it is…

  The blond then stepped away, and Kani felt a magical array being casted around the room. When the door closed, Kani opened his eyes then curled to a fetal position.

  I really owe you this time, Karel.

  Karel returned past midnight as quietly as he could. He stood again by the bedside, looking at Kani’s sleeping figure. This time, he looked serene, unbothered by the bloodshed he created only a distance away from the inn.

  “You’re safe now, Kani.”