Chương 25: The Rearguard of the Journey

The morning in Oakhaven began with the metallic clink of coins and the rustic groan of wooden wheels as the two-gold-coin wagon adjusted to the packed dirt road. Kuro handed the coins to Selene, dictating the financial orders: she spent exactly twenty silver coins on spell books resembling grimoires and another ten silver coins on rations and travel supplies.

With the expenses tallied, one gold coin had vanished from the pouch, leaving the party's balance at exactly five legitimate gold coins in the leader's accounting. Before setting off, Kuro walked over to Liora. The assassin could already take a few steps on her own, but her muscles were still paying the biological tax of the previous combat, leaving her slightly injured. Without hesitation, Kuro scooped her into his arms, carrying her in his lap toward the wagon.

Mireya's black ears twitched instantly and Selene's expression soured, both of them fuming with jealousy at the sudden physical proximity. Indifferent to the harem's pressure, Kuro settled Liora onto the cushioned benches of the vehicle and sustained her gaze.

"You need to get well, Liora. You are important to me," Kuro said, his voice calm.

"It would be bad for a woman as beautiful as you to fall ill or remain weakened. It is better not to exert yourself right now." Liora merely nodded, her cheeks flushing a gentle hue beneath her usual military posture. With the party settled, the wagon finally crossed the borders of Oakhaven, taking the packed dirt road toward the great metropolis of the Capital of Ithrya. Kuro took the reins at the front, guiding the horses with his eyes fixed on the road, while Selene sat right beside him on the driver's bench.

Wanting to advance the intellectual board, he glanced sideways at the red-haired mage.

"Selene, begin the theoretical lesson," Kuro ordered, pointing to the leather package.

"I want to see what is useful in those runic books you bought." Selene pulled out the first rustic grimoire, opening the yellowed parchment pages. As she began to point out the lines and explain the geometry of the flows, Kuro interrupted her directly:"By the way, you look very beautiful today, Selene." The redhead's cheeks caught fire instantly. Before she could gesture in embarrassment, Kuro raised his voice so that the sound carried through the wood and reached the back of the carriage.

"And Mireya looks beautiful back there too!" A frustrated grumble and the sharp flick of a feline tail came from inside the tent. Kuro gave a short corner laugh. He had noticed the generalized surge of jealousy from the moment he carried Liora, and playing with such upfront honesty was his way of dominating the drama.

"Selene... Liora... pay attention to what I am about to say," Kuro suddenly changed his tone, assuming a serious and focused posture. He kept his eyes on the road, drawing their immediate attention.

"Back in the inn room, you heard strange terms. I know you understood almost nothing about what 'Earth' is, the Shadows from there, or my past with Kaede... and that is fine. It is a place completely different from this continent. But the reason I am telling you this directly now is simple: I trust both of you. I trust my life to your shield and your magic. Therefore, this secret dies here. Do not speak of this to absolutely anyone, not even under torture."

Selene blinked her blue eyes repeatedly, clutching the grimoire tightly against her chest. She still could not properly comprehend the concept of another planet, visualizing the revelation as some ancient mystery, but the impact of hearing Kuro state directly that he trusted her made her heart race, and a wave of possessive pride flooded her chest. Behind the canvas, Liora straightened her posture. Her dark eyes gleamed with renewed determination.

For a warrior raised under rigid orders, receiving a pledge of absolute trust from her leader was the greatest pact of loyalty she could ask for. She simply nodded, sealing the oath in silence. The party's alliance was armored. Clearing her throat to camouflage her bashfulness after the secret, Selene returned her eyes to the pages, trying to regain her technical composure:"Right... regarding mana flow, the grimoires detail complex magic circles," Selene explained, her voice still a bit shaky but gaining firmness.

"I specialize in the elemental arts of earth, fire, and ice, but the advanced tomes of the Capital hide forbidden secrets. There are purple magic circles that indicate banned spells of mental manipulation and biological control, as well as red circles, which are for the exclusive use of demonic races. At the apex of learning are the rare arts of creation to tame wild beasts and dungeon monsters, and the high-regeneration and healing magics of elite healers.

In the Capital, the grandmasters dominate this, but to truly learn it would take years of study and very rigid training. Someone who does not attend the elite academy there, or who doesn't have an excellent teacher guiding them step-by-step, would never reach that level. I know this because I studied at the Capital's academy before coming to Oakhaven." Selene paused briefly, her brow furrowing into a pensive expression, and looked directly at Kuro.

"And there is more... your power, Kuro. I searched through all the old records and grimoires in the high library, but I have never heard of pure shadow magic. There are no biological accounts of this element on the continent, so I don't know if your nature is some kind of anomaly or an unknown force from the outside... which could become a massive problem if the court mages notice you. Furthermore, the news that recently arrived from the border is alarming.

They say a mysterious woman, an extremely powerful General, led a devastating military assault and single-handedly conquered an entire city of the Kingdom of the Union. That is what is about to collapse the political board over there." Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"Alchemy itself is treated as a mystical apex in the court. But the traditional runic art of Ithrya is completely different from what Mireya does. No one in the Oakhaven guilds would accept her into parties because nobody understood the bizarre calculations and the mixtures she used at the bench; they thought she didn't know what she was doing. Besides, the Capital is a dangerous place for demi-humans.

Although it is in small numbers because of the Queen's laws, slavery still exists in the shadows of the high court. Being a cat-girl, Mireya would suffer a lot of prejudice if she tried to operate alone over there." Kuro sustained the redhead's serious gaze for a frame, the corner of his mouth shifting subtly.

"I don't intend to go to the Capital's academy, Selene," Kuro replied with total calmness.

"I already have an excellent teacher right here by my side. If the desire strikes me someday in the future, I might even drop by... but for now, my focus is to learn about myself. I want to master the shadows that poured from my wounds and awakened in my blood that day. I want to know the truth about my own nature. And besides... I like you teaching me, Selene." The mages' cheeks simply exploded into a violent scarlet.

She quickly turned her face toward the side of the road, covering her mouth with her fingertips while her heart beat uncontrollably inside her ribcage. Kuro merely maintained his focus on the horses' march, knowing exactly the weight of every move he made on the harem's chessboard.

"We will stay at an inn as soon as we cross the gates," Kuro continued, dictating the group's next steps.

"I am thinking of a plan. The Capital's guild gives much more money per mission, so we will take advantage of that to accept some jobs and raise quick funds. While we are at the inn, we will use that time to study the runic grimoires and become stronger, in addition to starting to gather the raw materials we need. But my true tactical objective inside there is different: I am going to try to reach Commander Kaelia Voss. It is through her that we will make our game move."

Selene adjusted the grimoire in her lap, focused on the seriousness of the strategy:"Understood. It is a good starting point so we don't draw attention right away." Kuro pulled the reins subtly, slowing the horses' march, and looked at the mage.

"Selene, take over driving this wagon for a while. I am going to the back." Kuro stood up and stepped into the rear of the vehicle, where a rustic canvas tent completely blocked out the bright sunlight, creating a stifling and cramped atmosphere. He sat in the narrow space, settling right beside Liora and Mireya to begin reading the pages of the grimoires.

The dust and the gloom of the tent created the ideal atmosphere for the journey, keeping their bodies close while the two girls in the rearguard froze in embarrassment at being confined so close to him, with Selene letting out grumbles of pure jealousy from up front as she handled the reins. The hours rushed past on the road until the dark mantle of night covered the continent of Ithrya.

Kuro pulled the carriage brake and jumped onto the damp grass of the forest, evaluating the rustic map under the light of the oil lamp.

"We will stop here," Kuro announced, his firm voice breaking the silence of the woods.

"The guild map says this perimeter is clear and there are no monsters nearby. I am going to tie the horses to that tree over there, and we will sleep inside here, in the improvised quarters beneath the wagon's tent." Mireya jumped back on the wood, her black cat ears completely bristling and her face exploding with feline shyness upon realizing they were going to share the vehicle's cramped bed.

"What do you mean?!" the Neko hissed, her canine teeth showing from sheer nervousness.

"This cannot happen! I am not sleeping pressed against you!" Liora merely retreated into a corner of the canvas, keeping her posture intact and accepting the leader's order without question, while Selene muttered softly from the front, squeezing the linen pillow:"It was supposed to be... it was supposed to be just me with him..." the redhead huffed with jealousy.

"I don't want to and I will not accept this lightly!" Mireya continued to protest, her tail thumping against the floorboards. Kuro crossed arms, looking at both of them with absolute calmness.

"It is better for everyone to stay together and protected, don't you think? What is the actual problem with that?" Kuro tossed the tactical argument onto the table, cornering their shyness. Mireya pointed her rustic claws toward his chest, averting her yellow eyes to hide her racing adolescent heart:"If you try to play any tricks or pull any funny business with us while we are sleeping... I will never, never forgive you!"

Kuro let out a light laugh, sustaining the cat-girl's startled gaze:"I do not intend to do absolutely anything with you, Mireya... unless you want me to. But just so you know, if you ever want to at some point, I will go with open arms and very happily." The Neko nearly short-circuited from sheer embarrassment, covering her face with her white sleeping blanket. Kuro settled into the middle of the wagon's cramped mattress, feeling the warmth of his harem arrange itself around him. Everything I have ever wanted...

this is the happiest moment I could possibly have in my life, Kuro contemplated, his inner voice processing the reality. I truly don't know how to describe this strange feeling... because inside here, due to all the loneliness of the past, I still feel a void that is difficult to fill. But even so, I am still very excited to remain by their side. And above all, this can also help increase my companionship points with each of them.

As Kuro settled beneath the sheets, the silence of the tent was broken by three timid whispers that came in sequence through the gloom.

"Good night, Kuro..." Selene said from the front, her voice muffled by contained jealousy.

"Good night..." Mireya whispered, huddled beneath the white blanket, her tail finally quiet.

"Good night, leader," Liora concluded from the corner of the canvas, maintaining her usual loyalty. Kuro sustained the sound of those voices and gave a light smile, closing his eyes with absolute calmness. He felt genuinely happy just to receive a sincere good night from those three women. And so they slept, with exactly five hours of travel remaining until the great gates of the Capital of Ithrya.