Deep within the Dark Forest in the southeastern region of Hatha, a group of rugged mercenaries had set camp in a hilly area that was not frequented by the ordinary hunters due to its proximity to the dangerous mountain peaks that were rumored to be cursed by evil spirits.
These mercenaries were in fact the other half of the allied troop being led by Cian back towards Abetha. Even with their elite skills, they did not dare blindly travel during the night inside the forest and were thus forced to stop again. Due to their deliberate slow speed and acts of concealment, taking routes that were not frequented by most people, their group was still inside the territory of Hatha. If nothing were to go wrong, it would take them another day and an entire night to reach the capital.
Drayce had not rested ever since they left Barknor Fortress, opting to either check-in with Slayer's deteriorating health or patrol around camp just in case an ambush was set up by the enemies, joining the knights who were assigned to keep vigil for their group.
His restlessness bothered not only the knights who were robbed of their duties but also the two crown princes who had been on edge the entire time.
"Not resting and keeping your eyes all the time on him won't heal him faster," Arlan's voice broke the tense silence of the camp.
Drayce simply lifted his head to stare at the two young men who unceremoniously joined him around the campfire.
Cian spoke up as well, "And even though us keeping watch won't heal Sir Calhoun faster too, Prince Arlan and I are willing to take over here to look after him to ease your mind. Do rest, Your Majesty."
However, Drayce refused to budge from his seat in front of the fire, pretending as if the two crown princes were made of air, and continued to stare at the tent where Slayer was being kept.
The ignored Arlan was equally as stubborn as his friend. "Well, if you are not going to listen, once Slayer is fine, I will have to tell him about this, and then you know what he will do..."
Drayce glared at him, but this time, he dared not ignore Arlan's warning. He stood up and went towards the tent that was set behind him without a word.
His response surprised Cian, and he looked at Arlan with a questioning gaze. Though Cian had few interactions with the young king, from what he had observed so far, it was near impossible to persuade Drayce from doing something he did not want to do. The King of Megaris was willful to a fault.
"It's between those two," Arlan answered Cian's unspoken question.
Cian gave him a doubtful look, and Arlan laughed. "Don't misunderstand. They are not just a king and his knight, but best friends since childhood."
Cian understood.
Just as Drayce lay inside his tent and closed his eyes, suddenly, his red eyes opened in shock. His heartbeats raced for no apparent reason, and there was sudden overwhelming anxiety weighing heavily inside his chest.
As if something bad had happened.
The last time he felt this exact mystifying sensation was when he was a kid, and at that time, he lost someone precious to him.
'Slayer!'
Drayce immediately hurried out of the tent and went to where his guardian knight was.
Arlan and Cian, who were chatting idly, saw his distress and immediately followed him towards the nearby tent.
"Slayer!" Drayce called out as he drew the flap of the tent to one side and entered.
The injured knight remained unconscious and didn't react to his king's shout, but the old physician who was sleeping in the same tent as Slayer was awakened by the outburst. He frowned in disapproval at the red-eyed man. "What is this ruckus? He is not dead yet!"
"Check on him," Drayce ordered coldly.
"Did you not hear what I said?"
Drayce only repeated his words. "Check on him."
Unwillingly, the physician stood up and looked at Drayce with an annoyed expression.
The old man held Slayer's wrist and checked his eyes and mouth before prodding around his bandaged limbs. "This tough knight is not yet completely out of danger, but as I have done everything I could for his situation not to deteriorate, his vitals are now stable. I should say it's a miracle that despite not having proper treatment yet, his condition is not worsening."
Drayce felt relieved hearing those words, but the anxiety he felt inside didn't go away. If this omen was not for Slayer, who else is close to him that was currently in danger to make him feel like this?
After exchanging some more words with the physician, Drayce finally released the breath he didn't realize he had been holding and exited the tent. Arlan and Cian were waiting for him outside.
Arlan asked him, "What happened? Is Slayer all right? Do we need to do something?"
"Not sure," Drayce answered with a furrowed brow. "Something doesn't feel right."
Arlan and Cian exchanged a glance, confused by what he meant.
"You are too tired, so that must be the reason," Arlan suggested.
Drayce didn't look convinced. He turned to Cian. "How much time will it take to reach Abetha's capital?"
"With our current speed, about a day and a night, so we will arrive there in two days' time," Cian answered. "Without any break, we might reach there before midnight tomorrow, but I doubt we can shorten the journey time as that will be too rough for the old man and your knight."
Drayce knew it too, but he could not help but confirm it once more. He found himself unable to relax until he was assured that Slayer was completely safe.
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Inside the Royal Palace of Abetha, the chaos caused by Seren's scream had not yet died down.
While the royal guards and servants were busy running around to tend to the injured and bring order back inside the palace grounds, and the King of Abetha had taken vigil in front of his daughter's tower due to immense worry for her, there were people who had remained calm all throughout the night's ordeal, seemingly prepared to face this disaster.
"Mother, did you know this would happen?"
The Second Princess of Abetha, Meira, could not help but ask Queen Niobe who was sitting leisurely on a wooden chair in front of her. Despite it being the middle of the night, the blond middle-aged woman remained regally beautiful in her nightgown, not a blemish on her fair skin nor a hair straying out of her bun. Likewise, her youngest daughter was in the same situation, as she had been roused by her mother to come visit her and stay with her inside this room for the duration of the night.
The Queen smiled without answering her daughter, but her expression looked like she achieved something big tonight.
"Mother!" Meira called again.
Finally, Queen Niobe came out of the daze of her success and looked at her youngest daughter who had been sitting restlessly in front of her with an extremely curious expression. The Queen merely smiled, but did not answer Meira's question.
"Are you fine, dear?" Queen Niobe asked.