Lord of Caldera - Chapter 97

Chapter 97: Chapter 97
As soon as Sylas finished securing his funds, he promptly began preparations for departure, moving so quickly that the count was taken aback.

“Aren’t you rushing things a bit? At least wait until the weather warms up a little,” the count advised.

“The weather is more than warm enough for me, Father. As I travel, spring will come before I know it,” Sylas replied.

Having lived as a common hunter for fifteen years in his previous life, Sylas was no stranger to the harshness of winter. A journey with ample winter gear as a noble was hardly a challenge, especially with inns lined up along the main roads.

“The journey itself won’t be difficult, so please don’t worry,” Sylas reassured him.

“Hmm, that may be true…” the count murmured, still unable to completely hide his worry. He, too, had once been a wandering knight, so he understood the reality of Sylas’s words. Yet as a father, he couldn’t help but be concerned.

I know Father’s heart, but there’s no time to delay, Sylas thought as he continued to reassure the count. He’d received an intense pledge of loyalty from Ray, and if she’d managed to heal whoever she intended, she would have sent word by now. The fact that no message had arrived suggested that something had gone wrong.

By now, she should’ve had time to resolve things. If there’s still no word, then she must have encountered a problem, he thought, his suspicions growing into certainty. The timing, after all, was too coincidental. He needed to head to the West as soon as possible to understand the situation. Within a few days, Sylas had completed all his preparations and mounted his horse, with Toby and Max following close behind, as expected.

“Father, it’s still cold. You should go inside,” Sylas said.

“Nonsense. I won’t let a little chill keep me from seeing you off,” Count Bill replied, joining them just outside the castle gate. Curious townsfolk gathered to watch the rare sight of the count himself bidding farewell to Sylas and his companions.

The count handed Sylas a small pouch of gold coins, his breath visible in the cold air. “Use this for your travel expenses.”

“Thank you, Father,” Sylas replied.

“There’s no need to thank me. I’m only sorry I can’t give you more. If you weren’t a wandering knight, I’d have provided as much as you needed.”

Wandering knighthood wasn’t a comfortable journey; rather, it was a path that required overcoming hardships and helping others. The count believed that a comfortable journey with an excess of wealth would tarnish its meaning.

“This is more than enough for me,” Sylas replied with a knowing smile. He understood the sentiment completely, which was why he had already secured extra funds himself.

“Then I’ll take my leave,” Sylas said, bowing slightly.

“Take care,” the count replied.

“Don’t worry, Father. I’ll return safely in a year,” Sylas said as he turned his horse and rode off, with Toby and Max following close behind. The count watched their departure, murmuring to himself.

“It’ll be a difficult journey, but I believe you can handle it.”

Helping others wasn’t the only challenge—surviving, eating, sleeping, and traveling were hardships in themselves. Even for someone with Sylas’s experience as a hunter, living in his family’s estate was vastly different from spending a year wandering.

“Be strong, my son,” the count thought, watching Sylas’s back as he disappeared over the horizon, feeling a mix of pride and apprehension. Only after Sylas was far out of sight did the count turn back toward the castle.

Once Toby saw that the count had gone back inside, he leaned in and asked, “So, what’s the plan?”

“First, we need to leave the Corleone estate,” Sylas replied.

Since the Corleone territory stretched over the area, it would take five days just to exit. During that time, he’d endure some discomfort, as there would certainly be someone keeping an eye on them, even if the count didn’t send them directly. Only after they reached a different estate could they escape any lingering scrutiny.

“Guess we’ll have to camp out and munch on jerky for the next five days,” Sylas said with a sigh.

“What about after that?” Toby asked.

“What do you mean? After that, I’ll be staying at a nice inn, scrubbing off all the grime, and treating myself to a meal spiced to perfection.”

Sylas had always believed in traveling comfortably whenever he could. It was a personal motto he’d held since long before his return.

The lifestyle of a wandering knight only lasted for the first five days. After that, Sylas and his companions took advantage of comfortable inns and large cities, making the journey much easier. Besides the physical toll of travel, there wasn’t much hardship.

“This sausage is great; they probably wouldn’t share the recipe if I asked, right?”

“The seafood soup is fantastic too. Let’s order another round,” Max suggested.

“The food’s good, but the wine could be better,” Toby remarked.

The three of them enjoyed a meal delivered to their second-floor room at the inn. While the meals back at the count’s estate were fine, foreign regions had their own unique flavors to offer. After polishing off his plate, Toby picked at a piece of meat stuck between his teeth.

“So, Master, I don’t mind this comfort, but are we supposed to keep going like this?”

“What do you mean?” Sylas asked.

“Well, this doesn’t exactly feel like a wandering knight’s journey. It’s a bit too… comfortable, don’t you think?”

Toby’s concern was clear: he was worried they’d be criticized if anyone realized how easy their journey had been. But Sylas waved it off, chewing another bite of meat.

“No one’s going to need our help in the East or the Central regions. The East is stable, and the Central region is tightly controlled by the imperial palace. Not much to get involved in.”

The only problems that arose here involved lords causing trouble, but that wasn’t a wandering knight’s responsibility. What could they do about a lord causing chaos on his own land?

“But that’s not the case in the West and North,” Sylas continued. “Things are a mess over there. This luxury ends the moment we reach the West.”

While the North was calm for the moment, the West was already in disarray even before the major events occurred. Sylas might encounter other difficulties before he could even meet with Ray.

“So enjoy this while you can. It’s the last of it,” Sylas concluded.

Toby nodded and leaned back comfortably. Sylas hadn’t been wrong yet; if he said things would get rough soon, they probably would.

“…I knew it would be rough, but this is just excessive,” Toby muttered.

“More of them?” Sylas asked.

“Yes, not many, but…” Toby replied, squinting into the dark forest where several pairs of yellow eyes watched them.

It was a pack of wargs—monsters similar to hyenas that would attack en masse if they sensed weakness in their prey.

“Can you chase them off?” Sylas asked.

“There are only five, so I’ll just scare them a bit,” Toby said, standing up and gripping his spear. He fixed his gaze on the warg pack and swung his spear with all his strength against a nearby tree.

CRACK!

Yelp!

The thick tree shook with the impact, and the wargs scattered, realizing this was no prey they could hunt. As their presence faded into the shadows, Max grumbled.

“I’d heard that monster attacks were common in the West, but this is beyond anything I imagined. Five ambushes on a well-traveled road!”

Most beasts and monsters were highly territorial, keeping to their domains and avoiding human lands for fear of death. But five monster encounters on a main road meant that something was off.

“Are attacks normally this frequent here?” Toby asked.

“No, this is definitely out of the ordinary,” Sylas replied.