“Your Highness! There, there’s a big tree over there…!”
Fortunately, Sen delivered the good news to Cayden. It was before the day had completely darkened.
Cayden begged the intelligent horse, which had graciously tolerated his poor riding skills, to please stop. Only then was he finally able to come to a halt.
Cayden looked in the direction Sen was pointing. Not far away, a faint smoke was rising. It was coming from beyond a low sand dune.
It was impossible to know what kind of person had lit a fire beneath the shallow sand dune that partially concealed a small tree. After all, it was hidden from view. Judging by the weakness of the smoke rising upward, there might not be anyone there at all.
“It doesn’t seem like there are many people.”
“Yeah. The smoke is too weak.”
“Then… who could be there? Nomads? Hunters? Merchants? Or perhaps inexperienced travelers?”
“Let’s hope there’s no one.”
Pushing aside the thought that it might be bandits separated from their group, Cayden answered Sen.
Nothing could be certain. Still, they had to go. Cayden gripped the reins tightly once more.
Following the faint smoke, Cayden and Sen arrived beyond the dune and simultaneously sighed in relief.
Beside the tree, which had turned half black as if struck by lightning during the rainy season, there were traces of someone having stayed there. But whoever had left those traces seemed to have departed long ago.
A low-grade magic stone could be seen buried in a pile of firewood that hadn’t been properly arranged. Only the sparks emanating from it remained, burning themselves out.
What a relief, Cayden thought as he carefully dismounted. He tied the horse to the trunk of the crooked old tree.
“Thank you for carrying me.”
Cayden expressed his gratitude to the white horse with its haughty eyes.
He then immediately lifted Sen, who had been sitting on the saddle. Sen, who seemed to be about 17 years old now, was only slightly larger than Lihet. Carrying the child and moving wasn’t difficult at all.
Cayden carefully sat Sen, who was groaning in pain, by the fire that was generating at least some heat. When Cayden took off his coat and draped it over Sen’s shoulders, the groaning grew louder.
“Is your leg hurting a lot?”
“Ah, no, it’s not that. It’s just, I’m so honored… No, am I already dead at the campsite and dreaming my final dream? It seems like it…”
Sen fumbled with her words.
Cayden was worried about Sen, who was breaking out in a cold sweat. She even seemed to be mentally clouded by fever. Cayden was concerned that the pain from her injured leg had spread throughout her body.
Cayden slyly took the pouch that Sen was clutching tightly. As Amina had explained, he intended to light a fire by throwing stones onto the dry twigs that someone who had made a temporary campsite had piled up.
“Y-Your Highness! I’ll do it!”
“No. You rest.”
“I can’t allow that!”
Sen cried out again in alarm, but Cayden simply smiled and brushed aside her words.
It was a very simple task—just throwing a few stones onto the remaining firewood. Ignoring the restless Sen, Cayden took out small stones from the pouch and threw them onto the firewood.
He had doubted whether a fire would really catch, but that doubt didn’t last long. A red ball of flame instantly bloomed like a flower.
A silence resembling awe descended. Both Cayden, who had lit the fire, and Sen, who was enduring the pain of her sprained ankle, blankly stared at the flames moving elegantly as if dancing.
However, they couldn’t just remain in awe forever. Cayden got up and moved.
Behind the low sand dune, Cayden walked to a place where another tree didn’t obstruct the view. He chose ground where his feet wouldn’t sink into the sand and threw a stone about the size of a child’s fist.
It didn’t take long for light to appear. With a sound of something breaking, brilliantly colorful light burst forth. Light with various colors subtly intertwined illuminated the surroundings.
Now, they had to wait for Amina. That was the only thing left to do.
Cayden sighed secretly from Sen and wiped the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. After briefly surveying the surroundings, he turned back and headed toward Sen.
Cayden sat facing Sen with the warm fireball between them. His arms and shoulders, which had stiffened from the pressure of having to drive the horse and the worry about falling off, were tingling. No, his entire body was tingling.
Sen, who had been blankly staring at Cayden sitting across from her, suddenly took off the coat draped around her body. It was the coat Cayden had placed on her shoulders.
“Your Highness, you should wear your coat. The desert nights are cold.”
“I’m fine. I’m wearing so many layers that I don’t need a coat.”
“But…”
“Sen, I’m from the north, so I’m strong against cold and weak against heat. Can’t you see I’m sweating from the heat after just moving a little? So, don’t worry.”
Cayden’s face was both kind and firm as he told Sen to use his outer garment like a blanket. Sen couldn’t add any unnecessary words. She could only feel grateful to Cayden once more and hug his coat.
Silence fell again.
The desert at night was enveloped in a lonely stillness. Only the crackling sound of flames from the magic stone devouring the firewood continued to echo.
“The person who stayed behind to block the magical beast, I mean, Lady Amina… she’ll come soon, right?”
Sen asked, watching the fire wavering in the wind.
“She will.”
Cayden answered without the slightest hesitation. He couldn’t imagine someone with such strong eyes falling victim to a magical beast. Hadn’t Amina herself said that she could easily dispatch beasts like the ones following the snake with just one sword?
“Let’s rest while waiting for her to arrive.”
Cayden smiled, comforting Sen. He hid his anxious feelings, hoping that the sick Sen wouldn’t be frightened. He suppressed the sigh that was about to escape.
“…”
Cayden’s hand touched the small whistle again.
The night had come when Assad had promised to return from the hunt. And now, he was on the sand, not in the cozy tent at the campsite. It was because of an unexpected event that Assad had mentioned might occur.
Still, he was sitting in front of a warm fire rather than on the anxious saddle of a horse. The situation had improved compared to when they were wandering aimlessly in the middle of the desert. It was a situation where he could blow the whistle with peace of mind.
Nevertheless, Cayden couldn’t bring himself to put his lips to the end of the whistle. He couldn’t do it.
Cayden couldn’t understand his own behavior of fondling a whistle he couldn’t blow. It was both absurd and frustrating, making him sigh.
If he blew this whistle, a silent signal would reach the sky. Winged searchers, both large and small, would find him.
But what then? What if Assad didn’t come even after the fireball on the firewood completely died down and a new sun rose over the sand ridge? What if… Assad, the people, chose for him to disappear in this sand forest?
Cayden was afraid of the expectations he had for Assad. He was scared. Again, he avoided the situation for fear that his trust would be trampled. He let gloomy and negative thoughts repeatedly pound his head.
But in the end, Cayden chose to change his mind. He barely managed to control his heart, which was constantly trying to darken. He decided not to misinterpret Assad’s intentions.
“Don’t fall asleep, wait for me. Finally, we can face each other again. I want to finish… the words I couldn’t complete with you.”
With a face so tender it was disconcerting, Assad had whispered to him. He had simply wanted to talk with him.
Cayden decided to trust Assad. He believed that the concern contained in the whistle that Assad had hung around his neck wasn’t fake.
His thoughts from the campsite hadn’t changed. Whatever story he would hear from Assad when they met again was fine. He still didn’t care which path that conversation would lead him. Cayden wanted to sit across from Assad and listen to his words. He thought that would be enough.
Right now, he was with Sen. He couldn’t just humbly accept death that might come to him. He had to return to the imperial palace with this child.
Habitually touching his right cheek, Cayden thought.
“Your Highness, please don’t worry too much.”
Sen, who had been observing Cayden’s silent face, carefully opened her mouth. She continued speaking in a voice barely above a whisper.
“I’m not worried about not being able to return. Because His Highness the Crown Prince will come for us. I know it.”
“…Is that so?”
Cayden was taken aback by Sen’s unexpected words. He didn’t know how to respond to the youthful face filled with expectation. He was at a loss.
“Yes, because His Highness truly cherishes you, Your Highness.”
Facing Sen, who even seemed somewhat excited, Cayden closed his mouth.
“Even today at noon, His Highness came to the elder I serve, and warned that if anyone spoke nonsense to you, he would kill them on the spot.”
“What do you mean…”
“He said this time it wouldn’t be water but sand, and he would bury their face in it and wait until they suffocated! Ah, he also said he would punish anyone even if they just made eye contact with you!”
“…”
“Having received such a warning from His Highness, and then arbitrarily taking Your Highness’s hand and causing a scene… they’re in big trouble. There’s no way the secret will be kept. I’m not the only one who saw Lord Matan clinging to Your Highness.”
Color began to return to Sen’s dry cheeks. It was because she was happy imagining the trouble that awaited Matan.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
