Chapter 3.2

After a brief moment, he regained composure and queried Oswald, "If you have no information available, why did you alter your original decision?"

A moment later, he came back to his senses and asked in confusion, "Pray tell me, why have you changed your stance when you are ignorant about the situation?"

Upon hearing those words, Oswald halted in his tracks, looked down at the square-shaped table inside the carriage without uttering a word, and appeared to be engrossed in examining the silver wine glass resting on the table.

Kevin narrowed his eyes in response. This demeanor was a familiar one from Oswald's childhood; a sign that he was feeling a tad remorseful...

Recalling his childhood plaything, Kevin jabbed Oswald's side with the handle of a small knife in an unceremonious manner, and pressed on sternly, "I expect an explanation from you."

Oswald was momentarily befuddled and replied instinctively after being prodded, "On being notified by the priesthood, I took someone to your cemetery."

Kevin: "..."

Oswald: "..."

Following several seconds of silence, Kevin sneered indignantly, "Amazing! Although I haven't seen you in over a decade, you seem to have garnered quite several skills! Are you now an expert in exhuming graves and lifting coffins?"

Oswald retorted without hesitation, "Otherwise?! If I had not verified the facts, and simply acted rashly, what would have been the outcome? How tiresome!"

"I have always had a humorous mindset..." Kevin said as he raised his foot to kick Oswald.

As experienced military personnel, it was futile to anticipate any gentility from him. Apart from his guise of being well-mannered, Kevin did not have an iota of gentleness in him.

While raising his foot, Kevin suddenly emerged from his wistful state and muttered, "..."

As he reconsidered the fact that his shoe sole was in proximity to the emperor, how should he retract it nonchalantly?

Oswald finally recollected his position and sneered at the shoes in immediate proximity, stating, "Despite his advanced age, His Excellency Fassbender still possesses the capacity to deliver high kicks. Quite remarkable, indeed."

Whilst Kevin and Oswald exchanged their banter, three counted knocks echoed from the carriage door. Without any hesitation, Kevin lowered his feet and pivoted to open the door, exclaiming, "Who—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he noticed the lion cub climb into the carriage and speak, "That curly-haired man didn't let me climb onto the vulture. He insisted on driving me into the carriage."

"Curly hair? Which curly hair?" Kevin peered outside the carriage and spotted Mi Ao waving at him.

Thankfully, you have a bit of conscience.

Kevin muttered silently to himself and dragged the boy into the carriage without uttering a word.

Oswald snorted with impatience, scowled, and queried, "Why are you taking this boy with you when you don't even have the patience to deal with him?"

The boy blinked, didn't ask for a seat, leaned against the corner, sat cross-legged, and replied, "No, he beat me up several times yesterday."

Kevin: "..." Why are you revealing your indifference to a stranger?

The boy turned his head, sneezed toward the door, and scratched his itchy nose.

He muttered under his breath, "But he showed me yesterday that I'm not the worst. There's a child who's worse than me and I don't know who that unfortunate soul is."

Unlucky Oswald: "..."

Kevin grabbed a large vinegar berry from the fruit plate on the table and shoved it into the boy's mouth without any hint of politeness, stifling him promptly. The boy cringed due to the sourness and tears welled up in his eyes. He wasn't concerned about causing a commotion.

Oswald said calmly, "Show off..."

Kevin responded sternly, "No."

Oswald snorted briefly, shrugged his shoulders, strode towards him, sat down firmly, propped his knees on one hand, and retrieved a map from the table, examining it further.

This person sat in an unbending posture, his knees splayed out dominantly as if encroaching on his personal space would leave him feeling resentful. In brief, he occupied the entire transverse seat, the sole seating space in the carriage.

Kevin scrutinized his posture a couple of times, leaned against the carriage door, and questioned, "Pardon me, Your Majesty, but if you insist on driving me into the carriage, where must I sit?"

Oswald raised his eyelids, lifted his cup of fruit wine, and took a sip. Before he could respond, the carriage wheels jangled twice, and the carriage jerked forward smoothly.

The vulture struggled to soar upwards since it was too potent, however, its giant wings were the perfect aid when progressing ahead. With a flap of wings, the raging wind began to blow, and the carriage started to gallop at a swift pace.

Kevin, who was leaning against the carriage door, was taken aback and thrown off balance by the sudden jolt. He inadvertently knocked over the square table, colliding heavily against Oswald and making him drop the silver cup to avert a potential disaster.

Without much ado, Kevin propped himself back up and regained his footing at a lightning pace. After steadying himself, he noticed that not a single drop of fruit wine had been saved and instead had been poured onto Oswald's lap, likely as a consequence of him occupying two seats with his legs spread apart.

Oswald's face turned dark in an instant: "..."

He glanced downwards and queried Kevin, "Has your cerebellum absconded? Why don't you spread your wings and fly out of the carriage?"

Kevin nearly retorted, "Is your skin itching again?"

Fortunately, he reconsidered his statement and refrained from talking back. It was unusual for him to mollify his anger and he hadn't expected Oswald to offer him a seat.

He opted to sit on the spot, leaning against the carriage wall, similar to the boy. He pretended to be asleep with his eyes closed and mused to himself anxiously, I can't help wanting to beat up the emperor, this won't end well.

The wheels turned rapidly and Kevin bumped around for a while, subsequently falling asleep. When he awakened again, the sky outside had turned dark and the lighting dimmed.

He had been draped with a blanket somehow, the type of thick blanket used during winter, which wrapped him snugly from neck to toe, making him sweat profusely and almost suffer from heat exhaustion.

Kevin: "..."

"Such a heinous act, none can surpass Oswald's skills!" exclaimed Kevin with a roll of his eyes.

He was tempted to lash out at him when he lifted the blanket but was surprised to find that the young emperor, who was previously seated in the car, had disappeared. Not only that, but the boy who was hiding in the corner was also nowhere to be found.

Frowning and with his nerves on edge, he remained vigilant and listened attentively for any sound, but there was only a lingering silence outside the car.

No, to be precise...

It's the silence—the kind of silence that even the sound of the wind disappears, making one's skin crawl.