Chapter 21 – Night Shadow, First Traces

The next few days, the journey became quieter, but the tension caused by the bandit incident still lingered. Alex no longer trained too far from the carriage. He chose a spot close enough to keep an eye on the group.

One afternoon, as he was doing stretches at the edge of a pine forest, where the late afternoon sun pierced through gaps in the leaves, Sera walked closer. She was still shy in front of Alex, but now she no longer hid behind Lena. She just stood a few steps behind Alex, watching him with her big purple eyes full of curiosity.

Alex felt her presence. He continued his training as if unaware, but inwardly, he smiled. Sera was starting to adapt.

"Master… Master Alex," Sera's voice was small, almost a whisper.

Alex stopped, turning slowly. "Yes, Sera?"

Sera looked down, her fingers nervously intertwined. "Does… does Master Alex always… train like this?"

"Almost every day," Alex replied. "It's important. To keep the body strong." Sera nodded slowly. Then, there was a long pause. Alex patiently waited.

"Lena and Mira… they said," Sera began again, her voice clearer this time, "that Master Alex… is the Young Master of the Argwager family. And… and very handsome."

Alex almost choked on his breath. His face flushed slightly. 'Lena and Mira…!' He suppressed a laugh. It seemed the female servants had started their 'gossip session.' "Oh, really?" Alex tried to sound casual. "What else did they say?"

Sera looked up, her purple eyes gazing innocently at Alex. "They said… there are many handsome men at Master Alex's residence. Like… like the head knight… and also… the Young Master himself." She repeated the words as if memorizing them. "Then they asked… if Master Alex will… will get married later? And have… have many children."

Alex blinked. This was a much more honest and unexpected conversation than he had imagined. He remembered his ambition to have eleven children. His lips wanted to smile, but he kept his expression neutral. "Do you think I'm handsome, Sera?" Alex asked back, trying to test the girl.

Sera tilted her head. She looked Alex up and down, as if Alex were a complex puzzle. Her beautiful eyes scanned Alex's face, then her gaze fell to his slender but beginning-to-form body. There was a pure gaze in those eyes, without pretense. "I… don't know," Sera answered honestly, her eyes seeming confused. "Handsome… what is that?"

Alex chuckled softly. 'Of course. She's still too innocent for that.'

"Handsome is… like looking good, strong, and making others happy to see you," Alex tried to explain in simple language.

Sera blinked. "Then… Master Alex is handsome." She smiled faintly. "Because… Master Alex makes me happy." Alex felt warmth spread through his chest. A sincere compliment, without embellishment, from a child's heart.

This was something he couldn't get from anyone else but children. The conversation continued with light topics. Sera asked about Alex's wooden sword, about why he had to sweat, and about the birds flying overhead. Alex answered each question patiently, feeling a strange comfort from the girl's presence. Throughout the conversation, Alex could feel Sera's eyes often lingering on his back, as if she was searching for or recalling something there. A faint trace of memory, perhaps.

----------

The journey continued. They left the snowy forest, crossing low hills covered with newly grown green grass. The sky turned bright blue, and the air felt warmer. Sera started talking more often, especially when it came to food. She would snatch biscuits or dried fruit with incredible speed, making Roldan shake his head with a smile.

One morning, something happened again to their resting Roldan. This time, not because of bandits.

"What's wrong, Roldan?" Alex asked, sticking his head out the window. Roldan pointed ahead. "Just... something funny, Young Master." Alex looked in the direction Roldan pointed. At the side of the road, one of their stallions, the largest and most muscular, appeared to be urinating. And unfortunately, its urine flowed heavily, directly hitting Roldan's leather hat, which he had placed on the ground for a moment.

"Good heavens!" Roldan exclaimed, seeing his wet hat. His face was beet red.

Alex couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing. Laughter he had rarely let loose in recent years. Inside the carriage, Lena and Mira also suppressed their laughter, their shoulders shaking. Even Sera, who had been looking confused, now gave a small smile seeing Alex laugh. Finn laughed the loudest, almost tumbling off his bench.

"Oh, Roldan!" Alex was still roaring with laughter. "That's... that's a rare sight!" Roldan could only grumble, trying to clean his hat. The moment eased the tension that still lingered from the bandit incident. A sincere laugh, transcending formalities.

They continued their journey. After two more days, the scenery began to change drastically. The previously bright green trees started to be dominated by dark and thick forests. The air felt heavier, and the sky was often covered with overcast clouds, even during the day.

A faint smell of charcoal and metal wafted in the air. "We're close to Blackwood territory now, Young Master," Roldan said, his voice serious again. "They are the largest blacksmiths in the Empire, after the capital."

Alex nodded. He knew about Blackwood. They were a noble family under Duke Argwager, specializing in iron production, weaponry, and defense. It was said that their city was built on a gigantic, inexhaustible iron ore vein. The city's founder, the first Baron Blackwood, was said to be a direct descendant of the Divine Blacksmith, a mortal blessed by the God of Forge, Dvalin. Dvalin is one of the 1777 gods, representing the desire to create and shape, often symbolized by a gigantic hammer pulsing with eternal fire. Because of this blessing, every weapon forged in Blackwood possessed unparalleled quality, and every one of their stone buildings stood as solid as a mountain.

Finally, on the horizon, the silhouette of a city appeared. A city befitting its name. Its main gate stood firm, made of solid black iron, flanked by towering stone walls, dark and seemingly impenetrable. The Blackwood family flag, with the emblem of a crossed hammer over an anvil, fluttered gently at the top of the watchtower. Alex's carriage slowly approached the gate. When they arrived there, two large guards in jet-black armor immediately blocked their path. Their swords were drawn, and their faces looked stiff.

"Stop!" one guard shouted, his voice sharp. "State your identity and purpose!" Roldan produced the Argwager family crest. "We are from the Argwager Household. Young Master Alex Argwager comes under the Duke Argwager's command to meet Baron Blackwood." The guard looked at the crest with suspicion, then his gaze shifted to Alex. His eyes scrutinized Alex from head to toe, as if looking for something wrong. Alex felt that gaze as an unpleasant welcome. There was an unusual, excessive sternness.

"Command?" the guard repeated, his tone not friendly at all. "We were not informed of any guests from the Duke. Wait here." He gestured to his comrade, who immediately entered the gate. Alex remained calm inside the carriage, but he felt something strange. Since entering Blackwood territory, he had felt an unsettling aura enveloping him. Not fear, but a kind of sharp uneasiness, like the whisper of a cold wind in his bones. The air in this city felt heavy, as if filled with something invisible. He had faced battles and mysteries, but this aura was different. An aura full of pressure.

Was this what his father meant by subtle darkness?

He glanced at Sera sitting opposite him. The girl was silent, her purple eyes staring out the window, but her expression was blank, as if she felt the same aura.

Suddenly, from behind the towering gate wall, a shadow moved. Someone was watching them. Their eyes were blood red, their hair disheveled, their body strangely hunched, and their arms looked unnaturally long, hanging almost touching the ground. The figure merely glanced at Alex, then immediately disappeared into the shadows.