Chapter 21: The Talent Hidden in Crimson Eyes

Rowan's laughter slowly faded.

A few guests glanced curiously toward their table before returning to their own conversations.

Kaien remained standing.

His fists were still loosely clenched.

After a moment, Rowan smiled at him.

"At least you've got the right attitude."

He leaned back comfortably.

"That's more than I can say for a lot of people."

Kaien said nothing.

But this time...

...he held Rowan's gaze.

Rowan noticed.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Good."

He folded his arms.

"I'll train you."

Yun Yun's eyes widened.

Even Lyra stopped eating.

Rowan immediately raised a finger.

"But..."

"...only if you've actually got potential."

Kaien nodded without a second's hesitation.

"I understand."

Rowan studied him for a few moments.

Then he continued.

"As it happens..."

"...I'm already on my way to the next village."

He gestured vaguely toward the north.

"There's a small Adventurers' Guild there."

"I've got a few old friends."

Without missing a beat, Lyra pulled out her diary.

Scratch... Scratch...

Her pen immediately began racing across the page.

Next destination: Village with an Adventurers' Guild.
Possible contacts: Rowan Ashgard's acquaintances.

Rowan caught the movement out of the corner of his eye.

A quiet chuckle escaped him.

"Do you ever stop writing?"

Without looking up, Lyra answered,

"No."

Rowan shook his head with an amused smile.

"Didn't think so."

Then his expression grew serious again.

"I can probably find a place for you there."

"A place where the three of you can start over."

His gaze drifted back to Kaien.

"But unfortunately..."

"...five days aren't enough to truly train someone."

Kaien's eyes lowered again.

Rowan noticed immediately.

"So don't get the wrong idea."

"The journey to the next village will take about five days."

"But during that time..."

"...I can teach you the basics."

A faint spark of hope appeared in Kaien's eyes.

"...Thank you."

His voice was quiet.

But genuine.

Yun Yun smiled with visible relief.

As Kaien sat back down, his hand instinctively found hers beneath the table.

Almost without thinking.

Yun Yun glanced down in surprise.

Then her fingers gently closed around his.

Rowan noticed.

A knowing smile crossed his face.

He clapped his hands together once.

"Well then."

"I'd say we spend another couple of days here before we head out."

Lyra immediately looked up.

"Three."

Everyone turned toward her.

She met their stares without the slightest hint of embarrassment.

"Three days."

"I still need time to sketch the village properly."

Silence.

Rowan stared at her for a second.

Then a laugh escaped him.

"Fair enough."

He pointed at Lyra with an amused smile.

"The young lady has spoken."

"So..."

"...three days it is."

His attention shifted back to Kaien.

"That gives us..."

He paused, counting silently.

"...three days here..."

"...and five days on the road."

A grin spread across Rowan's face.

"That gives me eight full days to teach you the basics."

Kaien nodded immediately.

To him...

...eight days sounded like a lifetime.

Suddenly, Yun Yun pushed back her chair.

It scraped loudly across the wooden floor.

Before anyone could react, she bowed deeply toward Rowan.

"Then..."

"...please teach me too."

Rowan blinked.

"You?"

She nodded without hesitation.

"If you're training Kaien..."

"...I want to become stronger too."

For several long seconds, Rowan simply stared at her.

Then he frowned.

"...Why would I teach swordsmanship to someone with your talent?"

Silence.

Yun Yun froze.

Lyra looked up from her diary.

The two girls spoke at exactly the same time.

"A talent?"

Rowan frowned even more.

"...Wait."

His eyes moved from Yun Yun...

...to Lyra...

...and back again.

"You're telling me..."

"...you honestly don't know?"

Yun Yun slowly shook her head.

Beside her, Lyra had already opened her diary again.

Her pen hovered expectantly over a blank page.

Rowan stared at them in disbelief.

"You both have red eyes."

"...Yes?" Lyra replied.

Rowan looked at her as though she'd just asked why people needed to breathe.

Then he leaned back with a sigh.

"People born with red eyes possess extraordinary magical potential."

The scratching of Lyra's pen immediately filled the silence.

Red eyes: Exceptional magical potential.

Rowan continued.

"In all the kingdoms..."

"...there are only a handful of people born with eyes like yours."

He looked at the two girls again.

"In my entire life..."

"...I've only met three."

Slowly, Rowan pointed at Yun Yun.

Then at Lyra.

"Two of them are sitting right here."

Lyra's pen stopped in the middle of a sentence.

Yun Yun instinctively straightened in her chair.

Rowan looked at them with something close to respect.

"The third was Grand Sage Arkanis."

Without another word, Lyra resumed writing.

Grand Sage Arkanis
Court Mage of the Kingdom of Valdris.

Rowan noticed and smiled to himself.

"I swear..."

"...one day you're going to publish all those notes."

Lyra didn't even look up.

"Maybe."

A quiet chuckle escaped Rowan.

Then his expression turned serious again.

"People with red eyes are extraordinarily rare."

"Every kingdom would want mages like you."

Yun Yun immediately looked down.

Rowan caught the change in her expression.

"Relax."

He raised a reassuring hand.

"I'm not about to hand you over to anyone."

Only then did Yun Yun seem to relax a little.

Across the table, Lyra had gone strangely quiet.

She was thinking.

After a moment, she looked up.

"May I ask you something?"

"Of course."

She tilted her head slightly.

"Have you ever heard of someone with red eyes..."

"...exploding?"

Silence.

Rowan blinked.

"...Exploding?"

Lyra nodded as though she'd asked the most ordinary question in the world.

"Yes."

For several long seconds, Rowan simply stared at her.

Then he slowly shook his head.

"No."

"Never."

"As far as I know..."

"...something like that has never happened."

Silence settled over the table.

Yun Yun and Lyra exchanged a single glance.

Neither of them said a word.

They didn't have to.

Both were thinking about the same person.

The woman from Asterveil.

Rowan immediately noticed the look they exchanged.

He was about to ask another question...

...when Lyra suddenly stood up.

"Interesting."

Without another word, she opened her diary again.

Her pen immediately resumed its familiar rhythm.

No known cases of spontaneous explosions among red-eyed individuals.

For several seconds, Rowan simply watched her write.

Then a quiet laugh escaped him.

"You really are an odd one."

Lyra calmly sat back down.

"Thank you."

Yun Yun pressed a hand over her mouth to hide a smile.

Even Kaien's expression softened for just a moment.

Once breakfast was over, the four of them stepped back out into the streets of Lunaris.

The morning sun now stood high above the village.

People strolled through the streets at an easy pace.

Children chased one another between the houses.

A gentle breeze carried the scent of flowers through the air.

As expected, Lyra pulled out her diary almost immediately and resumed sketching the village in meticulous detail.

Yun Yun looked everywhere at once, still fascinated by every little thing she saw.

And Kaien...

...walked quietly beside Rowan.

The sadness in his eyes hadn't disappeared.

Not even close.

But it was no longer the only thing there.

For the first time since leaving Asterveil...

...he had found a goal.