Chapter 24: The Path Forward

The four of them continued walking through the lively streets of Lunaris.

Rowan strode ahead with his arms crossed, muttering to himself the entire time.

"Unbelievable."

"Absolutely unbelievable."

Lyra didn't even look up from her notebook.

"You were the one who asked."

Rowan immediately pointed a finger at her.

"Exactly."

"And that was clearly my first mistake."

Yun Yun burst into laughter.

Kaien quietly shook his head, unable to hide a small smile.

Rowan sighed dramatically.

"One child wants fish."

He pointed at Kaien.

"Another wants stew."

Then at Yun Yun.

"And Lady Noblewoman over there..."

He pointed at Lyra.

"...wants silver stag steak."

Lyra answered with complete seriousness.

"With herb butter."

Rowan stopped walking.

Silence.

Slowly, he lifted his eyes toward the sky.

He remained like that for several long seconds.

"The gods are testing me."

Yun Yun laughed so hard she had to hold her stomach.

Even Kaien couldn't suppress a grin.

Finally, Rowan raised both hands in surrender.

"Fine."

A faint smile spread across his face.

"Tonight..."

"...we're going to a proper restaurant."

Yun Yun's eyes immediately lit up.

"That way..."

"...all three of you can order whatever you want."

He looked from one child to the next.

"Happy now?"

The answer came almost in perfect unison.

"Yes."

Rowan let out one last dramatic sigh.

"Wonderful."

A short while later...

...they returned to the inn.

Their new summer clothes had already been neatly folded on the beds.

Light fabrics.

Thin clothing.

Nothing like the heavy winter coats they had worn in Asterveil.

Rowan stopped in the doorway.

"Go get changed first."

Then he pointed at Kaien.

"And you..."

"...wait outside."

Kaien blinked in confusion.

"Huh?"

Before he could react, Lyra had already crossed her arms.

"We are absolutely not changing clothes in front of you."

Only then did Yun Yun suddenly freeze.

A deep blush spread across her face.

She had completely forgotten...

...that the three of them had been sharing the same room for days.

Kaien's eyes widened.

"O-Oh."

"S-Sorry."

He immediately turned around and hurried out of the room.

The door had barely clicked shut...

...when Lyra quietly muttered,

"He's surprisingly slow sometimes."

Yun Yun's face turned even redder.

"Lyra!"

Several minutes later...

...the four of them stood once again on the training grounds behind the inn.

Kaien now wore much lighter clothes.

He no longer looked like someone who had just walked out of a snowstorm.

Rowan tossed him the wooden training sword once again.

"Good."

He folded his arms.

"Let's keep working on your stance."

Kaien nodded seriously.

Then he resumed practicing.

Step.

Turn.

Strike.

Again.

And again.

Sweat slowly gathered on his forehead.

But this time...

...his movements were steadier.

More controlled.

Rowan gave a small nod.

"Better."

Then he suddenly stepped behind Kaien.

WHUMP.

A light kick against Kaien's back leg instantly threw him off balance.

"But you're still too stiff."

Kaien gritted his teeth.

Then quietly adjusted his stance once more.

Several meters away...

...Yun Yun was training against a wooden dummy.

Wearing the reinforced gloves, she repeatedly drove her fists into the worn wood.

WHUMP.

WHUMP.

WHUMP.

Rowan glanced in her direction.

"Don't rely on strength alone."

Yun Yun breathed heavily.

He walked over and gently adjusted the position of her arms.

"Use your speed."

Then he pointed at the dummy.

"Hit it..."

"...and immediately create distance."

Yun Yun nodded.

This time...

...she moved faster.

Strike.

Step back.

Strike.

Dodge.

A satisfied grin spread across Rowan's face.

"There you go."

Yun Yun smiled proudly.

Meanwhile...

...Lyra sat beneath the shade of a nearby tree, quietly filling page after page of her new notebooks.

Already, several pages were covered in neat handwriting.

Kaien's posture is steadily improving.
Yun Yun fights impulsively, but learns quickly.

Suddenly, Rowan stopped beside Lyra.

She didn't even look up.

Her pen continued gliding across the page.

Rowan folded his arms.

"By the way..."

"...you still haven't really told me what your goal is."

This time, Lyra actually looked up.

Rowan pointed at the notebooks in her lap.

"Especially you, little lady."

"I'm curious."

Lyra raised an eyebrow.

"You've got the same magical potential as Yun Yun."

A faint smile crossed his face.

"Does that mean you want to become a mage too?"

Lyra remained silent for several seconds.

Then her eyes drifted down to the pages she had filled.

"I want to preserve things."

Rowan listened without interrupting.

"Stories."

"Places."

"People."

Her voice grew quieter.

"I always wanted to become the first mage in my village."

Kaien paused for a brief moment.

Even Yun Yun looked over.

Lyra continued writing as she spoke.

"I used to spend hours reading magic books."

"Because I wanted to make that dream come true."

She paused.

Then quietly added,

"But after we left our village..."

"...I somehow stopped thinking about it."

For several seconds, Rowan simply watched her.

Then a grin slowly spread across his face.

"Hold on."

He pointed at her notebooks.

"You said you spent hours reading magic books."

Lyra nodded.

Rowan looked at her in disbelief.

"Those books are expensive."

"You really did grow up in a wealthy family."

Lyra answered without the slightest change in expression.

"I already told you that."

Then she calmly returned to writing.

Rowan burst into hearty laughter.

"Unbelievable."

After a moment, his curiosity returned.

"So..."

"What kind of spells can you two actually use?"

Yun Yun and Lyra exchanged a glance.

Then Lyra answered.

"None."

Rowan blinked.

"...None?"

Lyra calmly shook her head.

"Magic was forbidden in our village."

Rowan genuinely frowned.

"We don't even know how to cast a spell."

Silence.

He folded his arms.

"...This just keeps getting stranger."

After a moment, a faint smile returned to his face.

"I've got an old friend at the Adventurers' Guild in the next village."

His gaze shifted between Yun Yun and Lyra.

"He should be able to tell what kind of magic suits each of you."

Yun Yun's eyes widened.

Lyra's reaction was even stronger.

Her crimson eyes lit up instantly.

Without wasting a second, she pulled one of her notebooks closer and began furiously writing.

Possible future magic lessons.
Magic affinity may differ from person to person.

Rowan watched her with an amused grin.

Then he burst into hearty laughter once again.

"You really are impossible."

"Thank you."

After that...

...they continued training until the sun slowly disappeared behind the rooftops of Lunaris.

Kaien kept practicing his stance.

Again.

And again.

Yun Yun focused on her footwork, striking, and retreating before Rowan could counter.

Meanwhile, Lyra remained in the shade, filling page after page of her notebook.

From time to time, Rowan wandered over and the two found themselves talking about books...

...magic...

...the kingdoms...

...and ancient legends.

The four of them almost looked like an ordinary group of friends.

Eventually, Rowan clapped his hands together.

"Alright."

A proud grin spread across his face.

"That's enough for today."

Kaien bent over, breathing heavily.

Yun Yun simply collapsed onto the ground with a groan.

Rowan laughed.

"Go get cleaned up."

"Then we'll find something good to eat."

He folded his arms with satisfaction.

"You've all earned it today."

Later that evening...

...the four of them sat together inside a cozy tavern near the village square.

Warm music drifted through the room.

People laughed.

Plates clinked together.

The rich aroma of freshly cooked food filled the air.

And just as Rowan had promised...

...everyone received exactly what they wanted.

Lyra got her silver stag steak with herb butter.

Yun Yun got a hearty bowl of stew.

Kaien got his fish.

Rowan quietly stared down at his own plate.

Then he let out a dramatic sigh.

"I'm going to go bankrupt because of you three."

Yun Yun immediately burst into laughter.

Kaien couldn't help but smile.

Even Lyra looked quietly pleased for a brief moment.

Late that night...

...the three children once again lay together inside their room at the inn.

A gentle breeze stirred the curtains by the open window.

Yun Yun lay on her back, quietly staring at the ceiling.

This time...

...Kaien wasn't sitting by the window.

Instead, he sat on the edge of his bed beside the others.

Lyra wrote a few final lines.

Then she slowly closed her notebook.

"Feels kind of strange..."

Lyra looked over at her.

"Tomorrow's already our last day here."

Silence settled over the room.

Kaien's eyes drifted toward the window.

Lyra gave a small shrug.

"That's a good thing."

Yun Yun looked at her in surprise.

"It is?"

"I'm almost finished with my sketches."

A faint smile appeared on Lyra's face.

"And besides..."

"...I need new inspiration."

For a few moments...

...none of them said anything.

Then, almost at the same time...

...the three of them quietly laughed.

It wasn't loud.

It wasn't carefree.

But it was real.

Not long afterward...

...they drifted off to sleep.

Outside in the hallway, Rowan stood quietly beside their door.

He had heard them laughing.

A small, genuine smile spread across his face.

He softly shook his head.

"Chaotic little monsters..."

A quiet laugh escaped him.

Then he turned and headed to bed himself.