The group continued their journey early the next morning.
The sky was lightly overcast.
A cool breeze swept across the long roads between the fields.
While Rowan walked ahead, keeping an eye on their surroundings, Yun Yun suddenly stopped beside a small traveling merchant's wagon.
Several balls of wool and rolls of fabric hung from the side of the wagon.
Yun Yun's eyes immediately lit up.
“Rowan?”
He looked back.
“Hmm?”
Yun Yun carefully pointed toward a small box filled with knitting needles and yarn.
“Could you maybe buy me a knitting set?”
Rowan blinked in surprise.
“A... knitting set?”
Kaien raised an eyebrow as well.
Lyra briefly looked up from her book.
Rowan folded his arms.
“And what exactly do you need that for?”
Yun Yun simply gave him a mysterious smile.
“You'll see later.”
She offered no further explanation.
Rowan studied her for several seconds.
A quiet laugh escaped him.
“You're starting to scare me.”
Even so, he eventually bought her a small set of knitting needles, some yarn, and a little cloth bag to keep everything in.
Yun Yun immediately bowed happily.
“Thank you very much!”
Lyra quietly watched the exchange.
Her pen was already moving across the page.
“Yun Yun is obviously planning something.”
Several hours later, the four of them stopped to rest beside a small river.
While Lyra was once again busy writing and sketching, Rowan and Kaien resumed their training.
Yun Yun sat a little farther away in the grass, completely focused on her new knitting set.
Rowan glanced toward her.
“Not training today?”
Yun Yun shook her head slightly.
“Maybe later.”
Rowan folded his arms.
His voice became more serious.
“Unfortunately, we don't have much time left for later.”
Kaien paused.
Lyra looked up as well.
“I can only train you for today and tomorrow.”
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Yun Yun, however, simply smiled.
“I have something more important to do right now.”
She briefly pointed toward Rowan.
“Focus on Kaien instead.”
Rowan looked at her with mild confusion.
Then a faint grin appeared.
“If that's what you want.”
Shortly afterward, Rowan began a proper sparring match with Kaien.
This time, it was far more serious than before.
Rowan slowly drew his wooden sword from its holder.
“Show me what you've learned.”
Kaien nodded immediately.
He settled into his stance.
Then he moved.
Kaien attacked first with a quick overhead strike.
Rowan blocked it effortlessly with one hand.
WOOD CLASHED AGAINST WOOD.
Before Kaien could react, Rowan angled his sword and redirected the entire attack.
“Too much force.”
Kaien clenched his teeth slightly.
He attacked again.
This time, faster.
A strike from the left.
Then a quick thrust straight forward.
Rowan avoided both attacks with ease.
Kaien immediately tried to follow up.
But Rowan stepped in and lightly kicked his rear leg.
Kaien nearly lost his balance.
A grin appeared on Rowan's face.
“An opponent doesn't only attack with their sword.”
Kaien barely managed to recover.
From that point onward, he fought far more carefully.
For several minutes, the two exchanged blows.
Step.
Block.
Strike.
Dodge.
Dust swirled across the ground around their feet.
And slowly...
Kaien actually began to improve.
His movements became more controlled.
His stance grew steadier.
Even Rowan's expression shifted into a more satisfied smile.
“There it is.”
Kaien breathed heavily.
“What?”
Rowan grinned.
“Your own rhythm.”
Kaien stared at him in surprise.
Rowan suddenly increased the pressure.
THUD.
Kaien barely managed to block the strike.
The impact made his arms tremble.
“Never forget this.”
Rowan's gaze became calmer.
“A sword isn't only meant to hurt people.”
He slowly pushed Kaien's blade downward.
“It can also be used... to protect them.”
Kaien remained quiet.
After a moment, he slowly nodded.
Meanwhile, Lyra and Yun Yun sat a little farther away.
Lyra watched closely as Yun Yun stitched several pieces of fabric together.
Eventually, she frowned slightly.
“What exactly are you making?”
Yun Yun lifted the pieces of fabric slightly.
They were small fragments.
A piece from Kaien's scarf.
A piece from Lyra's scarf.
And a piece from her own.
Carefully, Yun Yun began weaving them together.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
“A farewell gift for Rowan.”
Lyra blinked in surprise.
Then she gave a small smile.
“I see.”
For a while, the two worked beside each other without speaking.
Eventually, they exchanged a brief smile.
After their sparring session, Rowan and Kaien walked a little farther along the river.
Rowan showed him how to spot fish more easily, how to improvise fishing hooks, and which plants were better left untouched while traveling.
This time, Kaien listened closely.
“How do you know all this?”
Rowan gave him a faint grin.
“Because I was stupid enough to eat poisonous berries once.”
Kaien immediately burst out laughing.
Meanwhile, Yun Yun and Lyra remained at the campsite.
Lyra had returned to writing several notes when she slowly glanced toward Yun Yun.
“So...”
Yun Yun immediately sensed trouble.
“How long have you been holding Kaien's hand?”
Yun Yun's face turned bright red.
“W-What?!”
Lyra's pen was already moving across the page again.
SCRITCH.
SCRITCH.
SCRITCH.
“Interesting reaction.”
Yun Yun immediately reached for the book.
Lyra pulled it out of her reach.
“Too slow.”
“LYRA!”
Several minutes later, the two were laughing as they wrestled around in the grass.
That was exactly when Rowan and Kaien returned with several fish.
Both stopped.
Kaien blinked.
Yun Yun was half sprawled across Lyra while the two tried to hold each other down.
Rowan folded his arms with a grin.
“I think I should spend less time training and more time keeping an eye on what you three are doing.”
Lyra immediately pointed at Yun Yun.
“She started it.”
“You started it!”
Kaien immediately burst out laughing.
A little while later, the four of them sat around the campfire, roasting fish together.
The sky gradually darkened.
Ahead of them stood the great forest.
Dense.
Quiet.
Almost black between the trees.
Rowan looked toward the forest entrance.
His voice was quieter than usual.
“Only this forest separates us from Falkenreach...”
He gestured toward the trees.
“And from the Silver Falcons.”
Kaien stared into the flames.
When he spoke, his voice was quieter.
“The last time we went through a forest...”
He stopped.
Yun Yun lowered her gaze.
“...it didn't end well.”
Rowan immediately placed a hand on Kaien's shoulder.
With his other hand, he gently ruffled Yun Yun's hair.
“Don't worry.”
He gave them a calm smile.
“This time, everything will be fine.”
Lyra suddenly spoke up.
“What about the demonic creatures Torvin mentioned?”
All three children immediately looked toward Rowan.
Worried.
For a moment, Rowan said nothing.
A broad grin eventually spread across his face.
“You've got a Gold-ranked adventurer sitting right here.”
He proudly tapped his shield.
“I can handle almost any demon.”
Kaien gave a small laugh.
Even Yun Yun managed a faint grin.
Rowan's expression grew more serious.
“Still...”
The campfire crackled softly.
“For now, they're only rumors.”
His gaze drifted toward the dark trees.
“But if anything happens in that forest...”
He looked at the children with a serious expression.
“Stay together.”
His attention shifted to Kaien and Yun Yun.
“Trust what you've learned.”
Finally, he looked at all three of them.
“And don't ever wander too far from me.”
The three slowly nodded.
The fire continued to crackle.
Yet the forest ahead seemed much quieter than before.
And there...
their final peaceful night before Falkenreach came to an end.
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