Chapter 27: Roads Beyond the Horizon

By now, the four of them had already been traveling for three days.

The roads were gradually becoming wider.

More and more often, they passed merchants, travelers, and small groups of adventurers.

And Lyra...

had already started her second book.

Her first one was completely filled.

Even the new pen Rowan had bought her was already beginning to show signs of wear.

As the group walked along a forest path, Lyra continued writing several lines with complete concentration.

Rowan watched her from the corner of his eye.

A faint grin appeared on his face.

“So?”

Lyra didn't even look up.

“How are the new pens?”

She simply kept writing.

“Pretty good.”

For a moment, Rowan said nothing.

Then he reached over and ruffled her white hair with a grin.

“Hey!”

Rowan laughed loudly.

“You could at least say, ‘Thank you, Rowan, for buying me the best pens in the world.’”

Lyra actually thought about it for a moment.

Then she calmly nodded.

“Okay.”

Kaien immediately burst out laughing.

Yun Yun joined him.

Even Rowan looked briefly speechless.

“…You really are impossible.”

Lyra simply continued writing.

A gentle breeze swept across the meadows.

Yun Yun looked ahead at the long road stretching into the distance.

“Two more days until Falkenreach...”

She looked up at Rowan.

“And the Silver Falcons guild, right?”

Rowan nodded casually.

“That’s right.”

Kaien stared down the road for several seconds.

When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter.

“And after that?”

Rowan raised an eyebrow.

“What will you do then, Rowan?”

For a brief moment, Rowan seemed unusually quiet.

Then he gave a small smile.

“After that, I’ll probably just keep wandering.”

His grin returned.

“Who knows?”

“Maybe I’ll find a few more strays along the way.”

Yun Yun lowered her gaze slightly.

Kaien did the same.

Rowan noticed immediately.

His expression softened.

“Don’t worry.”

He looked at the three of them.

“I’m not going to forget you.”

Then he pointed toward Lyra.

“And thanks to this young lady here...”

Lyra was already frantically writing again.

“...you’ll probably never forget me either.”

Kaien immediately laughed.

Yun Yun joined him.

“We wouldn’t forget you even without her book.”

Lyra briefly looked up from her writing.

“We’ll see about that.”

They continued along the road for several more hours.

Along the way, they encountered merchant wagons, traveling families, small groups of adventurers, and farmers leading horses.

Some greeted them warmly.

Rowan even stopped to exchange a few words with some of them.

Eventually, a larger merchant wagon pulled up beside them.

A bearded man climbed down from the driver's seat.

“ROWAN?!”

Rowan looked up in surprise.

Then his face lit up with a broad grin.

“Torvin!”

The two men shook hands, laughing.

Torvin wore a brown coat and had a short gray beard.

Several wooden crates were stacked in the back of his wagon.

From the looks of it, he traded in food and fabrics.

While Rowan and Torvin talked, Lyra had already begun sketching the wagon.

Every detail.

The wheels.

The crates.

Even the tiny scratches in the wood.

Yun Yun, meanwhile, had discovered something else entirely.

A large brown horse stood beside the wagon.

Her eyes immediately lit up.

“Can I... pet it?”

Torvin laughed.

“Of course.”

Yun Yun cautiously approached the animal.

She slowly ran her hand along its neck.

The horse gave a calm snort.

Lyra immediately looked up.

Her pen returned to the page, this time capturing Yun Yun and the horse together.

Kaien watched the scene quietly.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

Meanwhile, Rowan continued talking with Torvin.

Torvin glanced curiously toward the three children.

“And who are they?”

Rowan casually crossed his arms.

“A few young travelers.”

Torvin raised a skeptical eyebrow.

A faint grin appeared on Rowan's face.

“And no, I didn't kidnap them.”

Torvin immediately burst into loud laughter.

Rowan then briefly explained that the children came from a small village, that they were traveling to Falkenreach, and that they would be meeting the Silver Falcons there.

Torvin slowly nodded.

But his expression soon became more serious.

“Then you'd better be careful.”

Rowan's brow furrowed slightly.

Torvin lowered his voice.

“They say demonic creatures have been spotted nearby.”

For a brief moment, the conversation stopped.

Even Kaien immediately looked up.

Rowan slowly nodded.

“Thanks for the warning.”

Torvin folded his arms.

“Probably just rumors...”

His gaze shifted toward the forest.

“But too many people have been disappearing lately.”

Nobody spoke for several seconds.

Rowan eventually gave him a faint smile.

“We'll be careful.”

Torvin nodded.

The conversation gradually returned to a lighter mood.

They talked about traveling, the roads, merchants, the weather, and Falkenreach.

A little farther away, Kaien and Lyra sat together.

Lyra was still drawing.

Kaien looked down at the sketch of yesterday's sparring match.

“You made me look intentionally stupid.”

Lyra briefly looked up.

“No.”

A short pause followed.

“You really looked like that.”

Kaien stared at her for several seconds.

Then he suddenly burst out laughing.

Eventually, they said their goodbyes to Torvin.

The merchant wagon continued slowly along the road.

The four of them resumed their journey as well.

Almost automatically, Kaien reached for Yun Yun's hand again.

Yun Yun immediately held his hand in return.

For several minutes, they simply walked beside each other without saying anything.

Until Rowan suddenly grinned.

“Quick question.”

Both of them looked up immediately.

Rowan casually pointed toward their joined hands.

“Are you two a couple, or why do you keep holding hands?”

Both of them flinched.

Their hands separated instantly.

“NO!”

“Of course not!”

Their faces turned bright red.

Lyra, meanwhile...

was already writing again.

SCRITCH.

SCRITCH.

SCRITCH.

“LYRA!”

Yun Yun hid her face in embarrassment.

Rowan completely lost it.

He burst into laughter.

The sun slowly began to set.

The sky turned orange as the last light of day spread across the horizon.

Several meters behind the others, Lyra suddenly stopped.

Ahead of her were Rowan, Kaien, and Yun Yun.

They walked together along the road.

Talking.

Laughing softly.

For a brief moment, they simply looked...

happy.

Lyra slowly began sketching the three of them.

Rowan in front.

Yun Yun and Kaien slightly behind him.

The wind gently moved their clothes.

Beneath the drawing, Lyra carefully wrote:

“Maybe this is what traveling is supposed to feel like.”

A small, genuine smile appeared on her face.

From farther up the road, Yun Yun's voice suddenly reached her.

“Lyra! Hurry up!”

Rowan called after her as well.

“We still need to set up camp tonight!”

Lyra slowly closed her book.

Then she hurried after them.

“I'm coming.”