Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Hunt Begins

The doors of the royal audience chamber closed with a heavy thud.

Only Queen Seraphine and the hunter remained inside.

The elderly priest had already withdrawn, leaving the vast hall wrapped in silence.

The hunter kept one knee on the polished marble floor.

"You summoned me again, Your Majesty."

Seraphine walked slowly toward one of the tall windows overlooking the capital.

For a long moment, she said nothing.

At last, she spoke.

"The lights your woodcutter reported..."

"They are no ordinary phenomenon."

The hunter lowered his head.

"I reached the same conclusion."

"The compass has never failed before."

"It only lost its direction after the lights appeared."

The Queen nodded slightly.

"That is why I have changed your mission."

The hunter raised his eyes.

"I am listening."

"You are no longer searching for jewels alone."

His expression grew more serious.

"There is something else?"

"If someone can awaken the power hidden within those jewels..."

She paused.

"That person is just as valuable."

The hunter remained silent.

Seraphine continued.

"If you find such a person..."

"Do not kill them."

"Bring them to me alive."

A brief silence followed.

"As you command, Your Majesty."

The Queen turned to face him.

"There is one more thing."

"The western villages are peaceful."

"If you begin asking questions openly..."

"People will hide what they know."

The hunter understood immediately.

"I'll travel as an ordinary merchant."

"No one will suspect my purpose."

A faint smile appeared on Seraphine's face.

"Good."

"You leave at once."

The hunter rose to his feet and bowed one final time.

"I will not disappoint you."

Without another word, he turned and walked toward the great doors.

As they slowly opened...

The Queen's quiet voice echoed behind him.

"Remember..."

"Some treasures are far more dangerous than the people who carry them."

The hunter paused for only a heartbeat.

Then he continued walking.

By sunset...

His journey toward the western kingdom would begin.

The morning air was cool as the hunter guided his horse along the western road.

The capital gradually disappeared behind him.

By noon, the paved road gave way to narrow forest paths.

He slowed his horse as familiar trees surrounded him.

Not far ahead...

A man carrying a bundle of firewood stepped out from between the trees.

The woodcutter.

He gave a respectful nod.

"You came sooner than I expected."

The hunter dismounted.

"I didn't want to waste time."

The woodcutter glanced around before lowering his voice.

"No one followed you."

"I made sure of that."

The hunter folded his arms.

"Tell me everything."

The woodcutter took a deep breath.

"I saw the lights with my own eyes."

"They appeared twice."

"The first was violet."

"The second... pink."

The hunter listened without interrupting.

"I used the compass immediately."

"It spun wildly."

"It couldn't point toward anything."

The hunter frowned.

"Just as your message said."

The woodcutter nodded.

"I climbed the ridge before sunrise."

"I searched the nearby hills."

"But I found nothing."

"No footprints."

"No traces of magic."

"Nothing."

The hunter remained silent for a moment.

Then he unfolded a worn map.

His finger slowly traced the western forests.

"If the compass failed..."

"The source was either too powerful..."

"Or it vanished before you reached it."

The woodcutter looked toward the distant mountains.

"I've lived in these forests for over twenty years."

"I've never seen anything like it."

The hunter carefully rolled the map closed.

"Good."

"Continue your work as usual."

"Cut wood."

"Watch."

"And if you notice anything unusual..."

The woodcutter finished the sentence for him.

"I'll send another pigeon."

The hunter nodded once.

"Do not approach anyone."

"Do not follow anyone."

"Simply observe."

"I understand."

Without another word, the hunter mounted his horse.

As he rode deeper into the western lands...

Neither man realized that the ones they were searching for were much closer than either of them imagined.

Sunlight poured through the clinic windows.

The shelves were once again lined with neatly arranged jars of dried herbs.

Kyle stood behind the wooden counter, carefully grinding medicinal roots with a stone mortar.

His movements were steady.

There was no sign of the fever that had confined him to bed the night before.

Lyra watched him for a moment before speaking.

"You should still be resting."

Kyle looked up with a gentle smile.

"If I stay in bed any longer, the patients will think I've disappeared."

Lyra folded her arms.

"They can wait one more day."

"I'll help."

Kyle chuckled softly.

"You sound exactly like Lumi."

As if on cue, Lumi entered the clinic carrying a basket filled with freshly picked herbs.

"I heard my name."

She placed the basket on the table and smiled when she saw Kyle standing.

"You really are feeling better."

"I told you I would recover."

Lumi crossed her arms.

"Mother said you work too hard."

"And now I agree with her."

Kyle laughed quietly.

"I surrender."

Lyra couldn't help smiling at their exchange.

For the first time since arriving in the village...

The clinic felt peaceful.

A gentle knock sounded at the door.

An elderly woman stepped inside, supporting herself with a wooden cane.

"My knees are bothering me again."

Kyle immediately walked over.

"Please, have a seat."

Before he could prepare the medicine, Lyra picked up several dried leaves from one of the shelves.

"If you don't mind..."

"I know a simple herbal mixture that may ease the pain."

Kyle watched with curiosity as she carefully measured the herbs.

"You've learned quite a lot."

Lyra smiled faintly.

"My grandmother believed that every plant has a purpose."

Kyle nodded.

"I think she was right."

The old woman accepted the warm herbal tea with grateful hands.

After taking a few careful sips, her tense expression softened.

"It already feels comforting."

She looked at Lyra with a warm smile.

"Thank you, child."

Lyra bowed her head politely.

"It was my pleasure."

Standing beside her, Kyle couldn't help but notice how naturally she cared for others.

For reasons he couldn't explain...

Seeing her smile made the entire clinic feel warmer.

The afternoon passed peacefully.

One patient after another left the clinic with grateful smiles.

By the time the last customer departed, the sun had already begun its slow descent toward the western hills.

Kyle stretched his shoulders with a tired sigh.

"I think that's everyone."

Lumi placed the empty baskets back onto the shelves.

"I'll tell Mother we're finished for today."

She waved cheerfully before leaving the clinic.

Silence settled over the room once more.

Kyle glanced at Lyra.

"Thank you."

She looked up from the herbs she was sorting.

"For what?"

"For staying."

"For helping."

"And... for last night."

Lyra lowered her eyes.

"You don't need to thank me."

"I only did what anyone would have done."

Kyle smiled.

"I don't think everyone would have."

For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.

The comfortable silence was broken by the sound of birds outside.

Kyle picked up a bundle of dried herbs.

"We should finish storing these before sunset."

Lyra nodded.

"Alright."

As they worked side by side, neither of them noticed how naturally they had begun moving in harmony.

Without speaking, each seemed to know what the other needed next.

Outside the village...

A lone rider stopped his horse atop a grassy hill.

The hunter slowly unfolded his map.

His gaze swept across the western lands.

His finger came to rest on a small, almost forgotten village.

"So..."

"This is where I'll begin."

He folded the map and looked toward the smoke rising from distant rooftops.

"There is no need to rush."

"If the lights truly came from this region..."

"They will appear again."

A faint smile crossed his face.

"Until then..."

"I'll simply become another traveler passing through."

The hunter turned his horse toward the western road.

As the evening wind swept across the hills...

His journey toward Lumi's village quietly began.