The next morning, the loud chirping and the scent of food cooking had abruptly awoken Caesar from his deep sleep.
Caesar lifted his upper body and rubbed his sleepy eyes, he stretched his limbs and yawned loudly. Ahri was laying by his side in a tranquil slumber, Caesar nudged her shoulders gently and woke her up.
"Hmm?" Ahri scratched her head and slowly got up, she stretched her limbs as well and soon noticed Caesar"s piercing red eyes staring at her with interest.
Ahri stared back at him with a blank stare for a few seconds before she remembered her "bold" actions last night, her face slowly flushed and she quickly got up.
She rushed to put her scattered clothes on all the while Caesar just stared at her with laughter apparent in his eyes.
Caesar didn"t dally for long, however, he took out a black outfit that contained thin black trousers, a long sleeved shirt that had three silver chains crossing from his left shoulder to his right… it had a high collar that further elevated its elegance.
Once Caesar was finished getting dressed he looked towards Ahri and couldn"t help but nod in approval, she was wearing her ancestral clothes… they looked very similar to a j.a.panese kimono from earth. The one she was currently wearing was lime green and looked very youthful.
Ahri was still embarra.s.sed from last night so she didn"t converse with Caesar at all, she opened up the carriage door and hopped out.
Caesar shook his head slowly with a wry smile, he also walked towards the carriage door and jumped to the ground.
*plop*
Once Caesar hopped off the carriage he couldn"t help but admire their surroundings, they currently in a large gra.s.sy plain, the trees and the blades of gra.s.s fluttered beautifully with the spring breeze… The sun shined down brightly illuminating everything with life.
*huaa*
Caesar couldn"t help but take a large breath of fresh air, "this world feels much cleaner than earth" he couldn"t help but think to himself.
Soon, a delicious scent invaded Caesar"s nose breaking him from his thoughts, he turned his head in the direction the scent was coming from and walked over.
Thick smoke was rising into the air from a bonfire that Edward was currently cooking on, a creature that looked similar to a pig was impaled from it"s front to its behind. Edward was rotating the "pig" above the fire so that all sides were cooked evenly.
Ahri and Joe were sitting on the sidelines of the bonfire with antic.i.p.ation clearly written on their faces, Caesar also walked over and sat down to wait patiently.
Once Edward caught sight of Caesar he couldn"t help but remember last night, his face turned awkward and couldn"t help but cough to cover up his embarra.s.sment.
"*cough* did you two get a good nights rest?" Edward asked.
Caesar smiled refreshingly, "I"m glad you asked Edward, I had a splendid time last night… Although, I did not sleep very long" Caesar said in a calm tone and glanced at Ahri teasingly.
"I see, well that is good… we have a long journey ahead of us" Edward replied albeit still slightly embarra.s.sed.
Caesar"s teasing expression was soon replaced by a serious one, "we should reach a small-scale village within the next week of traveling, we can restock on supplies there" Caesar suggested while crossing his legs on the stump he was sitting on.
Edward nodded his head solemnly, "If we continue at this pace, we should arrive at the dark continent within a month, correct?"
"Indeed, thankfully Rahvin kingdom is somewhat close to the dark continent, the main issues we have is that we have no idea where your particular clan is located" Caesar replied with an annoyed tone.
Edward"s face went red with shame, "I apologize, I should have marked our path, or at the very least carried a map with me," Edward said apologetically.
"I don"t blame you, Edward, It is hardly your fault. We will just need to spend a tad bit more time searching, that"s all" Caesar said soothingly to which Edward smiled in gratification.
Edward lifted the cooked boar off the bond fire and placed it in a large wooden basket, he took a knife out of his right pocket and started to cut the pig in even slices.
He placed each piece on a plate and handed it to Caesar, Ahri, and Joe respectively… Of course, he served himself last.
Once all of their food was prepared they started to eat with relish, Caesar was quite surprised at the flavor the "pig" contained, "although it looks like a pig, it tastes similar to beef" he thought inwardly.
Caesar raised his eyes and looked at Edward, "what is the name of this animal?" Caesar asked curiously.
"It"s called the favin boar, it has a lot of nutrition inside and is perfect for breakfast" Edward replied happily.
"I see, it tastes quite good" Caesar complimented
They soon finished the rest of the meal in relative silence, Once they were finished they stood up and walked back towards the carriages.
"I will drive the carriage this time, you can rest in the back Edward," Caesar said quietly and hopped towards the front of the carriage, he took the reins in his hands and waited until the others were ready.
Ahri walked up towards the front and sat next to Caesar, although she was still shy from last night she refused to let Caesar sit in the front by himself.
"Hmph, why am I being forgotten? I have to drive the carriage two days in a row?" Joe grumbled as he pulled the reigns of the carriage in the back.
Caesar had never driven a carriage before but it wasn"t too hard to get used to, it was similar to riding a horse but having much more to pay attention to.
Their journey continued peacefully for about 5 days or so, they had taken turns driving the carriages every day and soon arrived at the village on the 6th day.
*creak*
The carriage shook heavily every time it bounced on rocks, they were approaching a small looking village that was enclosed by a wooden fence. The entrance to the village had a checkpoint that looked to be guarded by two or three guards.
Caesar slowed down the carriage and approached the checkpoint, once he was close enough the guards ran towards him.
"Who goes there, and what is your business entering Lynel village?" one of the guards asked slightly warily but also respectfully, Caesar"s looks and clothing were by no means something a commoner could possess.
"I am currently traveling from my home kingdom to a holiday estate that is located past this village, I was hoping I could resupply in this village," Caesar said courteously.
The guards were taken aback for a second, they had previously a.s.sumed Caesar would be an arrogant n.o.ble but to be talked to so respectfully made them slightly ashamed of their previous thoughts.
"I believe you, but we need to check the insides of your carriages, it"s a security procedure," one of the guards said apologetically.
"I hardly mind, go ahead and take your time" Caesar replied with a slight smile.
The guards nodded their heads and started to inspect the carriages, Joe"s carriage was simply full of clothes and foods while Caesar"s carriage contained a bed and other simple things.
Once the Guards briefly examined their possessions they gave the right away to Caesar, "you may pa.s.s through… Please enjoy your stay" one of the guards smiled widely and gestured towards the entrance of Lynel village.
Caesar nodded his head in appreciation and pulled the reigns, they entered into Lynel village and a bustling and lively town entered into his eyes.
Food stands and dirt roads were everywhere, the townsfolk all carried happy smiled on their faces as they talked to one another.
"This seems to be an excellent town" Caesar couldn"t help but praise the lively town.
Ahri which had been silent until now nodded her head, "Even the people in Rahvin kingdom didn"t look this happy" she said shocked.
Caesar drove the carriage through the streets and looked for an Inn, the townsfolk all looked at Caesar with curiosity as he pa.s.sed by.
"Oh my, what is a n.o.ble doing in our humble village?" A towns girl asked suspiciously.
"He is probably just pa.s.sing by, I doubt there is anything of attraction here to a n.o.ble" a middle-aged man replied with a chuckle.
Caesar didn"t mind the gossip and they soon arrived in front of a building that appeared to be an inn.
The sign on top of the large door was a light green, it said "flan"s inn/bar"
Caesar parked the carriage near the stable, a young boy walked up and approached him…
"2 silvers to rent the stable for a night," The young boy said energetically.
Caesar pulled out two silver coins from his breast pocket and flipped them into the young boy"s hands. The child laughed happily and said: "thank you very much, sir!"
The young boy started to put the horses in the stable and feed them hay, seeing this made Caesar quite impressed… "This child is already entrusted to handling horses and money at his tender age… Quite impressive" he couldn"t help but compliment the young boy in his head.
Edward and Joe also got off their carriage and followed Caesar inside the Inn.
*creak*
Caesar pushed the wooden doors and the loud sound of cheering and forks. .h.i.tting plates entered into his ears.
The inn was full of drunkards and waitresses, once Caesar and the rest entered, the room was enveloped in silence and everyone looked over in curiosity.
One of the waitresses walked over nervously… "h-how can I help you sir" She stuttered from her nervousness and her words were barely decipherable.
"I am looking to stay in two rooms for a single night, would that be acceptable?" Caesar asked curiously.
The young waitress nodded her head absent-mindedly, "o-one second, I need to go get the owner" She said quickly and rushed behind the counter.
Soon a middle-aged woman walked towards Caesar, she had long curly blonde hair and a curvaceous figure… her facial features were bland but she looked quite homely.
"I heard Y"all are looking for some rooms?" She asked with a heavy accent.
Caesar nodded his head with a smile, "you have heard correctly, I am looking to rent two rooms for a single night"
"That will be 1 silver a piece, if you want breakfast it will be 2 silvers a piece," The woman said with a smile.
Caesar took four more silver coins out of his breast pocket and handed it to the inn owner, she smiled widely and took two keys out of her bra. She handed them to Caesar and winked playfully.
"Enjoy your stay sweetheart, If you need anything, don"t hesitate to ask"
"Thank you for your hospitality" Caesar thanked her and walked up the stairs to the right, his key had a number on top that said "7" while Joe"s and Edward"s said "8"
*creak*
The wooden floor made loud noises with every step they made, they soon got up the stairs and walked down the long corridor filled with doors on both sides.
Caesar walked to the door that had a "7" on top and unlocked it with his key, he looked towards Joe and Edward as he walked in.
"Let"s plan out our next stop, we also need to figure out who"s getting the supplies tomorrow morning" Caesar suggested before walking inside the room.
Both Edward and Joe nodded their head in understanding and followed Caesar and Ahri into his room.
The room was simple and small, there was a decently sized bed in the middle, a large mirror and nightstand next to the door and a bathroom towards the right of the room.
A medium sized round table was placed in the middle of the room, Caesar took out a map from his spatial ring and spread the map on the table.
Caesar moved his slender finger and pointed to a spot on the map, "this is where we currently are, and we need to move here" Caesar said while moving his finger diagonally downwards.
"Your clan should be located around here," Caesar said once again while circling a decently sized area on the map with his finger.
Everyone in the room nodded their head.
"Because of the urgency of the situation, I suggest we ditch one of the carriages and attempt to reach the dark continent as quickly as possible" Caesar said seriously.
"Will there be enough room?" Ahri asked curiously.
"Two people will sit in the front while two in the back, we will take my carriage," Caesar said after thinking for a second.
"Where will we put all of our clothes or food?" Joe asked with uncertainty
"Grab your favorite three pairs of clothes and I will put them in my storage ring, as for the food, we can hunt at night" Caesar explained calmly.
Edward suddenly stepped forward "I agree with you, but, what is the rush?"
"According to what both of you told me, your clan is in dire straights… the quicker we get there the better, I also don"t want to leave my business without a leader for too long" Caesar didn"t beat around the bush and told them exactly why.
All of them nodded their heads in understanding, "I also think that it"s better to get there fast… I want to see my grandfather again" Ahri said quietly.
"Alright, alright, I agree… but I want some coin to spend at this inn" Joe said with a wide grin causing the rest to just shake their head with a wry smile.
Caesar handed Joe some coins, "go ahead and drink to your heart"s content, you have earned it" Caesar said playfully.
Joe took the coins and darted out of the room as quickly as he could, Edward left shortly after leaving Caesar and Ahri alone in the bedroom.
Caesar walked over to the candles by the bed and blew them out, "come, we need to get some rest… we have a big day tomorrow" he called out towards Ahri as he undressed into his undergarments and got into bed.
Ahri nodded her head and also got in bed, soon only the sounds of their snoring and rhythmically heavy breathing echoed inside the room.
That night, Caesar had another dream...