Chapter 201: To Harmonia

Larkson slowly walked towards the North Gate alongside Eldrin.

The two of them did not speak a word.

Their eyes wandered across the ruins that were all that remained of the once-bustling fortress.

It was then that Larkson suddenly stopped while looking at the ground.

"What’s wrong?"

Eldrin asked, following his gaze.

What greeted his eyes was the face of a soldier who retained a determined expression despite already being beheaded.

"This kid..."

Larkson did not finish his words as he crouched down and attempted to close the soldier’s eyes.

It was the very soldier he had personally instructed to protect Aurelia before departing with the others for the North Gate..

However, the fact that both of his hands had been torn off had eluded him—only now did he remember.

He then looked towards the old mage, "Can you close his eyes for me?"

"Of course." Eldrin replied instantly as he crouched beside the fortress commander and closed the soldier’s eyes in his stead.

The two of them stood back up, gazing at the corpses that littered the fortress grounds.

"They were all so brave."

Larkson’s mind swelled with memories of the fallen—when they were still alive, laughing, and fighting by his side.

"Indeed." Eldrin responded.

The two of them continued walking after a momentary pause.

Both of their expressions were grave as they made their way towards the North Gate.

***

Two days later...

Thu— ku— thuk! Thu— ku— thuk! Thu— ku— thuk!

The wooden wheels of the carriage softly rumbled over the uneven pavement.

The carriage trundled along a narrow path flanked by towering trees, their branches arching overhead like a leafy cathedral.

The steady chorus of cicadas filled the warm afternoon air, harmonizing with the gentle whisper of the breeze that stirred the leaves.

Above, the sky stretched wide and endless, a brilliant canvas of blue brushed with milky white clouds drifting lazily in whimsical shapes.

The golden sunlight filtered through the canopy in soft beams, painting dappled patterns on the forest floor.

Now and then, the rustling of undergrowth signaled the presence of life—rabbits darting between roots, deer pausing to watch with curious eyes, and birds flitting through the branches like fleeting shadows.

The golden glow of day was a vivid contrast to the cold, silvery moonlight that had cast its somber pall over the battlefield just days before.

At this moment, three figures could be seen sitting inside the carriage.

A boy and a girl sat beside each other while an elderly man wearing robes with a staff and a pointy hat on his side sat in front of them.

Besides the small windows on each of the carriage’s side doors, there was another at the front, facing the coachman, though it was currently veiled by drawn curtains.

At the rear, a similarly modest window offered a view into the carriage’s back compartment.

The interior was surprisingly spacious, with a partition separating the main seating area from the back.

Behind it, two unconscious figures lay still, their silhouettes faintly visible through the narrow rear window, bathed in slivers of filtered light.

At this moment, Regis, who was currently looking out the window, asked, "Is it really alright for us to leave so suddenly when the situation’s not stable yet?"

"Yes. Besides the fact that Larkson himself said so, you don’t have to worry about those folks."

Eldrin responded, "The Bakurad Fortress had been guarding the border of human territory for generations. Although they suffered losses, they’d be back up in no time."

"I’m still worried about uncle, though..." Aurelia shyly chimed in.

Regis glanced at her with a smile, "Don’t worry, I’ve made a contract for him too. Just one word from him is enough to bring about a full recovery."

"Really?" Aurelia smiled, feeling a weight being lifted off her heart.

However, Eldrin had an unreadable expression on his face as he heard their conversation.

He touched his staff as a mana barrier was erected, following the interior of the carriage which essentially blocked any incoming and ongoing sounds from it.

Regis instantly noticed this as a curious expression appeared on his face.

’I wonder what his purpose for all this is.’

He did not speak a word and just waited patiently.

Before long, Eldrin spoke, "Regis, I have something to ask you."

"Is that why you erected a noise cancellation barrier?"

"As expected of you." The old mage closed his eyes for a moment.

He had only known Regis for a short while, yet this was enough time for him to realize his potential.

Meanwhile, Aurelia glanced at the two of them from the side, ’Huh? A mana barrier was erected?’

She felt confused, but decided to keep silent nonetheless.

Looking out the other window, she attentively listened to their conversation.

Eldrin was the first to speak, "About that power of yours... is that really that of a demon’s?"

"Yes, it is." Regis answered calmly.

"I’m sorry, I know we agreed to not pry into your situation, but..."

"I don’t mind if it’s just a little. I know I need to do this if I want to gain your full trust."

"Then pardon me for my question. Does your ability not have any limit?"

"What do you mean by limit?"

"Well, I saw how potent that ability is. But what I’m curious about is if you can just establish contracts with anyone?"

At his question, Regis paused and pondered for a moment, "Let’s see... As far as I know, I can indeed establish contracts with whomever I want. But, it just meant that there’s no imminent limit."

"Imminent limit?" Eldrin raised a brow.

Regis browsed through his memories and replied, "Let me explain it this way. Every construct uses a piece of my soul as a medium."

The old mage’s pupils constricted as soon as he heard his words.

However, the boy remained oblivious to his feelings as he continued.

"While I have full control over the establishment and the contents of the contract, I need the other party to agree to it. And no, they don’t need to be sincere. Just a simple yes will do."

"This means that I can use this contract to do bad things to others."

"Still, the contracts I’ve made so far are towards my friends and the fortress commander, with them being able to free themselves anytime they want."

"And because it uses a part of my soul, depending on the situation, it may also hurt me or be used against me."

"Meaning that even though it really doesn’t restrict me, it still has consequences that can be fatal to me."

As the young boy in front of him finished speaking, Eldrin fell into deep thought.

’He’s better than I expected.’

Through Regis’s words, he was able to pinpoint a little bit about his character.

’I guess I can indeed trust him, just like what Larkson said. Just the fact that he addressed his party members as friends is already a rare sight you get to see.’

’Moreover, the way he speaks doesn’t fit his age. I wonder what kind of experiences he had to go through to be like that.’

’Still, a human with mana, aura, demonic power, and divine power...’

’With him, it might be possible...’

The old mage sat immersed in thought, the fading ember in his soul flickering to life once more—burning, little by little, with renewed strength.

"So? Is that enough?"

Regis’s words drifted into his ears.

Eldrin looked at the boy, who currently had his eyes on the birds outside.

The boy’s expression looked tranquil, as if nothing in the world could get past his sight.’

That, as if, he would remain calm no matter what happened to the world.

’I might be overthinking this, bu—’

"The barrier."

"Huh?"

A confused expression appeared on Eldrin’s face at the boy’s sudden words.

"Can you dispel the noise-cancelling barrier now? I like to hear the tweeting of the birds."

"Oh, okay." The old mage replied in surprise before disabling the mana barrier.

Remembering the feeling of childish impatience he felt in the boy’s expression just a second ago, Eldrin shook his head and smiled.

’What a peculiar child.’

Like the boy, he looked out the window as well.

Chirp— Chirp— Chirp—

"They do sound quite nice." Eldrin stated, his face at peace.

Meanwhile, Aurelia, who kept her silence all this time, cried inwardly, ’I didn’t understand a word they said...’

Although she was able to understand the gist of it, some of what Regis said sounded incomprehensible to her.

Eldrin noticed this as he glanced at her, ’It’s quite refreshing to see that not all children are like Regis.’

"How long do we have to travel?" Regis asked, still looking out the window.

The old mage pondered for a moment, "Harmonia is quite far from the fortress, so I think it’ll take a month or two."

"That’s quite long..."

"Well, it’s the point. It was the first satellite city of Ligera that had the sole purpose of mediating the relationship between races and stationing forces to combat demonic forces in regions where the Holy Kingdom had a hard time reaching."

Eldrin explained with an unreadable expression on his face.