Harem System In A fantasy World - Chapter 334: Travelling IV

Elion smirked, but his gaze soon shifted back toward Alexander. The prince was still speaking with the officers, his expression growing more serious as one of them pointed toward a map spread over a portable table.

Darin approached next, lowering his voice.

“There was a skirmish three days north of here. The worst part of this whole affair is that we have no idea how they got this far in, without the outer camps and checkpoints noticing,” he said quietly. “However, it’s nothing large, but they seem to be testing minor roads.”

Elion glanced at him.

“Scouting for weak routes?”

“Possibly.”

“Or baiting reinforcements into splitting up,” Elion added casually.

Darin paused and looked at him with a little surprise.

“That is also possible.”

Elion shrugged.

“Demons aren’t stupid. If they know something big is coming, they’ll start poking places to see who moves.”

Darin nodded slowly, “I will mention that to His Highness.”

“Do that.”

Darin hesitated for a moment, then gave him a respectful nod before walking away. Peter, still standing nearby, looked between them and Elion.

“You’re actually good at this…”

Elion looked at him.

Peter immediately panicked.

“I mean… of course you are! Hero! Very heroic.”

Elion stared at the poor guy and simply shook his head, “You really need to learn when to stop talking.”

“I’ve been told that.”

“Clearly not enough.”

Peter lowered his head in embarrassment. A short while later, Alexander returned to the group.

“We continue before sunset,” he said. “There is another checkpoint farther ahead. We’ll make camp there for the night.”

Elion nodded.

“Anything interesting?”

Alexander glanced at him.

“Darin said you pointed out the demon movements might be bait.”

“Could be.”

“I agree.”

Elion raised a brow, “You agree with me? Careful, prince, people might think you’re maturing.”

Alexander’s face darkened. “Do you ever speak normally?”

“Rarely.”

“I hate that I believe you.”

Elion grinned as Alexander sighed and turned toward his mount.

“Everyone, prepare to depart.”

The retainers moved quickly.

Soon enough, the group took to the skies again, leaving the checkpoint behind. The sun had started its slow descent, casting long golden streaks across the land. The group continued flying until the golden light of the descending sun began to fade into a deeper orange, casting long shadows over the land below.

The air had grown colder, and the wind that had felt refreshing in the morning now carried a sharper bite as it struck against their faces and clothes.

Beneath them, the roads had become thinner and more uneven, winding through the broken stretches of forest and low hills that marked the outer regions between Haven and the Great Forest.

The settlements they passed now looked smaller as well, less lively, with fewer people walking around in the open and more guards posted near their entrances. It was clear they were gradually leaving the safer lands behind.

Elion looked down quietly, his gaze sweeping over a small village tucked beside a narrow river. Smoke rose from several chimneys, and a few children could be seen running near the fields, but even from above, he could see the wooden barricades that had been built around the outer edge of the village.

They looked new, crude, and rushed, as if the people below had only recently decided that they needed protection. He didn’t say anything. He had already heard enough stories by now to know why such villages feared the night.

“Second checkpoint is ahead,” Darin called from one of the birds, pointing toward the distant rise of a fortified camp built along the road. “We should reach it in a few minutes.”

Alexander nodded, “Good. We’ll spend the night there.”

Peter let out a quiet sigh of relief, though he tried to hide it by clearing his throat. “That’s good. My backside was beginning to lose all feeling.”

Gareth gave him a side glance. “You really have no dignity.”

“I have plenty,” Peter said defensively. “I just value comfort as well.”

Elion looked back at him with a faint grin. “That’s a dangerous thing to admit when you’re travelling with me.”

Peter’s face immediately stiffened. “I value hardship. Hardship is good and very beneficial to one’s physical wellness.”

Alexander let out a tired breath. “You see what you’ve done? They were at least somewhat normal before you started talking to them.”

Elion chuckled. “You call this normal?”

“They were quieter.”

“That’s not the same thing.

Alexander looked like he wanted to argue, but then seemed to remember that arguing with Elion only led to more suffering, so he wisely looked away and guided his winged serpent into a slow descent.

The others followed, their mounts spreading their wings wide as they glided toward the checkpoint below. Horns sounded once again when they were spotted, and the soldiers stationed there quickly moved into formation, though this camp felt far more tense than the first one.

The men and women here looked more alert and far more tired, and the walls around the checkpoint were higher, reinforced with sharpened logs and rune-marked stone pillars.

The mounts landed one after another in the clearing outside the camp. Dust rose from the ground, and soldiers hurried forward to receive them. A grey-haired commander in worn armour approached with three officers at his back, bowing deeply toward Alexander.

“Your Highness,” the commander greeted. “We were informed of your arrival.”

Alexander stepped down from his mount with practiced ease. “Commander Rallis. Report.”

The commander straightened immediately. “No major attacks today, Your Highness, but our scouts encountered demon movement near the northern ridge this morning. A small group. Ten to fifteen at most. They retreated before engagement.”

Alexander’s brows drew together slightly. “Testing the perimeter?”

“That is our assumption.”

Elion walked closer, listening quietly.

The commander’s eyes flicked toward him for a second, curiosity flashing across his face before he quickly returned his attention to Alexander. “We’ve doubled the night watch and sent messengers to the adjacent posts.”

“Good,” Alexander said. “Any civilian movement?”

“A few families from the outer settlements arrived earlier today, seeking temporary shelter. We allowed them in.”

Alexander nodded. “Keep them here for now. No one travels after dark.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Elion had heard about the recent scattered infiltrations by the demons, but this was the first time he was really seeing the aftermath firsthand. More civilians would be more than willing to leave their homes and isolated villages behind in favour of the protection that these outposts offered them.

But as always, there would be a few stubborn fools; he did not doubt for a second that some of them would rather hide in their homes to safeguard their possessions, while hoping no demons come knocking on their doors in the dead of the night.

Elion’s gaze moved past the commander and toward the camp itself. He could see those civilians near the inner tents, huddled together in small groups. Some looked scared. Some looked numb.

A little girl was clinging to an older woman’s dress, staring at the mounted beasts with wide eyes.

For a brief second, Elion’s thoughts drifted back to Resden, to the story he had been told about demons taking over his village centuries ago, and he wondered if this was how it had begun back then.

Not with a grand invasion, not with some world-ending clash, but with frightened families running from distant smoke and soldiers telling them to wait behind walls until it was safe again.

He exhaled quietly.

Alexander glanced at him. “Something wrong?”

“Nothing,” Elion replied. “Just thinking about stuff.”

“You and introspective thoughts? I bet that’s rare.”

Elion gave him a warning look.

Alexander immediately looked away. “I mean, thinking deeply. Very deeply. A rare and admirable moment.”

Peter, who had just dismounted nearby, whispered, “His Highness is learning survival.”

Gareth nodded solemnly. “A valuable skill.”

Elion smiled without looking at them. “I heard that.”

Both retainers froze.

Alexander ignored them and turned back to Commander Rallis. “We’ll stay here tonight. Prepare quarters for my group, but don’t make a fuss over it. I don’t want unnecessary movement.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”