Chapter 365 - 360 — Apprenticeship

Chapter 365: Chapter 360 — Apprenticeship

"My lord... are you absolutely sure about this?" Tobias asked uneasily. "That fortress is dangerous! And it borders the Aeralith Empire, too. I’ve heard apprentices go missing there all the time... It’s still not too late to reconsider—"

"I’ve made up my mind, Tobias."

Standing outside beside a large carriage, Zephyrion regarded his ward calmly. Kaiden and Fiona were also present, their expressions equally grim, while Lumi stood a little farther away, avoiding his gaze entirely.

A few days had passed in the blink of an eye, and it was finally time for the cadets to leave for their apprenticeships. The academy had long since emptied out, with most cadets having already departed.

Nedra, Lucien, Draven, and Kaelith were no different, each having left after an awkward round of goodbyes. Unfortunately, while they’d each only had to endure it once, Zephyrion had gone through the same ordeal several times.

By the second goodbye, he was beginning to understand why some people preferred disappearing without a word. By the fourth, he was regretting not doing so.

"In that case... maybe I could still come with you? I’m sure if we speak to the academy, we can—"

"Tobias." Zephyrion met his eyes. "I’ll be fine."

He was going for an apprenticeship in a dangerous location, not marching off to his death. Besides, as his subordinates, each of them had received a substantial amount of Temper Points, enough to request some of the most sought-after apprenticeships in the empire.

The key word, however, was request.

Unlike Zephyrion, who had earned the freedom to choose wherever he pleased, the others still needed the academy’s approval. Even if Tobias wanted to follow him, there was no guarantee his request would be granted.

Which, considering the fortress in question, was probably for the best.

Hearing the firmness in his tone, Tobias sighed and finally let the matter go.

Fiona was also watching him with concern, but she quickly lowered her gaze the moment he turned towards her. It seemed there was still a bit of awkwardness between them, though at least she no longer looked like she wanted to flee the moment their eyes met.

’Well, progress is progress.’ After all, he would need his talented forger in the coming years.

Kaiden, on the other hand, wore a hard look. He was the only one who hadn’t tried to convince him otherwise, even showing a hint of respect, along with a familiar stubbornness that suggested he’d already decided to choose somewhere equally dangerous.

"Don’t die," Kaiden said.

Tobias immediately clutched his head in horror. "Oh, Iron Father! Of all the things you could’ve said, you chose that!? Are you trying to jinx him!?"

"...I told him not to die."

"That’s exactly the problem! You never say what you actually want to happen! That’s how you jinx it! In situations like this, you’re supposed to say the opposite!"

Kaiden frowned, seemingly contemplating his words, before turning back to Zephyrion.

"...Die, then."

"..."

Tobias nodded approvingly, looking rather pleased with himself. "Exactly, my lord! Die! Now you say it, Fiona."

Fiona smacked her forehead in exasperation. "I am not telling him to die, Tobias! What is wrong with you?"

"But... but... do you want him to die for real!?"

Zephyrion stared at his ward for several seconds, genuinely wondering how many times he’d been dropped on his head as a child.

Shaking her head, Fiona finally mustered the courage to meet Zephyrion’s eyes.

"Just... promise me you’ll be careful, alright?"

"I promise."

They held each other’s gaze for several seconds before she stepped forward and embraced him. Eventually, she pulled away, gave him a small nod, and excused herself.

"My lord!"

Zephyrion promptly caught Tobias by the face before he could throw himself into his arms.

"Pwease! I-I’m going to miss you!"

Ignoring his pleas, Zephyrion turned to Kaiden, who had already extended a hand towards him.

"See you in a year."

Nodding, Zephyrion accepted the handshake.

Fortunately, Kaiden dragged Tobias away as he left, leaving Zephyrion alone with Lumi, who seemed to find the ground far more interesting than him.

But Zephyrion knew better. After all, despite everything, she’d still come to see him off.

He quietly approached her.

"Hey."

"..."

"Not even a goodbye?"

When another moment passed without a response, Zephyrion feigned a sigh. "Alright, then. I guess I’ll be going."

Lumi’s head immediately snapped up. Her eyes were still swollen, but she was no longer crying. Instead, they held so much uncertainty that Zephyrion found himself questioning whether he’d truly made the right choice.

She slowly signed.

Just one year?

"One year."

And you’ll come find me?

"I promise."

Lumi clenched her fists and nodded before signing one last time.

Please... don’t get hurt.

For the first time in a while, Zephyrion genuinely smiled.

"I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me."

Lumi immediately rushed forward and threw her arms around him. Zephyrion didn’t resist, even returning the embrace. Eventually, they separated, and he gave her head a gentle pat before heading towards the carriage.

As he climbed inside and gave the order to move, he cast one last glance towards Lumi.

Her eyes were closed, and she was taking slow, deliberate breaths. After several moments, she released one final breath and opened her eyes.

Every shred of uncertainty and emotion had vanished, replaced by a cold, chilling gaze.

’Ah, right. Almost forgot about that.’

Seeing that familiar expression, Zephyrion’s lingering concern about her ability to protect herself gradually faded.

After all, she was the danger.

People should be scared of her, not the other way around.

As the carriage pulled away, Zephyrion gave one last nod before his own gaze turned chilly.

...

The rhythmic clatter of hooves against the earth was beginning to grate on Zephyrion’s nerves. He’d spent the past week listening to it, and at this point, he was beginning to understand why some people willingly threw themselves off cliffs.

"We’ll be arriving in five minutes, Young Lord."

The stoic voice of his main guard, Selis, came from outside the carriage.

’Thank the Irons.’

He’d long since regretted his decision to travel by carriage. Calderalth had offered him one along with an escort of Whitesteel Heralds, and for reasons he could no longer comprehend, he’d actually accepted.

He could have traveled on horseback. He could have reached his destination days ago. Instead, he’d willingly condemned himself to an entire week of listening to hooves hammer against the earth, all for the privilege of sitting in a cushioned box.

’Well, at least I had time to sort through a few things.’

Over the week, the first things he’d focused on were the two rewards he’d received for becoming First Prime.

Aside from the freedom to choose his apprenticeship location, he’d been awarded a rune art and a relic.

The latter was simple but incredibly powerful: a ring capable of blocking a life-threatening attack once. Of course, its effectiveness depended on the strength of the attacker, and after several rounds of tinkering with the ancestor’s help, he’d discovered that it could withstand an attack from a peak Herald.

The rune art, however, had a far more interesting effect, and Zephyrion was itching to try it out the moment he settled in. Asides that, he was also looking forward to his promised rewards.

’Uncle Garrick said it should arrive in another week.’

With those Elixirs, he planned on speeding past the Herald marks as fast as he could.

After that, though, he’d turned his attention to his objective for this apprenticeship.

He had chosen the eastern fortress in the southern region, a military stronghold bordering the Aeralith Empire, home of the Air Ascendants. The surrounding region was also inhabited by several dangerous species of mutated beasts.

Though relations between the two empires were far from friendly, it was the constant threat posed by these beasts that made the region particularly dangerous. The soldiers stationed there were responsible for protecting the surrounding territories, and such duties naturally extended to apprentices, too.

And while it was certainly true that constant conflict was the fastest way to climb the military ranks, Zephyrion had chosen this location for another reason entirely.

According to his findings, the far eastern part of the southern region was the very place Horus had come from.

"We’ve arrived, Young Lord."

Zephyrion’s eyes slowly turned cold as the carriage came to a halt.

’Now then, Horus... let’s see what secrets you left behind.’