Chapter 227

Dawn had barely cracked the horizon when the southern gates of the capital city opened for them.

Cold air spilled inward like a held breath finally released. Frost clung to iron hinges and stonework, and the world beyond the walls lay washed in pale blue light. The city behind them still slept, chimneys smoking lazily, bells silent. Ahead stretched the road southward, winding toward the space between borders, where the land thinned and danger grew teeth.

That was where the mid–high level dungeon waited.

They traveled in two carriages.

The first carried the boys, their voices already rising with reckless morning energy. The second held the girls, quieter, steadier, the wheels creaking beneath the weight of supplies and anticipation.

One of the breaks, Boris had tried, desperately, to switch.

“I am telling you,” he insisted, gripping the carriage step, “Roy’s aura feels wrong. It’s cold. Like someone is staring at the back of your neck.”

Suri stared at him flatly. “No.”

“I will behave.”

“No.”

The door shut. Boris was dragged back into the boys’ carriage, his protests swallowed by laughter almost immediately.

Monde, the [Paladin], sat within the girls’ carriage, posture straight, hands resting calmly on his knees. His presence was like a stone pillar. Unmoving. Reassuring. His gaze never strayed far from Elle York, whose safety was clearly written into every breath he took.

Kier rode with the boys, his voice occasionally cutting through their noise with a barked warning.

Lex was nowhere to be seen.

Before departure, he had merely smiled and said, “I’ll be close.”

That was somehow worse.

“They’re loud this early,” Yuri muttered, pulling her cloak tighter as wind slipped through the carriage’s small windows.

Laughter burst again from the other carriage, carried by the rushing air.

Suri yawned, stretching her arms overhead. “They’ll regret it later. Wasting energy.”

Kana sat opposite them, watching the road sway beneath the carriage. The capital shrank behind them, towers dissolving into mist.

“Kana,” Elle said softly, breaking the rhythm of the wheels. “We’re stopping by a town near your village first, right?”

Kana nodded. “There’s someone I need to see. I got a new bow. A dungeon item.”

She hesitated before adding, “I don’t know if it’s good… or cursed.”

The atmosphere changed.

Rin glanced toward the side of the carriage, where their weapons and equipment were secured. “Should we… move it?”

“Yes,” Suri said immediately.

Elle nodded. Yuri nodded harder.

Kana sighed, already reaching for it. She slid the bow into the vacant storage compartment beneath the bench, sealing it away like an unanswered question.

The days blurred together.

Two days before arriving in the town, Kana instructed Suri to track the two or three men who were observing them secretly. She didn’t take action yet as those men might be some additional guards secretly sent by Elle, Leo or even Andel’s father. Or the king himself. She didn’t feel any killing intent from them so Kana decided to watch their movement for now.

The road stretched long and quiet, passing through thinning forests and open plains dusted with lingering snow. They made camp each night, careful and practiced. The meals were simple but filling. Dry bread softened with soup. Preserved meat warmed over controlled flames.

They talked little about the dungeon.

Instead, they planned routes. Reviewed formations. Checked equipment again and again. By unspoken agreement, tension was folded away. They replenished supplies where they could, stopping briefly at smaller nearby villages, exchanging coin for fresh food. 

By the seventh night, the land had changed, less ice was covering their paths.

Then they reached the town at noon.

The sun hung high and sharp above them, its light spilling across stone roofs and narrow streets, yet they never felt the heat. It was warmer than the capital, yes, but the air still carried the bite of lingering winter, cool enough that breath misted faintly when exhaled.

The town itself felt sleepy rather than busy. Merchants called out lazily. Wagon wheels creaked. Somewhere, a bell chimed to mark the hour.

The group split without much discussion.

The boys, along with Suri and Rin, headed off to secure an inn and restock supplies. Food, spare rope, enchanted lantern. The usual. Suri’s enthusiasm for checking the local specialties was suspiciously loud.

Kana, Yuri, and Elle turned instead toward a narrower street, one Kana already knew by heart.

The all around and sometimes appraisal shop sat there unchanged, tucked between two aging buildings like it had grown from the stone itself. The wooden sign creaked gently in the breeze, paint faded but stubborn.

Kana pushed the door open.

A bell rang.

She scanned the interior and muttered, “Still not many customers, I see.”

Shelves lined the walls, cluttered with odd trinkets, fragments of gear, and half-forgotten relics that looked unimpressive to anyone without the patience to look twice. The air smelled faintly of dust, parchment, and old incense.

But the familiar hunched figure was missing.

Instead, behind the counter stood a young woman.

She looked only a year or two younger than Kana, though Kana stood slightly taller. The girl had chubby cheeks, long curly light-brown hair tied loosely behind her, and an easy, pleasant smile that didn’t quite hide her alert eyes.

Kana frowned. “Where’s grandma? Don’t tell me—”

“She’s in the bathroom,” the girl said cheerfully, pointing to a door behind the counter. “I’m her granddaughter, Nil. I’m here as her assistant."

Kana coughed, suddenly feeling like she’d walked into something awkward. “Sorry. I’m here to appraise these.”

She placed the bow from the king’s treasury onto the counter, followed by the non-combat skill book Janus had given her.

Nil’s expression froze after seeing the skill book.

Just for a moment.

Her eyes widened slightly as they locked onto the skill book, and the air around her seemed to tighten.

“I… I don’t have the appraisal skill,” Nil said quickly, straightening. “We’ll need to wait for my grandmother.”

She hesitated, then added, “You’re one of the few people who actually trusts her work. Most customers complain.”

Yuri tilted her head. Elle listened quietly.

“People say her descriptions are too long,” Nil continued. “Longer than the ones certified by the Adventurer’s Guild. They think it’s nonsense.”

She smiled, a little rueful. “Grandma always says only special people can tell her appraisal is the real deal.”

Kana forced a polite smile. She could understand why. Anyone who couldn’t read the description at all would think it was meaningless scribbles.

The door behind the counter creaked open.

A short, elderly woman stepped out, wiping her hands on a cloth. Her sharp eyes immediately swept the room, landing on Kana.

“Hmph,” the old woman said. “You’re quite the big shot now. I thought you’d never come back. Kana of the saltrain village.”

Kana bowed her head slightly. “Hello, Grandma.”

Nil’s head snapped toward Kana. “Wait. Kana?”

She stared harder. “Kana… the one who defeated the empire’s student?”

Kana nodded.

Nil made a small sound halfway between disbelief and awe. “I thought you were lying,” she muttered, then rounded the counter and grabbed Kana’s hand. “Grandma! I thought you’re saying absurd things just to impress me!”

Yuri and Elle barely managed to hold back their laughter.

The old woman snorted and waved Nil away. “Stop embarrassing yourself.”

She picked up the bow first, turning it slowly in her hands. Her expression changed, focus sharpening like a blade being drawn.

Minutes passed.

The room felt quieter. Heavier.

Then she set the bow down and moved to the skill book, brow furrowing deeper as she worked. When she was finished, she slid a parchment across the counter toward Kana.

“Rare,” the old woman said. “Both of them. Very rare. I’d happily buy these from you.”

Kana grabbed the parchment instantly. “No.”

The old woman grunted. “Figures.”

Kana’s eyes skimmed the text.

[Old Tempest Bow]

A well-balanced, powerful bow crafted by an extinct race.

Materials sourced from ancient monsters.

Str: +1

Agi: +20

Int: +1

Accuracy: +50%

Additional Damage: +100%

Critical Damage: +100%

Critical Rate: +30%

Attack Speed: +20%

[Ancient Killer]

Passive Skill: All bow stats increase threefold when fighting ancient monsters and ancient races.

Penalty: All stats are disabled when fighting your own race.

Kana paused.

Her breath slowed.

It was absurdly strong. Far stronger than the [Viper Bow] she’d seen at the auction. But the penalty… her brow rose slightly.

This wasn’t meant for killing humans.

She moved on to the second parchment.

[Light Shower]

Creates a gentle drizzle over a limited area, preventing drought and restoring some soil moisture.

MP Cost: 300

Kana exhaled softly. “So it’s not really about plants.”

When she looked up, the old woman was watching her closely, eyes narrowed with interest.

“Judging by that face,” the old woman said slowly, “It seems you can read it yourself.”

Kana stiffened.

The old woman laughed sharply. “Impossible. The gods forbid us from understanding it directly.”

Kana shook her head. “How much?”

“You’re really not selling?” the old woman asked again.

“No. If I ever sell dungeon items, you’ll be the first I come to. That I can promise.”

The old woman studied her for a long moment, then nodded. “Very well. Since the skill book isn’t for combatants, I’ll only charge you for the bow.”

She named the price. “Two hundred silver.”

Kana handed over the coins without hesitation. At least cheaper than last time. Skill book appraisal rate is really different.

…..

Meanwhile, Suri and Rin, along with the boys, managed to find an inn large enough to accommodate all of them.

It sat near the edge of town, a sturdy two-story building with thick wooden beams and stone walls darkened by years of weather. Lanterns hung from iron hooks by the entrance, their warm light cutting through the pale afternoon haze. The sign above the door creaked lazily.

They decided to rent the entire inn for the night.

After days of near-constant travel inside cramped carriages, stiff limbs and sore backs made the decision unanimous. 

Suri burst through the door first, Rin closed behind her. Boris followed, ducking instinctively despite the doorway being tall enough, while Thorne chirped loudly atop his shoulder, tail wagging with such enthusiasm that it smacked Boris in the cheek.

The warmth inside wrapped around them instantly. The scent of cooked meat, bread, and herbs filled the air. A fire crackled in the hearth, its orange glow dancing across long wooden tables and well-worn benches.

Without wasting time, Suri tugged Rin along. “Let’s see if they sell that drink here.”

They swept back out into the streets, leaving the boys behind Boris though were forcefully escorted Suri and Rin stroll.

The boys had already claimed a cluster of tables, dropping packs, stretching limbs, and talking over one another in rising voices. Adam leaned back in his chair. Toby animatedly retold some exaggerated story. Roy sat quietly, skeletal companions conspicuously absent, though his presence alone seemed to lower the temperature around him.

When Suri returned, empty-handed, all eyes snapped toward her.

“They don’t sell it here,” she announced, grimacing as if she’d personally been wronged.

A synchronized groan rippled through the room.

Kana arrived not long after, accompanied by Elle and Yuri, Monde walking just behind them with the steady, unhurried steps of someone always aware of his surroundings. Kana set down a bundle of supplies with a soft thump. Extra potions clinked together, alongside neatly coiled rope and other small but essential tools.

“Found what you needed?” Rin asked.

Kana nodded. 

That set the tone.

Dinner followed shortly after. Plates were filled, then refilled. Conversation flowed more easily now, exhaustion giving way to the simple relief of rest. Even Suri quieted, too occupied with eating to comment on the lack of her favorite drink.

Off to the side, their escorts gathered near the chimney. Monde spoke calmly, voice low and measured, while Kier listened with arms crossed. Then, without warning, a presence seemed to step out of the shadows themselves.

Lex appeared beside them.

No announcement. No footsteps.

Just suddenly there, holding a mug of alcohol like he’d always belonged in that spot.

A few of the students stiffened instinctively.

Lex took a slow sip, eyes half-lidded, scanning the room without looking like he was scanning at all. “Decent place,” he said casually. “Walls are thick.”

Post note:

First chap of the week.

Hope you enjoy the chap! 🙂