The carriage wheels clattered softly against the paved stone road, their steady rhythm filling the quiet air as two guards flanked them on horseback.
One was the fat knight who had nearly fallen over himself at the sight of Azel, and the other was his sharp-eyed, wiry companion.
Both rode with a sense of formality now, their posture rigid, every glance toward Azel carrying a faint reverence.
Lorraine, however, could hardly sit still.
Her brow furrowed, her fingers tapping lightly against her thigh.
Finally, she leaned forward, her gaze fixed on Azel.
"Why is it such a big deal that you ca back to the capital?" she asked, her tone sharper than she intended.
Her cheeks puffed slightly, an unconscious habit she had whenever she felt frustrated or curious.
And if Azel had to admit, it looked cute on her.
Azel glanced at her calmly, his expression unreadable.
He gently adjusted Lillia, who was seated on his lap, her small hands tugging at the ends of his silver ponytail absentmindedly.
The truth was simple.
Too simple, in fact.
The fat guard chuckled at her question and turned his head. "You really didn’t know?"
Lorraine blinked. "Know what?"
The guard grinned as if he were about to reveal so grand secret. "Azel is the son of the Sword Saint."
The words dropped like a thunderclap inside the carriage.
Lorraine and Gero froze, exchanging looks of disbelief.
Lorraine instinctively raised a hand to her forehead, fighting the urge to smack herself.
"Of course," she muttered. "That explains... everything."
Azel didn’t deny it.
He just shrugged casually, as though it were the most mundane fact in the world.
His swordsmanship.
His aura.
His overwhelming presence. It all clicked into place like the last piece of a puzzle.
Lorraine slumped back against the seat with a faint groan.
No wonder he was so terrifyingly skilled.
He had been trained by the strongest swordsman alive — the current Sword Saint himself.
Gero exhaled deeply, shaking his head with a low whistle.
"You could’ve ntioned that sooner," he muttered under his breath.
Azel smirked faintly but didn’t reply.
Lillia tilted her head and tugged lightly on his collar. "Papa, what’s a Sword Saint?"
"It’s just soone really good with a sword," Azel replied, ruffling her pink hair gently.
She bead at his answer, satisfied.
As the gates of Starbloom City finally opened to them, the sheer scale of the capital unveiled itself in breathtaking detail.
The carriage rolled past towering walls inlaid with enchanted runes that shimred faintly under the sunlight.
Within, gleaming spires rose toward the sky, their crystalline surfaces glinting like polished jewels.
Bustling streets lined with shops and colorful banners stretched far and wide, packed with citizens from all walks of life — rchants shouting over their stalls, adventurers haggling over weapons, children darting through alleys with laughter trailing behind them.
Mana lights floated in the air like tiny stars, illuminating every corner with soft brilliance.
Lorraine couldn’t help but stare in awe.
For soone who had once been confined to her family’s estate and later thrown into survival in foreign lands,
Starbloom felt like another world entirely.
Gero smiled faintly at her reaction, then turned to Azel.
"Well," he said softly, "I guess this is where our paths split."
Azel nodded, his crimson gaze briefly softening.
He shifted Lillia onto his shoulders, the little girl giggling with delight as she wrapped her arms around his head.
"Thank you for everything," Azel said sincerely.
Gero waved it off dismissively. "Think nothing of it. You paid fair, and more than that, you kept us safe. If you ever need a driver again, I’ll ride for you for free next ti. No questions asked."
Azel smiled faintly. "I’ll rember that."
Lorraine fidgeted in her seat, her eyes darting toward Azel as if mustering courage.
Finally, she reached into her pocket and held out a small, circular orb that glimred faintly pink in the sunlight.
"What’s this?" Azel asked, taking it into his hand.
"It’s a communication crystal," she explained, her voice a little too fast, her cheeks faintly pink.
"Even if we’re really far apart, when I pour mana into it, we can talk. So... don’t lose it."
Azel looked down at the crystal, then back up at her flustered face. "I won’t."
Lorraine’s fingers twisted nervously around the hem of her dress, but she quickly pushed away her embarrassnt, forcing her usual composure back into place.
"And I wanted to ask," she added after a mont, "do you have any plans to join the Astralis Academy?"
"Of course," Azel replied without hesitation. "Astralis is one of the leading academies in the entire empire. It’d be strange not to."
Of course he couldn’t say that the reason he was there wae to stop the bosses that were going to appear.
Lorraine’s lips curled into a smile, faint but genuine.
"Good. Then the next ti we see each other like this," she said with quiet confidence, "I’ll be your senior."
The thought clearly pleased her.
Azel chuckled lightly, and even Gero grinned at his daughter’s determination.
Before long, the carriage slowed to a stop at a plaza near the city’s central district.
It was ti.
Lorraine stepped out first, followed by Gero.
Then Azel descended with Lillia perched happily on his shoulders, her bright pink hair bouncing in the sunlight.
Lorraine hesitated for a heartbeat, then stepped forward, surprising Azel by wrapping her arms around him in a brief hug.
Lillia giggled, leaning down to hug her "Mama" as well.
"Stay safe, alright?" Lorraine murmured.
"You too," Azel replied.
Gero joined in, pulling all three of them into a quick but warm group embrace.
When they finally stepped back, Lorraine and Gero climbed back into their carriage.
With a final wave, their driver cracked the reins, and the Carriage of the West rolled away, vanishing down the bustling streets without looking back.
Azel watched them go for a mont, then turned his attention forward.
Another carriage waited for him.
It was unlike any he’d seen before: its body seed to shimr like translucent glass, faintly glowing runes dancing across its surface, pulled by sleek, white-maned mana-steeds that exuded elegance and raw power.
The insignia of the royal crest was emblazoned on its side.
One of the guards dismounted and gestured respectfully.
"Please, young master Azel," he said, bowing slightly, "step aboard. The Second Empress is very eager to see you."
He wondered how Edna was doing... was she excited to see him after all this ti?
[A/N: I’ll post the last Chapter a bit later, give a few hours, I’ll go take a quick nap]
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