“Father.”
Imperia called out.
“Hmm?”
“Camp here for about 10 minutes.”
“What…?”
“Set a camp here, I will be back in 10 minutes.”
“Where are you going?”
Kael narrowed his eyes.
“To explore the forest.”
“No.”
Kael very quickly shook his head.
“It is important, Father.”
“Then I will come with you.”
“You cannot. You won’t be able to enter, and they won’t allow you in either.”
“They…?”
Kael tilted his head in confusion.
“Please, trust me, Father.”
Imperia repeated, and Kael didn’t know what to say.
‘Let her go, Father.’
Suddenly, Igni spoke up.
‘I do not sense any dangerous beasts around.’
“But it is—”
‘Father, you cannot keep us safe all the time.’
“…”
Kael turned silent.
“I will be back in 10 minutes, please, Father.”
Imperia repeated, and in the end, even though he was extremely unwilling, Kael gave in.
“10 minutes, keep it in mind. If you are even a second late, I…
I will not talk to you for 2 hours.”
Yes, that was all the punishment Kael’s mind could think of as he stared at his daughter.
‘Tsk, I am too weak.’
“I will be back before 10 minutes have passed!”
Imperia nodded, her eyes shining with intense determination, an expression Kael hadn’t seen before.
The little thing quickly jumped and landed on the ground. Then, it walked into the forest. As Kael saw her leave, his heart squeezed in worry. He clenched his fists, tapped his foot, and did everything he could to distract himself, but nothing worked.
His eyes constantly stared in the direction Imperia had gone, waiting for her to return.
…
“Why isn’t she back yet!?”
He questioned, worried sick.
‘Only half a minute has passed, Father…’
Igni answered, unable to believe how his father was acting. Constantly biting his nails, scratching his head, walking in circles—it almost looked like the man was losing his mind.
Vitaria constantly rubbed his face with her soft tail, and while it did indeed calm him a little, his eyes constantly darted towards where Imperia had gone.
Yep, this was in no way healthy.
Even Kael understood it.
To distract himself, he took out an artifact the King had given him.
[Whispering Sigil Scroll]
[Description:]
[A thin parchment scroll that never runs out of space. Tiny, glowing runes flicker at the bottom. When rolled shut, it shrinks to the size of a pendant for portability.]
[Function:]
[Write a message and it instantly appears on the paired scrolls.]
[Words fade after being read unless the recipient presses a rune to save them.]
[Mechanics:]
[Pairing Ritual: Two scrolls must be touched together while a drop of ink mingles on the surface.]
[Delivery: Messages appear in the sender’s handwriting.]
[Restriction:]
[Only the one connected to the scroll can send messages. If another being tries to use it, the scroll will be destroyed.]
…
Yes, it was something similar to texting. Something that piqued Kael’s interest a lot when the King first showed it to him. Apparently, this thing was like a mobile, and all the nobles had it, even the weaker ones.
Of course, there were also more advanced communication tools, but since these could be mass-produced and were available to all, they were quite popular.
When Kael first got his hands on it, he was so fascinated that he went around and paired his scroll with everyone—the King, Veylara, Arlan, and Elira. Veylara even told him to get more contacts in case of emergency, so he paired his scroll with all his instructors and Royal Council Members.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that he had one of the most powerful Whispering Sigil Scrolls considering how many strong ‘contacts’ it had.
Of course, now, it was all useless.
Well, not yet.
Kael still needed the scroll for his plan.
The King was an enemy, that was already established. And since he had escaped, the King would likely try and hunt him down. The King, however, does not have the power to send people after the Hero, at least not until he finds a way to ruin his image and put him in an evil light.
Say, ‘The Hero is a Corrupted Human,’ for example.
Of course, that itself is quite hard to prove, especially since the Hero was chosen by a Dragon. But still, with Kael’s absence, the King can still rally the rest of the Council Members against him.
Kael had considered all that and because of that, he had come up with a little counterplan of his own.
He took out a magic quill that never runs out of ink and started writing on the Whispering Sigil Scroll,
{To all those who have guided me,
I have decided to leave the Royal Palace for a time. I will be training on my own and exploring the world—not to run from my responsibilities, but to fulfill them more completely.
The palace has protected me, nurtured me, and given me the strength to stand. For that, I am grateful. But I have come to understand that true strength cannot be forged within golden walls.
It is time I step out of this sheltered haven and into the real world—the world I was chosen to protect. Only there can I face its truth, witness its struggles, and learn the lessons no instructor can teach.
Nerathis’s true enemy will not wait, and neither will I.
When the time comes, I will return—stronger, wiser, and ready to fight by your side.
Please do not try to look for me. Any attempt to do so will only delay the growth I seek.
I will return when the time is right. And when I do… I promise, you’ll see why Lord Feraos chose me.
With respect and gratitude,
Kael Carter, Dragon Tamer and the Hero of Nerathis.}
And with that…
He sent the message to everyone he could.
Yes, the King, the Crown Prince, the Council Members, his instructors, Arlan, Elira, even Seraphina, Varyon’s daughter, got the message.
Kael did this to make sure that no matter what, this message could never be hidden or suppressed by any force.
With this, the Hero had given the ‘reason’ for his absence. The King would no longer be able to put him in a negative light because he wouldn’t have anything to prove his claims. Even if he tries to raise questions, with the matters regarding Xenthalor and the Grand Event that is supposed to be held tomorrow, his own matter wouldn’t attract much attention.
As he thought about it, a small smile appeared on Kael’s face. Soon, however, his smile widened even more as something even better happened,
“Father, I am back.”
Imperia had returned.