Chapter 276: Driftport Harbor
“Father.”
“Is she asleep?”
Kael questioned in a low voice as he stared at sleeping Lavinia, who had once again used his arm as a body pillow and was hugging it as tightly as she could.
“Yes, she is.”
About an hour had passed since they came to this camp. After dinner, it was time to sleep. Kael was worried that Lavinia would have the same dream again.
“How is she? Is she having another nightmare?”
He questioned.
Vitaria gently placed her hand on the Princess’s forehead and shook her head.
“No, her condition’s much better. As I thought, she feels protected when she is with you, so she sleeps well when you are around.”
“So from now on…”
“It would be better to not stay in inns. Try to camp outside so you can stay with her.”
“But won’t she notice if I lie to her repeatedly?”
Kael questioned.
“She won’t.”
Vitaria shook her head. The Fox then turned towards Imperia and,
“I am sure little Imp can take care of this.”
Ria stared at Vitaria, her large eyes then fell on the sleeping Lavinia and she sighed.
“I will plan our path so that there are no nearby towns around us when the sun falls. The number of towns has been falling the further we go anyways, we can use that as an excuse.”
“See?”
Vitaria’s smile widened as she turned back towards her father.
“…we will do that then.”
Kael muttered.
“Good.”
Vitaria chuckled. Igni, on the other hand, was thinking about something else.
“Father skipped training today. It is alright because she must be tired today, but we shouldn’t skip it from tomorrow.”
“I know.”
Kael nodded.
“You can also learn more about magic from her. She seems to be an excellent teacher.”
Vitaria added, and again, Kael nodded in acknowledgement. He had seen how monstrous the woman was with his own eyes.
All this while, Cirri stayed silent. The little Dragon only stared at the sleeping Princess before hugging her father even more tightly than her.
Kael, who sensed that, chuckled lightly. He kissed Cirri’s forehead, calming the Sky Dragon. Vitaria and Imperia got closer as well, and Igni used his large tail to cover both Kael and Lavinia.
Since Lavinia was asleep and fine, the family slept as well.
The next day, the journey continued after breakfast. Just as Imperia said, as they travelled further, the number of towns they encountered became fewer and fewer. The temperature became quite humid as well, forcing them to take constant breaks to adjust to all these changes.
This continued for three days. For these three days, Kael and Lavinia slept in the camps they set, which allowed Lavinia to get a good rest and stay fresh throughout the day. Lavinia also realized that this made her more and more reliant on Kael.
Every time she woke up, she found herself completely wrapped around Kael, an act that obviously wasn’t befitting of a princess, and yet…
She couldn’t do anything about it.
Lavinia also noticed how she was slowly getting more and more used to Kael’s presence. This overreliance on someone else made her wary. She even considered creating distance between the two and setting different camps, but the Princess knew how dangerous that was.
No matter what, they were still in a forest. Even though the journey had been safe till now, they didn’t know what might happen at any moment. They needed to stay together, and as for feeling reliant on him, the two of them were travelling together.
Whatever that was happening between them was completely normal.
Yes, this was how the Princess was convincing herself.
The days continued. By the evening of the third day, Kael and Lavinia entered a town.
“We will be staying in a town today?”
Lavinia questioned in a low voice.
She didn’t know why, but for some reason she felt… disappointed?
“This is Driftport Harbor, a port town that will mark the end of our land journey. After this, we will need to travel by sea.”
Kael explained. To be more accurate, he simply repeated what Imperia told him before. Yes, they had come all the way from Drakthar, to the Council of Gold. They even crossed the land underneath the Sky Kingdom, and finally, they were at the edge town.
From here, there were two ways to get to Ashen Heights: a seven-day sea travel or a one-day sea travel and a twelve-day mountain trek.
Of course, for them, the choice was simple.
The one-day sea travel and a twelve-day mountain trek.
After all, it wasn’t just the two of them travelling. They had 10,000 Ants following them.
According to Imperia, they would need to rent out an entire ship for the Ants, and unlike in the mountains, where the Whisperveil Ants could spread out and expand their network like normal, the water would be different. The Ants would practically be useless here, making the place more dangerous.
So Kael chose the longer, safer path.
Of course, all of this was tomorrow’s problem. For now, Kael decided to enjoy where he was and took a deep breath.
The sun had set down, but the sky still had a tinge of red. Lanterns flickered along the cobblestone alleys, casting warm light on the faces of merchants and sailors hustling through their last business of the day.
The scent of brine mixed with freshly baked bread, spiced meats roasting over open fires, and the sharp tang of tar from the ships moored along the docks.
“Five silvers for the catch today! Best fresh fish in all of Driftport!”
A fisherman called, waving a slick cod.
“Two silvers, and not a coin more!”
The buyer shouted, eyeing the catch skeptically.
“Last week’s haul was barely fit for the pigs.”
“Bah! You’ll find no better, merchant. Salt or no salt, my fish is the finest this side of the sea!”
Nearby, a woman with dirt-smudged cheeks leaned over a barrel.
“You want spice? Sweet cinnamon, or the burning fire of red pepper? Only a silver a pinch!”
She shouted, her voice lively.
“If it’s fire you want, try the tavern’s ale. That’ll light your belly and burn your tongue all at once.”
A grizzled sailor, tugging his weather-beaten cap low, muttered,
“Fine silks from the southern deserts—soft as a whisper, bright as the dawn. You won’t find fabrics like these in the castle halls.”
“Hey! Get yer bread! Fresh from the oven—warm and crusty!”
“Slow down, Tim! I want one too!”
“Who’s got the best fish stew? Last one standing drinks free!”
In the tavern doorway, a burly man slapped his mug and shouted. A chorus of voices rose in reply, challenging and cheering, as laughter spilled out into the street.
“Well this is lively.”
Kael commented as he glanced at Lavinia.
The Princess nodded in silence as she continued to look around. Port towns were usually more lawless than normal towns, and even though she had just gotten here, she could already sense more than a few eyes on her.
It felt a bit suffocating, but suddenly, Kael held her hand.
He didn’t say anything. He simply nodded with a light smile, and that was more than enough. In an instant, Lavinia’s mind completely ignored all the gazes around her, and she nodded back.
“Let’s go to an inn. There is a limit to how much information the Ants can find. We would need to take care of a few things on our own.”
Kael muttered. Lavinia nodded, and the two walked into a busy inn.
“Welcome!”
The innkeeper greeted with a big smile on his face.
“Do you two need a room for a night?”
“Yes, but before that, we would like to eat dinner.”
Kael answered as he placed 50 bronze coins on the table. It was above the market rate, so the innkeeper’s eyes brightened up when he saw it.
“Sure! Please be seated, the food will be here in a moment!”
“I also had a few questions I’d be glad if you could answer.”
“Sure sure! Please ask away!”
“How much does it cost to rent a ship?”
Kael questioned directly, and in an instant, the busy inn turned silent. All attention was now on the cloaked man who just talked about renting an entire ship.
“R-Rent a ship?”
The innkeeper stuttered.
“Yes.”
Kael nodded without any change in his tone.
“I would like if you can give me a rough number before I go to the shipowner.”
“This…”
The innkeeper didn’t know what to say.
“I am sorry, customer, but this isn’t something I know much about. I have never heard of someone renting an entire ship alone…
It would be better for you to go to a shipowner yourself. Though I can introduce you to an honest shipowner, I assure you that he will not overcharge you.”
“That will be helpful.”
Kael nodded.
“Would you like to eat first or—”
“I would like to talk to him.”
“O-Okay. Please follow me.”
The innkeeper nodded. Then, he turned towards the kitchen and shouted,
“I am going to Fazal’s! I’ll be back in half an hour, take care of things here!
Please, follow me.”
The innkeeper took Kael and Lavinia out, and they weren’t alone.
‘Father, eleven are following.’
Imperia warned.
Kael just nodded, not saying anything. He highly doubted people here could do anything to him, so for now, he decided to focus on what’s important. The innkeeper continued to walk, but about 5 minutes later, Kael paused.
[The Lord of Sea, Laviatharids’s Bloodline Detected.]
The [Primordial Sense] was activated.