Chapter 273: Five Days (4)

That night, father and son set out together, leaving the camp behind. The nighttime forest seemed completely different; without the sunlight, the trees transformed into enormous black silhouettes, shadows that moved with the wind. Lukas kept a small amount of mana circulating through his body, his senses becoming sharper.

He could hear leaves moving, the distant sounds of small animals, the wind passing through the branches, and the occasional creaking of a tree. Clavor walked a few meters ahead, his movements silent and precise. From time to time, he stopped, crouched down, observed the ground, searched for footprints, and smelled the air.

Lukas imitated his movements, learning from every gesture. He learned to identify tracks, to distinguish marks on the ground that indicated small animals from those that indicated larger creatures. He also learned to recognize when silence was natural and when something was wrong.

After nearly an hour, however, they found no worthy prey. Clavor finally decided to return, his voice low.

“Let’s go.”

Lukas did not complain. Although he had failed to hunt anything, he had spent a considerable amount of mana simply maintaining the enhancement of his senses and legs during the walk. To him, that was already a gain, an opportunity to push his Source.

When they returned to the camp, Lukas felt tired, but he was satisfied. His Source had once again been pushed, and that was what mattered.

On the fifth day, the change in the landscape stopped being subtle. The road began to rise, first almost imperceptibly, then with a clear incline. The carriage wheels began to encounter more resistance, and the horses had to exert more strength.

The coachman slowed the pace, his eyes fixed on the road. Lukas stuck his head out of the window, his eyes sweeping across the horizon.

In the distance, something enormous dominated the horizon, a mountain. It was far larger than any elevation he had seen during the journey, its imposing silhouette standing against the sky.

Its peak partially disappeared among the light clouds, as if it were touching the very heavens. Its slopes were covered in forests, with some regions appearing almost completely rocky.

“Is that the mountain?” Lukas asked, his voice filled with awe.

Clavor looked over, his eyes following the direction of his son’s gaze.

“Yes.”

“Do we need to cross it?” Lukas’s curiosity was genuine.

“Not directly. We will go around it.” Clavor pointed toward the road, his voice calm.

“The main road follows the slopes. It is safer and allows carriages to pass.”

Lukas continued looking, the mountain seemed to grow larger with every hour. As they approached, the vegetation also changed, the trees that had previously possessed broad leaves gradually giving way to smaller species adapted to different conditions.

Some had almost white bark, while others possessed rigid leaves, apparently adapted to the drier climate.

The air had also changed. It was colder and drier, and the humid smell of the forest had diminished. Even the wind seemed different, sharper, more cutting.

Lukas felt that they were truly leaving behind the region he knew, entering genuinely new territory. This awakened his curiosity once again; the territory of Marquis Slyr was getting closer and closer, but there was still a mountain between them and their destination.

When night arrived, they found a relatively flat area near an ancient tree. Its trunk was gigantic, so wide that several men would have needed to join their arms to encircle it. Its roots emerged from the ground like enormous petrified serpents, creating a natural shelter.

The camp was set up nearby, the tents raised, the fire lit, and the meal prepared. After eating, Judite brought one of her books.

“Lukas.” Her voice was soft.

“Hm?” He replied, curious.

“Come here.” She called him over, sitting in a more comfortable spot.

He sat beside her, his curiosity awakened. Judite opened the book on her lap, her hands finding the pages.

“I want to finish this chapter.”

Lukas leaned over to look, his eyes scanning the pages. The pages were filled with diagrams, complex circles drawn by hand, lines crossing one another, and strange symbols. Notes about mana flow, enchantments, and magical theories.

Lukas tried to understand them; some things made sense, while others seemed completely absurd.

“What does this mean?” he asked, pointing to one of the diagrams.

Judite explained enthusiastically; it was a method of organizing mana within a magic circle, a fundamental technique for magic. Lukas listened attentively, even though he did not understand everything, feeling a growing curiosity.

Magic was different, very different from the path of a warrior. A warrior strengthened their own body, trained movements, increased their strength, and learned techniques. Magic, on the other hand, seemed to transform mana itself into external phenomena, creating effects that went beyond the physical.

It was fascinating.

Lukas then remembered a conversation he had had with Clavor. His father knew that he was interested in magic; he had not forbidden it, nor had he said that Lukas lacked talent.

The recommendation was simply to wait. At the beginning of the path, warriors possessed a clear advantage, their development was more direct, and their strengthened bodies served as a foundation. Once Lukas had established a solid foundation, he could study magic more calmly.

Besides, mages were extremely rare. In the Dmond family, for several generations, only Judite had demonstrated enough talent to follow that path.

Judite had chosen, and she had chosen completely. Over the past few months, she had practically abandoned her old desire to become a warrior and swordswoman like the other Dmonds. Now she thought only of magic. Her dream was to become a great mage, someone whose name would be known throughout the kingdom.

Lukas smiled at the thought.

“You really like this, don’t you?”

Judite raised her eyes from the book, her expression curious.

“Magic?”

“Yes.” Lukas’s voice was soft.

She smiled, a smile that illuminated her face.

“A lot.”

Lukas returned his eyes to the pages, his gaze moving across the diagrams.

“Then become the greatest mage in the kingdom.”

Judite’s eyes widened in surprise. Then she smiled, a smile filled with determination.

“I will.”

The answer came without the slightest hesitation.

The two continued reading, the fire crackling beside them, the nighttime wind passing through the branches of the ancient tree. The moon shone above them, its silver light bathing the forest.

Lukas followed the diagrams over his sister’s shoulder, absorbing whatever he could. Gradually, however, Judite’s voice began to grow quieter, her sentences became incomplete. Then her head slowly tilted.

‘Thump.’ Her weight fell onto Lukas’s shoulder.

He looked to the side, a smile on his lips. Judite was asleep, still holding the book open.

Lukas could not contain a small smile.

“You always do this…”

Carefully, he removed the book from her hands, closed it without making a sound, and placed it beside them. Then, he adjusted Judite so that she would be more comfortable and stood up.

For a few seconds, he watched his sister sleeping, her face peaceful. The day had been long, very long.

Lukas lay down and closed his eyes. Outside, the fire continued burning, the mountain remained silent on the horizon.

Five days had passed since the encounter with that colossal existence, five days since the journey had begun to completely change his perception of the world.

Now, that enormous mountain stood before them, and beyond it lay the territory of Marquis Slyr.

An unknown region, a new frontier, new people, new creatures, and new opportunities. Lukas still did not know what he would find there, but the carriage would continue moving forward.