The rest of the trip was an offset of jogging alongside the wooden carriage. Edwin stayed inside, occasionally poking his head out for small chatter. Besides that, we only ran into smaller demons. But they were taken care of without delaying the trip further.

Night fell upon the trail, as we jogged past the prowling eyes that followed us from the tree line. Fire illuminated in the distance, as the carriage reached the highest point of the trail. Trent pulled the mules to a halt, now overlooking the grand walls of Leton that poked above the forest head.

Serlon wandered back to the carriage and opened the doors. The prince hopped down with a huff, followed by Gunnar, whose complexion had greatly improved from earlier.

“Are we already at Leton?” Edwin adjusted his tunic.

Serlon nodded, “Yes, Your Highness. We were able to make it on time because of everyone’s agility.” Agility or abuse of power?

Edwin peered around at the tired expressions of the guards. His eyes landed on me, a small smirk peeking on his face when he noticed my unfazed demeanor. I wasn’t sweating like the others, nor did I look burdened by nonstop jogging.

His attention turned back to Serlon, who had reached for a pocket in his belt. The head guard pulled out a small pouch, emptying the blackened powder in his hands. Rubbing his hands together, he promptly started putting the powder through the prince’s hair.

It appeared that he enjoyed this a little too much.

Edwin’s golden locks were soon covered black, leaving little trace of Trane’s golden bloodline.

“What is this? Charcoal?” Edwin tried to fan away the fumes, coughing from the escaping dust.

“Forgive me. But the tension in Leton is high, especially towards nobles,” Serlon dumped the remaining contents of the bag onto Edwin’s head, “It’s a temporary measure.” He clapped his hands together to rid himself of the charcoal left on his palms.

Serlon pointed to the twins, “You two. Move the cargo from the storage to the main compartment of the carriage. Prince Edwin will be moving on foot till we reach the castle. The carriage will be too hard to guard. So, we must prepare to lose the cargo if needed.”

“Yes sir!” They moved straight to work, heading to unlock the storage.

Edwin moved over to my side, trying to dust the charcoal from his hands, “I’m amazed that you don’t even seem tired.” He lowered his voice, leaning towards me.

“This much is minuscule,” I scoffed, pushing him away slightly, “I could sprint for days without getting winded.”

I stared at the walls of Leton in the distance. Once we left again, we’d arrive there in no time. I heard a scoff at my side before Edwin stepped up. The prince peered over the kingdom as well.

Edwin smiled, crossing his arms, “Leton’s walls are fairly big. They used a lot of capital to reinforce their borders when the West had been initially attacked.”

I peered over at the stone fortifications of the kingdom. For the most part, Edwin was correct. Leton had certainly reinforced the walls to a considerable extent. Even from a distance, you could tell that they stood thick and tall. Cannon balls would only make a dent in its exterior.

“What do you think?” he casually asked while others prepared the carriage to venture into Leton.

“…It’s decent,” I answered.

“Decent?” He questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“We’ve seen worse, Edwin.” I was honest. I had to assume that he could infer what that meant. He wasn’t as stupid as he acted.

“I see.” Edwin only nodded, answering the rest with his silence.

It was obvious what he had been implying. I think everyone would be wondering the same thing. How long could Leton last against attacks? More importantly, how long before Trane would have to wonder the same thing?

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I peered over at the prince, who continued to stare into the distance. In this light, he was not the dumbfounded fool that he masked himself as. Instead, the worried glint in his eyes resembled that of a ruler on the brink of war. I, myself, was too familiar with that look.

The rest of the troop finished up.

Eran and Serlon finished off their discussions. The twins finished off loading the crates into the main compartment, as Serlon marched his way over to us. He tossed a black cloak towards Edwin, who barely caught it in time.

“Make sure you wear this. Don’t lower the hood. Even with the charcoal in your hair, your face is still very public to other kingdoms.” He warned, eyeing his charcoal handiwork, “We’re going to leave soon. I don’t want you to leave Asta’s side.”

“Oh? You trust me now,” I scoffed, not believing what I was hearing, “Is this the same person that spent all night glaring at me?”

“You’re right. I don’t trust you,” Serlon argued, before sighing, “But I’ll need to be in front observing our routes to the castle. As much as I hate to admit it, you’re the strongest one here. I may not trust your intentions, but I trust your sense of duty. Am I right to assume that?”

I clicked my tongue.

“Right. I’m glad that we can agree on one thing.” Serlon smiled, turning around, and calling to the others, “Pack it up! Let’s move!”

“Yes sir!” A simultaneous shout echoed from the rest of the troop. Once again, Trent sent the mules into a walk down the mountaintop and towards Leton’s gates.

As Serlon asked, Edwin stayed by my side.

Everyone was silent, as the troops neared the gates. In the closing distance, guards stood post in front of metal gates. The carriage creaked to a halt, as we arrived a few feet from Leton’s entrance.

“Halt! Who goes there?” One of the guards shouted, hitting their spears against the ground with a bang.

Serlon raised his hands in the air, walking up to the guards. He reached slowly into his pocket to pull out a golden crest. The guard narrowed his eyes, stepping closer to verify the crest of the Trane Royal Family.

“The emperor has been expecting your visit,” He almost frowned, “We can let you in, but we are unable to escort you to the palace.”

“No need for apologies. We’re quite aware of the situation already.” Serlon assured the guard, who nodded in return.

The guard raised his hand to signal to the ones stationed at the gate. They pulled the lever, sending the chains up to pull the gate open to the Kingdom. With bangs and clanks, the gate rose fully.

“Welcome to Leton,” The guard stepped aside and into a small bow.

Serlon motioned to Trent, who started the carriage into the confines of the Kingdom. The carriage moved slowly, having to wait for the busy night crowd to clear a way for us. Edwin stepped closer, nearly brushing against my side.

Wandering eyes of citizens lurked over to us, most eyeing the carriage. Except that behind the vendors, lurked alleyways of people sleeping on the grounds. Their hungry eyes followed our carriage, belts, and mules. I moved my arm over my belt, blocking any view of the knives hanging from them.

I didn’t intend to give them any incentive to steal from us. That is – more than they already had. Even if we moved in disguise, a poor traveling merchant group still held more material goods than beggars on the street.

The lively row of vendors couldn’t hide the reality of Leton’s economy.

Similar to Trane, vendors called out for their materials as we passed. However, these vendors pushed their way in front of each of us, shoving their sales pitches in our faces. They were pestering businessfolk.

“Two for four copper coins!” An older woman placed herself in front of Edwin, who tucked behind me. I sighed, pushing past the lady.

“Beverages! Two copper coins for the weary travelers!” Another vendor motioned aggressively toward us. We ignored him, never setting our eyes off the path in front of us.

Edwin elbowed my side, to which I leaned down to let him whisper, “I think some of them are following us.” He mentioned, discreetly motioning behind us to the same alley folk that got up.

I nodded, peering over my shoulder to the twins, who had already noticed them, “Just keep walking. If we need to ditch the carriage, we’re prepared to do so.”

A running sound behind us, followed by children’s laughter crept up behind us. A young boy with his sister in hand rushed from the crowd. He bumped into Edwin’s side, pausing to apologize.

“I’m sorry, mister!” He said quickly before rushing forward with his sister.

“It’s okay. No worries…, “Edwin started before having time to finish. He peered over in confusion.

As the two ran away, I heard the same boy click his tongue in disappointment. So, this was the real Leton.

“Check your pockets,” I told him, checking my belt to see if anything went missing. It didn’t take him long to realize what had happened.

“Should I go after them?” Lars called from the back.

Edwin shook his head, “No need. I didn’t have anything in my pocket anyway.”

I glanced at the front to Serlon, who had seen what happened. He frowned, signaling Trent to speed the carriage up.

Even if we were in the streets, the atmosphere was tense, and everyone was on guard. Although this time, it was not demons that we were weary of. But humans.

We sped up, clearing the heavy crowds to step into a less busy path. The castle neared in the distance, its stone pillars towering over the rest of the buildings.

Crowded streets turned into a waterway bridge, surrounded by planted trees, and fire-lit lanterns. Serlon led us over a bridge, to what he believed to be a shortcut.

But it was too empty.

Despite the lack of a crowd, my senses were high as we walked across the vacant bridge. Numerous footsteps scurried in our direction, drawing closer as they approached the carriage. I froze, unsheathing my blade. My action was noticed by the others, who moved to do the same.

Edwin moved behind me, pressing himself against the carriage as we were surrounded by black-clothed figures. They left no gaps in their small siege of the carriage. We had been surrounded in a matter of mere seconds.

These were not the same peasants that we had seen following us in the crowded streets. No. They were trained, even their footsteps revealed that much. This could get annoying.

“Brace yourselves!” Serlon warned us, brandishing his sword, “Back away from the carriage!” He yelled at the figures, sparing a telling look at me. That look didn’t need to be verbalized.

Protect the Prince.

I stepped over to block Edwin from view, eyeing the figures in front of me. With each tense second, it was likely that fighting out of this would be the only way.

A muffled voice, hidden in the back of the crowd spoke over the figures, “Hand over the carriage if you don’t want to die!” Their leader.

Amid the exchange came laughter. Edwin stepped from behind me, foolishly walking past the wall of his guards toward the direction of the voice.

Well. If he wanted to die that badly then…

“Edwin!” Serlon cried, rushing towards him in a panic. He froze at the prince’s hand, sending him to a stop.

Edwin chuckled, hands behind his back, “Isn’t this a little too cruel, King Leon?” He yelled over the figures, who remained unmoving.

Soon enough, footsteps echoed from behind, as the masked figures stepped aside to reveal a blue hooded individual.

The individual sighed, pulling down the hood to show a wide grin, “Ah. Was it my voice? You were never one to fall for my tricks. Were you, Prince Edwin?”