Ascendant Path of a Lustful Vampire

Chapter 543: Near Khione Capital…

When everyone in the Carriage, including Kyre, who should be paying attention to the road, was looking at her, Roxanne decided she might as well explain what she meant.

“They set up a Formation that could be triggered by uttering the name,” she said. “That’s how they knew where to find us.”

“A formation of that size,” Caius said and shook his head, “That County was no Capital City, but it was still massive.”

Roxanne remained convinced.

“They might not have actually drawn a massive formation to cover the entirety of the County. It could be a Formation of a modest size that is simply able to spread its influence far… Oh, to know whose skills were so great,” Roxanne said, and there was a haze of admiration on her face now.

Meline cleared her throat pointedly, and Roxanne snapped out of it.

“Sorry,” she said, “It’s just impressive to even think about.”

Caius couldn’t help but smile.

“Be that as it may,” he said and let out a sigh, “We don’t know how far its range stretches, so it might be best to avoid saying the name.”

Only the name was a forbidden topic, but the entire Carriage was quiet for days after that. The most words that had been exchanged since that day happened when Kyre asked if Caius would like to take the wheel again.

“No,” Caius answered simply.

His order from Athenodora stopped him from telling Kyre that they were already heading the right way, but a simple ‘No’ was fine because it wasn’t as precise; Caius could have been rejecting the wheel to throw their pursuers off the trail for a while longer, or he could even be rejecting the wheel to rest.

Both had some truth in them, the second one more so. Kyre, being at the Eighth Circle, required barely any rest, and so their journey could continue without breaks while Caius allowed himself a few bits of shuteye.

They left the County of the attack behind long ago, and now, after three days on the road, Kyre had turned the Carriage away from any civilizations and preferred off-road paths even through forests.

All the while, Caius had been looking forward to Athenodora’s intrusion into his mind so he could ask about the Emissary, but it never came. He could still feel her at the edge of his thoughts, though, and for as long as that connection remained, she was still alive and could still be saved.

They were nearing a full week since they had left the County behind. The Khione Duchy lay far ahead of them. They were actually already within the boundaries of the territory governed by the Khione family, but had still managed to avoid their cities and towns so far. However, they were about to reach the capital of the Duchy, with a size comparable to Capital City itself, as it was once the Capital of the Khione Kingdom— when it still was a kingdom.

Anyway, Kyre worried that to avoid the capital, they would have to give it a wide berth, the kind that would delay any progress they were already making.

It wasn’t that the Khione Duchy was dangerous— at least, it was no more dangerous than the County they left behind had been. In other words, as long as they didn’t attract unwanted attention, they should be able to go right through just fine. Still, Kyre worried this might not be what Caius wanted.

He couldn’t actually ask Caius because he knew he wasn’t going to get a proper answer, so he just kept going as the Capital of the Duchy kept getting closer and closer. When they only had a day’s journey left to enter the Capital of the Khione Duchy, Caius suggested camping in a stretch of wilderness.

The Leopolds were reluctant.

“It didn’t work out well the last time,” Roxanne pointed out.

“Oh, it’ll be alright,” Caius said, waving away the worry. It was he who now craved escape from the confines of the Carriage.

He wasn’t as worried about the Emissary as he was convinced they had a substantial head start. Also, they had all been dressed in the gold-black cloaks during the altercation, which meant their energy signatures and scents couldn’t be tracked. And unless the Emissary knew what their carriage looked like, they had no reason to think he knew who to follow.

“It’ll be alright,” Caius insisted.

So they made camp.

The moment the carriage stopped in a clearing within a forest, Roxanne sprang out and began to use her inscription tools to etch a Protective Formation. She made it so massive that Caius’s senses lost her for a while before she came back in range. Her goal was to give them as much area to stroll within while still being protected.

The Formation cut off the entire region from any probing senses. As far as anyone but them was concerned, that part of the wilderness did not exist.

Outside the carriage, Caius took a breath of the cold air. It didn’t cause him to shiver, though. His clothes provided him with enough warmth.

“Snow,” Nadine noted at the white stuff on the forest floor.

“The North is a region of perpetual winter,” Meline said.

“I wonder if it was like that even before the Khiones settled here,” Hugo said in a musing tone. He had recovered well from the attack of the Emissary, and while he didn’t show it, Caius could tell he was hoping to get his get-back.

“Ah, that’s the question, isn’t it?” Meline said, “There is a myth that the North was a region of warmth once. Or at least, there used to be more than just winter.

The Khiones then used their unique Elements to curse the region, turning it into a domain where they would be the most comfortable and most powerful.”

“Why is it a myth?” Kyre asked.

Meline laughed.

“Magic to control and keep the weather in constant chill is beyond mortal power. Look to the gods for that kind of power. Nah, I think the North was always like this, and it influenced the Khiones to discover their Ice Magic.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say weather-manipulating magic is impossible,” Roxanne said, “Formations can do many incredible things.”

“So you think it’s a Formation that makes it all so cold?” Meline asked with a raised brow.

“I say it’s a possibility,” Roxanne shrugged.

“And the sun? Is that a Formation too?” Meline asked and laughed.

“Ha ha,” Roxanne said with a roll of her eyes.

Caius just listened to the exchange with a light smile on his lips.

Kyre saw an opportunity now.

“Well, I suppose you could investigate your claim at the Duchy Capital, Roxanne,” he said.

“Oh, I could,” Roxanne said enthusiastically, but Kyre wasn’t paying her any attention. His eyes were on Caius.

“How about you, My Lord. Is the Duchy Capital a region you’d like to visit?”

“Very much so,” Caius answered instantly.

He knew what Kyre was doing and took it as an opportunity to pass information within the confines of Athenodora’s orders. As he could have truly meant a desire to visit the Duchy Capital—even at a later date—he wasn’t technically telling Kyre he wanted to drive right through the Khione Capital even though he knew that was exactly how Kyre was going to interpret it.

Sure enough, there was purpose in Kyre’s eyes, and once they left their camp, he was going to stay the course and drive into and through the Duchy Capital rather than try to avoid it.

Caius let out a sigh. Navigating the constraints of Athenodora’s order was tedious.

And it didn’t matter that he might have found a way to pass on the message to Kyre earlier if he had given it more thought because being driven by someone essentially moving blind was still annoying and was the reason he was angry at the order.

“I’m going on a walk,” Caius announced then.

“My Lord…” Hugo started, and the rest of the Leopolds were instantly on high alert.

“I’ll be staying within the boundary of Roxanne’s Formation.”

Caius said, “I’ll be back soon.”

And he started to walk away. As he did, he felt a bit guilty for how reluctant he had been to accept the Leopolds’ request for a break from the carriage one week ago. There was truly something calming and relaxing about moving one’s legs after so long sitting. He could see why the Leopolds wanted to visit the Inn because it was the same sentiment that made him suggest this little camping break.

Caius’s mind was working hard. He knew he was going to have to take the wheel again. Already, Kyre had been taking paths that weren’t according to Athenodora’s directions— Although that was probably for the best. Following the incident at the Inn, Caius felt that if someone was following Athenodora’s steps, it might do well for him and the Leopolds to avoid the exact paths she had taken. At least for now.

Still, once they left the Khione Duchy behind and began to leave the Acheron Empire entirely, they would need to get back to Athenodora’s directions, and Kyre would have to surrender the wheel so Caius could drive them to potential danger himself.