“And?”

  “I guess nothing fazes you, huh?”

  “It was pretty obvious that you were a big deal around these parts. Let me guess, the previous leader died in the last few years, and you assumed their place. That also happened after that incident in the labyrinth.”

  “Hahahaha… convenient, isn’t it? I want to keep laughing, but I can’t.”

  At least he didn’t try to deny that. As far as I knew, the Twilight Brotherhood didn’t do much against the empire in the last four years, so perhaps that wasn’t just convenience, but I couldn’t deny that there could be other unknown factors. Roswald wasn’t planning to hide who he was, and even if he wasn’t planning something against the empire, the fame of the twilight brotherhood wouldn’t help him gather allies… but he didn’t seem sure of that.

  “Just spill the beans.”

  “Nah, I am just interested in what you are planning to do for the time being. I am not planning to add you to my plans.”

  “But…”

  “It would be convenient if we were to head to the same place. This vehicle of yours is quite useful. Naturally, I am not going to hop in for free. I am going to use my influence to help as well and help you with some favors. You need the chance to trade materials and get some new types of enchantment, right? I can help you with that. I can’t offer anything big since I know that you would be wary of such offers.”

  Roswald seemed to be aware of the mistakes I’d made before, the times I tried to gain valuable things by working for others, only to end up taken advantage of. He made it clear that he wasn’t going to make the same mistake as me. He recognized the futility of relying on others for too much, acknowledging that it often left you with nothing but disappointment. While his honesty about not repeating the same mistakes was somewhat reassuring, it didn’t make me trust him anymore.

  Despite his words, Roswald’s offer still felt like a gamble. I wasn’t about to take his word at face value just because he wasn’t trying to pull any fast ones. As long as I was aware of the possibilities, nothing would get me off guard.

  ‘I guess I am too guarded thanks to the betrayals that I have experienced so far. He should know that associating with me will cause problems too, but he is willing to bite the bullet.’

  After thinking about it, I didn’t have many options when it comes to where I should go… I wanted to keep exploring labyrinths, but I also wanted a place where Alissandra would be safe while she grows. The kingdom of Felyndor didn’t discriminate against people that go there, aside from a few groups. They sold Vincent and others as battle slaves, but mainly because they caused them trouble for some powerful people. It wasn’t out of bias or something like that.

  That made me recall that the only group of people that seemed truly evil there was the group that hunted Nimir and his mother and put that curse on him. It made me wonder if he had found that individual already…

  “I am heading to Felyndor after here. You can come with me if you want as long as you don’t cause me trouble. Don’t try to make me join your cause, though. I might fight the empire at some point, but I won’t serve as a minion for no one’s goals.”

  “Naturally, I understand your reasoning. Since she has connections with some important people there, I can help you find Nimira soon.”

  “I am not going to look for him there. So that won’t be necessary.”

  “Why do you insist that she is a guy? Anyway, by using your connections, you will be able to get many things there. Knowledge, materials, privileged information.”

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  “I already know how much of a hassle it is to deal with those who think of themselves as big deals and those who are in the top brass of their lands, so I don’t want to waste my time with them.”

  “Ouch, your words cut deeply. Well, even if you avoid her, you are the type of person who is hard to miss and you attract others fast, be it enemies or friends.”

  “I guess I should go to another place then…”

  Roswald couldn’t help but shrug… he had a point. I was basically a magnet for troublesome stuff. Be it people or situations.

  I was still a bit tired, though my wounds had mostly healed after what seemed like three days of unconsciousness. The rest had worked its magic, and my body had recovered faster than I expected. Yet, despite the healing, there was a troublesome sensation. No matter how much I ate or how much time passed, the hunger still was strong inside me.. I tried to rationalize it as a side effect of the accelerated health regeneration, hoping that it would fade once my body fully adjusted. But deep down, I knew it wasn’t just that.

  The truth was, I could feel my vampiric heritage growing stronger, its influence creeping up on me in ways I couldn’t ignore. It wasn’t just the physical changes. Something more primal, more volatile was arriving. The hunger wasn’t just a random byproduct; it was a reflection of something deeper, an aspect of my nature that was becoming harder to suppress.

  ‘I know that I am just trying to avoid the inevitable, and that I should accept all these changes… but I wouldn’t be here if I were the type who gives up so easily.’

  Roswald went to take a nap in the corner of the wagon for a while and then I began to work on the new engines for the vehicle. Even if it was going to make the vehicle less efficient, I wanted speed and some durability to avoid problems along the trip.

  With the self repair Enchantment, I didn’t have to worry too much about maintenance, but I couldn’t be reckless. My stock of mana cores increased again since Roswald got a large amount in the stomach if the Frost Wyvern, so I could experiment with it fine for a while.

  “Uuuuuuhhhhh.”

  Alissandra began to complain, but soon she began to laugh when she saw me approaching. It seemed that Roswald looked well after her… or maybe it was Glacien, or maybe a combination of both. Roswald knew that Glacien would bite his neck if he did anything to Alissandra.

  “Your food is ending, too, huh? I guess we will have to rely on this moron for this, Aliss. I also think that it is time for you to start eating other things, since your teeth are starting to show up. Can I assume that you like grains like other birds, or would that be too much?”

  “Uuuuuuhhhh…”

  “I guess you don’t like it. Anyway, what do you think of your new class? There shouldn’t have many kids around your age that can use time related skills.”

  Technically, Alissandra couldn’t use it either since she didn’t have enough mana… speaking of which, I definitely had to make an amulet for Chrono Surge. The cost of mana and the complexity of the amulet would make it quite big. Perhaps as big as me, but that would be a good challenge to make it smaller. It was another difficult project on the list of things that I needed to do, but it certainly would come in handy.

  In the end, Roswald slept for around fifteen hours since he didn’t sleep that much since we began to explore the labyrinth. Thanks to that, I let him decide where we should go since I wanted to buy food for the trip and he needed to contact some people.

  The best option seemed clear: head south and get closer to the border with the empire. That way, we could avoid being found by the harpies. As much as the camouflage on the vehicle helped, it wasn’t a perfect solution.

  We were bound to leave some obvious traces on the snow, tracks, broken branches, disturbed ground, things that would make it easier for anyone, especially the harpies, to pick up on our trail. Moving toward the border was the safest bet. It would put more distance between us and any potential threats, and the closer we got to the empire’s borders, the less likely we were to be noticed by anyone hostile.

  ‘She sure looks more energetic…’

  “Da-da-da!”

  While Roswald was outside talking with some people, I gave a pause at my work to look after Alissandra. She was smiling more and moving her arms around… I could tell that her Mana multiplier improved her mana pool, but at her age, she shouldn’t have that much to begin with.

  Still, I couldn’t find any other explanation for her insanely good mood. I wasn’t the type to make faces and weird noises to make her laugh. The only thing I could really do was try to calm her down when she was in a bad mood for whatever reason.

  ‘I thought of making her an implement that would make her sleep better… I guess the Mediation amulet would help her with that. It makes me wonder, if she had that skill, and that amulet, she could get a lot of experience over the years. Well, it is better if I don’t give her such an edge, otherwise, she won’t be able to fit in with the other kids. Unlike me, she doesn’t need power to protect herself, at least for a while.’

  “Grrr…”

  “What is up, girl? You don’t like my idea?”

  Glacien was resting, but soon she raised her head and growled for whatever reason while looking outside. Before long, Roswald appeared, showing a troubled expression.