The Wind Calms the Fire - Chapter 22

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 22
“Sleep well, Your Highness.”
“You too, Peni.”
The small tent was so cramped that it could barely accommodate Lea and Peni lying down side by side.
Soon, the sound of Peni’s steady breathing drifted from beside her.
‘I should sleep too if I want to be ready for tomorrow……’
Lea lay wide-eyed, staring into the pitch-black darkness above.
As she replayed her conversation with Carrion, her memory inevitably drifted to the kiss they had shared.
That night, too, his kiss had been fervent and relentless.
‘I thought it was because his Spirit had run wild, but that’s just how he kisses.’
Beneath that icy, crystalline exterior lay an unexpected warmth.
Perhaps this was why one could never truly know a person by appearances alone.
‘Or maybe that’s just his true nature.’
If he bore the temperament of fire, surely he must have awakened the Power of Fire.
‘Do all men’s bodies feel like that……?’
Solid yet yielding at once?
She had felt the raw strength in his arms as they held her.
Even though her own body had been restrained, what she’d felt was not fear but reassurance—and that strange contradiction unnerved her.
‘I want to touch……’
The thought that slipped unbidden into her mind made her jolt in shock.
‘I’ve lost it. I’ve truly lost it.’
She rapped her knuckles against her own forehead.
‘This is medicine. Self-medication.’
Lea repeated this mantra to herself and closed her eyes.
‘Will tonight be all right?’
She hoped the preventative measures she’d taken would prove effective.
But Lea wasn’t optimistic.
If his Spirit was in a dormant state, the Wind Power wouldn’t have reached it.
‘If his Spirit does run wild again, please let me know.’
A soft breeze, as though in reassurance, brushed past her forehead.
Before long, she drifted into sleep, and when she opened her eyes again, it was morning.
Peni was already gone from beside her.
When Lea stepped out of the tent, she found the camp in a flurry of activity—people striking tents and preparing for departure.
Her eyes quickly searched for Carrion.
She spotted him speaking with his subordinate knights. He looked unharmed.
‘Thank goodness.’
Whether he’d slept well or not, at least his Spirit hadn’t run wild during the night.
After Lea turned her head away, Carrion’s gaze soon found her.
His eyes lingered on her for quite some time as she laughed and conversed with the others.
‘Hmm?’
There was someone watching this exchange with keen interest.
Luke looked between Carrion and Lea in turn, his expression growing knowing.
The party set out once more.
Just as the day before, Lea rode at the head of the group, leading the way on horseback.
Close behind her, Orvin pushed himself to memorize the route.
But he was already confused, just as he had been yesterday.
Though Lea’s path seemed straightforward, there were quite a number of forks along the way.
Each time, she showed no hesitation in choosing which way to go.
Orvin tried hard to spot some particular landmark or marker she might be using, but it was in vain.
He prided himself on his sense of direction.
Until now, only one person had surpassed him in the ability to find their way—his lord, Carrion.
‘Now there are two of them.’
Orvin swallowed a sigh and urged his horse forward.
A little past noon, the forest finally came to an end.
When they emerged from the trees onto a road where civilization showed signs of returning, Orvin couldn’t even muster a laugh.
As someone who had been monitoring every last detail of the situation, Orvin had no choice but to admit it.
This forest path was a completely uncharted route of considerable value.
Of course—only if one possessed perfect knowledge of it, as Lea clearly did.
Since it was around lunchtime, the party decided to rest for a while nearby.
Orvin approached Lea, bowed respectfully, and spoke.
“Thanks to the route you showed me, it looks like we’ll make better time. I appreciate all your effort in guiding us.”
“If the journey goes smoothly, it benefits us too. We should help each other when we can.”
“You seem to remember the entire forest path. You’re finding your way by instinct, is that it?”
“Something like that.”
He felt a flicker of disappointment.
His commander was the textbook example of someone who navigated by gut feeling.
In his experience, the commander’s pathfinding ability had rarely proven useful.
Information only held real value when it could be documented and shared among many.
Navigation by instinct required the person themselves to physically traverse the route each time.
Yet he couldn’t keep summoning the commander as a guide whenever needed.
Orvin pressed on, hoping for a different answer.
“Would it be possible for you to leave behind a record of that forest path—something anyone could use to escape?”
“That shouldn’t be difficult.”
Color rose to Orvin’s cheeks.
“Then might I ask you to do so?”
Lea smiled wryly and shook her head.
“That’s where I have to draw the line.”
“Ah…….”
“You understand, surely. Showing you the path with my own guidance is one thing. Turning it into a written record is something else entirely—the information value changes completely.”
“Of course. I wasn’t asking for it freely. Are you saying you’d write it if we paid?”
“How much were you thinking?”
“Hmm…….”
Orvin picked up a twig and scratched a number into the dirt.
“How about this?”
Lea also picked up a twig and wrote a different number beside his, then looked him in the eye.
“What do you think?”
Orvin’s face fell.
“Double is asking rather a lot.”
“The Empire has plenty of gold. It’s petty to haggle over this amount.”
“It’s the Northeast Command buying it, not the Empire. Our information division isn’t exactly drowning in funds.”
“You’re not going to pass it on to the Imperial Information Ministry?”
“Good information should be held close.”
Lea grinned and offered a counter.
“All right, I’ll be generous. This amount.”
She wrote a new figure in the dirt.
It was higher than Orvin’s first offer, but still within what he could manage.
“Agreed. I’ll purchase the information.”
It was a deal both could live with.
Lea needed the coin. The money she’d brought when leaving the Kingdom wasn’t substantial.
Thinking of the Imperial Capital’s cost of living, a few days of comfortable lodging would drain it completely.
When she saw the amount of emergency funds Aren had given her, Lea swallowed a silent sigh.
Either her brother didn’t understand the world’s prices, or the Kingdom was poorer than she’d thought.
Probably both.
“I’ll work on it as we travel. Two or three days should do. Once you see it, let me know if anything needs adjusting.”
“Would you prefer payment in goods or currency?”
“A Promissory Note guaranteed by the Empire will do fine.”
“Do you happen to have other information as well? Route information, like this forest path?”
“I do.”
“Truly?”
“Are you interested in buying?”
“Of course—wait, ah. This year’s budget…….”
“If you’re genuinely committed to purchasing, I can wait. I won’t sell to anyone else.”
“I’ll take you up on that. You absolutely must not sell to anyone else.”
The conversation between the two of them, apart from the others, stretched on considerably.
Though their voices didn’t carry, the open space meant their silhouettes were visible, so the rest paid no particular attention.
But there was one person whose mood had soured.
Carrion pretended not to look while his attention sharpened onto the two of them.
‘What are they talking about?’
Each time she laughed, his brow twitched involuntarily.
Fortunately, his curiosity was soon satisfied.
Orvin hurried over and reported to him at once.
“Forgive me, Your Highness. I should have sought your permission beforehand, but I made a hasty decision.”
The amount he’d promised to give Lea exceeded Orvin’s authority over the budget.
Carrion spoke generously.
“You’re not the sort to squander public funds carelessly. If your judgment tells you it was necessary, then it was necessary.”
Orvin, who had been tense, was deeply moved.
His lord was ordinarily a demanding man of principle.
The thought that he’d earned his lord’s trust to this degree filled him with quiet pride.
“Did you learn what other information the princess said she had about an alternative route?”
“Not yet, Your Highness.”
“I’ll discuss that separately with the princess.”
“Very good, Your Highness.”
Carrion turned away in good spirits.
* * *
Once they’d left the forest, the duties of guide fell back to Orvin.
That evening, as always, the members of Zephyros sat gathered around the campfire, waiting for their meal.
Sedric approached and spoke to Lea.
“His Highness would like a word with you.”
“Understood.”
Lea rose and addressed her companions.
“If I’m delayed, go ahead and eat without me.”
“Yes, Director.”
The attendants of the Supreme Commander watched as Lea and Sedric made their way toward the Dark Castle.
Two days in a row meeting privately with the prince.
Their curiosity deepened with every glance.
‘Who exactly is she?’
‘She’s clearly a woman of high standing.’
‘Her companions are pretending to be merchants, but there’s no way they actually are.’
Orvin alone gave it no particular thought.
‘It’s because of the route information, perhaps. His Highness is moving quickly. It must be important intelligence.’
After Lea had climbed into the carriage and closed the door, Sedric took his post at the front, as he had the day before.
He spotted Luke ambling toward him.
Luke waved a hand, as if to say he should move aside.
“Why?”
“I’ll stay here.”
“What?”
“Go eat your supper.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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